Change is coming to your bins

STAGE ONE - COMPLETE

Your new purple lid kerbside glass bin was delivered October 2024, with first collection taking place December 2024. Collections will continue every 4 weeks.

STAGE TWO

The collection frequency changes will take place February 2025, with landfill bins collected fortnightly and organic bins collected weekly.

We encourage all residents to download our Moira Waste Info App to check your bin days.

 https://www.moira.vic.gov.au/Moira_Waste_App

Rotting organic waste in landfill releases methane into the air and contributes greatly to climate change. A fortnight of food and garden organic waste in a kerbside bin can lead to unpleasant odours, especially over the summer months.

Research has shown that a more frequent collection of food and garden organics is a driver in encouraging change to reduce food waste in landfill bins.

This change is also in-line with the Victorian Government circular economy policy and plan Recycling Victoria: A new economy, which has set key actions for all Victorian Local Government to have zero organic material to landfill by 2030 and 80% of materials currently going to landfill to be diverted to alternative disposal methods by 2030. 

By making this switch of landfill and organics kerbside collection, we hope to divert over 5,000 tonnes of organic material a year from landfill.

We are also joining many other Victorian councils who have already successfully made the collection switch.

Council provides a kerbside collection service in all towns and along connector roads within Moira Shire.

The kerbside organic collection services all households in residentially planned zones. If you are not within the residential zoned area but would like to turn your organic waste in to compost you can always have your own compost bin, worm farm or chooks. We also have the option for residents who don't have an organics kerbside service to drop their household food and garden waste into our organic bins at our Resource Recovery Centres. If you would like a kitchen caddy and compostable bags for your household, please get in contact with Council. If you are interested in an organics kerbside service on your rural property, we can investigate this for you, please get in contact with Council. 

If you have a large household with 6 or more occupants, own your own home and, require a larger landfill bin, you may be eligible for a larger 240lt landfill bin from Council at cost. You will be required to submit a signed Statutory Declaration. Fees do apply. If you do not own your own home, you must get your landlord or property manager to apply.

We also encourage residents to reduce and reuse their waste. The best way to reduce your waste is to avoid creating it in the first place. Avoid buying items with lots of packaging as this wastes valuable resources. If you haven't already, invest in reusable items like coffee cups, cloth shopping bags and reusable water bottles. And recycle as much as you can. See our A-Z Waste Guide for more information on recycling.

To apply for a larger bin, those who have a household with two or more children in nappies, will need to provide a signed statutory declaration form as evidence. Fees do apply.

We encourage households to do their best to reduce waste going to landfill by reducing, recycling and composting. This additional service will be reassessed at the end of the rating period at the end of each financial year.

Moira Shire is offering residents a cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate of 50% of the purchase price with a maximum refund of $150. This is to assist in the reduction of waste to landfill.

The Victorian Government implemented the Circular Economy (waste reduction and recycling) Act 2021.

Under this Act, the four-stream service is a requirement for Council to implement. Council endorses this transition as it is an opportunity for us to get better at recycling, reduce what goes into landfill and, create environmental benefits for our future.

So what exactly is the new four-stream service?

 The new four-bin system is improving how we manage waste and recycling in Victoria.

The changes to the recycling system means that glass will no longer be able to be collected in the mixed recycling bin and will have to be collected separately.

It will see glass, food and garden organics, mixed recyclables, and household landfill waste separated at the home.  

Our previous kerbside waste service was inefficient with many items not sorted correctly, costing ratepayers money, and significantly adding to our community’s carbon footprint. As such we are changing collection frequencies to improve services and better manage ratepayers’ costs.

The collection frequency changes will take place in February 2025, with landfill bins collected fortnightly and organic bins collected weekly.

All households that have a mixed recycling kerbside bin have been allocated a 120Lt purple lid glass bin. Putting glass in our mixed recycling bin will no longer be an option. You cannot opt out of the purple lid glass bin service, even if you choose not to use the bin.

We won’t use the glass bin and therefore will not bring it in when delivered.

If you are not going to use the purple lid glass bin, please keep your bin stored on your property. If you move house, the next family may want to use the glass bin. Bins stay with the property. Glass no longer belongs in your recycling bin and will be deemed a contaminate. 

Won’t all glass be collected and recycled as part of Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS)?

Only glass drink containers will be eligible under the CDS. Sauce, oil bottles and glass jars will not be accepted through the CDS.

The purple lid glass bin will be a convenient option for those who choose not to or are unable to use the CDS.

Will all Victorian households have four bins?

In areas with kerbside collection services, households will move to a four-stream service. For households that do not have a kerbside service, or where one may not be possible, glass recycling can be accessed through drop-off points at all Moira Shire Resource Recovery Centres. For those rural residents that do not have a kerbside organics service, food and garden organics can be accessed through drop-of points at all Moira Shire Resource Recovery Centres.

Glass, when mixed with other recyclable materials, often shatters and contaminates valuable, easy-to-recycle materials such as paper, plastic and cardboard. This reduces these materials quality and ability to be recycled, which lands them in landfill. By separating glass effectively, more materials from the recycling bin can also be recycled. It also ensures all glass is recycled, including glass shards.

The average bin Moira Shire is around 51% (61Lt) full on a weekly collection day (March 2024 waste audit) for weekly. Over 27.8% of the waste in the average landfill bin (by volume) can be diverted to be recycled, either in the kerbside recycling bin or accepted at Resource Recovery Centres. 4.3% of this can be composted.

When food and garden organics, recycling and glass bin are used correctly, the average household in Moira Shire will have more than enough space in their waste bins to hold a fortnight worth of waste.

This change is also in-line with the Victorian Government circular economy policy and plan Recycling Victoria: A new economy, which has set key actions for all Victorian Local Government to have zero organic material to landfill by 2030 and 80% of materials currently going to landfill to be diverted to alternative disposal methods by 2030.

By making this switch of landfill and organics kerbside collection, we hope to divert over 5,000 tonnes of organic material a year from landfill.

The majority of Victorian councils are planning or have already moved to fortnightly landfill collection.