Make food waste recycling easier with Shellharbour City Council’s free Little Green Bags!

Shellharbour City Council provides a kerbside FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) service to all residents. Your green‑lidded FOGO bin is used for all food scraps and garden organics, including:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Meat, seafood and dairy (including bones)
  • Leftover food
  • Grass clippings and garden prunings

To help residents use FOGO correctly and reduce odours at home, Council supplies free compostable Little Green Bags for use in your kitchen caddy.

These bags are provided specifically to help collect food waste for the FOGO service and are not intended for other uses. Using them correctly helps ensure there are enough bags available for everyone and supports the success of food waste recycling in Shellharbour.

How Do I Get Little Green Bags?

Eligible Shellharbour residents can collect up to three packs per household per year.

  • Bags are issued one pack at a time per household
  • This is due to the limited shelf life of compostable bags

Pick‑up locations:

  • Shellharbour Civic Centre
  • Dunmore Depot
  • Shellharbour City Library
  • Warilla Library
  • Albion Park Library
  • Oak Flats Library

Please bring proof of residency (driver licence or rates notice).

One pack per household per visit

Available to Shellharbour City Council residents only

How Do I Use Them?

The Little Green Bags are strictly for use with your FOGO benchtop caddy.

Step 1: Place a Little Green Bag inside your FOGO caddy as a liner.

Step 2: Add your food scraps to the bag as you cook and eat.

Step 3: Tie the bag handles and place it into your Big Green FOGO bin.

Our Achievements

Since introducing The Little Green Bags, Shellharbour households have achieved excellent results.

Council conducted random kerbside bin audits before and after the introduction of the Little Green Bags, and the results show:

Thank you, Shellharbour, for sorting your food waste and helping create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable community!

Frequently Asked Questions

Top

  • The Little Green Bags are certified compostable liner bags designed for use in your FOGO bin. They meet the Australian Standard AS4736, meaning they fully break down in the right composting conditions in less than 90 days.

  • Did you know the average Shellharbour household red bin contains 25% food waste which is sent directly to landfill?

    We want to make FOGO even more convenient and help you divert your food waste away from landfill. The Little Green Bags are here to help you do this!

    Let’s all do better by putting all food waste into the Big Green (FOGO) Bin and give back to the earth some of what we take from it.

  • By using your FOGO bin for food scraps and garden waste, you are helping us to:

    • Save valuable landfill space;
    • Reduce methane emissions from decomposing waste in landfill; and
    • Creating nutrient‑rich compost that benefits soil and agriculture

  • Yes. Additional bags can be purchased from:

    • Shellharbour Civic Centre
    • Dunmore Recycling & Waste Disposal Depot
    • Local supermarkets or online

    Only bags certified to Australian Standard AS4736 (look for the seedling logo) are accepted in the FOGO bin.

     

  • Replacement FOGO caddies can be collected from:

    • Shellharbour Civic Centre
    • Dunmore Recycling & Waste Disposal Depot

    Please bring proof of residency.

    Don’t want a caddy? No problem. You can place your Little Green Bag directly into your Big Green FOGO bin.

  • There may be times when residents are unable to attend a Council facility themselves to collect Little Green Bags.

    We encourage residents to contact Council first to discuss available options.

    If you are collecting bags on behalf of another resident, you must bring proof of residency for the person you are collecting for, such as:

    • Their driver licence, or
    • A rates notice

    This helps ensure the free bags are provided fairly and only to Shellharbour City Council residents.

Tips & Tricks for Best Results

  • Store unused Little Green Bags in a cool, dry, dark place
  • Tie bag handles securely when full to reduce smells
  • Change your bag every 2–3 days to avoid odour and leakage

Thank you very mulch, Shellharbour! By using FOGO and the Little Green Bags, you’re helping turn food waste into a valuable resource and supporting a more sustainable future.