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Victoria Park kept its FOGO rollout because it had arranged for organics to be processed at the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) facility in Shenton Park. In September 2025, some South West councils faced a different problem: their processor had stopped accepting material over contamination concerns, and a tender had not found another outlet. Those were distinct local circumstances, not proof that either approach was wrong.
What Victoria Park decided—and what has happened since
On September 9, 2025, the Town of Victoria Park said its new waste collection contract would send organic waste to WMRC’s Shenton Park facility. It described a staged residential rollout backed by waste calendars, education, customer service and bin infrastructure.
The Town’s current guidance records two phases: Phase 1 began in August 2025 for households that already had garden organics bins; Phase 2 brought the remaining eligible two-bin residential properties into the service in December 2025. The dates matter: the Town announced a rollout in 2025, and its guidance now records those phases as completed.
In its September 2025 statement, Mayor Karen Vernon said the Town’s support was intended to help residents adopt the service and minimise contamination. That focus is relevant: having access to a processor did not mean contamination was immaterial to Victoria Park’s implementation.
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Why some South West councils were considering scrapping FOGO
ABC reported on September 8, 2025, that South West FOGO material was being sent to landfill after the regional processor stopped processing it because of contamination. A tender had failed to find a suitable alternative. The report said Collie, Harvey and Capel were actively considering ending their services, and that seven South West councils were calling for state intervention.
These were reported conditions and council intentions at that point in time—not a description of every council’s position today. The practical difference from Victoria Park was the availability of a processing route: the Town cited WMRC in Shenton Park, while the councils described by ABC reported a failed arrangement and a lack of viable alternatives.
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Contamination is a challenge for organics systems because unsuitable material can undermine processing. The Town’s May 2025 council minutes say metropolitan local-government FOGO contamination “can be as high as 20%”; that is a figure in council meeting material, not a measured contamination rate for Victoria Park. The Town’s stated emphasis on resident guidance shows why accepted-item rules and participation matter even where a processor is available.
What changed in the South West by September 2026
In a September 2026 update, the City of Bunbury said its council had resolved on September 8 to execute contracts to restart FOGO processing. Processing was anticipated to resume in early November 2026 after a transition period. This is Bunbury’s announced plan, not confirmation that every South West council had restored processing.
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Bunbury also said its estimated additional annual cost of processing rather than landfilling fell from $695,000 to $323,648 after additional regional tonnage, transport and contamination-cost negotiations, and internal service reviews. Those figures describe Bunbury’s decision and cost gap; they are not Victoria Park costs or a region-wide average. The City said a permanent South West processing facility remained a long-term goal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What goes in Victoria Park’s FOGO bin
The Town’s current sorting guidance accepts food scraps, garden clippings and certified compostable caddy liners. For liners, it advises residents to look for the AS 4736 seedling logo. Paper products, takeaway packaging and pet waste are excluded.
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- Accepted: food scraps, garden clippings and certified compostable caddy liners bearing the AS 4736 seedling logo.
- Not accepted: paper products, takeaway packaging and pet waste.
Use the Town’s current sorting guidance if an item is uncertain, and check your own council’s rules if you live elsewhere; accepted materials can differ between services.
Why a FOGO decision depends on more than the bin
A council’s choice to continue, pause or redesign FOGO depends on whether it can collect and process material reliably, at a cost it can manage, and with contamination controls residents can follow. For Victoria Park, the Town cited a WMRC processing arrangement and a staged rollout with resident support. The 2025 South West account described councils without a workable outlet after their processor stopped accepting material.
That distinction does not settle whether FOGO is affordable or suitable everywhere. Comparisons need to account for the processor available, transport and infrastructure, material quality, collection and processing costs, education and the date of each council’s decision. A change in one area’s processing contract or costs cannot be assumed to apply to another.
The Town’s case for separating food and garden organics is that they can be turned into compost instead of going to landfill, supporting waste diversion and emissions goals. Its resident guidance estimates that organic material makes up as much as half of general-waste-bin contents. That is the Town’s estimate, not a universal measurement.
Quick Recap
Sources and dates
- Town of Victoria Park, September 9, 2025: FOGO rollout and processing arrangement.
- Town of Victoria Park: current FOGO sorting guidance and rollout phases.
- ABC, September 8, 2025: South West councils and processing challenges.
- City of Bunbury, September 2026: planned processing restart and cost update.
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