Victoria has begun its four-bin waste and recycling system roll-out with Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio delivering some of the first purple bins for glass collection to Whittlesea this week.
"Our new household recycling services will maximise our recycling capacity, create new jobs and divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030, reducing emissions by 50 per cent by the same year," said D’Ambrosio, who also announced grants to transition to four bins across the state.
The state government plans to introduce a separate glass service to all local government areas by 2027 and a food and garden organics collection by 2030. By separating glass, Victoria will be able to recycle more glass into new products and recycle more materials from the mixed recycling bin.
Last year packaging and recycling giant, Visy, announced a $35 million upgrade of its Laverton glass recycling centre in a clear endorsement of the state government’s new Container Deposit Scheme (CDS). Set to start in 2023, the Victoria CDS will maximise the return of used drink cans, bottles, and cartons for recycling – reducing the state’s litter volume by up to 50 per cent.
As part of the Labor Government’s Recycling Victoria Household Education and Behaviour Change Fund, 15 councils will share in over $1 million to deliver local campaigns as they introduce new services, or to improve their existing four-stream household recycling services.
Ahead of the transition, the Victorian government has been helping councils educate their communities on the service. Currently, a four-stream system is provided by six local government areas, which include Moyne, Central Goldfields, Warrnambool, Hobson’s Bay, Surf Coast and Macedon Ranges shires, with Frankston adding the service by 2023.
All councils and alpine resort management boards are eligible for funding under the $6.03 million Circular Economy Household Education Fund.
The four-stream recycling system will help divert 80 per cent of all material away from landfill, including 20,000 tonnes of glass, as part of the Labor Government’s waste and recycling reforms that will create nearly 4000 new jobs and boost Victoria’s economy by up to $6.7 billion by 2030.
The government has invested over $515 million to deliver the biggest ever transformation and reform of Victoria’s waste and recycling industry. This includes $380 million to deliver Recycling Victoria, which aims to reduce waste, boost jobs and establish a recycling system on which Victorians can rely.
