Council ramps up its war on food waste
Tuesday 15 February 2022
Council will roll out food organics recycling to all Inner West households within the next four years, becoming the first inner Sydney council to make the commitment.
At the Council Meeting last Tuesday night, 8 March, Council unanimously resolved to provide food organics and garden organics waste recycling (FOGO) to every home during its current term.
Councillor Mat Howard, who moved the motion, said this is the next step in Council’s Inner West war on waste, aimed at eliminating the 40 per cent of waste in residential garbage bins that is currently made up of organics that could be otherwise recycled.
“This announcement shows that Inner West Council is committed to leading the nation in eliminating organic waste from domestic waste services,” said Councillor Howard.
“Reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can do to reverse global warming.
“Food waste also has a huge impact on people’s hip pockets, with the Government estimating it costs the Australian economy $20 billion each year,” said Councillor Howard.
Inner West Council has rolled out food recycling into every apartment in the Inner West in the past two years. The service is operating in over 1,100 buildings that include over 22,700 apartments.
The scheme has recycled 879 tonnes of food waste, avoiding the emissions of more than 1,845 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to:
• Powering 735 average Inner West homes for a year,
• Taking 533 passenger vehicles off Sydney roads for a year,
• Running 4,382 desktop computers for a year, or
• Cooling 4,164 fridges for a year
“This is great news, but there’s more to be done,” said Councillor Howard.
“We are also continuing in the campaign to see a single food recycling service adopted across broader Sydney, as we want every household to have access to the scheme ASAP.”
Council also resolved on Tuesday night to receive an update on the status of the proposed Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) food recycling transfer station, to be located within the Inner West local government area.
For media enquiries, contact Elizabeth Heath, Media and Communications Coordinator, 9392 5334 or Elizabeth.Heath@innerwest.nsw.gov.au