Greater Shepparton City Council’s implementation of Stage One of the kerbside bin transition, which saw frequency changes introduced to Kialla and Tatura, has been completed with the changes now set to be rolled out to the rest of Greater Shepparton from mid-October.
In November 2022, Council noted the project plan to change the kerbside collection frequency for green FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bins and red general waste bins, alongside plans to introduce a purple glass-only bin in line with Victorian State Government policy.
A report was presented at the August Council Meeting which detailed the results of an eight week bin audit by an external consultant, for the pilot program conducted in both Kialla and Tatura. Changes were made to the bin frequency collections in both towns from April 2023, with the red bin emptied fortnightly alternating with the yellow bin and the green bin emptied weekly.
The report also measured the weekly green waste going to Western Composting, the tonnage to Cosgrove Landfill and data from VISY on recycling. Whilst there was an increase in contamination in the green bin of nappies, soft plastic, textiles and general waste contamination from Kialla, this is expected to improve over the coming months.
Council officers reported that 84-89 per cent of households are either managing with their current capacity or have the option to upgrade. Bin fullness remains an issue of education and behaviour change, as only 41-49 per cent of bin volumes consist of residual waste, with the remainder made up of recyclable or FOGO material.
A physical FOGO and waste inspection was conducted with 25 houses from Tatura and 25 from Kialla. This inspection found considerable recyclable material in the general waste collections, along with some food waste. This recycling material included aluminium cans, plastic bottles and cardboard which suggests that some fullness issues may be due to incorrect waste and recycling behaviours. Further data on recycling bin available space is needed, as this may be a contributing factor in recycling found in general waste.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Shane Sali, said to assist with contamination issues Council will introduce a nappy collection service in 2024 and will also provide a larger 360L recycling bin for residents on request.
“This service will help families with babies and young children deal with disposable nappies to be processed into kitty litter. Council officers have also looked at a textile disposal service and are investigating a soft plastic collection program, which will help keep this waste out of landfill,” he said.
