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FOGO bag ban

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Emily Waite
Emily Waitehttps://ncreview.com.au/
Emily Waite has been the Editor of the North Central Review since late April, 2024. With a particular focus on delivering community driven stories, Emily has been responsible for implementing the new 'Words of wisdom' segment, and regularly reaches out to residents both young and old to share their stories with the paper. Emily graduated with high distinctions in a Bachelor of Music from JMC Academy in 2022, and graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Writing and Literature from Deakin University in 2023.

Compostable kitchen caddy liners will be reclassified as a non-acceptable material in organic waste bins if Recycling Victoria’s proposed draft is approved.

Announced by the State Government last month, the proposed Household and Recycling Service Standard 2024 is set to change how organic food and garden waste can be disposed, with compostable bags merely acting as a carry bag before final disposal.

A small minority of commercial composters have claimed that compostable caddy liners are harmful to the environment and the waste and recycling system, and contaminate Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) waste streams.

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However, SECOS Group, a leading developer and manufacturer of sustainable packaging materials, claims that the opposite is true, and stated that ‘compostable caddy bags play a vital role in minimising FOGO contamination.’

SECOS Group stated that the current contamination rate of 2 per cent is manageable, particularly when compared to 11 per cent for yellow bin recycling, and that the best performing FOGO councils have a contamination rate as low as 0.4 per cent.

The company are seeking to fight back against the proposal, arguing that compostable caddy liners cannot be adequately replaced with newspaper, paper towels, or paper caddy liners due to hygiene, cost, and environmental impact, among other reasons.

With organic waste causing substantial amounts of moisture, SECOS Group stated that paper will deteriorate quickly, rendering its purpose redundant. The cost of paper is also of concern, with paper costing four times the amount of compostable liners – a significant burden of cost to councils. Furthermore, the company fears that deforestation and depletion of natural resources will be inevitable, should paper be chosen to replace the liners.

Chief Executive and Executive Director of SECOS Group Richard Tegoni stated that the proposed ban would have severe consequences.

“A decision to ban certified compostable caddy bin liners will discourage households to separate their food waste, resulting in an increased amount of organic waste going to landfill, causing harmful greenhouse gases,” he said.

“Compostable bags are essential for households to dispose of their food scraps in a clean, hygienic, and environmentally friendly way.

“Over 80 per cent of councils that accept food organics in their green bin programs allow the use of compostable bags. These bags have been proven to increase the amount of organic waste people place in their green bins by more than 30 per cent. 

“Most of these councils even provide compostable bags to households for free or at discounted rates due to the significantly higher participation rates, cost savings, and environmental benefit they bring. 

“If the State Government’s proposal goes ahead, it means Victorians will lose this valuable option, undoing a huge amount of great work that’s been done to make green bin food waste programs successful. It will also make Victoria the only state in Australia, and to our knowledge, the only place in the world, to impose such a ban.”

Mr Tegoni invited the community to fight against the proposal alongside SECOS by emailing Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell or State Member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage to voice their concerns.

Alternatively, residents are encouraged to sign the My Eco Bag petition at www.myecobag.com.au/stop-the-ban-petition.

The draft will close for final comment on August 14.

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