More than 10,000 tonnes of waste has been diverted away from landfill on the North-West Coast in the first eight months of food organic garden organic, or FOGO, kerbside recycling.
Devonport, Kentish, Latrobe, and Waratah-Wynyard joined the scheme in July last year, with Central Coast having had FOGO collections since 2019.
The programme aims to have 60% of all waste diverted from landfill by 2028, with the haul so far saving the five councils hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A report, tabled at this week’s Devonport City Council monthly meeting for April, said more than 3000 tonnes of organic waste alone has been diverted from the city, representing a saving of almost $140,000 in state landfill waste levies.
The report said challenges still remain in managing contamination, with bagged materials and non-organic waste still finding its way into FOGO bins.
Meanwhile, Burnie City and Circular Head councils are planning to joi9n the FOGO scheme later this year.