Did you know that food waste makes up about 36% of the waste generated by households in our community?

Not only we're wasting valuable resources by sending food to landfill, but we're also contributing to climate change. Food waste when sent to landfill releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

FOGO participant properties can now do their bit for the planet and turn their food waste into a nutrient-rich compost.

We have put together some helpful tips to help your manage your kitchen caddy and keep it free from flies and spills.

Watch our video below to learn more. It’s also available in Chinese and Korean.

To keep your caddy free from fruit flies and odour, rinse it after emptying and dry it before lining it again. You can also put it in your dishwasher to clean it. Keeping the handle up will lock the lid.

Always keep your caddy closed when not in use and consider putting the kitchen caddy inside the fridge. If you don’t have the space, you can keep the smelly food in a bin liner inside your fridge/freezer and only put it in your caddy the day you’re taking it out to the green wheelie bin.

The best place to store your kitchen caddy is:

• On your kitchen bench
• Under the sink
• Attached to the inside of a cupboard door
• Inside the fridge

Lastly, the kitchen caddy belongs to the property you live in. If you move out, leave it on the kitchen bench.

Other tips:

• Wrap up smelly food scraps
• Always keep the lid closed
• Store your caddy in the shade

Compostable liner bags are the small bags that Council has provided to help you get started with this FOGO service. They are designed to fit the kitchen caddy tightly, so it doesn’t slip in once you add weight to it.

The kitchen caddy liners are made of corn starch and designed to break down into organic material with your food waste in the composting process. They are perishable and have a short shelf-life (one year), so it’s important to keep in mind that they need to be correctly stored and handled, and can’t be stored for too long. Keep your liners in a cool and dry spot away from heat and sunlight.

When the liner becomes wet, it can break down even quicker, so when using them in your kitchen caddy, replace it every two to three days. You can also place a small piece of paper towel in the bottom of your caddy or sprinkle bi-carb soda to help absorb moisture. If bags are too heavy, they may tear apart. We recommend you carry your full liner inside the kitchen caddy when taking the waste to the wheelie bin to avoid spills.

There are many different types of caddy liners on the market. When purchasing your own liners, ensure you look for Certified Compostable AS 4736 liners. Biodegradable bags are not accepted in your FOGO bin. Certified compostable bags feature this logo:

Other tips:

• Allow hot food to cool down before placing it in your caddy
• Place paper tower in the bottom of your kitchen caddy to soak up any liquid
• Allow wet food to drain before placing it in the caddy