When food waste goes into a general waste bin, it ends up in landfill and generates methane - a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
At Veolia, our focus is ecological transformation. By separating your food and garden organics we help you divert waste from landfill, keeping you compliant with changing state legislations while turning your waste into valuable resources like renewable energy, compost, and agricultural soil conditioners.
For businesses, the NSW 2026 FOGO mandate is here
Are you a business that handles food? Across Australia, regulations are changing. In New South Wales, businesses generating 3,840L or more of general waste weekly must legally source-separate their food organics by 1 July 2026, with fines of up to $500,000 for non-compliance.
Veolia offers mandate-ready, integrated solutions without the hassle. We provide the equipment, education, and reliable collections needed to seamlessly transition your operations.
Unmatched national processing infrastructure
Veolia doesn't just collect organics; we operation some of Australia's most advanced processing facilities to transform it into new resources. We process hundreds of thousands of tonnes of organics annually across the country, ensuring guaranteed capacity for our partners:
- New South Wales: Facilities like EarthPower in Camellia utilise anaerobic digestion technologies to turn commercial food waste into green electricity, while our Woodlawn MBT and regional resource recovery parks produce nutrient-rich composts and soil improvers.
- Victoria: Our Dandenong and Bulla Organics facilities utilise advanced in-vessel composting systems to achieve consistent high quality products. Bulla processes 85,000 tonnes of green organics and food scraps annually.
- Queensland: The Cairns Resource Recovery Centre processes up to 125,000 tonnes of waste annually, creating high-quality compost for local agricultural activities.
- Western Australia: The North Bannister Resource Recovery Park uses innovative mobile aerated floor (MAF) technology to tightly control oxygen levels, accelerating breakdown and eliminating traditionally-occurring composting odours.
Tackling FOGO contamination
Contamination is the biggest threat to organic recycling. Veolia provides comprehensive “Dos and Don'ts” educational guides to ensure clean streams start at the source. For food manufacturers and supermarkets dealing with complex waste, we also offer access to advanced depackaging solutions that separate organic content from their package materials, ensuring a clean organic feedstock for composting of biogas generation.
How do I get started with FOGO?
- For businesses: Contact our commercial waste experts
- For residents: Please contact your local council to see if they have implemented a FOGO collection service in your area. Your household FOGO bin will be dark green with a lime green lid.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a FOGO bin and a green bin?
A typical green waste bin is restricted to only garden waste materials such as grass clipping and wood trimmings. A FOGO bin on the other hand, allows you to dispose of all your garden and food waste which is specifically listed in our ‘How to avoid contamination!’ above.
Your Food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin is dark green with a lime green lid.
How do I prevent odours from my FOGO bin?
Below are some helpful tips to reduce the odour that may come from your FOGO bin:
- Use certified compostable liners to bag your food waste or wrap in newspaper
- Alternate layers between food and organics waste
- Wrap up strong smelling food waste such as seafood, uncooked meat scraps and store them in the freezer up until your collection day
- Store your FOGO bin in a flat, well ventilated area.
- Clean and rinse your bins regularly. You can also sprinkle bicarb soda to reduce the smell
- Always keep the lid closed
- Store your FOGO bin in a shaded area
Why are nappies a no-go for FOGO?
Nappies are made from plastic and synthetic materials which do not break down in the composting process, therefore they’re considered a contaminant in your FOGO bin. Nappies are best suited for landfill.
Learn more
Vitagro compost products
Waste & recycling guides