THE Shire of Mundaring will implement a new Food Organics, Garden Organics (FOGO) household waste management system on July 1.

The system is designed to complement the current two-bin waste system by adding a new, 240 litre lime green-lidded FOGO bin for organic waste, such as kitchen scraps and garden clippings.

Shire of Mundaring residents are urged to separate their food organics and garden organics waste which will be repurposed into compost.

Wooroloo resident and Shire of Mundaring ratepayer Ryan Lenard said although he believed the new FOGO bins were a good idea for residents on smaller properties who may not already recycle their organic waste, for families such as his they were largely unnecessary.

“The majority of residents are not opposed to the new system but are upset because the shire has overlooked the large property sizes and the fact most residents already compost their organic waste,” Mr Lenard said.

He said the real issue was the reduction in general waste pickup; from once a week to only once a fortnight.

“I believe that if the shire wants the new FOGO bin system to work, they should seriously consider a transition period to provide people with enough time to acclimatise to using these new FOGO bins, before they impose the changes to general waste collection services.”

The new FOGO bin will be collected weekly, and the general 140L waste bin will be changed to a red lid - in line with EMRC (Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council) guidelines - with collection every fortnight.

Shire of Mundaring chief execuive officer Jason Whiteaker said the shire was aware of concerns amongst some segments of the community in relation to the implementation of FOGO.

“The shire is following the direction of the WA State Government which is committed to the rollout of the three‑bin kerbside collection system - which includes separation of food organics and garden organics (FOGO) from other waste categories - by all local governments in the Perth and Peel regions by 2025,” Mr Whiteaker said.

“We are really encouraging our residents to take up the challenge and support us as we strive to reduce waste that is going to our landfill.”

He added it was not practical or feasible to run this service on an ‘opt in, opt out’ basis.

The new FOGO bin service was approved by council at its ordinary council meeting in August 2023.

Mr Lenard and his wife Tarrin have organised a petition on change.org for people to sign in support of their cause.

To sign the petition search change.org for Demand Mundaring Shire to Reevaluate the FOGO Waste Scheme.