Where Does Your FOGO Go?

Have you ever wondered what happens to the scraps you put in your green-lidded FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) bin?

Or why it matters so much where you put your waste? It’s all about the circular economy - preserving the value of resources for as long as possible. In a perfect example of this approach, Penrith City Council is utilising compost from FOGO waste to resurface our local sporting fields.

Penrith’s FOGO waste stream is commercially composted by Australian Native Landscapes (ANL), that’s why organic items like meat and bones that naturally break down can go into the FOGO bin. For the project featured in the photographs, the compost takes the form of a “nitro top dressing”, which is then used by Council’s City Presentation Team across selected sporting fields within the LGA, as part of the spring/summer sports field renovation program. 

Caddens Oval, Mulgoa Rise Oval (Southern and Northern fields) and Cook Park Soccer have been completed and there’s a noticeable improvement in the surface condition. Nitro top dressing has numerous benefits such as improving soil condition, structure and microbe activity and promoting healthier turf growth. It also helps soil retain moisture which allows us to reduce water usage when irrigating our fields, particularly during Penrith’s hot summer months.

The field renovation program will recommence in spring 2022, with Jordan Springs Village Oval, Leonay Oval and Ched Towns Reserve (Northern fields) next in line to be resurfaced with the community’s FOGO compost.