Council waste management systems in line for national recognition
Published on 15 October 2026
Two Frankston City Council projects putting circularity into practice by recovering valuable resources and helping the community keep materials in use for longer have been selected as finalists in the 2026 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards.
Council is a finalist both for the Community Engagement Success of the Year for its successful rollout of the Kerbside food organic and garden organic bin service (FOGO), and the Operational Excellence Award for the Frankston Regional Recycling Recovery Centre (FRRRC).
The projects were chosen from a nation-wide field, recognising the depth and innovation of the initiatives in Australia’s waste and resource recovery industry.
Frankston City Council Mayor, Sue Baker congratulated the teams involved in these nominations and said their success demonstrates a community embracing sustainable practices.
“Local council have a significant role to play as leaders in the context of sustainable practices and reducing our carbon footprint,” Mayor Baker said.
“The capacity of these programs to influence behavioural change in the waste services sector has been a huge success.
“These programs clearly demonstrate the attitude and a willingness of our residents to embrace a circular economy and implement sustainable practices into their everyday lives.
“In addition to these nominations, Council had three projects nominated for Tiny City Awards in 2026, following our success in winning Tidy City of the Year in 2025.
“While the redevelopment of Frankston Basketball Stadium is aiming to achieve green-star certification for the environmentally conscious outcomes it will achieve on completion in 2027.
“On behalf of Council I’d like to wish the staff and programs nominated for these awards, the very best of luck.”
The FOGO implementation is part of council’s four-bin collection system, one of the most comprehensive waste service reforms in local government by reducing the volume of food organics sent to landfill.
Officers across the City Circularity & Waste Team, Customer Service Team, and Financial Services and Insight team received strong positive feedback from residents for how the new system was implemented, and a detailed analysis of the waste collected showed strong compliance from residents.
Staff engaged with community members directly through personalised education, face-to-face engagement and more than 3,000 proactive resident call-backs, creating individualised and flexible waste charging models that better reflected the needs of individuals and properties.
Doing so saw staff develop genuine relationships with residents in the community and strengthen the community’s trust in Council staff members.
As a result of these efforts, since its introduction across Frankston City, food waste collected in red household waste bins has reduced by 20%. Less than 1% of waste in the FOGO bin, and less than 5% of waste in the glass bin, has been contaminated.
Satisfaction with kerbside waste collection services scored an average 8.8 out of 10 in the 2026 Annual Community Satisfaction Survey, exceeding the average for Melbourne metropolitan municipalities.
For more than 10 years, FRRRC has provided an important service to the Frankston community, welcoming over 150,000 visits annually and recycles more than half of the items disposed.
Items considered to have resale value are stocked in the onsite recycled goods shop, The Treasure Chest, reducing waste sent to landfill and delivering better environmental outcomes for the community.
The Circularity & Waste team, together with supporting departments have helped advance circularity in Frankston City by improving recycling and resource recovery outcomes, reducing materials sent to landfill, enhancing traffic flow and customer experience, and strengthening site safety through improved operational practices and safety technology at the facility.
The Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action identified FRRRC as a host venue for the State Government’s Detox Your Home program, helping Victorians safely manage and dispose of hazardous household chemicals through a free collection service.
In the 2026 Annual Community Satisfaction survey, satisfaction with the recycling and recovery centre increased scored 8.4 out of 10 in an increase on previous years’ scores.
The Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards gala will be held on Thursday 29 October.