Whittlesea residents are being encouraged to have their says on the municipality’s future glass recycling service.
To meet the Victorian government’s requirement of a standardised four-bin waste and recycling system, Whittlesea council is planning for a new household glass recycling service to be rolled out in the second half of 2022.
To help council prepare for the introduction of the new service, it is surveying residents to find out what they think about how the service will be delivered.
Council currently provides residents with a general waste bin and a mixed recycling bin, as well as an opt-in food and garden organics waste bin.
Residents will soon receive a 120-litre purple-lidded bin for glass recycling which will be emptied monthly.
While all households in Victoria must have access to a glass recycling service by 2027, council’s chair administrator Lydia Wilson said Whittlesea’s strong commitment to sustainability was driving a fast-tracked introduction of the service.
“We know through the development of the Rethinking Waste Plan that our community is committed to reducing waste and keeping it out of landfill so we want to deliver the best recycling services we can as soon as possible,” she said.
Ms Wilson said a separate bin was needed for glass as it often broke during the collection process, making it difficult to separate from other materials.
“Keeping the glass separate will mean more material will be able to be recycled into valuable products used to create reusable items like bottles and jars. Recycled glass can even be used in road base, which council did when resurfacing Yale Drive in Epping in 2021.
“Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by 68,000 tonnes each year and the amount of waste generated per person by 20 per cent are just some of the targets set out in council’s Rethinking Waste Plan.”
Details: whittlesea.vic.gov.au/glassrecycling
