A Food Waste Service is Coming!

Published on 22 August 2025

Vidico x Lane Cove Council - Case Studies 04 Compost Network Expert (v3)_Graded.00_00_38_01.Still002.png

Council last has resolved to implement a Food Waste Service with a target start date of March 2026.

A report was presented to Council at its meeting of 21 August outlining the benefits of the proposed service and how it would be rolled out to the community.

This new Food Waste Service is intended to begin with stand-alone households in March 2026, with townhouses, units and apartments complexes able to opt in from 2027. 

Minutes from the meeting will be available next week.

How Will the Service Work?  

Each household will be provided with a kitchen caddy, compostable liners, and a new maroon lid food waste bin.  

Households will put their food waste into their lined kitchen caddy and then empty this into their new food waste bin every few days.  

The food waste bin will be collected weekly on your normal bin day. The food waste will then be processed into a nutrient rich soil conditioner. 

Your other bin services will all remain the same.   

Some Frequently Asked Questions can be found below. If you have any further questions about the Food Waste Service, create a service request here or call 02 9911 3555. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Council rolling out the Food Waste Service?

Food waste accounts for approximately 43% of the material collected in our red lid general waste bins. This waste is sent to landfill where it becomes a significant source of methane - a harmful greenhouse gas. Collecting food waste separately means it can be processed into beneficial resources rather than creating harmful greenhouse gases.

 

What will happen to the food waste once it’s collected?

The food waste will be taken to a processing facility in Western Sydney where it will be converted into a nutrient-rich soil improver. 

 

What can I put in my food waste bin?

  • Fruit and vegetables 

  • Bread, rice, and cereals  

  • Coffee grinds and tea bags 

  • Meat, bones, and fish  

  • Dairy products, eggs and eggshells 

  • Cakes, biscuits and sweets. 

 

What can’t I put in my food waste bin?

  • Anything that is not food 

  • Packaging 

  • Garden waste such as leaves, branches, flowers. 

 

Why can’t I put my food waste in the green-lidded bin?

Garden waste collected from the green lidded bins in Lane Cove goes to a facility where it is composted into high grade compost product. Keeping food waste out of this bin ensures that we maintain the high quality of this waste stream and end product. Collecting the food waste separate to the garden waste also means we can make use of low emission processing technologies.

 

Why didn't Council choose FOGO?

Collecting food waste separate to the garden waste means we can make use of low emission processing technologies and maintain the quality of our garden waste stream.

When will the food waste bin be collected?

Food waste bins will be collected weekly, on your normal bin day.

 

I already compost my food waste. Do I still have to participate in the service?

We love composting and encourage our local composters to keep their home compost systems running. You can still use your food waste bin for items such as dairy, bones, meat and fish scraps that are generally best kept out of home compost systems. 

  

 

Will this impact my other bin collections?

No. All other waste services will remain exactly the same.

  

 

Tagged as:
Back to top