Published 23 June 2026
The City of Bunbury is set to resume Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) processing following a decision by Council at a Special Meeting last night, ending more than a year of organic waste being directed to landfill.
Council endorsed proceeding with a transport and processing solution to return the community’s FOGO to productive use as compost, with processing expected to commence from October 2026.
The decision follows the closure of the Banksia Road Organic Processing Facility in December 2024, after which FOGO material collected from Bunbury households was directed to landfill as an interim measure.
Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the decision reflected the City’s longstanding leadership in sustainable waste management.
“As the first South West council to introduce FOGO back in 2013, Bunbury has always led on sustainable waste,” Mayor Miguel said.
“Our community has been patient through a frustrating period, and this decision gets us moving again. It returns valuable organic material to productive use rather than sending it to landfill.”
Transparent about the cost
Council was upfront that resuming FOGO processing costs more than continuing to send material to landfill. The estimated cost is in the order of $1.27 million per year, compared to approximately $574,000 to continue landfilling – an additional cost of around $695,000.
Mayor Miguel said Council had made the decision with full transparency about the cost and a clear plan to reduce it.
“We’re not going to hide from the fact that this costs more – our community deserves honesty,” Mayor Miguel said.
“Processing FOGO costs more than landfill, and the distance to the nearest licensed facilities in Perth adds further to that cost. But we’re not accepting that figure as final. Council has built cost-reduction into this decision from the outset.”
The City is pursuing several strategies to reduce the cost, including continuing to work with the State Government on transport support, collaborating with neighbouring shires to share transport costs, and continuing to negotiate the contract price.
“We’re actively working to bring this cost down, and we’re pursuing a permanent regional processing facility that would remove the long-distance transport cost altogether,” Mayor Miguel said.
The names of the successful contractors will be confirmed publicly once standard procurement notifications are complete. Detailed pricing remains commercially confidential while negotiations to reduce costs continue.
A long-term investment
Mayor Miguel said the decision was about more than a single budget year.
“Landfill is cheaper today, but it carries growing financial and environmental costs tomorrow,” he said.
“Continuing FOGO protects us against potential future State landfill levies, maintains our eligibility for waste-reduction grant funding, supports the circular economy, and keeps momentum toward a permanent regional facility. This is an investment in long-term sustainability for our community and our region.”
What it means for residents
There is no immediate change for households. FOGO bins continue to be collected as part of the regular waste service. Until processing commences, material continues to be directed to landfill.
The City has emphasised that reducing contamination in FOGO bins will be increasingly important once processing resumes, as clean material avoids additional disposal costs and supports the long-term viability of the service.
Next steps
- Contract negotiations ongoing to further reduce costs for the community
- Successful contractors and estimated contract value to be made public once standard procurement notifications are complete
- FOGO processing expected to commence from October 2026
- Continued advocacy with the State Government for an increased rebate
The City will provide ongoing updates to the community as contracts are finalised and processing resumes.
For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the below page.