ADOPTING NEW WASTE COLLECTION SYSTEM
6,073 tonnes of waste goes to Council’s landfill each year, with Copper Coast Council paying $421,610 waste levy to the State Government last year. We want to reduce this cost paid and the waste to landfill. Therefore, we are excited to announce a new three-bin Food Organics and Green Organics (FOGO) collection service, which will cater for all properties across the region from 1st July 2021.
Rural properties outside the Township Service Area will receive a provisional weekly general waste service (red-lidded 140L bin), fortnightly recycling service (yellow-lidded 240L bin) and monthly green waste service (lime green-lidded 240L bin) at centralised collection points from 1st December 2020 until 30th June 2021.
A partial subsidy in the next rating period for the purchase of the green waste bin (lime-green lidded) will also be given to all residents, including rural properties.
“Our current Kerbside Collection Service excludes farming or agricultural properties,” Chief Executive Officer Russell Peate said.
“Rural households were previously able to dispose of their waste through burning or dumping on their private landfill.
“However, changes to State legislation has made this difficult for rural households and we’ve been working hard to find solutions to this.”
Council’s contractors have agreed to have a number of collection points for all rural households to place out a mobile wheelie bin for each waste stream (3 bins).
“This reduces rural residents travel to the Resource Recovery Centre on a weekly basis, reduces our contractor’s travel to each rural property and reduces an increase in Council rates,” Mr Peate said.
Letters were sent out to rural properties to register for collection stickers to be placed on their bins.
The three-bin FOGO system will also replace the current three-bin Green Waste Kerbside Collection Service offered to businesses and residents within the Township Service Area.
The decision comes after an overwhelming response from the public to Council’s FOGO survey, where 98.4% of respondents:
- Support the implementation of moving to a FOGO system with use of a kitchen caddy
- Encourage Council to investigate ways to reduce waste and increase recycling
- Would like Council to be more environmentally sustainable.
“The decision to move to a FOGO system enables us to utilise State Government education initiatives, marketing campaigns and apply for grant funding,” Mr Peate said.
“Over the years, State Government requirements of mandatory closure of local landfill sites and the creation of a licensed Resource Recovery Centre has proved costly for Council.
“With all Adelaide metropolitan Councils and some regional Councils implementing FOGO, this decision will decrease Council’s cost.”
Businesses will move to a weekly three-bin FOGO kerbside collection service from 1st February 2021, while residents inside and outside Township Service Areas will have a fortnightly service from 1st July 2021.
Each year, there will also be a four-week period starting on the week of Christmas Day where the FOGO kerbside collection service will move to weekly, accommodating the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. For example, in 2021, the service will run from December 20 until January 16.
“From the 1st July 2021, the general waste (red-lid) bin will then be collected fortnightly and the green waste bin would be increased from monthly to a fortnightly collection,” Mr Peate said.
“This system is made to reduce the amount of waste placed in the general waste (red-lid) bin and increase the use of the green waste bin, which will include food organics.
“According to KESAB’s bin audit on Copper Coast’s kerbside collection services, a move to the FOGO system will increase the amount of materials (in kilograms) that can be placed in the green waste bin to 45%.”
Under the new FOGO system, the use of a bin caddy lined with a compostable corn starch bag would make the following wastes disposable in the green waste bin:
- fruit and vegetable scraps
- processed food and leftovers from meals such as meat, fish, chicken
- bread, egg (including egg shells)
- dairy products
- coffee grounds and tea bags
- paper and cardboard (including pizza boxes)
- hair.
Copper Coast Council will be providing all households and businesses a free kitchen caddy before 1st July 2021, while the compostable corn starch bag will be provided for the first five years at no charge.
For more information, refer to our Agenda from October’s Council Meeting or the FOGO page on our website (www.coppercoast.sa.gov.au/services/waste-andrecycling/fogo), or call the Kadina Council Office.