FOGO FAQs

All houses are part of the first phase of the FOGO waste collection service. Please confirm your preferred size of your red lid garbage bin here.

You will receive a new set of bins to prepare for the FOGO waste collection service. A red lid garbage bin, yellow lid recycling bin, and a green lid FOGO bin will be delivered from late July to October. A green lid kitchen caddy, with compostable liners, will be delivered in late October/November.

Unit buildings with up to 30 dwellings are part of the first phase of the FOGO waste collection service. If you reside in a unit building with up to seven dwellings, please confirm your preferred size of your red lid garbage bin here.

If you live in a unit building with more than seven units, you will be provided 240L bins to share and you will not need to specify your bin size. 
Bins will be shared as follows:-

• Red garbage bin – 1 x 240L bin per 3 apartments (ie 80L capacity per unit)
• Yellow recycling bin – 1 x 240L bin per 2 unit (ie 120L capacity per unit)
• Green FOGO bin – 1 x 240L bin per 5 units

You will receive a new set of bins to prepare for the FOGO waste collection service. A red lid garbage bin, yellow lid recycling bin, and a green lid FOGO bin will be delivered from late July to October. A green lid kitchen caddy, with compostable liners, will be delivered in late October/November.

Unit buildings with more than 30 dwellings will begin their FOGO waste collection service in 2025-2026. You do not need to do anything further in 2024.

Please note if your building is greater than 7 units / dwellings and has individual garbage bins and/or a limited communal waste storage area or other unique bin storage arrangement please have your body corporate or strata manager contact Council here: fogo@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Council can then inspect the property on an individual basis to work out a solution.

Property owners can find their property assessment number on previous rates notices and installment notices. This can be found on the top right-hand side of the document. Alternatively, call the Customer Contact Centre on 1300 617 058.

We want to make this change as smooth as possible for renters and landowners. But given the decision to opt for a larger bin will be reflected in the waste charges that go into rates, it’s only appropriate that decision is approved by the ratepayer.  Please contact your real estate agent or landlord by Friday 17 May 2024 for them to purchase a larger bin option on your behalf. Whether you rent or own, with the introduction of the FOGO waste collection service, residents will put their food scraps in the green lid FOGO bin instead of the red lid garbage bin. This change is expected to reduce the volume of waste going into the red lid garbage bin by up to 40%. You’ll also get increased capacity moving from 760L per fortnight to 880L per fortnight across your red, yellow and green bin – an increase of 120L extra bin space.

Only the Property Owner or authorised representative such as owners corporation, real estate or strata, can make a request to change the capacity of the garbage bin.   In unit complexes, as bins are shared, the request must come from the strata or owners corporation.

There is no additional cost to keep your existing bin capacity for that applicable financial year.   The FY24 annual cost for a 140L garbage bin is $500.54 and 240L garbage is $754.69.

For renters in Single-unit dwellings (houses, duplexes, villas and townhouses with less than 7 units), please speak with your landlord or real estate agent if you want to opt to keep your existing bin capacity (140L or 240L garbage bin).  

For renters Multi-unit dwellings (villas and townhouses more than 7 units, apartments less than 30 units), please speak with the strata directly or through your landlord or real estate.
 

FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. City of Parramatta is rolling out a new green lid FOGO bin, that will replace your current green lid garden organics bin, from November 2024. Instead of placing your food waste in the red lid garbage bin, residents can recycle their food scraps (vegetables, fruits, meat, bread, eggshells etc) and garden matter (flowers, leaves) in the green lid FOGO bin. 

The FOGO waste collection service will help Council increase the volume of waste being diverted from landfill by 85% by 2038. It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the waste being turned into compost that can go back into gardens and parks. 

FOGO will be taken to Cleanaway’s Fogo processing facility at Eastern Creek. Materials are shredded and placed in large piles.  The material in piles are mixed and aerated regularly.  Microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi are naturally present in this FOGO material.  These organisms eat this nutrient-rich material.  After a few weeks, all that organic waste is broken down into nutrient-rich, soil-like substance called compost.

Residents living in houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings with less than 30 dwellings will receive new bins from late-July to October 2024. Residents living in unit buildings with more than 30 dwellings will be receiving new bins at a later stage.
 

Plenty of educational materials can be downloaded from our website. We can also provide hardcopies of any materials to you. Please email fogo@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au with any specific enquiries you have.

