FEBRUARY 19, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
What can go in the bins? Food and garden waste (light green) • Food waste includes raw or cooked produce you can eat, but no liquids such as gravy, soup or jelly • Food waste can be wrapped in a single sheet of newspaper or paper towel • Bones, eggshells, tea and coffee grounds • Garden clippings and branches under 30cm Glass (purple) • Glass bottles and jars without lids Recycling (yellow) • Plastics codes 1 and 2 (the exception is all berry punnets allowed) • Cans, tins and foil rolled into balls • Cardboard (unwaxed and uncoated) • Paper products Rubbish bin (dark green) • Pet poo and kitty litter • Nappies and sanitary products • Polystyrene • Plastics 3-7 • UHT and long-life cartons • Used tissues, serviettes and paper towels • Takeaway coffee cups • Wrappers (muesli bars, ice creams) • Textiles * More details: hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au
Residents Kelvin and Mal.
(Joe Mastroianni). 204669_01
Four bin battle of the Bay By Goya Dmytryshchak Not everyone thinks Hobsons Bay’s new bin system is the fab four. The council’s Recycling 2.0 service was rolled out this month to reduce the amount of items going to landfi ll. Mayor Colleen Gates said the majority of feedback for the four-bin service had been “overwhelmingly positive” and most people understood the new system ensured the city’s recycling would indeed be recycled. However, there have been complaints about bins being audited, confusion over what goes in which bin, and odour and hygiene concerns. During public question time at last week’s council meeting, a member of the pubic asked
how the average household was expected to reduce its general waste down to 120 litres per fortnight. “Many years ago we went from 240-litres to 120-litres of garbage disposal per week,” he said. “At that time, it was clear that we needed to divert recycling to the yellow bins. “In Recycling 2.0, we have a reduction from 120 litres per week to 120 litres per fortnight. This reduction in general waste cannot be offset by diverting waste to the yellow bin as the plastic standard is stricter.” Plastic codes 3-7 and UHT/Tetra-Paks cannot be put in the yellow bins. Cr Gates said a recent recycling crisis had exposed a lack of local markets to recycle some materials.
In January 2018, China tightened restrictions on accepting imported waste, affecting those in the Australian recycling industry. Hobsons Bay was among more than 30 Victorian councils affected by last year’s subsequent collapse of waste contractor SKM Recycling. “Council has made the decision to do two critical things,” Cr Gates said. “First, we are taking glass out of our co-mingled recycling bin, which means the glass and all other co-mingled items will be recycled to a much higher quality product. “Second, we are only taking items in the co-mingled recycling bin for which there are genuine local recycling outcomes.” Cr Gates said the council would seek to
expand the products Hobsons Bay residents can recycle over time. “For many households, waste bins were not fi lled within a week under the old system and the new four-bin service should meet the needs of most households,” Cr Gates said. “However, we do recognise that one size does not fit all circumstances and we will continue to offer residents the option to upsize their waste bin or have an additional bin for a fee –something that has been in place prior to the introduction of Recycling 2.0.” She said the council was encouraging households to “give the new service a go, using all four bins provided, for the first six weeks, then review your needs in terms of bin sizes”.
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