Food Waste
Fighting Food Waste - One Bin at a Time
As much as we love our food, when we buy too much, cook too much or leave it in the fridge for too long it gets wasted.
It may seem like we only throw out small amounts every now and again, but it all adds up. In Lane Cove, recent audits of kerbside bins found that the average household throws away 3.5kg of food per week. That’s over 3,500 tonnes per year.
To keep this food out of landfill, Council is rolling out a new food waste service, starting with stand-alone houses in March 2026. Townhouses, units and apartments will be able to join the service from 2027.
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 and renewable energy.
All other bin services will remain the same.
If you have any further questions about the Food Waste Service, create a service request here or call 9911 3555.
Key Dates
February 2026: All stand-alone houses will be provided with a kitchen caddy, compostable liners, a new food waste bin (with a maroon lid), along with information on how to use the service.
March 2026: Collections for the new food waste bins will start. The food waste bins will be collected each week on the same day as your other bins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Council rolling out the Food Waste Service?
Food waste makes up 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 leaves
- 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. That includes;
- Packaging
- Garden waste such as leaves, branches, flowers.
Why can't I put my food waste in the green-lidded bin?
Garden waste from the green lid 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.
Resources
2025 Community Information Stalls
Community information workshop
| When |
Time |
Where |
| Thurs 13 Nov |
10am - 12pm |
Greenwich Village shops, 87-97 Greenwich Rd, Greenwich |
| Sat 22 Nov |
9am - 1pm |
Synergy Youth Centre - Open Day, 8 Little St, Lane Cove (below the Aquatic Centre pool) |
| Tues 25 Nov |
10am - 12pm |
Community information workshop, Cove Room, Lane Cove Council building (48 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove) - book Eventbrite ticket for catering purposes |
| Tues 25 Nov |
6pm - 8pm |
Community information workshop, Cove Room, Lane Cove Council building (48 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove) - book Eventbrite ticket for catering purposes |
| Wed 26 Nov |
10am - 12pm |
Lane Cove Library |
| Mon 1 - Fri 5 Dec |
3.30pm - 5pm |
Lane Cove Aquatic Centre |
| Thurs 4 Dec |
9am - 11am |
Lane Cove Aquatic Centre |
| Sat 6 Dec |
9am - 11am |
Lane Cove Aquatic Centre |
| Sat 6 Dec |
12pm - 3pm |
Greenwich Village Games, Bob Campbell Oval |
| Wed 10 Dec |
10am - 12pm |
Lane Cove Market Square (top of Woolworths escalator in arcade) |
Related Information and Programs