Satellite image shows huge bin change coming to households: 'FOGO a no go'
Satellite photos reveal a vast stockpile of green bins sitting idle, seemingly ready for deployment across a major east coast city. And though the local council has confirmed the bins' existence, it remains tight-lipped about any forthcoming plans for the new service.
While FOGO systems have been widely introduced in other Australian states, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales, in Queensland, councils have cited a mix of cost, logistical complexity and community readiness as reasons for delaying full-scale implementation.
In Brisbane, the city council had previously rolled out an opt-in service for green-lidded bins at a quarterly price of $49. Used for garden waste and not food scraps like FOGO, it's believed that just 30 per cent of eligible households took up the offer.
But satellite photos available on Google show a massive stockpile of the bins waiting at Nudgee, Rochedale and Willawong council depots.
Brisbane City Council, controlled by the Liberal party since 2008, had suggested that it would make a bin-related announcement when the council budget is released this month, but Labor seemingly beat them to the punch — and wants to take credit.
According to the ABC, leaked details by Labor indicate that free green bins for garden waste will be rolled out across the city.
LNP councillor Sarah Hutton declined to provide further details until June 18 when pressed by the ABC, but stated that "FOGO is a no-go".
"I can promise you that we will be making sure if people want a green bin, there'll be an option for them to get a green bin," she told the national broadcaster. "We'll wait and see what the budget has to say."
She would also not say whether residents who had paid for a green bin would be refunded if they're now made freely available.
According to the opposition leader, Jared Cassidy, Labor deserves the credit for the green bins. He said it would have happened sooner if not for the council "stalling". "The amount of organic waste going into landfill is the single biggest contributor to Brisbane's carbon footprint, and all we've seen is years of inaction from this LNP Council," he claimed.
"Brisbane should be leading Queensland on green waste services, but instead we've been falling behind other councils like Moreton Bay, which rolled out a city-wide garden organics program last year."
Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling systems offer significant environmental benefits by diverting organic waste, such as food scraps and garden clippings, away from landfill and into composting or anaerobic digestion facilities.
This process reduces methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas produced by decomposing organic matter in landfills, and creates valuable compost that can improve soil health and support sustainable agriculture. Several Australian states have widely adopted FOGO systems with NSW mandating that all council areas adopt the system by 2030.
Queensland, however, has been slower to implement FOGO across its councils, with many opting for limited or opt-in green waste services rather than comprehensive organic waste separation.
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