TO meet the needs of increased garden waste brought on by the spring weather, the Southern Grampians Shire Council Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside service will move to a weekly collection for residents starting next week.

From Monday, weekly collection will help residents to keep up with the quantity of spring growth and extra grass clippings seen in the warmer months.

Southern Grampians Shire Council mayor, Cr Bruach Colliton, said the introduction of the FOGO kerbside service continued to divert food and garden waste from landfill.

“Council has been committed to finding sustainable solutions to reduce items ending up in landfill which the FOGO kerbside collection service has undoubtedly positively contributed to,” he said.

“For the duration of spring, we are once again offering a weekly kerbside FOGO collection to help locals not only keep up with the extra growth, but also stay on top of gardening habits to keep our region in pristine condition.

“We know a lot of our residents show immense pride in their gardens, so offering a weekly service for the spring season will go a long way to support that maintenance.”

Each year in Victoria, households throw out around 250,000 tonnes worth of food which is enough food waste to fill Melbourne’s Eureka Tower, with stats revealing that the average Victorian household throws out approximately $2000 worth of food each year.

“We know the FOGO bins are great for small garden cuttings and grass clippings, but they also provide us with a sustainable opportunity to dispose of those hard to compost food items including bones, eggshells, tea bags and tea leaves, seafood shells, coffee grounds, as well as pet fur and pet droppings,” Cr Colliton said.

“FOGO waste from Southern Grampians is transported to Camperdown where it is composted and used as a fertiliser and soil improver on farms so is a positive solution to combatting waste in our region.”

As well as using the FOGO service, there are several ways to reduce food waste from ending up in landfill, including planning meals, shopping smart, cooking waste-free, and storing food correctly to reduce waste.

It is also recommended that people compost their kitchen waste to convert organic waste matter into a nutrient-rich soil that can be used in the garden.

Residents can find helpful tips on how to save money, time, and the planet by making the most of leftovers by visiting sustainability.vic.gov.au

Collection services for general waste and recycling will remain as per their usual collection cycle and will not be impacted by the extra FOGO collection.

For a full list of FOGO friendly items and for property kerbside collection dates, visit sthgrampians.vic.gov.au/FOGO