Thousands of tonnes of glass bottles and jars will be processed locally and turned into new products like road base when Mildura Rural City Council introduces a household glass recycling service in 2024.
Residents will get a fourth kerbside wheelie bin with a purple lid which will be emptied once a month. Separate glass recycling drop-off points will also be set up at rural transfer stations.
Councillor for Environment and Sustainability Jason Modica said up to 2,365 tonnes of glass could potentially be recycled through the new service each year.
“The way we recycle is changing for the better,” Cr Modica said.
“This will help us divert even more valuable resources away from landfill and boost the local economy, creating jobs at a new processing facility which will be established at the Mildura Landfill.”
Mildura Rural City Councillors voted in favour to introduce a glass recycling service at this week’s October Ordinary Council Meeting.
The decision is in line with new State Government legislation, which requires all Victorian councils to provide households with a standardised four-bin waste and recycling system by 2030.
The glass recycling bin will complement and enhance the existing Mildura Rural City Council kerbside bin service, which includes a weekly 240L food and garden organics collection, fortnightly 240L mixed recycling collection and a fortnightly 120L general rubbish collection.
Recycling contamination – where different materials are mixed in the collection and sorting process, degrading their quality – has long been a problem in comingled recycling, with glass being the main culprit.
“Broken glass makes other items like cardboard, paper and plastic hard to recycle. By putting your glass bottles and jars in a separate bin more of it can be recycled into new things,” Cr Modica said.
A 2021 audit found that glass made up 43% by weight of the contents of the average kerbside recycling bin in the Mildura Rural City Council area.
“Sorting glass will free up more space in your mixed recycling bin. And processing it locally will save money through reduced transport costs,” Cr Modica said.
Council estimates the new service will cost an average of $22.52 per property, which will be included in the Waste Management Charge on Council rates notices.
“We know residents want to be able to do more to reduce their waste and use resources wisely. This service will do exactly that.”
Council will now work to plan and implement the new service, including tendering for a contractor to empty glass recycling bins and process collected materials.
“This will be another adjustment for our community, and we will provide lots more information as we put plans in place over the coming 18 months.”
