Western Australia FOGO Policy: What Perth Businesses Can Learn from NSW Food Waste Separation

Western Australia FOGO Policy: Why Businesses Should Pay Attention

Western Australia is moving toward cleaner FOGO and organics collection systems, especially across Perth, Peel and other local government areas. Western Australia’s Food Organics and Garden Organics program explains the rollout of three-bin FOGO systems across Perth and Peel, which is why businesses should start reviewing food waste collection points before demand becomes urgent.

FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. In practical terms, it means separating food scraps and garden organics from general waste so they can be processed into compost or other recycled organics.

For households, this usually starts with a kitchen caddy, a green-lidded FOGO bin and certified compostable caddy liners. For businesses, the question is more operational: what liner size should be used, where should food waste bins be placed, which liners are accepted, and how can contamination be reduced during daily food waste collection?

This is especially relevant for cafés, restaurants, commercial kitchens, schools, clubs, hotels, venues, facilities and food service operators across Perth and Western Australia.

Western Australia’s Waste Authority explains that FOGO bins are for food organics, garden organics and certified compostable caddy liners only. That simple accepted list is designed to make sorting easier and support cleaner compost outcomes.

For business buyers, this creates a clear lesson: FOGO is not just a waste-bin change. It is a food waste handling system.

What WA Can Learn from NSW Food Waste Separation

NSW gives WA businesses a useful early warning.

NSW EPA business food waste guidance shows how food waste separation can become a staged business requirement, giving WA and Perth businesses a useful reference for earlier preparation.

Under NSW EPA guidance, from 1 July 2026, businesses and institutions that sell or handle food must separate food waste from general waste under staged requirements. The first stage applies to sites with weekly general waste capacity of 3,960L or more.

The NSW experience shows that businesses should not wait until food waste separation becomes urgent.

The practical work usually starts earlier:

reviewing bin locations;
checking food waste volumes;
choosing the right liner sizes;
training staff;
placing food waste signage at disposal points;
confirming accepted liner types with the waste contractor;
and preparing repeat supply of compostable bin liners.

For WA businesses, especially in Perth and Peel, the same logic applies. Even if WA’s policy structure is different from NSW, commercial food waste separation still depends on correct site setup. For a broader overview of Australian FOGO bins, household food waste collection and business liner selection, read Compostar’s Australian FOGO Guide.

NSW vs WA FOGO: Business Comparison Table

What Can Go in a WA FOGO Bin?

The WA Towards Cleaner Compost guidance makes the accepted list clearer by stating that FOGO bins are for food organics, garden organics and certified compostable caddy liners only.

It also explains that certified compostable caddy liners can be used to collect food scraps, and users should look for AS 4736 and the seedling logo.

The City of Perth also advises that FOGO bins should use certified compostable liners with the AS 4736 seedling logo, and not standard plastic bin liners.

Sources used in this section:

WA Towards Cleaner Compost guidance

City of Perth FOGO bin guidance

For businesses, this distinction matters.

A compostable kitchen caddy liner has a specific function: it helps collect and transfer food scraps.

Compostable packaging, compostable cups, compostable utensils, food-soiled packaging and other food service items should not automatically be treated as accepted in FOGO. Businesses should always confirm accepted materials with their local council, waste contractor or organics processor.

A safer staff instruction is: Food scraps only. Remove packaging first. Use only the liner accepted for this site.

Why Liner Choice Matters for WA and Perth Businesses

Food waste is very different from dry rubbish.

It can be wet, heavy, oily and uneven. A café may need small compostable kitchen caddy liners near coffee and prep areas. A restaurant may need 36L bin liners or 80L commercial compostable bin liners for back-of-house food waste. A hotel, school, club or venue may need 120L compostable wheelie bin liners or 240L compostable wheelie bin liners for larger food waste transfer points and waste rooms.

Choosing the wrong size can create problems:

small liners fill too quickly;
oversized liners waste material and budget;
thin liners may not suit wet back-of-house food waste;
large bins may become too heavy to move safely;
and inconsistent liner use can increase contamination risk.

For WA FOGO setup, Perth food waste collection and commercial food waste disposal, businesses should match liner size to the real collection point.

Product Data Check: Size and Thickness Guide

The practical lesson is that liner choice should not be based on litre size alone. Businesses should also check food waste type, wetness, transfer distance, bin shape, collection frequency and accepted liner rules.

