FOGO

FOGO stands for Food Organics, Garden Organics and is a waste collection and processing service. Under the FOGO service you will be able to add food waste along with garden waste to your green-lidded bin for kerbside collection. The contents of a FOGO bin can be turned into compost, mulch and soil conditioner, diverting materials from landfill.

If you do not have a green-lidded bin at your property, please contact us to arrange delivery of one on 9528 0333 or email customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au

Here's some things that can go into your FOGO bin, you can also check out our Bin Collection page, or for amore comprehensive guide of what goes into which bin, visit Materials A-Z – Recycle Right

Using your kitchen caddy is as simple as 1, 2, 3.

1. If you are using a compostable liner, place it inside the caddy.
2. Put your food scraps into the caddy.
3. When the caddy is full, empty the contents - including the compostable liner if you used one - into the green lidded FOGO bin.

Replacement Compostable liners must meet AS4736 and are available at most major retailers. Make sure you look for the Australian Standard logo.

Your FOGO waste is collected by the City's contactor, Veolia. It is taken to a sorting facility in Bibra Lake where it is hand sorted to remove contaminants before it is transported to their facility in North Bannister. There it undergoes the composting process including shredding and screening. The end product is a soil conditioner called Vitagro which is available for purchase from various landscape and garden supply retailers.

Making the most of your FOGO bin means you put less in your general waste bin.

If you're sorting your waste correctly, all your food organics should now be going in the FOGO bin which will be collected weekly.

Yes, an additional annual fee will apply for residents who want an extra red bin. It’s currently $256 per annum as at 2025/2026.

For larger families, of seven or more you may be eligible for a concessional general waste bin. Read teh FAQ below or head to the Bin collection page to find out more.

If you are already registered for medical waste, your weekly collection service will remain unchanged.

If you, or someone you live with has a medical condition that generates more waste than usual, you can complete an application for an additional 140L red-lidded general waste bin. This form needs a declaration from your medical practitioner and if you qualify, the additional bin will be provided at no cost.

Visit Form - Walk In Service or Additional Bin for Medical Reasons to download the application form, then return it to the City of assessment.

If you live in a large household consisting of seven or more people, you are eligible to apply for a concessional general waste bin at a concessional cost of $128.00 per annum. The concessional bin is a 140L red lid general waste bin that will be collected fortnightly. All that is required is for households to fill out the below application and a Statutory Declaration confirming the number of people in your household.

• Form - Application for Concessional General Waste Bin Due to Number of Occupants Residing at Residential Property (153.0 KB)
• Statutory Declaration - Number of Occupants Residing at Residential Property (653.8 KB)

Nappies still need to go in the red general waste bin. As this will now be getting collected fortnightly here’s some tips to reduce the odour from nappies:

• Wrap the nappy into itself using the tabs.
• Seal nappies tightly in plastic bags (you can use scented bags) before placing in the garbage bin.
• It's not always practical, but where possible, tip the contents of the nappy down the toilet before putting it in your bin.
• To support our residents in moving away from single use nappies, we have developed a Sustainable Parenting Program that provides our eligible residents with cloth nappy and menstrual product subsidies.
• Reusable cloth nappies are a great option. Whether using them part-time or full-time, they can save space in your red bin and reduce the odours, their also great for the environment!

You have been provided with an indoor kitchen caddy (5-8 litres capacity) and certified compostable caddie liners (AS 4736-2006) that you can put your food waste in. When the liner is full, simply take it out of the caddy and pop it in your green bin. This will be collected during a weekly kerbside collection and taken to a waste management facility where it will be repurposed into compost, garden mulch and soil conditioner.

The City’s domestic waste charge was renamed on the 2025/26 Rates Notice to Standard FOGO Waste Service. This is a compulsory waste service charge applied to all residential properties which receive a FOGO service and is $476. It is $33 higher than last year and is not solely because of FOGO.

The charge for providing a waste service includes a number of components. This includes provision of four tip passes, two green waste verge and one bulk waste verge collections per annum and a weekly waste collection service. It also covers those costs that are not directly tied to waste collection frequency. This includes maintaining infrastructure and operating systems, providing customer support and meeting environmental compliance and State Government landfill levy charges.

While the frequency of red bin collections has reduced, green bin collections (now a FOGO service) have increased.

Landfills are anaerobic environments, meaning they don’t contain oxygen. When food and organic waste starts to break down in landfill, methane gas is produced and the organic waste doesn’t decompose fully.

The FOGO program diverts a significant percentage of waste from entering our landfill, repurposing it into compost, soil conditioner and mulch, and overall reducing the harmful environmental impacts of general waste.

Most bin odours come from food and organic waste, that’s why we will be increasing your green bin collection to weekly. If you’re worried about your general waste bin smelling on the new fortnightly collection program, here’s some tips to keep the smell away:

• Store it in a shady, well ventilated area if possible.
• Make sure your bin lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin sides.
• Consider using odour neutralising products in your bin, such as bicarbonate of soda.

There are a number of parasites and harmful bacteria in dog poo / animal droppings that can survive the composting process. Using compost that has dog poo content is considered a health risk when used in a food garden.

Flies and maggots are attracted to protein that you may be putting into your bins. Certain times of the year are subject to an influx of flies due to environmental facts such as: rain, humidity and increases in temperature.

Here’s some tips to try and avoid getting maggots in your kerbside bins.

For all kerbside bins:

• Ensure your bin lids close completely. If the bin or lid is cracked or broken, please call the City on 9528 0333 to arrange for replacement or repair.
• If possible, store bins in the shade in a well-ventilated area.
• Clean your bins regularly using warm water and mild soap.
• Line the outer rim of your bins with salt or vinegar.
• Minimise smells by sprinkling your bin with vinegar or baking soda.
• Cover the maggots with lime, vinegar or boiling water.
• Spray the top and inside of your bin with vinegar or citronella.

For your FOGO bin:

• Make sure your kitchen caddy lid is closed properly when not in use so that it’s airtight - the handle is designed to lock the lid in place when closed.
• Drain as much liquid as possible from your kitchen caddy before putting it into your FOGO bin.
• Freeze meat, fruit and vegetables, and put them in your FOGO bin the night before collection.
• If possible, cover over food waste with garden waste.

For your General Waste bin:

• Wrap nappies and menstrual products in sealed bags, prior to placing in your general waste bin.
• Wrap the nappy into itself using the tabs.
• Ensure animal waste is in sealed bags, prior to placing in your general waste bin.
• Where possible, tip the contents of nappies down the toilet before putting them in your bin.
• Rinse any meat trays/packaging before putting them in your bin.

For your Recycling bin:

• Ensure all items are rinsed or free of organic material.