Upcoming 4-Bin Service

Food and kitchen scraps such as vegetable peels, meat, fish, prawn shells, coffee grounds, egg shells along with garden waste including, among other things, grass clippings, flowers, weeds, leaves and small branches.

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

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 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

Window glass, glassware, mirrors, Pyrex and crockery

Under the State Government’s Circular Economy Policy all Victorian councils must introduce food and garden organics (FOGO) collection for all urban households and separate glass recycling collection. This will mean a four-bin system will be introduced across the state.

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

Victoria is running out of landfill space which is driving up the cost to dispose of waste. This cost is passed directly onto ratepayers via the waste charge on your rates notice. By making this change, we’re helping minimise future cost increases.

Council is on track to introduce its 4-Bin Service in April 2023.

Under HRCC’s new policy, the new 4-Bin Service will be compulsory for all urban residents. Opting out of it will not be permitted, as this would not lead to the outcome required under the new Victorian Government legislation. Bin downsizing will be permitted.

While rural residents won’t transition to the four-bin system, there will be an improved service for out-of-town customers with a 240-litre commingled recycling bin, collected fortnightly, offered to all properties currently receiving waste disposal services. This will combine with a A 240-litre general waste bin, collected fortnightly. Rural people will also have the option of depositing glass at transfer stations or designated collection points for free.

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 other materials to be unrecyclable.

Food scraps and garden waste are valuable resources that can be recycled into a high-quality compost to be used in local farms, parks, and gardens.

Also, decomposing food in landfill emits methane into the atmosphere, contributing to increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

The kerbside collections won’t all happen at on the same day, so there will never be any more than two bins from each household on the street.

Council will collect slightly more revenue due to the 4-Bin Service. However all of that money will be put towards the extra costs involved such as paying truck drivers and supplying the bins, so Council will not profit from the changes.

The new annual charge for urban residents will be $482. For people with existing 240-litre bins that’s an increase of $12. Those currently paying for a small bin will eventually see an increase of $175 per year. For rural residents, the service charge will go down $82 (for existing 240 L customers).

Due to the increase of residential areas in Horsham, some current rural areas will now be slated as urban, resulting in a $60 increase for the service in those areas.

Proposed areas include a general extension to Plozzas, Hunts and Holes roads at Haven that have a residential character be classified as urban waste customers and receive the four-bin service.

The new charges will be phased in over the next two financial years.

We recognise this will be a problem for some customers especially in units and flats. We understand that some residents may not have adequate space to store four bins. We want to help people living at specified multi-unit properties so within our Kerbside Collection Policy we will allow for the sharing of bins between neighbours.

The new household waste and recycling system is a key component of the once-in-a-generation reform of our waste and recycling service.

It takes time to make sure local infrastructure such as bins, trucks, and processing facilities is in place. Appropriate markets are also needed for recycled products.

Changes to waste and recycling services: 4-bin survey results

To download the full report (92 pages): Engagement Report

To download a summary of the engagement (6 pages): Engagement Report Snapshot

Newspaper is biodegradable and can be used as a liner in FOGO kitchen caddies supplied to urban residents.

We understand that wrapping organic waste can make it easier for households to manage potential odours when separating their food scraps in their kitchen.

Newspaper can also be used to wrap bones, shells and meat to help reduce odour and insects in your bin.

However plastic bin liners are not compostable and cannot be placed in the green-lidded FOGO bin.