Food waste recycling is well and truly underway in Greater Dandenong.
Since April, residents with an existing garden waste service have been able to place their food scraps into the garden waste bin. Food waste means any food that is left over from meal preparation and plate scrapings, including meat, fish, cheese, rice, pasta and cake.
Approximately 45,400 properties in Greater Dandenong have a garden waste service. Of those residents, over 6,000 households have received their kitchen caddies.
Greater Dandenong City Council would like to thank all residents who have registered for a kitchen caddy and are using the food waste recycling service. Many residents have embraced the new service, using their kitchen caddies whilst preparing meals in the kitchen and playing their part in recycling their food scraps, contributing to the creation of high-quality compost for our Victorian farmers.
Resident Zoe Mohl said the service has benefits for her family as well as the environment. “It’s great to be able to include our food scraps in the garden waste bin along with our garden clippings. It reduces what we place in our general waste bin and we know it’s not going to landfill, which is a win for us and the environment,” Zoe said.
Frequently asked questions
Will the food and garden waste bin continue to be collected fortnightly?
The green lid food and garden waste bin will continue to be collected on a fortnightly basis and the red lid garbage bin collected weekly.
Can I place my food scraps into a compostable (or other) bag and place it into the garden waste bin?
No – it is very important that food waste is placed loose into the bin. Items such as plastic bags, wrappers, food containers and other general waste items cannot be processed by the composting facility.
The process used to turn the food and garden material in the garden waste bins is highly specialised and is designed to create quality compost. This process is not designed to break down the compost liners quick enough – including those marked with the Australian Standard.
Also, by not accepting any kind of bags, including compostable ones, we are minimising the risk of soft plastics finding their way into the food and garden waste bin.
Hints and tips for managing food waste
- Store your food and garden waste bin in a shaded area
- Layer your food waste in between garden waste material such as grass clippings and leaves
- You can wrap your food waste in 1–2 sheets of kitchen paper towel or a single sheet of newspaper before placing into your bin
- Store food waste in a sealed container (like an old ice cream container) in your freezer until the night before collection and then empty directly into the bin
- Rinse out your kitchen caddy and green lid food and garden waste bin regularly.
Free kitchen caddies still available
Council has a limited number of free kitchen caddies available for residents who would like to participate in the food waste recycling service.
Caddies assist with sorting food waste, by providing a convenient collection point to keep on your benchtop or close to your kitchen.
Residents must have an existing garden waste service to be eligible.
