By Charlene Macaulay
Wyndham households will receive smaller household waste bins during the next two years as part of a council plan to divert 90 per cent of the city’s waste from landfill.
From now on, residents who order new kerbside garbage bins will receive 120-litre bins instead of the yellow-lidded 140-litre bins currently used by most Wyndham households.
The new bins will sport red lids, in line with those of most other Victorian councils.
The 140-litre bins already in use will be successively replaced with the 120-litre bins during the next two years. The move will reduce waste collection across the city by 1.4 million tonnes every year.
Wyndham council environment and sustainability portfolio holder Heather Marcus said the smaller kerbside garbage bins would help the council achieve its goal of diverting
90 per cent of waste from landfill by 2040.
“The red lid bins will only be rolled out to people who order a new one or require a replacement, while the older yellow lid bins will be slowly replaced,” Cr Marcus said.
The council has reduced the cost of its green bin collection service to $75 per year and is offering discounts on worm farms and compost bins to encourage residents to sort their waste more appropriately.
“Almost half of the waste found in Wyndham garbage bins can be composted, so these discounts will help support residents in freeing up space in their garbage bins,” Cr Marcus said.
The council has released recommendations for the collection and treatment of waste – including waste baling and creating a waste to energy plant – following a three-week European tour by council representatives.
