When to put your FOGO bin out
Your FOGO bin is emptied on the same day each week, including all public holidays. Bins should be placed at the collection point by 6am of your collection day.
Use our online tool to check when your food and garden bin collection day is:
Waste calendars
You can also download our waste calendars and view waste maps and zones of Knox:
How to use your kitchen caddy
To use your kitchen caddy:
- line it with a lime green compostable caddy liner (AS4736)
- use newspaper or paper towel
- use no liner at all.
When your caddy is full, empty the contents into your green-lidded food and garden bin.
For more information, order a Food and Garden Kitchen Caddy user guide from [email protected].
Need a replacement caddy? Collect one from the Civic Centre.
Lime green compostable caddy liners (AS4736)
Knox residents are entitled to one free roll (75 bags) every six months. To place your order, simply visit the Source Separation Systems portal by clicking on the button below.
Did you know there are other great ways to line your kitchen caddy?
- Line the base with newspaper or paper towel to absorb moisture
- Go liner-free – place food scraps directly into your caddy to save on bags and reduce waste. This is the most environmentally friendly option.
Handy tips:
- Empty your kitchen caddy into your food and garden bin every 2-3 days
- To keep things fresh, rinse the caddy as needed and sprinkle in some bicarb to neutralise odours
Not all liners are the same. Some compostable liners take longer to break down and are not suitable for your food and garden bin.
If you do purchase your own, liners must be:
- lime green (not pale green or any other colour)
- displaying the code AS4736
- displaying the seedling symbol below
Only use lime green compostable caddy liners with this seedling symbol and code AS4736
Caddy liners are designed to break down over time. Their average shelf life is 10 -12 months. Don't store more than a year's supply.
New tenants
If you are new to Knox and didn’t receive a kitchen caddy and a roll of compostable liners, please call our Customer Service team on 9298 8000 or email [email protected].
What can go in
- Bread, pasta, cereal and rice
- Coffee grounds
- Dairy leftovers
- Dirty egg cartons * (soiled with egg or food) - Put clean egg cartons into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Eggshells
- Flowers, grass, leaves, bark, dead foliage, garden pruning, clean timber and branches (under 10 cm in diameter)
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Human and animal hair
- Leftover food (cooked and raw)
- Lime green compostable liners – only AS4736 type bags with the seedling symbol (shown above). This does not include dog poo bags
- Oily pizza boxes * that are 60% or more oily - put clean pizza lids and not very oily boxes, that are free of food scraps, into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Seafood and meat (including bones)
- Small amounts of used paper, paper towels (100% paper-based), napkins (100% paper-based), paper bags, newspaper sheets, and tissues (100% paper-based) *
- Small sticks, tooth pics and skewers
- No bamboo plants or plant materials can be placed in the FOGO bin.
- Weeds can be placed in the FOGO bin; however, weeds that have been treated with pesticide may not. Visit our A-Z waste guide for more information on the correct way to dispose of noxious and environmental weeds.
Compost from this service will be used to grow consumable vegetables, fruits and plants.
* Newspaper, paper towel (must be 100% paper-based), tissues and cardboard must not make up more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
What cannot go in
- Backyard and garage items garden hoses, sporting equipment, gardening tools, batteries and oil containers
- Bundled branches, log stumps or tree limbs larger than 10 cm in diameter or longer than 30 cm.
- Cardboard and paper products must not make up no more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
- Clean egg cartons - put this in your recycling bin
- Clean pizza boxes - put this in your recycling bin
- Cups, bowls, plates and cutlery (including single use and compostable)
- Furniture, textiles and fabric
- Liquids, fats, greases, and oils
- Nappies, personal hygiene products, baby wipes, makeup wipes
- Pet and animal poo
- Pet litter
- Plastic, biodegradable bags/liners, compostable labelled food packaging, including cling wrap
- Recycled items (e.g. plastic, glass, plastic pots)
- Rubble, metal (e.g. bottle caps, wire), rocks, bricks, foil, polystyrene or cellophane
- Seafood shells (e.g. oysters)
- Soil or potting mix
- Syringes
- Treated and painted timber, treated lattice and building materials
View A-Z rubbish and recycling guide
Pet waste
You cannot put pet waste (dog poo, cat poo and kitty litter) in the food and garden bin. Pet poo can contain parasites and bacteria that could make the compost unsafe.
Please put any pet waste into your general rubbish bin. Alternatively, you can purchase a pet poo compost system at a discounted price. The pet poo compost system should be placed away from any edible plants/veggie gardens.
Tips to reduce bin odours
- Keep bins out of direct sunlight
- Keep meat and seafood scraps in the freezer until bin day
- Use the AS4736 type lime green compostable bags with the seedling symbol (shown above)
- Wash your caddy and bin regularly
- Sprinkle bi-carb soda into your bin to neutralize smells
- Layer your green waste and food scraps
- Make sure your lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin body.
Opting out of the service
It is possible to opt out of the food and garden bin service.
Requirements to opt-out
You must show that you can compost all organic material at home, with no organic waste going to your household rubbish bin or collected in the bundled branch service.
Provide photo evidence and a brief description of your home composting system plus how you process all garden waste. Evidence can include photos of:
- your compost bin
- worm farm
- a mulcher
We also require a detailed explanation of how you process items that go in the food and garden bin such as bones (raw/cooked), meat, dairy, citrus, and mouldy food.
What happens next?
If your application is successful, your food and garden bin will be removed.
Can I opt back in?
If you wish to opt back in, please contact our Waste Team:
- by phone at 9298 8000
- by email at [email protected]
Where your food and garden waste goes
The food and garden waste collected in your green-lid bin is delivered to Biogro, in Dandenong South. Biogro is an organic processing facility that makes compost and garden products.
This service has helped Knox recycle 2,600 tonnes of organic material monthly, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 2,200 tonnes each month. Thanks to residents using the new food and garden service, Knox now diverts 74% of kerbside waste from landfill.
Manage your bin service
Need help with a missed collection, bin repairs or replacements, braille bin stickers, or putting your bins out for collection? Find everything you need on our Bin services and fees page.
