This story has been updated to include comment from North Sydney Council.

A weekly compost collection will soon be rolled out to almost every household and business in New South Wales by 2030. It’s a move aimed at tackling food waste and reducing landfill, and will be mandatory across the state.

Sydney faces a looming landfill crisis, and the initiative is part of the state’s efforts to promote food waste recycling. But with recycling rates stagnating and limited space remaining, the city's waste collection system could be at risk in the coming years without urgent action.

What is FOGO?

FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) is a kerbside collection service designed to recycle food scraps and garden waste into compost.  

In November, NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe explained councils would be required to provide appropriately sized bins for food and garden organics waste and that they were to collect food organics (FO) or FOGO weekly.  

Minister Sharpe said the mandated collection frequency was introduced to tackle “smell issues” and to ensure households wouldn’t be “discouraged from using FOGO because of the decomposition of material before collection.”  

North Sydney’s Food Waste Trial

In 2022, North Sydney Council conducted a six-month food scraps trial involving 400 randomly selected properties to assess participation and contamination rates, collecting data for future waste management. Participants were provided with a kitchen caddy to separate food waste, which was then collected weekly in a maroon-lidded wheelie bin.

The trial showed a 1.08 kg/unit/week reduction in general waste, mainly due to a 0.8 kg/unit/week decrease in food waste. About 10% of participants responded to a survey, with most viewing the trial positively, noting a decrease in general waste and feeling more sustainable.

However, some raised concerns about caddy liner decomposition, bin contamination, and the cleanliness of the burgundy-lidded bins. 

There were also calls for more education on reducing contamination, stronger liners, and better bin accessibility. 

Speaking to the North Shore Lorikeet, a North Sydney Council spokesperson highlighted key findings from their 6-month FOGO trial.

The trial struggled with less food waste being separated, which led to more contamination. Despite only 10% of people responding to the post-trial survey, 93% of them supported making the program permanent.

The council has indicated that it does not plan to roll out Food Organics, Green Organics (FOGO) waste collection in early 2025. This is due to existing long-term waste contracts that must be fulfilled before any new agreements, including those for food waste collection, can be implemented.

"We will continue to advocate for government investment in developing modern waste infrastructure,” said the spokesperson. “A market analysis will be conducted by Council closer to the tendering period to reassess infrastructure capacity, emerging technologies and market pricing."

"Council is not in charge of compost collection for commercial properties as outlined in the mandated legislation for 2026, our management covers residential waste only." 

Currently, 61 councils across NSW have either rolled out or are planning to introduce a FOGO service. 

Blacktown Council, for example, will launch a new domestic waste service for eligible houses, villas, and townhouses starting in June 2025. This service will provide households with an additional 140 litres of bin capacity per week.

How FOGO could impact your Local Government Area (LGA)

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) has voiced support for the state’s efforts to reduce landfill waste and promote FOGO collection, while stressing the importance of ongoing consultation with councils for the smooth, statewide rollout.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Darriea Turley AM told the North Shore Lorikeet, a “one-size-fits-all approach” might not be the perfect option for all councils and communities.

“The Bill that was introduced to parliament includes the ability for the NSW Government to apply broad exemptions,” said Turley, “whether for entire local government areas (LGAs) where a FOGO collection is not feasible or viable, or for more specific cases, which LGNSW expects might include classes of buildings such as large apartment buildings where the building’s internal infrastructure does not support a FOGO collection.” 

The body also reiterated its call for 100% of Waste Levy funds — currently around $1 billion annually — to be reinvested into the circular economy and FOGO implementation. 

Image credit: NSW Environment Protection Authority