Waste and Recycling Services

Four bins in a row front on with different coloured lids

Council is planning for additional recycling services for urban and rural households across the municipality – saving thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

Under the State Government’s Circular Economy Policy, released in February 2020, all Victorian councils must introduce Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection for all urban households by 2030, and separate glass recycling collection by 2027. This will mean a four-bin system will be introduced across the state.

We invited you to provide feedback via a survey and we got an excellent response. Thank you to everybody who took the time to do the survey.

Changes to waste and recycling services: 4-bin survey

To download the full report (92 pages): Engagement Report(PDF, 802KB)

To download a summary of the engagement (6 pages): Engagement Report Snapshot(PDF, 205KB)

At the Council meeting on Monday 23 May 2022 Council adopted a new Kerbside Collection Policy. This policy will govern how the new waste collection service will work. You can download this policy via this link: Kerbside Collection Policy(PDF, 1MB)

The service model includes:

  • A new fortnightly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection
  • A new monthly glass recycling collection
  • Expansion of recycling collection in rural areas
  • New glass recycling drop-off locations across the municipality

In summary, the service will include:

Urban areas:

  • A 240-litre general waste bin, collected fortnightly
  • A 240-litre mixed recycling bin, collected fortnightly
  • A 240-litre FOGO bin, collected fortnightly
  • An 80-litre glass recycling bin, collected monthly (four-weekly)

Rural areas:

  • A 240-litre general waste bin, collected fortnightly
  • A 240-litre mixed recycling bin, collected fortnightly (expanded to all rural properties with an existing waste collection service).

It’s estimated that up to 40 per cent of the municipality’s household rubbish is food waste, which currently goes straight to landfill.

When buried in landfill, food waste decomposes without oxygen, creating methane gas – which contributes to global warming.

Separating glass from other recycling will make recycling more efficient, and allow more glass to be recovered for recycling. Under the current system about 30 per cent of glass cannot be recovered and broken glass fragments cause problems for other recycled materials.

What can go in each of the four bins:

Food and Organic Waste Bin (FOGO)

Animal waste, Baked goods, Bones, Branches (less than 30mm in diameter), Breads, cakes, and pastries, Cereal slops, Cereals and grains, Coffee grounds and filter, paper, Cooking oil (absorb in paper, or newspaper), Cooking oils and fats, Cotton balls, Dairy foods, Dairy products, Dryer lint, Eggshells, Facial tissues, Feathers, Fish and chip paper, Flowers, Fruits, General garden clippings, Grains, Human and animal hair, Icy pole sticks, Jelly, Kitchen paper towel, Kitty litter (if compostable eg. clay, paper etc), Lawn clippings, Leaves, Leftovers, Lollies, Meat (raw, cooked), Meat scraps, Napkins, paper, Newspaper, Nuts & seeds, Paper bags, Paper containers and, takeaway boxes, Paper napkins, Paper plates, Paper towel rolls, Paper towels, Pasta, Pizza boxes, Popsicle sticks, Post it notes, Poultry, Printed serviettes, Prunings and cuttings, Rice and pasta, Salad and dressing, Seafood (including, bones and shells), Shredded paper, Small branches, Spoiled food, Straw and hay, Take away foods, Tea leaves, Thorny branches, Tissues, Toilet rolls, Tree roots, Vacuum cleaner dust, Vegetables, Weeds, Wet paper, Wood skewers, Wooden toothpicks, Wooden uncoated chopsticks

Glass Bin

Glass jars (empty, no lids) Pasta sauce, jam, condiments etc.

Glass bottles, including broken bottles (empty, no lids) Wine bottles. Beer bottles. Spirit (alcohol) bottles. Olive oil and sauce bottles.

But not Glass cookware (e.g. Pyrex, microwave plates), Drinking glasses, Ceramics (e.g. crockery, earthenware), Vases

Mixed Recycling Bin

Aluminium foil and cans, steel cans and trays.

Paper and cardboard.

Rigid household plastics and their lids e.g. milk bottles, soft drink bottles, washing liquid bottles, yoghurt tubs, etc.

General Waste Bin

General rubbish

Nappies (wrapped or bagged)

Food waste - only if you do not have a food and garden waste service

Polystyrene and foam (including meat trays)

Plastic bags and soft plastics. (If you can, please take these to a RedCycle drop-off point for recycling)

Window glass, glassware, mirrors, Pyrex and crockery

Contact

Andy Van

Phone: 5382 9708

Email: council@hrcc.vic.gov.au

 

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