New homes will receive smaller household waste bins as part of a Wyndham council plan to progressively standardise bin sizes across the city.
The council will also replace damaged 140-litre capacity residential waste wheelie bins with 120-litre bins in line with the council’s waste and litter strategy, which is aimed at diverting 90 per cent of the city’s waste from landfill.
Under the strategy, all residential waste wheelie bins will be reduced to 120 litres in the future, reducing waste collection by 1.4 million tonnes of waste across the city every year, while recycling bins will increase in size from 240 litres to 360 litres. It remains unclear when the full roll-out will occur.
From July 1, the council will also reduce the number of yearly tip tokens from two to one and will add a third hard waste collection. Other measures being considered include:
•Cutting the cost of mattress disposal at the transfer station;
•Running more pop-up recycling days;
•Offering a discounted price for separated green waste; and
•Adding additional recycling collections in the Christmas period.
Councillor Henry Barlow said Wyndham had to find an alternative way to dispose of and treat waste to reach its 90 per cent diversion target.
He said the state government appeared to be “very keen” about looking at turning waste into energy.
“If we’re able to look at a way of doing that, not only does it mean that we could eliminate 90 per cent of airspace for rubbish by turning it into ash, we can then turn that waste into electricity that can be pumped back into the grid,” he said.
“We can actually make money, which will go towards helping to provide facilities and infrastructure and services.”
