Waste and recycling services in Yarra will soon be revolutionised, following last week's council meeting.
On Tuesday 18 February, Yarra Councillors voted to roll out the four bin system that has been trialled in parts of Abbotsford since June 2019.
Your waste and recycling won't change until July, so please keep recycling and putting your bins out for collection as usual.
For the past 9 months, 1,300 households in Abbotsford have been participating in the Yarra Waste Revolution and sorting their waste and recycling into four bins:
- glass collection
- food and garden waste collection
- recycling collection
- garbage collection.
And there's been a dramatic reduction in waste going to landfill. Households in the trial area are now diverting about 60% of their waste from landfill (up from 35% before).
Now, we are working out the exact details and timings of the rollout and will provide you with everything you need before the new system begins.
Since the Abbotsford trial began, 118 tonnes of food and green waste have been diverted from landfill and 75 tonnes of recycling and 63 tonnes of glass have been recycled here in Australia. (Figures correct at 28 January 2020.)
We're excited to be bringing this revolutionary waste system to all of Yarra. And we hope you are too.
Almost 80% of those of you who have been involved so far in our trial have told us they think these changes are an improvement in managing waste.
We surveyed over 400 residents in the trial area and almost 90% support separating their waste for collection and 79% agree that the trial has had positive benefits for the environment.
One residents told us: "It's great to be a part of a positive change and we hope it is made permanent."
Another said: "I am very glad that this revolution is happening. Many other countries have been doing this for years and Australia needs to catch up."
Why are we doing this?
By separating our glass, collecting only the recycling that can be processed here in Australia and composting our food waste, we will be helping to create local jobs and make sure we keep resources circulating, which are lost when they enter landfill.
And, if needed, we can provide bigger landfill bins for large households, multiple children in nappies, medical conditions and a range of other circumstances.
We want everyone to be able to embrace this change and help us tackle Australia's recycling crisis.
How can I stay up to date?
Don't worry, we'll be sharing lots of information about the changes – and one way you can stay up to date is through our Yarra Life fortnightly email newsletter.
