General News
12 February, 2026
Fortnighly FOGO the go
THE HINDMARSH Shire residents have moved closer to having an additional dimension to their waste collection, with the February 4 council meeting voting on a report on the introduction of a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection service for urban properties.
The State Government has mandated that all councils implement the four-bin system by July 1, 2027, under the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021.
The intention was to reduce landfill waste and improve resource recovery, with all local councils required to implement FOGO kerbside collection services.
As a starting point to introducing this mandatory service to residents, the council undertook a public consultation via a survey on its “Have Your Say Hindmarsh” website in November and December 2025.
The survey provided the community with four collection frequency options to choose from for FOGO and general waste bins and asked them to choose their preferred option.
Overall, 145 survey responses were received 9.7 per cent preferred Option 1 (Weekly FOGO and Fortnightly General Waste Collection); 57.9 per cent preferred Option 2 (Fortnightly FOGO and Weekly General Waste Collection); 14.5 per cent preferred Option 3 (Fortnightly FOGO and Fortnightly General Waste Collection); and 17.9 per cent preferred Option 4 (Weekly FOGO and Weekly General Waste Collection).
Option 2 received the highest level of support across all townships and demographic groups, particularly from families with young children, and households concerned about odour, hygiene, and waste volumes during warmer months.
The council unanimously moved a motion supporting the community’s preference and ‘approved implementation of Option 2 of fortnightly FOGO and weekly general waste collection model for FOGO waste stream commencing at or before July 1, 2027'.
Valuable waste
Dimboola resident La Vergne Lehmann has worked for many years in the waste management industry and welcomed the move forward to the four-bin system.
“Anyone who knows anything about our waste system … once we get the recycling out of the general waste bin, what's mostly left in there is a lot of green waste,” she said.
“Whether that's garden organic waste or food waste, all of that can be diverted from landfill because landfill is expensive, and it's also not the most environmentally friendly way of using this material.
“This material has value, and as long as you've got a way of processing it into a useful compost, then it's a much better solution.”
She added that hopefully it can be processed locally to save on trucking costs, but then could continue to be of use nearby.
“It can also be used locally, either in home gardens or in the farming community as valuable compost,” she said.
However, she said it will be important that the community exercises a disciplined approach, “that they only put organic materials into the FOGO bin when it comes out”.
“That’s your garden organics, your prunings, your grass clippings, that sort of stuff, (but) no other garden waste,” she said.
“(Also) food waste, but nothing like nappies and things like that – that's the really critical factor.”
She had also noted the fortnightly collection frequency council had decided on, understanding the seemingly straightforward decision had to balance social concerns with budgetary constraints.
“It's a really hard one, because the bin that will smell the most into the future will be this one,” she said.
“So ideally you'd like it weekly, but the trade-off on that is that it costs, because the council is charged a rate per bin lift.
“So while there would be a proportion of people that would prefer to see that bin go every week at the moment, until you get people understanding that what's going to go into your general waste bin is not going to be so smelly, and you won't have anywhere near as much material going into it.
“They're used to a weekly garbage service, and it is hard to convince people of that until they actually see it in action.”
Asked by the Banner about other shires such as Southern Grampians altering their FOGO collection frequency during Spring to a weekly collection, La Vergne said “that’s reasonably unusual, because people get into habits”.
“They like to know which week their bin’s got to go out on and if you start changing it – it kind of throws them out a bit,” she laughed.
“But I think that sounds like a really great solution.
“I think down at Surf Coast Shire, they change the frequency of their bin collections over Summer because of the increase in population that they experience.
“So sometimes you've got to look at what frequency works at different times of the year, and it's about educating your community with all of these things. It's how you work on it.
“(But) the fortnightly FOGO and weekly general waste (decision) – it's a great start.”
The council meeting affirmed that the current collection frequency of recyclable (yellow lid) and glass (purple lid) bins will remain the same.
Deputy mayor Rosie Barker said they wanted to reflect community feedback.
“We heard clearly from residents that supporting more sustainable waste management is a priority,” she said.
“We also listened closely to the concerns conveyed by young families, particularly regarding the importance of maintaining weekly waste collection. This input has directly shaped the direction we are taking with the FOGO introduction to our towns.
“I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their views – your voice genuinely makes a difference."
With the process of rolling out FOGO bins in Hindmarsh still in its early days, council said they will continue to work with neighbouring councils to establish a local processing facility for the FOGO waste to be transported to.
New green-lidded bins will be purchased, and more information about the rollout of the new service will be communicated to the community later in the year.
For more information, please contact HSC Infrastructure Services director Ram Upadhyaya on 03 5391 4444 or by email at rupadhyaya@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.