Hume City Council's move to a more flexible waste voucher system has been an overwhelming success in its first year, making it easier for residents to dispose of unwanted items responsibly.
In 2024/25, residents redeemed nearly 95,000 waste vouchers for free services, from hard waste collections to visits to Council's Resource Recovery Centres in Campbellfield and Sunbury.
The change has replaced the old "tip pass" system, which required residents to present their rates notice at the gate. This made last-minute searches common – and often locked renters out of the service altogether.
Now, every household automatically receives waste vouchers each year, which can be used flexibly for either a hard waste or bundled branch collection or a trip to a Resource Recovery Centre. Proof of address is all that's needed.
The results speak for themselves:
- An 80% surge in voucher redemptions at our Resource Recovery Centres
- Hard waste bookings jumped by almost 5,000 collections
- Around one-third of hard waste was diverted from landfill through recycling, including mattresses, fridges, scrap metal, e-waste and green waste.
Overall, the number of waste entitlements used was up by more than 50% in just one year.
By continuing to use their waste vouchers, residents can help keep Hume's streets clean and free from illegal dumping.
Quotes attributable to Mayor of Hume City, Cr Jarrod Bell
"Our waste voucher system has made it simpler for every household to dispose of unwanted items responsibly. That means cleaner streets, less illegal dumping, and more materials recovered for recycling."
"We've seen thousands more visits to our Resource Recovery Centres, more hard waste collected, and significantly more items kept out of landfill."
"These results set the foundation for a cleaner, greener Hume well into the future."
