NEW Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling requirements are coming into force.
From 1 July, most large food businesses will have to recycle their food waste, with the aim of diverting it from landfill.
The changes will also require all councils to provide household food waste recycling services from 2030.
“Without action, NSW is on track to run out of landfill space by 2030,” said Penny Sharpe, Minister for the Environment.
“Sending food waste and garden waste to be recycled makes sense, whichever way you look at it.
“We can all do our bit to drive down emissions, reduce waste and create fantastic end products – including compost, energy production and animal feed, to name a few.”
Pat Burrows, President of the Gloucester Community Garden, which already has a significant composting program, welcomed the changes, but suggested that many local home owners would also benefit from composting their own organic waste or sending it to places such as the community garden.
“If someone has their own garden, composting all their own vegetable scraps is a great idea because it really does help to promote the growth of fruit and veggies and other plants,” said Ms Burrows.
“The community garden presently composts coffee grounds from a local café, sawdust from a woodworking factory, and leaves and grass from the nearby Gloucester Olympic Pool.”
“It would also be really good if the local restaurants chatted to us about sending us some of their veggie scraps.”
“We put all the compost that we make onto our gardens which are growing beautifully.”
According to the MidCoast Council, a proposed new FOGO processing facility near the Tuncurry Waste Management Centre will be able to process up to 146,000 tonnes of organic waste annually in its first stage and will support the Council’s compliance with the State Government mandate to deliver FOGO services to the community by 2030.
The proposal by a private company is presently being assessed as a State Significant Development.
More details concerning the FOGO changes are available in a NSW government produced booklet titled ‘NSW guide to best practice FOGO’ which can be accessed online via the EPA website.
By John WATTS
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