Major waste facility forced to divert trucks of organic waste with deliveries ‘unacceptably’ contaminated

A major South West waste facility has been forced to divert trucks full of organic waste as deliveries arrive with “unacceptable” levels of contamination.

The Bunbury Harvey Regional Council announced last week they would no longer be accepting trucks carrying food organics and garden organics (FOGO) waste if the delivery was contaminated with non-organic material.

It would instead be sent to landfill.

The BHRC announced the change last week for waste collections from across the shires of Capel, Collie, Dardanup and Harvey, and the cities of Bunbury and Busselton.

BHRC chief executive Nick Edwards said the facility had been “overwhelmed” with the levels of contamination in FOGO waste with its onsite processing site now at capacity.

“We are just getting overwhelmed, when we get contaminated waste, we try and take the contamination out,” he said.

“We store it and sort it, but we’re reaching our limits for our storage, so that’s why we’ve had to stop it for the meantime, until we can deal with the material onsite.”

FOGO can be contaminated by a range of materials when plastic, metal, glass, nappies and other general waste is incorrectly placed into the bins.

Mr Edwards said whilst many in the community do the right thing, it only takes a small amount of other materials for a delivery to become contaminated.

“I wish there was a magic formula for us to know where, when and how the contamination is getting in, but unfortunately there’s not,” he said.

“It’s just the case of encouraging people to try and do the right thing.

“We really want to partner with the community on this, we want the community to feel like a part of the process because if we get good material coming in then we can produce a really good material to go out.”

A Shire of Harvey spokesperson said every effort from the community mattered.

“Correctly sorted FOGO waste helps create high-quality compost, reduces landfill use, reduces harmful greenhouse gasses that cause global warming and contributes to a healthier environment,” the spokesperson said.

“The contamination issues highlight why it’s so important for everyone to follow the guidelines.

“While contamination is an ongoing challenge, the Shire of Harvey and BHRC are investing in education, monitoring, and exploring new technologies to reduce future risks.”

The spokesperson said long-term solutions would depend on consistent community co-operation.

“Stopping FOGO would be a significant step backward for sustainable waste management,” the spokesperson said.

“Instead, we are focused on improving the system and reducing contamination to viable levels of one per cent.”

Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the situation was “disappointing”.

“The City will support BHRC where it can in its investigation into further improvements, equipment or measures it can put in place to return to full capacity,” he said.

“The City remains committed to the important role FOGO plays in diverting waste from landfill and recognises that high contamination impacts BHRC’s ability to process and produce a high-quality end product.”

In a statement posted on social media, Shire of Dardanup president Tyrrell Gardiner said the news was disappointing but the shire would continue to work with BHRC until the issues were resolved.

He said the change would not affect collection days for residents.

“FOGO collection has been an important part of the shire’s sustainability and waste management strategy, helping to divert organic waste from landfill and reduce environmental impact,” Cr Gardiner said.

“We understand this decision by BHRC is not ideal and may cause frustration for our residents who are passionate about FOGO and sustainability.

“The shire remains committed to working with BHRC to stay informed on their capacity and contamination challenges. We will keep our community informed of any updates along the way.”