What is FOGO? Food waste collection for NSW businesses explained

FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. Here's what it means for businesses across the Central West, and why it matters right now.

What FOGO actually means

FOGO isn't a new regulation in itself. It's a waste stream: food scraps and garden organics collected separately from general waste and sent to a composting facility instead of landfill. The NSW EPA has been expanding FOGO requirements progressively, starting with large councils and moving toward broader commercial coverage.

When food waste goes to landfill, it breaks down without oxygen and produces methane, a greenhouse gas considerably more potent than CO2. Composting it instead stops that from happening and turns the material into something useful. That's the core argument for FOGO: it's better for the environment and, in most cases, cheaper for the business.

Why businesses are paying attention now

There are two reasons food waste collection is getting more attention from businesses across NSW right now.

The first is cost. General waste sent to landfill attracts the NSW waste levy, which is charged per tonne and passed on through your waste bill. Food waste is heavy and wet, which means it contributes significantly to your general waste weight. Pulling it out into a separate organics collection removes that weight from the levy calculation and almost always reduces the overall waste bill.

The second is regulatory direction. The NSW Government's waste strategy has made FOGO a clear priority. Large commercial businesses are already within scope of new requirements, and the direction of policy is toward broader coverage over time. Businesses that put a food waste collection service in place now are getting ahead of where things are heading rather than scrambling to comply later.

What goes in a food waste collection

A FOGO collection accepts food scraps and garden organics. In a commercial context, that typically means:

• Food scraps. Fruit and vegetable offcuts, plate scrapings, expired produce, meat and fish, dairy, bread and baked goods, coffee grounds and tea leaves.
• Food preparation waste. Everything generated in a commercial kitchen during prep and service.
• Spoiled or out-of-date stock. Food that has passed its use-by date and can't be donated or used.

One thing that doesn't go in the food waste bin, despite the name, is compostable packaging. Under current NSW EPA guidelines, compostable and biodegradable packaging is excluded from organics bins due to PFAS contamination concerns. Even if packaging is certified compostable, it goes in general waste for now. This may change as regulations and processing facilities develop, but the current position is clear.

Which businesses benefit most from food waste collection

Any business generating regular food waste benefits from separating it. The more food waste you produce, the bigger the impact on your waste bill and the stronger the case for a dedicated collection. In practice, the businesses that see the most benefit are:

• Cafes, restaurants and takeaways with busy kitchens
• Hotels, pubs and club kitchens running regular food service
• Supermarkets and grocers managing fresh produce and expired stock
• Schools and universities with canteens and food service operations
• Aged care facilities and hospitals with daily meal preparation
• Catering businesses and food manufacturers

Even smaller operations with modest food waste volumes often find that a separate food waste bin reduces their general waste collection costs enough to make the service cost-neutral or better.

How food waste collection works in practice

A food waste collection is straightforward to run once it's set up. The business gets clearly labelled food waste bins suited to their volume and kitchen layout. Staff separate food scraps into those bins as part of normal kitchen operations. The bins are collected on a scheduled basis matched to how much the business generates, and the material goes to a composting facility.

The main things that make it work are bin placement and staff familiarity. Bins need to be where food waste is actually created, not across the kitchen or out the back. And staff need a quick explanation of what goes in and what does not, so the bin stays uncontaminated and usable.

Contamination is the main risk. A food waste bin that has non-organic material mixed in can be rejected at the composting facility and sent to landfill instead, which defeats the purpose. Simple signage and a short briefing for kitchen staff are usually enough to keep contamination low.

Food waste collection across the Central West NSW

Waste No More offers food waste collection for businesses across Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes, Cowra and surrounding towns. We assess your volumes, set up the right bins, and collect on a schedule that matches how your business operates. The material is routed to a composting facility, not landfill.

The initial waste audit is free. We visit your site, look at what you're generating, and work out whether a food waste collection makes sense for your operation before you commit to anything.

Frequently asked questions