Aussie council considering huge backflip after pioneering three-bin system to separate rubbish

Published: 09:47, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 09:47, 13 April 2026 An Aussie council is considering ditching 'FOGO' bins, calling the system 'a failure', despite being the first in the country to introduce it a decade ago. City of Bunbury councillors in Western Australia are thinking about getting rid of the green-lidded 'food organics and garden organics' bins and moving back to the plain old two-bin system for recycling and general rubbish. While the three-bins for rubbish collection was intended to help the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste, some councillors, including Karen Turner, argued it wasn't working. 'FOGO has failed … we shouldn't continue a failing strategy ... the right thing to do is stop,' Ms Turner told the ABC. Issues with FOGO bins have arisen as far back as 2024, with the collapse of local facilities to process it, residents furious the bins for general rubbish were made smaller, and skyrocketing costs. However, the suggestion to ditch the third bin was rebuffed, with the council instead considering to transport the waste 200km to Perth. Whatever the final decision, Bunbury mayor Jaysen Miguel said it had to be made quickly to prevent further rising costs.  He also said he hoped the government would continue using the three-bin system while keeping an eye on the budget.  An Aussie council is considering ditching FOGO bins, calling the system 'a failure', despite being the first in the country to introduce it a decade ago City of Bunbury councillors in Western Australia are thinking about getting rid of the FOGO bins 'The city has been an early adopter of FOGO — something we're proud of,' Mr Miguel said. 'Given some of the rising costs, we always need to be considerate of our budget.'  Tonnes of waste is being diverted to landfill each month after local processing collapsed, while the Western Australian government spent $4.5 million in February alone to cover the $95 per tonne cost to move the waste to Perth. Perth residents shared their views on the matter, including Rockingham's Kim Amer, who told Yahoo about how the FOGO system affected her binning routine.   'We started FOGO this year, which is fine — most people adapted after time to that,' Ms Amer said. 'The problem is the red bin general waste.  'They reduced us to a 140-litre bin and a fortnightly pick-up, and it has caused so much stress among families and literally everyone.' Issues with FOGO bins have already arisen, with processing failures and cost concerns coming to the spotlight in 2024 She said the smaller sized bin made it difficult to fit all the rubbish in, causing 'an absolute influx of blowflies, maggots and crows'.  In a Yahoo poll, 32 percent of people liked their FOGO bins while 19 percent admitted to not even using it.  While the debate continues in Bunbury, experts aren't budging on the importance of FOGO bin, saying it's essential. When food and organic waste ends up in landfill, it creates a greenhouse gas stronger than carbon dioxide due to the lack of oxygen. By putting it into composting systems, it prevents emissions and supports healthier soil. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.