By Goya Dmytryshchak
Hobsons Bay’s new four-bin recycling service is scheduled to start on February 1.
The new service will have weekly food organics and garden organics (FOGO) collection, fortnightly garbage and recycling collections, and monthly glass collection.
Hobsons Bay council this week announced new FOGO and glass bins would be delivered to all households currently paying for the council’s waste service prior to February 1.
“A new 120 litre FOGO bin will also replace households that currently have a privately-owned garden waste bin (approximately 5000 properties),” a council report states.
No additional waste service charges are proposed for the 2019-20 financial year.
“This results in equitable outcomes that do not penalise or charge twice those who are already paying for a garden waste service,” the report states.
A detailed review of the council’s waste service and charge policy is now being undertaken to set service charges from July 1, 2020.
Kerbside recycling changes were prompted by the council’s former contracted recycler, SKM Recycling, being declared insolvent by the Supreme Court in August.
Since SKM’s collapse, the council’s recycling costs have risen about $1.2 million to $8 million per year. The new service incorporating glass and FOGO is expected to cost $8.1 million annually and $4 million as an initial one-off cost.
The council this week announced it had signed new contracts with O-I Glass, Alex Fraser Group, Australian Paper Recovery, Veolia, Mastec, Code for Australia and Cleanaway.
Standard bin sizes will be 120 litres for garbage, 240 litres for recycling, 120 litres for glass, and either 120 or 240 litres for FOGO
For multi-unit developments and apartment blocks, the council is still finalising options this month but is likely to include larger shared bins.
The cost to such properties is yet to be determined and may include direct charges to owners corporations (formerly known as body corporates).
