As more Perth councils bring in a third bin for food waste, some of WA’s earliest adopters of the so-called FOGO system are just months away from potentially scrapping the scheme.
A third bin for food and garden organic waste (FOGO) was rolled out in Bunbury, south of Perth, more than 10 years ago and most other South West councils followed suit.
It was lauded as a “radical” but effective solution to the state’s waste woes — and the WA government vowed to introduce FOGO to all Perth and Peel councils by the end of 2025.
Many Perth councils have now also rolled out FOGO bins, including Victoria Park, which introduced them just weeks ago.
Meanwhile, in the birthplace of FOGO, the waste has been going to landfill for months after the Bunbury Harvey Regional Council stopped processing it due to contamination.
For more than a decade, locals in the South West have been using a third, FOGO bin (right). (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)
South West councils have been scrambling to find another way to deal with the waste but a recent council tender process failed to find a solution.
Some local governments including the Shire of Collie, the Shire of Harvey and the Shire of Capel are actively considering scrapping the FOGO system.
When it was introduced, Bunbury was praised for its state-leading solution to waste. (ABC South West: Kate Stephens)
‘It’s not working’
Seven local South West councils are calling on the WA government to urgently intervene.
Shire of Dardanup President Tyrrell Gardiner said the ideal solution would be a local processing centre, a plan that could cost upwards of $10 million.
Tyrrell Gardiner says if there is no solution by Christmas, the council will look at scrapping the FOGO bin. (ABC South West: Jacqueline Lynch)
He said if the council could not find a solution by Christmas, the bins could be removed.
“We would be getting to 12 months of the FOGO not being handled as we had intended,” he said.
“The time frame on hoping to get a FOGO solution is rapidly closing and if we don’t get something soon, the third bin will be gone in its current format.
“We’ve tried it in a format, it’s not working and we’ve got to find another solution or it will go.”
He said given the tip just outside of Dardanup had long been taking waste from Perth, he felt the government should help.
Dardanup tip takes waste from Perth and other areas in WA. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)
A state ‘failure’
The issue has largely united South West local governments.
Shire of Capel’s deputy president Sebastian Schiano said it was a disappointing situation.
“At a time when local governments are adopting local FOGO processing and FOGO collection it seems the South West is held with its hands and nowhere to go,” he told the council.
“That is a state government failure, a failure to deliver viable waste solutions in the South West.”
There are calls for the WA government to invest in more processing facilities, including in the South West. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)
The WA government said it was committed to the three bin system.
“FOGO remains an important part of our communities’ move towards a more circular waste economy [and] reducing the amount of waste going to landfill,” Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said.
“We recognise that some councils have faced challenges and we have been working with them to find solutions.”
He said the state had offered some money to South West councils for transporting waste.
Make it work or walk away
Meanwhile, more and more Perth councils have taken up state government grants and brought in the system.
The City of Rockingham, which introduced the bins at the end of June, said the rollout was “progressing well” and the rubbish was successfully being processed by contractor Veolia.
In some Perth councils, like the City of Rockingham, FOGO has been “progressing well.” (Suppied: City of Rockingham)
Others, including WA’s largest council by population, have doubts.
City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin said council wanted to see the issues dealt with before spending millions rolling out the bins to 250,000 residents.
“We’re not confident that those processing facilities are able to cater for the volume from the City of Stirling,” he said.
Mark Irwin says the council is holding off on bringing in FOGO until it is confident the system works. (ABC News)
“To put it in perspective, the city’s population is close to the whole of the Northern Territory so it will have significant implications for our waste streams across the state”
South West Liberal member Steve Thomas said if the state government wanted to see the FOGO system work in Perth and the South West, it needed to “seriously invest”.
Steve Thomas says the state’s trial of FOGO has “failed”. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)
“We have been a trial in the South West in terms of FOGO and you would have to say that that trial has failed,” he said.
“If the state government wants to replicate that failure in the metropolitan area with great big volumes, good luck to them.
“What they need to do is either progress FOGO across the board and invest in it fully and make it work or walk away from it.”
