In what’s claimed to be the state’s first food waste recycling process initiated by a local council, the City of Gosnells will provide 2,000 food waste bins for a trial aimed at reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
The program will run on an opt-in basis, with residents receiving a 140-litre burgundy bin and a 5-litre benchtop caddy with compostable liners for collecting food waste, which will be collected each week between Tuesday and Thursday.
Set to operate for three years, the trial will commit to processing nearly 800 tonnes of food waste during this period.
Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes said the three-year ‘GOsFO’ pilot program, which will start later this year, is designed to significantly reduce food waste sent to landfills while also promoting sustainability within the community.
“Through GOsFO, residents will be able to dispose of a wide range of food scraps, including fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, cheese and dairy products, eggs and their shells, pasta, rice, cereal, bread and baked goods, tea and coffee – including teabags – plus takeaway food and leftovers,” she said.
“This is an excellent result, with a range of positive environmental outcomes.”
Households taking part will incur a cost of $80 per financial year to take part in the initiative; however, the first year of the pilot program will be billed at a reduced fee of $47, as it will only run for seven months of the 2024/25 financial year.
Food waste, which accounts for approximately 20 per cent of all waste sent to landfills and 58 per cent of landfill methane emissions, will be collected then processed using insect larvae to convert it into high-quality fertiliser and protein for animal feed.
For more information about the GOsFO trial or to sign up to participate, visit yoursay.gosnells.wa.gov.au/gosfo.
