The start of the new waste collection program in the Bega Valley is getting a little bit closer.
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The kitchen caddies for Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) began being handed out on Monday, October 15 in Eden.
It was the first stop for the 13,500 caddies that will be rolled out across the shire over the next two weeks.
A program promoted by the likes of Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, FOGO is an enhanced green bin collection that allows residents to split food and organics into bins for weekly collection.
The idea is by no means a new one, Bega Valley Shire Council’s waste management coordinator Joley Vidau said, as FOGO was in use by 40 other councils around the state.
READ MORE: Costa fronts FOGO promo
“People struggle with change and that’s fine, we understand that,” she said.
“But the feedback from other councils is that it absolutely works.”
She said one concern she had heard so far had to do with the fact general waste red bin collection dates will change from weekly to fortnightly, but she said by altering the frequency of collection it did make people use their caddies.
People do have the option to upsize to a larger red bin, she said.
Another common question was what to do with used, stinky nappies. But Ms Vidau said it had been found the smell from stinking bins peaked at four days, but then it did not get worse after that.
“So bins full of nappies smell, irrespective of how often they get picked up,” she said.
FOGO’s aim was to take up less space in landfill with food, with it projected to divert about 1000tonnes of organics from landfill each year.
It also aims to produce less methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. Methane is produced when organic matter breaks down without air, while under FOGO air is forced through a composting pile to prevent the creation of the gas.
“The reality is we can’t just keep going on this path of destruction,” Ms Vidau said.
“We need to make change and we can’t wait for someone else to make that change, we need to make it as a community.”
There were plenty of reasons to be excited for FOGO, she said.
“We should be excited because council is showing its commitment to environmental concerns for the shire,” she said.
“It will save money for council which will ultimately save money for the ratepayer.
“And we should be happy we are doing the right thing, every one of us.”
FOGO is currently being planned for all urban areas in the Bega Valley except for Bemboka.
When it begins on October 29, residents should put their green bins out every week and their red and yellow bins out on alternate fortnights.
If you want to know more about FOGO call the Green Team on 1300 212 203 or visit council's website or the Bega Valley Waste and Recycling Facebook page.
Each caddy will come with a roll of compostable bags (150), a brochure about FOGO and a six week calendar to help with putting out the right bin.