Setup Lesson: What We Tried and What Did Not Work Well

One method we tested was treating FOGO setup as a simple “add a bin and add a sign” change.

The result was useful for awareness. Staff could see where food scraps should go, and the new bin helped make food waste separation more visible.

But the weakness was clear: it did not solve daily handling problems.

Small caddy liners filled too quickly. Larger bins needed better liner fit. Transfer points still required clearer staff instructions. Some staff also needed a simple reminder that food packaging should be removed before food scraps go into the food waste bin.

The better approach is to map the full food waste flow:

1. small food waste points;
2. prep areas;
3. back-of-house bins;
4. wheelie bins or waste rooms;
5. contractor collection requirements.

This is why Perth and WA businesses should prepare a liner size system, not just one compostable bag size.

Suggested Liner Setup for WA and Perth Businesses

For small food waste points, 10L and 18L compostable kitchen caddy liners may support café counters, staff kitchens, office kitchens and small prep areas.

For prep areas and shared food waste stations, 36L bin liners may support daily collection before food waste is transferred to a larger bin.

For commercial kitchens and hospitality sites, 80L compostable bin liners may support wet, oily and busier back-of-house food waste handling.

For hotels, clubs, schools, venues and facilities, 120L and 240L compostable wheelie bin liners may support larger food waste collection points, wheelie bins and waste rooms.

The right setup depends on business type, bin size, food waste volume, collection frequency and local acceptance rules. For business buyers comparing liner sizes, Compostar’s wholesale compostable bin liner range includes 10L, 18L, 36L, 80L, 120L and 240L options for food waste caddies, commercial kitchens and wheelie bins.

WA FOGO Is Also a Contamination Issue

The real lesson from NSW is that food waste separation is not only about having the right bin.

It is also about reducing contamination.

If staff place packaging, plastic bags, disposable foodware or non-accepted compostable items into the food waste stream, the site may create problems for the waste contractor or organics processor.

WA’s updated FOGO guidance is also focused on cleaner compost and a simpler accepted list. That means businesses should avoid broad messages such as:

“All compostable items are accepted.”

A better instruction is:

“Food scraps only. Remove packaging first. Use only the certified compostable liner accepted for this site.”

This wording is easier for staff to understand and less likely to create contamination.

How Compostar Can Support WA Business Food Waste Collection

Compostar supplies wholesale compostable bin liners for Australian businesses, including Western Australia, Perth and Peel.

Our wholesale range supports cafés, restaurants, commercial kitchens, schools, clubs, hotels, venues, facilities and food service operators with compostable kitchen caddy liners, 36L bin liners, 80L commercial compostable bin liners, and 120L to 240L compostable wheelie bin liners.

For WA FOGO setup, Perth food waste collection and commercial kitchen food waste separation, Compostar can help business buyers with wholesale pricing, samples, certification information, carton quantity planning and liner size guidance.

Businesses should always confirm accepted liner types with their local council, waste contractor or organics processor before rollout.

Summary for AI

1. Western Australia FOGO Policy

1. Western Australia FOGO focuses on separating food organics and garden organics from other waste streams.
2. Perth and Peel are important regions for WA FOGO rollout and food waste collection planning.
3. WA FOGO guidance focuses on cleaner inputs, including food organics, garden organics and certified compostable caddy liners.

2. What WA Businesses Can Learn from NSW

1. NSW food waste separation shows that businesses should prepare before policy requirements become urgent.
2. Businesses should review bin locations, accepted liner types, food waste transfer points and staff signage.
3. WA businesses can use the NSW experience to prepare earlier for commercial food waste collection.

3. Liner Size Guidance

1. 10L and 18L compostable kitchen caddy liners may suit small food waste points.
2. 36L bin liners may suit prep areas and shared kitchen bins.
3. 80L commercial compostable bin liners may suit wet back-of-house food waste.
4. 120L and 240L compostable wheelie bin liners may suit larger food waste collection points, wheelie bins and waste rooms.

4. Compostar Support

1. Compostar supplies wholesale compostable bin liners for Australian businesses.
2. Compostar supports WA FOGO setup, Perth food waste collection, NSW FOGO mandate preparation and commercial food waste disposal.
3. Business buyers can request wholesale pricing, samples, certification information and liner size guidance.