newy.com.au – Port Stephens residents are being asked to help shape future household waste collections as the council prepares to introduce a Food Organics and Garden Organics service for about 33,000 households from July 2027.
The new FOGO service, to be delivered in partnership with the City of Newcastle, will allow food scraps to be placed in the existing green lid bin along with garden organics, rather than in the red lid general waste bin.
The change follows a New South Wales requirement for councils to provide household FOGO services as part of a statewide goal to halve the amount of food waste sent to landfill by 2030.
Port Stephens Council says the weekly green lid FOGO collection is already locked in, while the future collection schedule for the red lid general waste bin is still to be decided. Councillors will consider whether the red lid bin should be collected weekly or fortnightly, using community survey results and financial analysis before making a decision at the September council meeting.
Bin sizes will not change, and the yellow lid recycling collection cycle will remain the same.
Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson said the change would bring environmental and community benefits, and that feedback from households would help guide the final bin schedule.
“Moving food waste into the green lid bin stops it from creating harmful greenhouse gases in landfill and reduces how much waste is dumped. This simple change will give our community the tools to recycle tonnes of organic waste into rich compost every year,” Mayor Anderson said.
“If everyone across the state hits this target, New South Wales could divert almost 950,000 tonnes of FOGO waste each year from landfill to circular-economy products. This is the equivalent weight of nearly 24,000 humpback whales migrating past our coast!
“Getting the bin schedule right keeps our streets clean, hygienic, and running smoothly for busy families. While a weekly FOGO bin is locked in, Councillors will use the survey data and financial analysis to decide between a weekly or fortnightly general waste (red lid) bin cycle at the September Council Meeting. Your household waste habits will help us get this crucial decision right for our community,” Mayor Anderson added.
Community members can complete the Waste Services Survey on the council’s website until 4 August 2026 at haveyoursay.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/fogo.
