Randwick Council waste program recognised in national sustainability awards

By PATRICK MCKENZIE

Randwick Council’s food organics & garden organics (FOGO) program received two awards at the Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Award ceremony on Thursday 20 January.

The program was launched in March 2021 to divert food waste from landfill by encouraging residents to dispose of food scraps in new bins collected separately from the traditional red-lid bins.

“The introduction of FOGO … was a giant leap forward for our community’s efforts in looking after our environment and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas our waste produces,” Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said. 

The program aims to also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use waste to create compost to be used in farms, parks, sports fields and local gardens.

“The support we have received for FOGO shows just how keen people are to make a change when they know their actions will have an impact. I couldn’t be more proud of the residents of Randwick City for embracing FOGO with the fervour they have,” Cr Parker said.

Randwick won both the Communication and Engagement as well as the Resource Recovery and Waste Minimisation awards, with the former recognising programs and projects that inspire environmental action through education and communication campaigns, with the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Award celebrating a project or program that tackles waste or recycling problems.

“I’m so pleased that we have shown leadership in this area and that our staff’s hard work and efforts have been recognised,” Cr Parker said. 

Both Randwick and Inner West Council were finalists in the Overall Sustainable Cities Award, which is awarded to a metropolitan council that has successfully undertaken projects or actions in multiple areas of environmental sustainability and social inclusion. The accolade was ultimately won by the City of Canada Bay Council.