We’re putting our food and garden organics to good use From May 2023, Maroondah households will be able to recycle food waste as part of the food and garden organics (FOGO) waste collection service. All maroon garden waste bin lids will change to lime-green and become FOGO bins. The service will complement home composting and allow for other food scraps, like dairy, meat and spoiled food, to be diverted from landfill. By going FOGO, we’re taking advantage of a big opportunity to reduce our carbon emissions and achieve our strategic aim of halving waste to landfill by 2030.
Did you know?
To help residents collect food waste, households will be provided with a kitchen caddy and compostable liners. There will be an opportunity for residents to opt-out of receiving a caddy if they wish. If you can’t wait until May 2023 to start recycling your food waste, join the Maroondah Compost Revolution! Simply sign up to receive 60% off a range of home composting systems, including free delivery to your door.
Want to keep up to date? Visit the Food and Garden Organics Service webpage on Council’s website and sign up to our e-newsletter, Maroondah News.
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Over 40% of Maroondah’s waste (by weight) that’s sent to landfill is compostable. We can turn this into compost to support farmers to grow fresh produce and keep our public spaces blooming.
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Food rotting in landfill releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
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Australian households throw away around $3,800 worth of food each year which is the equivalent of one in five grocery bags.*
*https://www.ozharvest.org/
Grants to boost Maroondah’s arts and community projects A range of creative arts projects will be rolled out over the next 12 months thanks to more than $23,000 allocated under Council’s 2022/23 Arts and Cultural Grants Funding Program. Among this year’s successful initiatives is a free public jazz performance; a new public artwork, Blossoms of Life, to be installed at Ringwood Lake; and a collaborative project between students considered to have disabilities and artists to create an accessible musical instrument. The funding program supports artists, and not-for-profit groups and organisations to deliver arts and cultural activities that
reflect the diversity of the Maroondah community. Grants are offered annually to groups whose project or program can demonstrate an increase in community participation in arts and cultural activities, and which strengthens the identity and profile of the arts in Maroondah. For more on the Arts and Cultural Grants Funding Program, visit Council’s website.
Grants to support our community An organisation providing support to disadvantaged and vulnerable youth to access food and pre-employment training is among 73 local groups to share in more than $208,000 in community grants. Each year, Council offers eligible not-for-profit groups, with limited access to financial resources, the opportunity to share in funding made available through its Community Grants Funding Program. This year’s recipients come from a broad range of community groups, with a significant amount of funding being allocated to emergency relief, and
programs that support children, youth, seniors and disability groups. A program to promote active participation in community sport for people with a disability, community learning opportunities to support positive ageing, and programs helping settlement of newly arrived migrants are among other projects to be funded.
The grants will also assist eligible groups to cover small equipment purchases such as computer technology, defibrillator, tools and educational toys, as well as to help cover administrative costs. For more on Maroondah’s Community Grants Funding Program, visit Council’s website. Applications for the 2023/24 grants will open in March 2023.
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