Hey Baw Baw, your new kitchen caddies are on the way!
Published on 11 May 2026
This week Council will begin delivering kitchen caddies to households across the Baw Baw Shire ahead of the new Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) program commencing in July 2026!
The kitchen caddies will come with a roll of certified compostable liners and will be used to collect your food scraps and leftovers, which can then be emptied into your existing green bin, alongside your garden clippings.
Your kitchen caddies will also come with a brochure explaining exactly how the FOGO program works and what you need to know.
The FOGO program is being introduced because the State Government is standardising household recycling across Victoria, and all Councils are required to provide access to a FOGO service, in the move towards a circular economy and better waste management outcomes.
Your bin collection day will not change, however from 6 July, when FOGO starts, your green bin will be picked up each week, and your red general rubbish bin will be moved to fortnightly, due to the reduced landfill waste.
Food and garden organics placed in your green bin will be processed by Pinegro Products in Morwell, transforming this material into valuable compost and soil conditioner to support the natural environment.
Baw Baw Shire Mayor Councillor Kate Wilson said it will be great to see FOGO rolled out, like in many other Councils already, and added that the long-term benefits of this new system were essential.
“Currently, Victorian households send approximately 1.4 million tonnes of material to landfill each year, the introduction of the standardised waste service across the state will ultimately reduce this figure and improve recycling outcomes,” she said.
“This amount of waste going to landfill is completely unsustainable and it’s important that all levels of government work together to find solutions before these problems become unmanageable.
“I understand this could feel like a big change for some in our community, and some households may feel more impacted initially, but we all have a role to play in reducing the waste our Shire is producing.
“Households can request an additional red general rubbish bin, subject to an extra cost, if excess waste becomes an issue.”
Council also provides an Environmental Rebate for compost bins and worm farms, which will be updated and renamed to the ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle rebate’, prior to the introduction of FOGO. The rebate will soon be extended to include reusable sanitary and incontinence products, and reusable nappies and nursing products. Keep an eye out for more information coming soon by visiting Environmental Grants and Rebates
The list of what can go in your kitchen caddy and green FOGO bin is extensive, and ranges from food scraps to raw and cooked bones, eggshells, leftovers, bakery items, dairy products, coffee grounds and so much more.
Council has developed an extensive set of Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found here Food Organics and Garden Organics Service
For more information on the standardises waste service, visit Standardising household recycling across Victoria | vic.gov.au
If you have not received your kitchen caddy by the end of June, please contact Council on 5624 2411.