Council endorses negotiations to restore FOGO processing 

Negotiations to restore FOGO processing endorsed by Council

The Shire has taken the first step towards reinstating composting outcomes for its kerbside Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) service, with Council endorsing continued negotiations and investigations into an interim processing solution.  

Since December 2024, FOGO material collected from around 7,500 households in the Shire has been directed to landfill following the closure of the regional FOGO processing facility.  

If negotiations are successful, food and garden organics collected through the Shire's kerbside service would once again be processed into compost rather than being sent to landfill.  

Deputy Shire President Tracey Muir said Council had carefully weighed up environmental, financial and operational factors before making its decision.  

"Council recognises that many residents have continued separating their food and garden organics despite knowing the material has been directed to landfill since December 2024," Cr Muir said.  

"We appreciate that commitment and acknowledge the importance our community places on reducing waste and supporting sustainable waste practices.  

"This decision enables further work on an interim solution that could return food and garden organics to productive use while we continue advocating for and pursuing a long-term South West processing solution."  

The proposed arrangement would involve transporting FOGO material to Perth for processing.   

The State Government's South-West FOGO Transport Rebate provides up to $95 per tonne towards eligible transport costs until September 2028 and is estimated to be worth approximately $294,500 per year to the Shire, subject to a successful application and contamination management requirements.  

While the proposed arrangement would increase the cost of providing kerbside bin collection services by approximately $46 per serviced household per year, the Shire plans to offset by reducing the Waste Facility Maintenance Rate. This means residential households with a kerbside bin collection service will only see a small CPI increase in their waste fees.  

No final agreement has been entered into at this stage. Further negotiations and investigations will now occur before any future processing arrangement is considered.  

Kerbside collection services will continue as normal.