NSW Government supports Northern Rivers green bin education

North East Waste has received an $89,700 grant from the NSW Government to help educate Northern Rivers residents about what types of waste can and can’t go into FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) bins. The funding aims to ensure that food waste and garden waste such as plants stays out of landfll. It also aims to keep green bins free from contaminants like plastic.

Earlier this year, North East Waste and its member councils (Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Lismore, Kyogle,

• Fruit and vegetable scraps

• Meat and bones

• Seafood and shells

• Pasta, bread, rice and cereal

• Eggs and dairy products like cheese

• Loose tea leaves and coffee grinds

• Garden waste (leaves, clippings, weeds etc)

• Council approved compostable kitchen caddy liners that comply with AS 4736-2006 and the paper used to wrap food scraps.

Richmond Valley and Tweed) announced that Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bins should now only be used for food scraps and garden waste. This means that materials like paper, cardboard and teabags do not go into green bins as they can contaminate the fnal compost made from the organic content.

North East Waste Education Coordinator

Linda Tohver said the assistance from the NSW Government would help councils to continue promote the right message and increasing awareness in the community.

• Fibre-based products (bamboo, cardboard, paper etc)

• Paper towels, serviettes, tissues, napkins

• Compostable or biodegradable products (excluding AS 4736-2006 kitchen caddy liners )

• Vacuum cleaner dust

• Washing machine and dryer lint

• Pet poo and poo bags

• Tea and coffee bags

• Treated wood and timber

• Plastic

“The response from community has been positive so far, and we need to keep spreading the word,” Ms Tohver said.

“The messages are simple to follow and will help keep potentially harmful items out of our green bins so that we can create the best quality commercial compost from residents’ food scraps and garden waste.”

For more information visit https://newaste. org.au/scrap/

The ‘Let’s Get our Scrap Together’ campaign is proudly supported by the NSW Government.