By Goya Dmytryshchak
Not everyone thinks Hobsons Bay’s new bin system is the fab four.
The council’s Recycling 2.0 service was rolled out this month to reduce the amount of items going to landfill.
Mayor Colleen Gates said the majority of feedback for the four-bin service had been “overwhelmingly positive” and most people understood the new system ensured the city’s recycling would indeed be recycled.
However, there have been complaints about bins being audited, confusion over what goes in which bin, and odour and hygiene concerns.
During public question time at last week’s council meeting, a member of the public asked how the average household was expected to reduce its general waste down to 120 litres per fortnight.
“Many years ago we went from 240-litres to 120-litres of garbage disposal per week,” he said.
“At that time, it was clear that we needed to divert recycling to the yellow bins.
“In Recycling 2.0, we have a reduction from 120 litres per week to 120 litres per fortnight. This reduction in general waste cannot be offset by diverting waste to the yellow bin as the plastic standard is stricter.”
Plastic codes 3-7 and UHT/Tetra-Paks cannot be put in the yellow bins.
Cr Gates said a recent recycling crisis had exposed a lack of local markets to recycle some materials.
In January 2018, China tightened restrictions on accepting imported waste, affecting those in the Australian recycling industry.
Hobsons Bay was among more than 30 Victorian councils affected by last year’s subsequent collapse of waste contractor SKM Recycling.
“Council has made the decision to do two critical things,” Cr Gates said.
“First, we are taking glass out of our co-mingled recycling bin, which means the glass and all other co-mingled items will be recycled to a much higher quality product.
“Second, we are only taking items in the co-mingled recycling bin for which there are genuine local recycling outcomes.”
Cr Gates said the council would seek to expand the products Hobsons Bay residents can recycle over time.
“For many households, waste bins were not filled within a week under the old system and the new four-bin service should meet the needs of most households,” she said.
“However, we do recognise that one size does not fit all circumstances and we will continue to offer residents the option to upsize their waste bin or have an additional bin for a fee – something that has been in place prior to the introduction of Recycling 2.0.”
She said the council was encouraging households to “give the new service a go, using all four bins provided, for the first six weeks, then review your needs in terms of bin sizes”.
