Organic materials are anything that is living or derived from living material. Organics include anything that grows in your garden or you eat.

The garden organics (GO) service which commenced in 2017 only accepts anything that grows in your garden and is collected fortnightly.

On Monday 30 June 2025 the service will expand to include all food scraps (cooked and raw), and be collected weekly. That means all your food organics and garden organics (FOGO) can go to make great compost.

If you do not have a lime green lid organics bin contact Solo on 1800 270 250 or email.

If you live within the Cessnock City, Maitland City, or Singleton Local Government area and receive a kerbside garbage collection you are eligible to have a fortnightly lime green lid organics bin collection.

From 30 June 2025 if you live within an area with the kerbside service you are required to be provided with the weekly organics collection.

NB: NSW Legislation requires all Councils to implement a weekly FOGO service by 2030.

Fortnightly before 30 June 2025 on your regular bin collection day.

From 30 June 2025 collections will be weekly on your regular bin collection day.

Before 30 June 2025, only vegetation that grows in your garden can go in your garden organics bin.

After 30 June 2025 all food will also be accepted in your council supplied compostable kitchen caddy liner bags as well as your usual garden organics (FOGO). 

Always remove ALL packaging and fruit stickers and only use your organics bin for food and garden organics.

When you choose to put your FOGO in the organics bin you are taking another step to making a big difference to our environment and our future

As part of the early starters you will already have received your kitchen caddy and starter pack. More information is available on our FOGO page. Your first FOGO collection is Friday 11 April 2025 and weekly thereafter. Give FOGO a go!

No. Your garbage bin remains the same size.

Between May and June 2025, every household with a Domestic Waste Service (red, yellow and green bin bins will receive a kitchen caddy, a 12-month supply of compostable caddy liner bags and info pack delivered to your door.                                If you do not have a lime green lid organics bin contact Solo on 1800 270 250 or email. 

New dwellings will receive the caddy and liners with your new organics bin delivery when the Domestic Waste Service is approved.

No. Replacement caddies are not available at this stage. New residents moving into existing dwellings will need to source a caddy or container to collect your scraps before taking them to the organics bin.

Replacement compostable caddy liners will be available to all properties with a Domestic Waste Management Service (kerbside bin collection). Contact your local council to find out how.

No. If you prefer, you can put your scraps straight into your caddy / container and give it a rinse to keep it fresh. It’s your choice.

Only council supplied compostable bags are to be used to put scraps in the organics bin. Store bought compostable bags vary greatly in colour, origin and composition and may not meet the requirements of our processor.

Due to this and the high volumes of material being processed, it is not possible to sort through the collected organics to investigate individual bags. Non-approved bags will be removed during quality control, sent to landfill and wasted.

Yes. Simply, compostable breaks down and biodegradable breaks up into microplastics. Only council approved compostable caddy liner bags are accepted in the organics bin.

Compostable requires a specific environment to break down which includes warm temperatures, nutrients, moisture and plenty of oxygen and are not toxic to the environment afterwards.

Biodegradable products can take several months to break down in any environment into microplastics which have toxic components harmful to our environment (oceanwatch.org.au).

No. Only the small council approved caddy liners are accepted, to make it more convenient for you to take your scraps to the organics bin. No other form of compostable bags or packaging are accepted.  

NSW EPA FOGO information for households.

No pet poo or pet litter is NOT accepted in the organics bin (bagged or unbagged). This includes compostable pet litter because of the potential for viruses in the urine and faeces. It should go in the red bin.

Yes – you can put all weeds in your organics bin. They will no longer be viable after the 6 -month pasteurising process.

The New South Wales Environment Protection Agency  (EPA) mandate what can be accepted in the organics bin. Restrictions are designed to protect the quality of the processed organics for the end users and keeping chemicals and problems out of our soils. NSW EPA FOGO information for households

The organics collected from your bin is transferred to ANL Weston for quality control. It is then sent to ANL’s composting facility where it is processed into mulch and compost products that are used to improve soil quality. Find out more.

Think of your organics bin as a compliment to your home composting system. Meat, bones, citrus, dairy and bakery goods, as well as all weeds, sticks and palm fronds not usually put into home composting are accepted in your organics bin to be composted.

You can order an additional organics bin by contacting your local Council. Fees apply. Larger bins are not available due to weight constraints.

The cost of the service is part of the annual Domestic Waste Management Charge (DMWC) paid with your rates. Each of the Councils provide differing levels of service unique to your LGA through the DMWC and so there may be small increases in this charge to cover the cost of providing the weekly organics service.

However, NSW Legislation requires all costs levied through the DMWC to go directly to waste management including vouchers, waste drop offs (mattress and chemical musters, public place bins etc).

Each council received 2 rounds of grant funding from the NSW EPA to purchase the original bin roll out and now the caddies and 12-month supply of liners (so there is no charge to residents).

Savings are also achieved by diverting the organics material from landfill and therefore avoiding NSW Government Waste Levy charges (applied to waste to landfill).

Your Councils’ Domestic Waste Management service consists of 3 bins – General Waste (red lid), Recycling (yellow lid) and Garden Organics (lime green lid). It is your decision whether you use the service or not or how frequently.

There is no change to the Domestic Waste Management Charge on your rates if you choose to not use your bin or reject the offer of a caddy and liners. Because we are part of a community, every resident shares the cost of services, even if they use some service more than others or not at all. The cost of waste services is minimised by spreading it across chargeable properties.

• It is the most cost-effective way to reduce waste to landfill.
• It increases the lifespan of our local landfills.
• It is a convenient way for you to deal with your excess garden vegetations and from 30 June 2025 – food scraps and leftovers.
• The mulch and compost produced from organics can be used to improve our soils.
• It’s another step to making our communities more environmentally sustainable.

If your organics bin is damaged,  stolen or missing, you can report it here or call Solo 1800 870 250 or  email . Bins are repaired or replaced as required at no charge to the resident.

Contact Solo 1800 870 250 or email to organise delivery.

If unaccepted items are detected in your organics bin, it may not be emptied until you have removed them. Collections may be suspended if severe or repeated incidents occur to protect the quality of the processed organics.

Importantly the wrong material impacts on the quality of the final product – commercial grade compost and may increase the cost of processing and the service.