The City of Whittlesea's food and organics waste will continue to be processed locally, with Repurpose It Pty Ltd being awarded a 10-year contract to deliver the service.
Following a trial of the service in 2019, Council's new opt-in food and garden waste services was rolled out municipal-wide on 1 July this year.
Now, more than 47,000 local households are taking part in the service, representing around 59 percent of properties in the City of Whittlesea.
Council Administrator Peita Duncan said it was fantastic to see so many households committing to diverting food waste from landfill.
"More than 40 per cent of waste in the City of Whittlesea is food waste, making this recycling service really important for reducing greenhouse gases while providing other environmental benefits," Ms Duncan said.
Repurpose It will provide the infrastructure needed to process food waste locally, using in-vessel treatments that provide efficiencies and minimise odour.
"The new contract ensures that the City of Whittlesea's food and organic waste is processed locally, reducing transport miles and creating a local circular economy for the waste product," Ms Duncan said.
Council has also negotiated the terms of a lease with Repurpose It for the use of the northern sections of 480 Cooper Street Epping (Cooper Street Waste & Resource Recovery Hub) once the current lease expires in 2021.
It is anticipated that Council will transition from the current fortnightly opt-in service to a municipal-wide kerbside collection service by 2023.
The cost of the service is $77 per year.
