The answer is 'all of the above'.

All plastics need to be removed from food scraps before they can be placed in your lime-green lidded FOGO bin. This includes produce stickers, rubber bands, cling wrap, plastic packaging, coffee pods and tea bags.

Visit Council's website for what can and can't go in your FOGO caddy and FOGO bin.

False - animal waste like dog poo or kitty litter cannot be placed in your lime-green lidded FOGO bin.

Your food and garden waste is turned into compost for use on Victorian farms to grow our food. Animal waste can often carry parasites which can be damaging to human health. If your pet is wormed, this medication can be carried through their faeces, remaining active in the composting process, which can impact all the good bacteria present.

Pet waste including kitty litter should be:

• Placed into your general waste bin OR
• Composted at home

If you want to compost your animal waste at home, you can purchase a pet poo composter. Maroondah residents can get up to 60% off a range of home composting systems including pet poo composters, via the Compost Revolution website.

Tea bags and milk are not accepted in your FOGO bin.

Tea bags often have plastic in the lining of the bag. There is no way to know if a tea bag is 100% paper or if it contains plastic. You can cut the tea bag open and place the tea leaves in your FOGO bin and the tea bag in your general waste bin.

Please do not place any liquids in your FOGO bin like milk, juice or leftover stock.

So what foods are accepted in your FOGO bin?

• All fruit and vegetable scraps
• Meat and bones - both raw and cooked
• Cheese and eggs
• Soft seafood shells
• Plate scrapings, leftovers and mouldy food
• Bread, rice, pasta, nuts, grains and seeds
• Desserts, pastries and cakes
• Loose tea leaves and coffee grounds

You can download an extensive list of accepted food and garden materials from our Food and Garden Organics Service webpage.

False - Compostable food packaging cannot go in your lime-green lidded FOGO bin.

Despite some packaging being labelled as ‘compostable’, it is not compostable in your FOGO bin. It is impossible for workers or machinery to distinguish between packaging which is compostable or non-compostable when it moves through the composting facility. This type of packaging is very difficult to collect on a household level, as it needs be taken to a specialty composting facility that deals solely with this packaging material. If you do have any compostable packaging, you will need to place this in your general waste bin.

For more information about what can and cannot be put in your FOGO bin, and a downloadable PDF of acceptable items, visit our Food and Garden Organics Service webpage.

Mouldy food can go in your FOGO bin - just remember to remove all packaging and plastic first!

Please remove all packaging, including plastic containers, plastic packets and cling wrap from your food waste before placing it into your FOGO bin.

If you have food in containers, empty the food waste into your FOGO bin and place the container into your recycling bin or general waste bin, as this depends on what type of packaging it is.

For more information on what goes in what bin, plus extra tips and tricks, visit Council’s website.

No - you cannot place oil in your FOGO bin, so it needs to be disposed of in other ways.

If you have a small amount of used cooking oil, you can soak it up with paper towel and dispose of it in your general waste bin, or add to a home compost system.

If you have a larger amount of cooking oil that can't be soaked up with paper towel, it can be recycled at some recycling and waste centres. You will need to contact your local recycling and waste centre to confirm if they accept used cooking oil, what quantities they accept, opening hours and any fees that may apply.

If you're unsure about how to dispose of any tricky item in Maroondah correctly, visit Council's A-Z of waste disposal guide.

Ash, rocks and soil cannot be placed in your lime-green lidded FOGO bin. These materials are unable to be composted alongside your food and garden waste through the FOGO service.

Ash, rocks and soil need to be placed in your general waste bin. Ash must be cold before being placed in the general waste bin. Both soil and ash can be placed in a home compost bin, in small quantities.

You can find more information on what garden items can and can’t go in your FOGO bin on our website.

All of your food and garden waste is turned into compost for use on Victorian parks, gardens and farms.

Once it is collected by our waste trucks, food and garden waste from Maroondah households is taken to an industrial composting facility in Dandenong South, called BioGro. Your food and garden waste is then turned into a high-quality, nutrient-rich compost, used by Victorian farmers to help grow our food, as well as for use on parks and gardens.

This is why it is so important to remove all plastic items from your food and garden waste, before placing it in your FOGO bin. Plastic cannot be composted, so any incorrect items can impact the quality of compost produced.

You can find out more about the process by viewing the videos on our FOGO webpage.

The only accepted liner for use in your FOGO kitchen caddy are the Council-supplied compostable liners.

Please do not purchase any other brands or types of liners from the supermarket or other stores to use. Plastic, biodegradable or compostable liners which are not provided by Council cannot be placed in your FOGO bin, as they will cause contamination. Using Council-supplied liners only will ensure the end product is safe to use on Victorian farms.

If you do not wish to use caddy liners, or if you run out of liners, you can place your food scraps directly into your kitchen caddy or other container. You can also line your kitchen caddy with 1-2 sheets of paper towel or newspaper to absorb any liquids.

Council delivers an annual supply of liners to eligible Maroondah households. If you run out of liners before your annual delivery, you can collect more, free of charge, from Council’s Realm and Croydon Customer Service Centres.

Head to Council's website for more information..