Published on Monday, 21 September 2026 at 9:00:00 AM
The Town is encouraging residents to become familiar with the new Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) guidelines introduced by the WA Waste Authority as part of a new state-wide approach to reduce FOGO contamination and improve compost quality.
The updated guidance establishes a single, consistent standard for what can and cannot go in FOGO bins across WA. Under the new rules, only food scraps, garden organics and certified compostable caddy liners should be placed in FOGO bins.
Key items previously accepted by some local governments such as tea bags, tissues, paper towels, pet waste and compostable takeaway packaging must now go in general waste bins.
Town of Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon said the changes will make waste sorting simpler for residents.
"One of the biggest challenges for our residents has been navigating different advice from different sources," Mayor Vernon said.
"A consistent, state-wide FOGO standard will make it easier for everyone to understand what belongs in each bin and help build better sorting habits."
For Town of Victoria Park residents, the updated FOGO guidelines are expected to have minimal impact. Existing local advice already directed tissues and pet waste to go in general waste, with tea bags and paper towels now joining that list. The Town welcomes this clarification and the greater consistency it provides our residents.
The most notable change relates to takeaway packaging. While some packaging products are labelled as compostable, inconsistent labelling and certification standards can make it difficult for processing facilities to distinguish genuinely compostable items from non-compostable materials. As a result, takeaway packaging has become a common source of contamination in FOGO collections.
To reduce contamination and support the production of high-quality compost, all takeaway packaging should now be placed in the general waste bin.
Mayor Vernon said reducing contamination is essential to maximising the benefits of FOGO.
“Every correctly sorted FOGO bin contributes to the circular economy by helping recover and reuse valuable resources instead of sending them to landfill,” Mayor Vernon said.
“When residents put the right items in their FOGO bins, they help create a high-quality compost product that can be returned to farms, gardens and our valuable green spaces.”
The updated guidance was implemented by the WA State Government in collaboration with WALGA, local governments and waste processing facilities to create a consistent approach to FOGO across Western Australia.
For more information about the Town's FOGO service, including FAQs and resources, visit vicpark.info/FOGO
Back to All News