City of Ballarat advertises for kerbside organics processor

The City of Ballarat has advertised a tender for a processor to accept and process the municipality’s food organics and garden organics (FOGO) materials that will be recycled into products, such as compost.  

The processor is expected to accept up to 21,500 tonnes of food and garden organics a year collected from more than 50,000 households in time for the State Government’s proposed timeframe for the state-wide introduction of FOGO by 1 July, 2027.

The City of Ballarat is working towards the introduction of the new FOGO kerbside collection in 2025.

As part of the tender, the contractor must provide a processing site with required Environment Protection Authority approvals to accept and process FOGO materials, including biodegradable caddy liners, into valuable products that can be resold and used.

The tender is also seeking opportunities for the City of Ballarat to buy back the processed product for use in City of Ballarat operations and by residents.

City of Ballarat Director Infrastructure and Environment Bridget Wetherall said it is exciting to see planning continue for the rollout of the new service, which will significantly reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill.

“Audits show food waste makes up 41 per cent of what goes in household waste bins – which adds up to an estimated 9,000 tonnes of food that is thrown out every year,” she said.

“Diverting food waste from landfill will reduce the volume of methane, a powerful gas that contributes to climate change, that is generated when organic waste breaks down in landfill.    

“Diverting food waste into your FOGO bin will also free up space in your general household waste bin. Our goal is for FOGO to be recycled and turned into compost for our city’s public gardens as well as residents’ own gardens.”

Food organics includes fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, citrus, leftovers, seafood, shellfish shells and eggshells.

The new FOGO service will be provided to about 51,000 residential properties (forecast number of properties in 2025) under 4,000 square metres that receive a City of Ballarat kerbside waste and recycling service.  

Larger properties will be able to opt-in to the FOGO service for an annual fee. These properties are now able to opt-in to the green waste service for $72 per year.

As part of planning for the FOGO rollout, in September the City of Ballarat awarded the tender for the supply, coordination and delivery of kitchen caddies, caddy liners and service information packs to Cardia Bioplastics.

Next year, residents will receive a kitchen caddy to collect their food scraps, which they can then add to their garden organics (current green waste) bin with the lime green lid. The seven litre caddies will have a carry handle and aerated lid that is made from 100 per cent recyclable material and is dishwasher friendly.

Residents will also receive compostable caddy liners (made from biodegradable plastic suitable for composting) and information packs explaining the new service, including what can and cannot be included in the FOGO bin.

The tender for kerbside organics processing is expected to be awarded in late February, 2025.

Under the State Government’s Household Waste and Recycling Draft Service Standard 2024 for delivering the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021, all Local Government Areas are required to transition to a separate glass service and a separate food organics and garden organics (FOGO) service.  

The State Government has proposed a prioritised FOGO service and a glass collection service be delivered by 1 July, 2027.  

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