Darebin
Council Trial
Why this trial matters
Food waste continues to make up around 40% of what is placed in household landfill bins, despite many homes already having access to a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) service. When food waste is sent to landfill instead of composting, valuable organic material is lost and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions are created. Sending food waste to landfill also costs up to three times more than processing it through the food and garden organics (lime-green lid) bin system.
Through community engagement and trials, many residents express that using kitchen caddies can sometimes feel messy, inconvenient, or difficult without an effective liner solution. As compostable and biodegradable plastic liners are not accepted in Darebin’s FOGO system, this trial is exploring whether recycled paper liners could provide a practical alternative for residents.
By trialling The Good Sort liners across 500 Darebin households, the aim is to better understand resident experiences, food waste sorting behaviours, and how the bags perform within real-world composting systems.
The information gathered from the trial will help determine future options for supporting residents to recycle food waste more easily.
Turn food waste into something useful
Food scraps does not belong in landfill.
With the right system, they become nutrient-rich compost.
What can go in the FOGO bin?
Not all FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) systems are the same.
Different councils use different composting processors and collection systems, meaning what is accepted in one council area may not be accepted in another.
The guide below has been created specifically for Darebin City Council based on its composters current processing requirements and accepted materials.
Over time, we’ll continue adding more council-specific accepted items guides to help make sorting simpler, clearer, and less confusing for households across Australia.
Darebin FOGO:
What goes in and
what stays out
The below guide outlines what can and cannot be placed in Darebin’s FOGO (food and garden organics) bin, based on current processing requirements from Veolia and Darebin’s collection system. If there is an item you are unsure about or cannot find in the list, please get in touch and we’ll do our best to clarify and update the guide.
Please note: Batteries, e-waste, chemicals, gas bottles, and other hazardous materials should never be placed in any kerbside bin, as they can pose serious safety and fire risks to collection staff, processing facilities, and the community.
Why are compostable and biodegradable liners not accepted?
Darebin’s organics recycling processor, Veolia, does not accept plastic, biodegradable or compostable liners because they do not break down properly within suitable timeframes for its composting process and are difficult to remove and distinguish from other plastics. Paper liners, however, are accepted.