FOGO FAQs

All properties within the Burnie Inzone service area (outside of the CBD) will receive a FOGO bin in addition to recycling and landfill waste to ensure everyone in the zone can access the service.

Every inzone property contributes to this kerbside collection as part of a shared investment in Burnie’s future. Even if your property doesn’t use every service, your contribution helps reduce landfill, protect our environment, and create a cleaner, greener community for all.

FOGO is cost-neutral in your rates as waste collections will be fortnightly, and there is no waste Levy on FOGO materials.

Council has worked hard to develop an optimised collection model where these is no additional cost to ratepayers in the inzone who have previously had a waste and recycling collection.

The new 240L FOGO bin complements the landfill and recycling bins by allowing for more effective handling of household waste, diverting organic material away from landfill.  

Your 240L 3-bin suite will now include: 

1. Red lid - Landfill
2. Yellow-lid: recycling
3. Green Lid: FOGO - Food organics and garden organics products  

Alternating Fogo one week,
Waste and Recycling together the next week.

New red and green lid bins will be delivered to your property entrance from 1–19 September

🌿 FOGO collection starts 29 September, alternating fortnightly with landfill + recycling.

Alternating FOGO with landfill collections every two weeks keeps costs down. This approach works well in Burnie’s neighbouring and other Tasmanian councils.  Check out the tracker: nwrrr.com.au/tracker

With the landfill levy set to rise next year, diverting FOGO and recyclables from landfill helps minimise costs for everyone.  This 3-bin system helps Burnie become more sustainable by reducing landfill, improving recycling, and building better systems for future generations.

When we audited general waste bins and found that:

• 40% was FOGO (mostly food waste)
• 20% was missed Recyclables

Once you divert FOGO and recyclables, most households will have enough space in their landfill bin to last the fortnight.  Check out nwrrr.com.au and rethinkwaste.com.au for useful tips on reducing waste.

We know this might take some adjustment, and there may be times you have extra waste. Options include:

• Take extra waste to the Burnie Waste Management Centre – residents can dispose of up to 100kg of landfill waste for free per visit.
• Arrange a private, customised collection with a licensed contractor.

You can put food and organic garden waste in your FOGO bin.

✅ Food waste includes vegetable peelings, fruit, cooked food, leftovers, meat and bones, seafood waste, dairy and citrus.  

✅ Garden organics such as lawn clippings, weeds, vegie patch waste, flowers and small branches can also be added to the bin.

Our A-Z guide of what can go into your FOGO bin will be in the information kit when the bin is delivered and on NWRRR website.

nwrrr.com.au/guide

NO GO FOGO -  These items must go in your General Landfill Waste, not the FOGO Bin:

⛔️ Soil, concrete, gravel, rocks, ceramics, building materials, fireplace ash
⛔️ Metal, tins and cans, foil
⛔️ Textiles
⛔️ General waste or recycling
⛔️ Plastic, cling wrap, takeaway containers

⛔️ No bags, biodegradable or composable bags, loose is lovely

⛔️ Nappies, Road kill, pet waste, and dead animals are unsuitable due to pathogen health risks

Hot Tips:  If you're unsure, keep it out!

Separate food waste from containers so only food waste goes in FOGO.

If the container is recyclable, give it a rinse and it can go into the yellow/recycling bin.

Our A-Z guide of what can go into your FOGO bin will be in the information kit when the bin is delivered and on NWRRR website.

nwrrr.com.au/guide

Like any waste bin, depending on the waste, it may develop odors. Here’s how to minimize them:

• Keep your bin in the shade if possible and always keep the lid shut
• Layer your food waste with garden waste such as lawn clippings and leaf litter or cardboard/waste paper
• Rinse you bin out regularly and let it dry completely
• Freeze fish and meat waste, and put in your FOGO bin just as you put it out for collection
• Use a sprinkling of bicarbonate soda to deodorise your bin
• Offer a helping hand to anyone in the community, such as an elderly neighbour, who may struggle to manage this  

No bags - Loose is lovely 🍂🍃🥀🍕🍌🍗🦴🍊

To keep our FOGO (Food Organics & Garden Organics) compost clean and safe, please do not use any bin liners. Simply place your scraps loose into a container and then empty them directly into your FOGO bin.

Why no liners? Compostable or biodegradable bags can contaminate the compost. Different types of bags may be mistaken for the wrong product, introducing chemicals that affect soil quality.

Tips for easier FOGO handling:

• Line your kitchen caddy with a paper towel or newspaper.
• Place newspaper or cardboard at the bottom of your FOGO bin to prevent waste from sticking.

⚠️ Please note: All bagged FOGO waste will be rejected at the contamination sorting stage.

Let’s keep chemicals and plastics out of our compost, Thank you for helping us turn your scraps into high-quality compost!

You can easily collect kitchen scraps using items you already have, this way, you can find a solution that fits your kitchen space and lifestyle while reducing waste.

