The properties in the trial have been selected to ensure that diverse properties and communities across the region are included.  These include single houses, medium and high-density units. We’ll also be trialing the collection service with businesses that produce food waste, such as cafes and restaurants, schools and aged care facilities.

All houses in the trial areas have been given food collection caddies, and the selection of those areas was based on available funding, so we cannot add households from other areas.

The data collected from this trial will be used to inform the future of food waste removal, with a target of reducing food waste in landfill by 50% by 2030. Leftover food from homes and businesses is one of the most prevalent forms of waste. In fact, around a third of garbage in the red-lid bin is made up of food waste. Most of this waste ends up in landfill where it can become a significant source of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.  Food waste and other organic materials can be transformed into a resource by converting it into compost and this trial will tell us how much food waste is available for this purpose.

The trial is based on everyone in the building/property taking part; just the same as council asks everyone to separate recyclable items from your red-lid bin waste and dispose of them in the yellow-lid bin. If you do not separate your food waste during the trial, we will not have a full picture of how much food could be collected. Remember that the trial will provide feedback to Council on the uptake of separating food waste, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and utilising food as a valuable resource.

The trial will last about three months starting on 14 March and ending on 24 June 2022.

The purpose of the trial is to collect information on the best way forward for waste management of food waste. Three months’ data will inform decision-making about future services once current contracts for waste management come to the end of their terms.

Right now, some of the food waste in the red-lid bin is being processed to make a soil additive to rehabilitate a mine site near Goulburn. This will continue once the food waste collection trial has ended and until the time a decision is made on the best way to capture the resources in food waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Fruit and vegetables (including avocado seeds)
• Bread, rice, and cereals
• Coffee grinds and tea bags, soiled paper towels, serviettes and hair
• Meat, chicken and fish
• Dairy products
• Cakes, biscuits and sweets
• Small bones such as fish bones and chicken wings
• Seafood such as fish bones, crab shells, prawn shells

• Food that is still in its packaging. Please remove all packaging first.
• Plastic bags, food should only be put into compostable bags or wrapped in newspaper.
• No hard shells such as oysters, clams, mussels, abalone and scallop shells. Prawn and crab shells are OK.
• Large bones such as steak, leg ham and BBQ rib bones. Fish and chicken bones are OK.
• Green waste such as leaves, branches, flowers.

No. The trial is being jointly funded by the five participating councils and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The purpose of the trial is to help councils understand the best way to reduce the amount of food scraps that end up in landfill. Any food waste collection service to be rolled out in the future would be discussed with communities and would include any impacts on waste management fees.

The garden waste in the green -lid bin goes to a different facility and is processed in a different way.

At the end of the trial, you may keep the caddy and use it in any way you want. If you have the space to do so, you may want to set up your own home composting system for your food scraps.

The larger burgundy-lid food waste bins and lids will be collected by council and used for other waste streams.

We will provide you a roll of 75 compostable bags. This should be enough for a three-month trial. If you do run out, you can contact Council to request more bags. Until you receive more liners, you can line your caddy with newspaper or place food scraps directly into the caddy. The caddy can be washed after you empty it using dishwashing detergent and water.

Please DO NOT use plastic bags because they do not decompose when the scraps are processed and will contaminate the compost.

For this trial, we ask that you only use the compostable bags we have provided you because they break down the most efficiently and plastic bags do not. These bags are approved by the company that will be processing the collected food waste to make compost. You can also place food scraps directly into the caddy with no bag or by lining the caddy with newspaper. We recommend giving the caddy a wash with dishwashing detergent and water each time you empty it.

Yes, the food caddy can go in the dishwasher.

We may be able to replace broken or damaged caddies so please contact council if this happens. We do not have an unlimited supply so it’s important we understand how or why the caddy broke. As part of the trial, we may ask you some questions when you ask for another one.

We will provide everyone in the trial with a 7-litre plastic caddy for their kitchen or food preparation area. We understand that this may need to be emptied frequently if you have a large family or are or a business. At the end of the trial, we will be asking for feedback about the caddy, including size. If your situation is unworkable, please get in touch with us to discuss alternatives.

If your caddy starts to smell, it’s probably time to empty it into the larger burgundy-lid food waste bin (located on your house property or in the chute room or bin bay of your building). We also recommend washing the caddy with dishwashing detergent and water or in the dishwasher each time you empty it.

Everything going into your food scraps bin is the same as what was going into your kitchen tidy for disposing of in your red-lid bin so the food caddies and bins will not attract pests any more than a normal garbage bin will. Try to keep your food scraps caddy away from sunlight and in a cool, dry place in your kitchen. The lid on the caddy locks firmly and food waste should not cause problems if you make sure the caddy lid is shut firmly and empty it regularly. Ensure the lid of your larger burgundy-lid food waste bin is closed after you drop waste into it.

In hot weather, caddies and food waste bins may attract vinegar flies. These small flies can be avoided by sprinkling bi-carbonate soda on the base of the food bin.

