Bega Valley Shire

Have you noticed an increase in the number of businesses that are looking to be FOGO-Friendly, and why?

A strong and successful FOGO campaign launch in 2018 and ongoing engagement with the Bega Valley Shire community has created a solid platform to work with businesses and help them to see the benefit of implementing FOGO in their commercial setting. Our business community, as an extension of the wider community which has well and truly embraced FOGO, has generally viewed having FOGO for Business (FFB) as the next logical step.

We have worked to identify and overcome the barriers preventing businesses utilising FOGO and made it easier to sign up and use the service for our commercial customers. The number of businesses becoming FOGO friendly is increasing as the service improves to meet the needs of businesses. Some of the ways this has happened include:

• A ‘how to’ section for FFB was developed on Council’s website. This page contains links to application forms, a brochure, FAQs, and a guide to compostable FOGO friendly products.
  
  
• Business managers and their staff were provided with training, front and back of house signage, 20L lidded buckets and caddies, bin odour pads (where needed) and given access to FOGO friendly packaging to trial, like compostable coffee knock tube liners.
  
  
• We have worked with local packaging suppliers to ensure they were aware that businesses signing up for FFB would be looking for FOGO friendly products. Training was provided to explain the difference between compostable versus biodegradable and other greenwashing. This made it easy for businesses to move away from single use products and helped reduce the chance of contamination by making sure they are supplied with certified compostable products. Our biggest local supplier has embraced the change and now has an entire aisle of FOGO friendly packaging, is phasing out all single use plastic, and directs new businesses to sign up for FFB.
  
  
• The council now allows businesses to open a commercial tenant waste account, removing the barrier of landlord approval. Many businesses reported that as tenants, landlords would often not consent to additional bin charges being added to their rates. Now account customers can pay a per-lift fee which is invoiced monthly or annually as required and has a minimum commitment of 4 months to allow business to have more bins over the busier holiday periods and reduce bins over the quiet winter low season. The per-lift price is now available for 80L, 140L and 240L bins.
  
  
• The council introduced new commercial rate charges to allow for 80L commercial FOGO bins. We now provide a range of sizes for FOGO bins: 80L, 140L and 240L (80kg lift limit for kerbside trucks prevents larger sizing). Feedback from offices and other non-food businesses was that they did not want or need the larger 140L or 240L commercial FOGO bin. This size would also cater for butchers who produce heavy waste and when using FOGO 140L or 240L bins would exceed weight restrictions for bin lifts. The smaller bins could be wheeled into their cool rooms and waste meat stored until bin day reducing odour issues. 
  
  
• Promotion of the new service happened across traditional and digital media channels, with social media being particularly effective in utilising early adopters from the business community to champion the project’s benefits.
  
  
• FFB branding was developed, and FOGO businesses were provided with ‘Fogo friendly’ window bubbles to identify them to the community as a responsible business. This allowed their ‘green credentials’ to be demonstrated to their customers and promoted the service.