Food waste degrades in landfill and produces harmful greenhouse gases like methane which is 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2) and produces more heat in the atmosphere. Food waste also takes up valuable space in landfill which is quickly running out and is limited. 

When FOGO waste is collected separately, FOGO can be processed into compost that can be used for farming, parks and sports fields.
 

The FOGO waste collection service will begin from November 2024 for houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings with less than 30 dwellings. To prepare for this new service, residents will receive their new bins – green FOGO bin, red garbage bin and yellow recycling bin from July in preparation for FOGO to begin in November. They will receive their FOGO kitchen caddy from October.
 

The FOGO waste collection service is mandatory. Council is requesting every resident play their part to reduce landfill and benefit the environment.

This change is happening right across the state as the NSW Government has mandated all councils in the state implement FOGO waste collection services by 2030. A number of councils across Sydney and regional areas have already implemented FOGO and they are seeing the benefits with a significant reduction in landfill.
 

Council officers will be randomly checking FOGO bins to ensure there isn't any contamination and will be educating residents who are found to be contaminating their FOGO bins.
 

From November 2024, all households (houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings less than 30 dwellings) will receive a new red lid garbage bin (80L), green lid FOGO bin (240L) and yellow lid recycling bin (240L). The new service will provide a cost saving reflected in your rates notice. Property owners of single-unit dwellings can complete a form to opt-in for a 140L or 240L red lid garbage bin, the cost of the 140L or 240L red lid garbage bin is detailed in the form.

The FOGO waste collection service is offered to residents only at this stage. If you generate a large volume of food waste, please obtain a business waste service separate to your residential waste service.
 

The FOGO waste collection service is designed to accommodate food waste generated by residents. If you generate a large volume of food waste because you run a small food business at home, please obtain a business waste service separate to your residential waste service.
 

We encourage you to continue to compost and only put excess food scraps, garden waste or organic items not suitable for compost into the FOGO bin.
 

Yes, a new calendar will be delivered with the FOGO caddy before FOGO commences. For more information, visit our Bin Collection page.
 

The FOGO waste collection service will be rolled out first to houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings with less than 30 dwellings. The FOGO waste service collection for unit buildings with more than 30 dwellings will follow at a later stage. If you're unsure, contact Council Customer Service Centre on 1300 617 080 or 02 9806 5050.
 

A weekly service for a 240L green lid FOGO bin is included in the standard domestic waste charge each ratepayer already pays via their rates notice.  
 

From July, all houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings with less than 30 dwellings will receive new bins including a new green lid FOGO bin (240L) to replace the existing green lid garden organics bin. The new FOGO waste service will start in November.
 

A weekly service for a 240L green lid FOGO bin is included in the standard domestic waste charge each ratepayer already pays via their rates.  
 

The green lid FOGO bin is 240L, which is the same size as your current yellow lid recycling bin or green lid garden organics bin.
 

Yes,  the property owner can order an extra bin for an additional charge which is payable via their rates notice. Please refer to fees and charges for various charges.
 

The new bins will be rolled out from late-July to October.
 

All properties using the FOGO waste collection service will receive the new bins. Providing households with new bins at the same time helps reduce the amount of emissions associated with bin repair and replacement delivery over the expected life span of the bins.  All the old bins will be recycled. 
 

Bins have an average lifespan of around 10 years and the majority of the bins in the LGA are more than 10 years’ old. 
Council has taken the opportunity to schedule an LGA-wide bin replacement program as a part of the FOGO rollout. Providing households with new bins at the same time helps reduce the amount of emission associated with bin repair and replacement delivery over the expected lifespan of the bins.

This is the most efficient way to ensure the majority of the bins are of acceptable quality for the next 10 years and reduce all the repair-related issues. All old bins will be recycled.
 

Your new suite of bins are not equipped with RFID chips or any form of tracking devices.

Each household is entitled to one free City of Parramatta kitchen caddy. For additional caddies, we suggest upcycling an old ice cream or yoghurt container.
 

Caddies will be delivered from late October. Council will provide residents with a FOGO 'starter pack' including one FOGO kitchen caddy and a six months' supply of of compostable liners. For additional caddies, you can upcycle an old ice cream or yoghurt container.
 

Your kitchen caddy is a small container that Council can provide to you free of charge and is designed to be placed on your kitchen benchtop. This means you can easily put in food scraps during meal preparation and any leftover scraps when cleaning up after your meal. Once your caddy is full, empty it into your large green-lid FOGO bin, put a new liner in your caddy and start collecting food waste again!
 

