By Jessica Micallef
Macedon Ranges residents will be able to place food waste in their garden bins from next year.
From January, residents in Kyneton, Gisborne, Woodend, Mount Macedon, Macedon, Lancefield, Romsey and Riddells Creek will be offered a weekly food organics garden organics (FOGO) service that will allow them to place food and vegetable waste into their garden bins.
A soft launch of a limited FOGO service started in November last year.
A full FOGO service will mean food and garden waste will be transported to a composting facility to be processed into compost.
At its council meeting late last month, Macedon Ranges council approved the service, which is aimed at reducing the amount of food sent to landfill.
An additional cost of $7 per household per year will be required to fund the supply of compostable liners.
In the 2020-21 financial year, the service will be expanded to Bullengarook, Monegeetta, Tylden and Malmsbury.
In five years, it will be rolled out to the shire’s remaining areas.
Cr Jennifer Anderson said she hoped the service would educate residents about the benefits of not putting waste in landfill.
“I hope the community embraces this with quite a sensible monitored approach,” she said.
