DUNGOG Shire Council’s Waste Management Team hosted a well-attended Recycling and Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) information session on Wednesday, 12 November, as part of National Recycling Week.
The full Waste Management Team along with Council’s Environmental Compliance Officer Jodie Cowan and Plastic-free Dungog Champion Michelle Dado, were present to facilitate discussions and answer questions.
Mayor Digby Rayward said the session was an important step in strengthening collaboration between Council and the local community on waste reduction initiatives.
“It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm and practical thinking from our residents,” the Mayor said.
“The feedback and ideas we received will be invaluable as we continue developing our FOGO rollout and improving local recycling services.”
The two-hour workshop was an opportunity for residents to share their ideas on how we can reduce waste, improve local recycling, and raise thoughtful questions about recycling and organics collection.
“I’m really proud of the work our Waste Management team is doing to reduce waste across our region,” Mr Rayward said.
“They are very committed to improving our overall waste management services and working not just as a cohesive team, but with the entire community to genuinely deliver lasting change that will benefit our residents and the local environment for years to come.”
Currently, Dungog Shire Council provides kerbside collection for general waste (red-lid bins) and recycling (yellow-lid bins) but no green-lid bins for organic waste collection.
While many rural residents manage green wastes by composting, burning, or feeding the food scraps to animals, urban households don’t have those options.
Consequently, much of the green waste from towns often ends up in landfill, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and filling valuable landfill space.
The FOGO service will collect food scraps and garden clippings separately, turning them into compost instead of landfill waste.
All NSW councils must introduce FOGO by 2030, with Dungog intending to act sooner.
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