Gannawarra welcomes recycling revolution

Gannawarra welcomes recycling revolution

Published on 04 March 2020

Gannawarra Shire Council has welcomed the State Government’s overhaul of Victoria’s household waste and recycling system.

Premier Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lili D’Ambrosio announced on 25 February a 10-year Recycling Victoria plan, which aims to reform the way waste is dealt with in Victoria.

These changes include the rollout of a State-wide, four-bin system for households to better collect and store recyclables, as well as reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

This four-bin system will include:

A green bin for the recycling of food and garden waste, which will replace the current “green bin” arrangement for garden waste; A red bin for general waste, which will be used for the disposal of soft plastics and general waste; and The introduction of two bins – a purple bin for the recycling of glass bottles and jars, and a yellow bin for the recycling of paper, cardboard, hard plastics and metals. This replaces the current “yellow bin” recycling practice.

“Gannawarra residents experienced first-hand the issues with the current kerbside recycling arrangements earlier this year when household recycling materials were directed to landfill for four weeks following the temporary closure of the Echuca Materials Recovery Facility,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Tom O’Reilly said.

The new four-bin system will be rolled out in stages from next year, with the new system to be operational throughout Victoria by 2027.

“Gannawarra Shire Council is not part of the first group of Councils that will need to implement the new system, so it is business as usual as far as kerbside recycling is concerned,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“Council will provide more details to the community once they become available, and work with residents and the State Government to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.

“In the meantime, residents are encouraged to continue with their positive recycling practices, which includes not placing recyclable materials in plastic bags for disposal in household recycling bins.”