South West shire implements new projects to help residents minimise household waste in lieu of FOGO system

A South West shire has taken minimising household waste to the next level after committing to three community projects in 2025. The Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire — in partnership with Ashbil Community Garden Bridgetown and Transition Bridgetown — are hosting the projects in a bid to educate residents on the importance of waste reduction. The new initiative will encourage individuals to become confident recyclers and promotes reuse and repair over replacement and disposal. It will act as an alternative to the FOGO system widely available in the Perth and Peel regions, which rolled out in 2019. Thirty households within the shire will be supported to build worm farms using recycled materials and all residents will have the opportunity to have broken items repaired by skilled volunteers at a Repair Cafe. There will also be a series of workshops and online media, sharing information on topics from waste hierarchy to how to build your own worm farms. Shire president Tracy Lansdell said the projects — funded by the Waste Authority — would help demonstrate small and realistic actions the community could take to support the environment in their daily lives. “Waste education is important as it fosters sustainable practices which help preserve natural resources, reduce landfill waste, and minimise environmental impact,” she said. “Many individuals each making small changes, really adds up to make a big difference.” Ms Lansdell said the FOGO system could be considered and investigated in the future, but said there were financial and practical reasons why it has not yet been introduced. “As a first step we are promoting local methods of processing organic waste at home as an alternative,” she said.