THE Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside service will move to a weekly collection for residents this spring.

From September 2, weekly collection will help residents to keep up with the quantity of spring growth and extra grass clippings that the warmer months produce in our gardens.

SGSC mayor, David Robertson said the FOGO kerbside service is a great way to divert food and garden waste from landfill.

“Springtime brings the heaviest usage of FOGO across the shire, and we’re delighted to offer this extra service to help to keep the place looking spick and span,” he said.

“Council has been committed to promoting our sustainable solutions to reduce waste in landfill, and the FOGO kerbside collection has had a very positive contribution to that.

“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.”

In 2020, Victoria wasted an astonishing 2.4 million tonnes of food.

By 2030, Victoria has set the goal of slashing this to 1.2 million tonnes.

Victorian households are the most wasteful in Australia, tossing around 250,000 tonnes worth of food per year. Stats reveal that the average Victorian household throws out approximately $2,000 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,” said Cr Robertson.

As well as using the FOGO service, there are a number of ways to reduce food waste from ending up in landfill including the below helpful tips.

• Planning meals, shopping smart, cooking waste-free and storing food correctly to reduce food waste and save money.

• Storing food correctly keeps it fresher for longer. You’ll waste less, save money and help the environment.

• Composting kitchen waste: Composting uses the natural process of decomposition to convert organic waste matter into a nutrient-rich soil you can use in your garden. Reduce landfill, conserve resources and minimise greenhouse gases by composting your kitchen waste.

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

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

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.