Growing the Recovery of Organic Waste via Food Organic and Garden Organics (GROW FOGO) Fund

Organic waste makes up around half of what Queenslanders throw away each week in their kerbside waste (red lid) bin. Diverting organic material from landfill presents numerous environmental and economic benefits, ranging from a significant reduction in landfill methane emissions to the generation of value-added products.

Organic waste makes up around half of what Queenslanders throw away each week in their kerbside waste (red lid) bin. Diverting organic material from landfill presents many environmental and economic benefits, such as reducing waste to landfill and creating new products like compost.

The Growing the Recovery of Organic Waste via Food Organic Garden Organic (GROW FOGO) Fund provides support to assist Queensland councils to implement or expand household organic waste collection services and practices that divert garden organics (GO) and/or food organics (FO) from landfill.

Funding for bin harmonisation supports councils to achieve statewide consistency in general waste collection services, resulting in cleaner waste streams and improved resource recovery.

Funding is currently available until 30 June 2028, with the funding intended to facilitate council implementation of organics collection services through to 2032, depending on council implementation timelines.

Program guidelines have recently been updated to include the following changes:

• Program eligibility has been expanded – all Queensland councils are now eligible for all funding streams;
• Stream 2 funding was previously available to supply kitchen food waste caddies to households that were receiving a kerbside FOGO bin. This funding stream has been expanded to include more at-home food organics diversion options such as compost bins, worm farms and food dehydrators;
• Administrative changes include updates to retrospective and surplus funding, clearer definitions of eligible and ineligible costs, and clearer instructions on the information required for a funding application.

More information about GROW FOGO, including eligibility and the application process is available in the Program guidelines (PDF, 3 MB).

Funding streams

Funding Stream	South East Queensland Councils	Queensland Regional Councils
Stream 1 - Kerbside organics bins	$65 / household	$75 / household
Stream 2 - At-home organics diversion equipment	up to $15 / household	up to $15 / household
Stream 3 - Bin harmonisation (general waste bins)	$20 / household	$25 / household
Stream 4 - Education and awareness (related to stream 1 or 2)	$10 / household	$10 / household

How to apply

South East Queensland Councils

South East Queensland (SEQ) Councils may work with the Council of Mayors South East Queensland (CoMSEQ) Waste Portfolio Management Office (PMO) to collate the required information as detailed in the Program guidelines. Councils may contact the department at any time for assistance with the application process and can submit an application through the SmartyGrants portal*.

Regional (non-SEQ) Councils

Queensland Councils, other than SEQ Councils, may work with their Regional Coordinator to collate the required information as detailed in the Program guidelines. Councils may contact the department at any time for assistance with the application process and can submit the required information through the SmartyGrants portal*.

*The application forms are specific to council location due to the different funding amounts available. Please ensure that you are completing the correct application form.

Approved GROW FOGO SEQ projects

Recipient	Funding received for	Funding allocated
City of Moreton Bay	New kerbside organics bins Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids) Education and awareness activities	$11,741,944
City of Ipswich	New kerbside organics bins Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids) Education and awareness activities	$5,900,000
Gold Coast City Council	New kerbside organics bins Education and awareness activities	$5,555,630
Brisbane City Council	New kerbside organics bins Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids) Education and awareness activities	$4,195,900
Brisbane City Council	New kerbside organics bins Education and awareness activities	$12,194,775
Brisbane City Council	Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids)	Contract under development
Sunshine Coast Regional Council	Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids)	Contract under development

Approved GROW FOGO regional projects

Recipient	Funding received for	Funding allocated
Mareeba Shire Council	Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids)	$208,150
Rockhampton Regional Council	Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids)	$255,650
Cairns Regional Council	Bin harmonisation (replacing older dark green lids with red lids)	$1,062,975
Gladstone Regional Council	New kerbside organics bins Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids) Education and awareness activities	Contract under development

Approved demonstration projects

Recipient	Funding received for	Funding allocated
Bundaberg Regional Council	New kerbside organics bins New kitchen/household caddies Bin harmonisation (replace older dark green lids with red lids) Education and awareness	$205,000

Further information

For further information about the program, please contact the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling Programs team via email at OWRRPrograms@detsi.qld.gov.au