NSW Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) rollout: New Food Organics (FO) collection rules for businesses from 1 July 2026
29 October, 2025
New rules for Food Organics (FO) collection services will apply to businesses from 1 July 2026. Businesses that generate Garden Organics (GO) can continue to manage these through existing green waste recycling services.
Key information
Relevant businesses, including supermarkets, hospitality businesses and certain institutions, will be required to have a separate Food Organics (FO) collection service in place. The rollout starts with the largest waste producers from 1 July 2026 and will be phased in until 2030, depending on how much waste a business sends to landfill each week.
Large supermarkets will also have specific requirements to record their food donations across six categories, including meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, frozen food and baked goods. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) may choose to publish this data.
The staged approach and important dates for business
In general, the new Food Organics (FO) rules apply to premises in which food or drink is prepared or served, including but not limited to:
- Supermarkets
- Cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, bars and takeaway shops
- Hotels and motels
- Food courts and shared dining areas in shopping centres
- Catering businesses and mobile food trucks
- Centre-based child care facilities
- Schools and other educational establishments
- Hospitals and aged care facilities
The rollout of the new Food Organics (FO) rules will happen in stages, based on how much general waste a business produces each week, according to the total capacity of its general waste bins:
- From 1 July 2026: Businesses with 3,840L or more of weekly general waste bin capacity
- From 1 July 2028: Businesses with 1,920L or more of weekly general waste bin capacity
- From 1 July 2030: Businesses with 660L or more of weekly general waste bin capacity
What businesses are required to do
- Check your waste contract. This will help you work out when your business will need to comply with the new Food Organics (FO) rules.
- Plan early with your waste provider and discuss supply and size of bins, service schedules, storage space and logistics for separating food waste. All relevant businesses must ensure that food waste is collected at least once a week. Regular collection helps reduce odours and contamination.
Penalties for non-compliance
Businesses that fail to comply with the new Food Organics (FO) rules may face penalties under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
Local councils will check compliance of facilities such as pubs and clubs, cafes and restaurants, food courts and nursing homes. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will check compliance of government operated facilities such as hospitals, jails and schools. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will check compliance of businesses in Kosciuszko National Park.
FOGO business exemptions
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recognises that not all businesses will be able to meet the requirements immediately. To support a fair and practical rollout, the EPA is developing an exemption framework to guide decision-making around when and how exemptions may apply. One of the guiding principles is that businesses will not be penalised where access to a Food Organics (FO) collection service is limited or cost prohibitive.
When deciding whether an exemption applies, the EPA will consider factors such as:
- Remote or low-population areas without collection or processing facilities.
- The availability of suitable infrastructure.
- The timing and length of existing waste contracts.
- Building constraints (e.g., multi-unit dwellings with limited space for extra bins).
For more information, visit the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s FOGO mandates and rollout webpage or email organics.recycling@epa.nsw.gov.au.