• A plastic container (e.g., Tupperware or ice cream tub)
• A small bucket
• Paper shopping bags (pop them in bag and all)

If you already compost at home, have a worm farm, or feed your food scraps to chickens — that’s fantastic!

The new FOGO service will complement your current system, helping you manage:

• Larger seasonal quantities of garden organics, and

• Harder-to-compost food items such as dairy, meat, bones, bread, grains, citrus, and kitchen oils.

Together, these approaches help keep even more waste out of landfill

The organic material is collected as part of the North West Resource Recovery and Recycling (NWRRR) service and transferred to the Dulverton Waste Management composting facility.

At the facility, it is composted to Australian Standard AS 4454 for composts, soil conditioners and mulches.

The finished compost material is purchased by nurseries and farms to build soil health and produce more food, closing the loop from table to paddock and back to the plate.

Dulverton Organic Compost is available for sale from retail outlets across Tasmania: 

Complete Quarry and Landscaping

5 Massy-Greene Drive, SOUTH BURNIE 
Ph: (03) 6464 0739 

West Park Plants Plus

63 West Park Grove, BURNIE 
Ph: (03) 6431 9730

Cape View Nursery

15385 Bass Highway, SOMERSET 
Ph: (03) 6435 1391 

GW Landscaping Supplies

804 South Road, PENGUIN 
Ph: (03) 6437 0700 

In short, very minimal, when FOGO is used correctly.

In fact, landfill poses far greater risks to the environment and human health through gas, odour, litter, vermin, dust, and leachate. By using FOGO, we’re helping reduce the need for new landfills as our population grows.

You can help keep FOGO safe and healthy by:

• Put only the right items in your FOGO bin (to avoid contamination)
• Don’t overfill, keep the lids closed
• Keep your bin clean, rinse and air dry after collection
• Wash your hands after handling waste or your bin

Once collected, FOGO material is carefully monitored and tested at every stage of composting to ensure the final product is clean and safe.

In short, FOGO is a great step, but reducing food waste is even better. Try these tips:

• Plan meals and shop with a list.
• Check expiry dates and rotate food in your fridge.
• Use leftovers creatively or freeze them.
• Explore food waste reduction tips online, Google “avoid food waste” for ideas!

FOGO is one simple thing you can do with your waste that will make a big difference for the environment. However, reducing food waste in the first place is crucial. A lot of energy, water, financial and natural resources go into the production of the food we buy and what we waste. Reducing your food waste in the first place will not only help the environment but also save you money.

Unfortunately, No. All property types within the Burnie FOGO inzone collection area will receive a FOGO bin to ensure everyone has access to the service.

Every in-zone property contributes as part of a shared investment in Burnie’s future. Even if your property doesn’t use every service, your contribution helps reduce landfill, protect our environment, and create a cleaner, greener community for all.

This service is being rolled out to around 38,000 households across the North West, and together we can make a big difference in reducing waste to landfill. 

In short, like recycling, FOGO processing costs more than the revenue from selling compost. Councils cover processing fees, while compost sales help reduce costs. Dulverton is owned by local councils, meaning any profits return to the community.

Burnie is rolling out a standard 3-bin service (waste, recycling, and FOGO) to all properties within the defined collection zone. This approach ensures consistency and efficiency across the community.

Food businesses within the collection zone may find that a fortnightly 240L FOGO bin is not sufficient for their operational needs. Council encourages these businesses to consider private arrangements with waste contractors for additional collections or larger capacity services.

In Burnie’s CBD, each tenement currently receives a single Council-rated waste collection, along with bundled cardboard collected weekly on Tuesdays. FOGO and recycling bins will not be rolled out in the CBD in September 2025. The standard 3-bin system presents challenges in this area, including limited storage and restricted kerbside presentation space. Instead, Council will explore alternative waste management models as part of the CBD urban redesign project over the coming years, with the aim of developing practical solutions for businesses that align with regional waste initiatives.

In Burnie all properties within the inzone (outside of the CBD) will receive the same fortnightly 3-bin service. 

Some properties may generate waste volumes or types that exceed the scope of this standard collection, options for these proerties include: 

• Residents can present their ID to drop off up to 100kg of general waste per visit at the Burnie Waste Management Centre free of charge
• Additional private arrangements with waste contractors may be required, such as larger bins, skips, or more frequent collections.  Commercial Waste Operators provide flexible 240lt or 660lt skip collection options for landfill waste, recycling, paper, or cardboard throughout the region.

• Tassie Waste | (03) 6433 1999 
• Veolia | (03) 6427 4646  
• JJ Richards | (03) 6341 2200 
• Cleanaway | 13 13 39 

Council is committed to encouraging a local innovation and competitive waste collection market for additional waste and cardboard collection services, inside and outside the collection zone, on a fee-for-service basis from commercial waste operators.