Released 30/01/2024
Delivering a large-scale Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) facility remains a top priority for the ACT. This new facility will help to reduce waste going to landfill by turning household scraps into valuable compost. Canberra’s FOGO facility has reached a milestone with the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) now open for community feedback.
“The environmental and planning processes for the FOGO facility, like with any infrastructure project, are a critical step in the project lifecycle. I am pleased that we have reached that milestone for the FOGO facility,” said Minister for City Services, Tara Cheyne.
“Managing food and garden waste for all of Canberra is a huge task, and it's important we have the right infrastructure that is scaled to support our growing city,”
“That’s why we are delivering an industrial level compost facility that is capable of processing 50,000 tonnes of FOGO material per year. It will provide the ACT with the capability to recycle food waste at scale into valuable compost.”
Since November 2021, the FOGO collection pilot has serviced households in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook and Macquarie and collected more than 2,844 tonnes of food waste.
“The FOGO pilot in the Belconnen region has shown us that Canberrans are great recyclers of food waste and gave us valuable insights to be able to roll out the service city wide,” Minister Cheyne said.
“FOGO is a key part of our plans for a circular economy in Canberra where households, businesses and industry prioritise food waste avoidance or recovery at its highest market value, with organic materials to be returned to the natural environment.”
The composting facility is proposed to be an in-vessel facility, with indoor composting tunnels and other mitigation measures minimising odour impacts.
Local residents and the wider Canberra community are encouraged to take a look at the EIS and provide any feedback. The public notification period for the EIS commenced on Monday 29 January 2024, and closes on Tuesday 12 March 2024.
“Community feedback has already been taken onboard in the preparation of the EIS, incorporating what we heard in consultation sessions held from April to June 2023,” said Minister Cheyne.
“Feedback from the community and key stakeholder groups is an important part of the Government’s decision making as it progresses to the next steps of planning and design,” said Minister Cheyne.
“With organic waste decomposition in landfill accounting for more than seven per cent of Canberra’s greenhouse emissions, diverting organic waste from landfill to be recycled into valuable compost is an essential next step.”
“FOGO is a key part of our plans for a circular economy, and I’m committed to delivering the infrastructure Canberra needs.”
For more information visit www.cityservices.act.gov.au.
- Statement ends -
| Tara Cheyne, MLA | Media Releases