Your new kitchen caddy has a 7-litre capacity and is 225mm (L) x 225mm (W) x 235mm (H), which will fit nicely on your kitchen counter.

The Council-provided kitchen caddy comes in one size. For alternative caddies, you can upcycle an old ice cream or yoghurt container.
 

Yes

Council will provide residents with a FOGO 'starter pack' including one FOGO kitchen caddy and a six months' supply of compostable liners. You will receive additional liners delivered to your home twice a year, and you will have the opportunity to order additional liners for collection from Council libraries.

Compostable liners that meet Australian Standard AS4736 with the seedling logo can also be purchased and used in your caddy.

Food scraps can be placed directly into the kitchen caddy. With your leftovers, remove any plastic packaging before placing into the kitchen caddy. To make it easier, City of Parramatta will provide households with a ‘starter pack’ including a kitchen caddy and compostable liners. Use the kitchen caddy to collect your food scraps and when it’s full take it out to your 240L green lid FOGO bin. 
 

Check the website for your bin collection day

The yellow lid recycling bin will be collected fortnightly.

The green lid FOGO bin will be collected weekly.
 

The red lid garbage bin will be collected weekly
 

Check the website for your bin collection day

From November 2024, the green lid FOGO bin and red lid garbage bin will be collected weekly, the yellow lid recycling bin will be collected fortnightly.
 

You cannot put any garden waste or food scraps into the yellow lid recycling as it will cause contamination. Your red lid garbage bin can accept food waste and garden waste but it is not recommended as it will be sent to landfill. 
 

With the introduction of the FOGO waste collection service, residents will put their food scraps in the green lid FOGO bin instead of the red lid garbage bin. This change is expected to reduce the volume of waste going into the red lid garbage bin by up to 40% and also reflected in the red lid garbage bin from 140L to 80L capacity.
 

All households (houses, duplexes, townhouses and unit buildings with less than 30 dwellings) will be allocated a new 80L red lid garbage bin or the equivalent of 80L red lid garbage bin per household. There will be a reduction of $42.69 in rates to reflect this size, this is the default option. 
Property owners can complete a form to opt-in for a 140L red lid garbage bin and pay an additional fee of $42.69 annually as part of the domestic waste charge in their rates notice. Property owners can opt-in to receive a 140L red lid garbage bin at any time. 
 

Food waste cannot be put into recycling bins as it causes serious contamination of the recyclables. Continuous contamination of the recycling bin will result in recycling service being removed from your property. Placing food waste in a red lid garbage bin is acceptable but not encouraged as it will go to landfill. 
 

The green lid FOGO bin is a standard size of 240L. You can request an additional green bin service for an additional cost, it is currently $129.99 a year payable via the domestic waste charge on the rates notice. We encourage you to compost at home and the City of Parramatta offers compost tutorials and subsidised compost products to residents via https://compostrevolution.com.au/
 

The standard red lid garbage bin size is 140L, both your existing yellow lid recycling bin and green lid garden organics bin is 240L. To understand what size bin you currently have, look at the rim on your existing bin base where it will be hot stamped with the size. 

-    80L red lid garbage bin – (Annual cost $457.85) This new 80L red lid garbage bin will provide a cost saving of $42.69 reflected in your rates notice. 
-    140L red lid garbage bin – no additional fee, cost remains the same as is currently being paid (Annual cost: $500.54)
-    240L red lid extra large garbage bin – (Annual cost $754.69) 

Households which currently have a 240L red lid garbage bin will be automatically provided with a new 240L red lid garbage bin unless you contact Council to change the size of your bin.

Residents living in unit buildings with less than seven dwellings will receive a new yellow lid recycling bin and green lid FOGO bin. Residents will receive an 80L red lid garbage bin unless they opt-in to a 140L or 240L red lid garbage bin. 

Households which currently have a 240L red lid garbage bin will be automatically provided with a 240L red lid garbage bin unless you contact Council to change the size of your bin.

Residents living in unit buildings with more than eight dwellings will be provided with shared bins and a ‘collect and return’ service. The ratio is 1 x 240L red lid garbage bin between three dwellings, 1 x 240L yellow lid recycling bin between two dwellings and 1 x 240L green lid FOGO bin between five dwellings.