Greater Hume Council Moves to 3 Bin System in 2024
Published on 01 December 2023
Greater Hume Council will next year move to introduce a 3 bin kerbside system as part of its new 10 year waste and recycling contract with Cleanaway. The move aligns Greater Hume with the majority of councils in the region who already collect food and garden (FOGO) waste through the system since 2015. The additional bin introduction has been funded through the NSW Environmental Protection Agency to provide education and information to transition to the new system.
In June 2021, the NSW Government mandated the implementation of a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service for all Councils by 2030.
This means all residents who already have a domestic waste collection and recycling service will be provided with a third “green lidded” bin in the lead up to July 2024. This will ultimately provide residents with greater resources for waste disposal in a sustainable manner.
To successfully implement these changes, Greater Hume Council will utilise the $205,000 of funding to conduct extensive community education through utilizing the Halve Waste education program in the lead up to the launch and to continue to support residents in the future.
A significant benefit associated with FOGO is the reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill. Neighbouring councils reduced their waste to landfill by 50% through the introduction of this system in 2015.
Ms Arnold added that when food and garden waste ends up in landfill, it releases methane gas into the atmosphere which is approximately 23 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.
“By diverting these products and turning them into compost that can be reused on farms and in gardens, the introduction of this service will greatly contribute to a reduction in the negative environmental effects caused by our landfill.”
“Jindera Public School was the recipient of some lovely compost processed from the green lidded bin in the region and able to be returned to our parks and gardens rather than landfilled.
Diverting our FOGO from landfilling will also assist us in progressing towards meeting some of the other mandates set by the NSW Government, such as the 80% waste diversion targets (2030) and the CO2 Net zero reduction targets (2050),” she said.
Ms Arnold said that the introduction of FOGO would mark a significant milestone for Council to work towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable long-term waste and recycling strategy.
“I am pleased that Council could come to an agreement regarding this important matter” she said. “Our residents can be assured that they will be supported to make these household changes through the Halve Waste team and advertising in the lead up to the service changes.