The collected food waste is taken to a waste management company in the Sydney suburb of Camellia and then transferred to a composting facility in regional NSW. The facility converts food waste into a nutrient-rich sludge which is dried, granulated and sold to agriculture and horticulture markets. The process also creates a combustible gas, similar to natural gas, that is captured and used as a renewable fuel as green electicity.

Kerbside bins for food waste will be collected on the same day/s that your red-lid general waste bin is collected. If you live in a house please put your food waste bin out at the same time as your red lid bin. Food waste will be collected by a separate truck dedicated to collecting food waste only.

Your building manager or cleaners are responsible for emptying the food waste bins on each floor. Please contact your building manager if they need emptying or start to smell.

We love compost bins but unfortunately, they are not suitable for all types of food scraps. You can use your food waste caddy and a bin for items you cannot compost such as dairy, bones, meat and fish scraps.

Compostable bags are designed to break down completely when composted. This process can begin within two or three days in a moist environment, especially if the scraps include citrus juice. There are some steps you can take to stop the leak being a problem:

   –  Empty the compostable bag into the food waste bin every two or three days;

   –  Put absorbent paper into the bottom of the bag when placing it in the kitchen caddy;

   –  Use absorbent paper in the base of the kitchen caddy;

   –  Keep the kitchen caddy and compostable bags in a cool dry place and away from sunlight;

   –  Carry the kitchen caddy with the compostable bag inside to empty the contents into the food waste bin if too much liquid is present.

If there is too much fluid in the food waste bin, you can put some cardboard in the base of the bin.

A small amount of paper towel can be useful to soak up excess liquid in the base of the caddy liner, but the food caddy is not the place for paper and tissues generally.

Regarding issues with Food Waste bin: Call 9911 3555

Regarding issues with with caddy or compostable bags: Call 9911 3629 in business hours 

Regarding issues with Food Waste bin: Call 9952 8222 

Regarding issues with with caddy or compostable bags: Call 9952 8222 in business hours 

Regarding issues with Food Waste bin: Call 9777 1000

Regarding issues with with caddy or compostable bags: Call 9777 7681 in business hours

Regarding issues with Food Waste bin: 9879 9400 (8.30 am – 5.00 pm). After hours email: customerservice@huntershill.nsw.gov.au

Regarding issues with with caddy or compostable bags: 9879 9400 (8.30 am – 5.00 pm). After hours email: customerservice@huntershill.nsw.gov.au

The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) is a voluntary organisation of local governments whose members are the Councils of Hornsby, Hunter’s Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby. These councils all provide kerbside collections of waste for their residents. The services offered are: mixed waste (red-lid bin); dry recycling (yellow lid and blue lid bins) and; garden organics (green lid bin).

NSROC is facilitating a shared project, the Food Organics Research Project, amongst five of its member Councils to research the recovery of food organics from mixed waste.  During the project information about separating food organics from the mixed landfill waste collection (red-lid bin) will be gathered to find ways to reduce the food waste going to landfill in the future. 

This will mean a new service is being offered to people living in the trial area: food organics (burgundy lid bin).

 Three Councils will conduct trials in which residents in houses or units are asked to put food scraps into an additional bin that will be provided at the start of the trial (burgundy lid bin). That bin will be collected on the same day the mixed waste bin (red lid). Another council (Hunter’s Hill Council) will offer a similar service for some food businesses. The houses and the blocks of units have been selected by the councils as being representative of their areas and typical of the NSROC region. All residents in those houses and flats are asked to participate.

All people in the trial area will be provided with a caddy and compostable bags to put their food scraps in.

Those living in houses: put your compostable bags in the food waste bin (burgundy lid) and put it out for collection each week.

Those who live in units: drop off your bags to the food waste bin in the same place you drop off your waste or recycling. In high rise units that’s generally a room on the floor you live on. 

In low rise units you will normally take the bags to a shared bin bay.

Those in businesses will be given caddies and food waste bins as appropriate and a separate collection of the bins will be arranged for the duration of the trial.

During February 2022, participants will be sent a letter explaining the trial and the start and finish dates. The letters for houses are different to those for apartments. The letters also include translations in Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), Simplified Chinese (繁体中文) and Korean (한국어).

In late February and early March kitchen caddies, compostable liners and detailed information about the trial will be delivered to each dwelling. All dwellings receive: brochures, which reflect the type of dwelling (either a house, low-rise or high-rise apartment), a DL sized fridge magnet and vegetable peeler. If no personal contact was made with the resident after two attempts, the materials were left along with a sorry we missed you card.) 

Food waste bins will also be delivered to each house and the unit blocks. The bins have stickers showing what should be placed in each bin. Businesses taking part in the trial will also be given food waste bins and a separate collection of the bins will be arranged for the duration of the trial.

• The trial will run from 14 March to 24 June 2022.

Participants have access to this project specific web page which is not available to the general public. Access is via either a QR Code or the web address which are both in the information provided.  This is  a short trial and is only offered to the selected dwellings.

The web page includes a copy of all the material those residents taking part have been given, as well as a video showing what participants need to do.  There is also a list with answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

 Participants are encouraged to register on this page for updates, to ask questions and to provide feedback during the trial.  A Call Centre is also available 24 hours per day by dialling 1300 053 862 although this website should have all the information needed.