WA’s July 2026 FOGO guidance: what changed for compostable packaging

On 10 July 2026, Waste Authority WA updated its kerbside FOGO guidance through its “Towards cleaner compost” information. The change narrows the accepted-list framing for FOGO and gives more specific direction about compostable and other non-recyclable packaging.

The update is important because compostability and kerbside acceptance are related but separate questions. A product may be compostable, or certified for specified composting conditions, without being accepted by a particular council FOGO service or processor.

The change is also narrower than a new legal ban. It is Western Australian FOGO guidance and consistent service communication, not newly enacted statewide legislation prohibiting compostable packaging in FOGO.

Waste Authority WA published the updated guidance on 10 July 2026. It says the accepted-list approach was developed through WALGA’s Consistent Communications Collective, with local government, waste industry and State Government representation.

Its stated purpose is cleaner compost and more consistent FOGO communication. The guidance changes the accepted-list framing used for kerbside FOGO, while local governments continue to be responsible for their own kerbside waste services.

Waste Authority WA’s updated guidance says kerbside FOGO is for:

• food organics;

• garden organics; and

• certified compostable caddy liners.

It also says people who had previously placed specified items such as compostable food and drink containers, tissues, paper towels, food-soiled cardboard and animal droppings in FOGO should now put those items in general waste under the updated guidance.

For packaging specifically, Waste Authority WA directs non-recyclable packaging including compostable cups, containers and trays to general waste while alternative pathways are investigated.

The guidance identifies a practical collection-system issue: kerbside FOGO systems cannot reliably distinguish certified compostable packaging from visually similar non-certified packaging.

That is why certification alone does not determine whether an item appears on the accepted list. Certified compostable caddy liners remain an accepted category, but that category-specific position does not extend to every piece of packaging carrying a compostability certification.

This distinction is also reflected in Australasian Bioplastics Association guidance. Within its certification framework, AS 4736 relates to commercial compostability and AS 5810 to home compostability. Certification demonstrates conformity within the relevant scope; it does not guarantee acceptance by every council FOGO service or processor.

Waste Authority WA’s stated concern is the ability of kerbside systems to identify acceptable inputs consistently. Where certified compostable packaging can look similar to non-certified packaging, collection systems cannot reliably separate the two at the bin.

The updated accepted list therefore focuses on inputs the guidance identifies for kerbside FOGO and directs specified other non-recyclable packaging to general waste while alternative pathways are investigated.

The verified sources do not establish a definitive future pathway or timing for those alternatives.

This article is about Western Australia. The July 2026 position should not be treated as an Australia-wide FOGO rule.

It is also important to distinguish State guidance from local service delivery. Western Australian local governments remain responsible for local kerbside waste services. Exact local acceptance can depend on collection arrangements, State regulations, receiving-facility licence conditions, standards and contracts.

FOGO is not available to every WA household. WasteSorted WA identifies participating local governments, so the applicable local council or collection-service guidance remains relevant when checking what belongs in a particular kerbside service.

The July 2026 update does not establish that compostable packaging has become illegal in WA FOGO bins under a newly enacted statewide law. The verified evidence supports a current State guidance and service-list change, not a new statutory prohibition, offence or statewide penalty.

It does not establish an Australia-wide disposal rule.

It does not make AS 4736 or AS 5810 certification meaningless. Those standards address different compostability contexts—commercial compostability and home compostability respectively—while local collection acceptance is a separate system decision.

It also does not mean every AS 4736-certified packaging item is accepted because certified compostable caddy liners remain on the accepted list. The caddy-liner position is category-specific.

Finally, the guidance does not establish what future pathway will apply to compostable packaging currently directed to general waste. Waste Authority WA says alternative pathways are being investigated, but the verified sources do not provide a definitive outcome or timing.

Implementation can vary at the local-service level. Waste Authority WA itself notes that local guidance is shaped by local collection responsibility and by regulations, facility licence conditions, standards and contracts.

Local-government webpages, bin stickers and other operational materials may also update at different times. For a specific household, business or collection area, current local council or collection-service guidance is the relevant operational check.

The broader boundary remains clear: certification says something about the product within a defined standard or certification scope; collection acceptance says something about the waste system that will receive it. One should not be used as automatic proof of the other.

For organisations communicating disposal instructions, the main implication is to keep the product claim and the local disposal instruction separate. A generic statement such as “put it in FOGO” can overstate what is supported when acceptance depends on the exact packaging format and local service.

Where customer-facing disposal guidance is provided, check the applicable local service and keep the certified-compostable-caddy-liner exception specific to that category. This does not weaken a valid certification claim; it keeps the disposal instruction within the evidence that supports it.

Waste Authority Western Australia — Towards cleaner compost

Waste Authority Western Australia — Food Organics and Garden Organics program

Western Australia — Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2007, Part 6

Australasian Bioplastics Association — Certification

WasteSorted WA — Go FOGO

If you use compostable packaging in Western Australia, check current local council or collection-service guidance before publishing a FOGO disposal instruction. If you are reviewing a packaging specification or customer-facing disposal wording, Zero Pack can help assess the packaging format and keep product and disposal claims appropriately scoped.