‘Premature’: Victorian councils reject rollout of purple lid recycling bins

Councils across parts of Victoria are calling for an end to the rollout of purple glass collection bins, claiming it would cost “millions” and directly affect ratepayers’ pockets.

From July next year, Victorian households are set to add a fourth rubbish bin to their weekly bin run.

The rollout of purple lid glass recycling bins will be added to the roster alongside the food organic and garden organic (FOGO) bins.

The move is aimed to decrease the level of waste going into landfills.

Several councils have already adopted the fourth bin into the roster, including Frankston City Council, Ararat, Whittlesea, Colac Otway, Hindmarsh, Hobsons Bay, Horsham, Macedon Ranges, Merri-bek, Moyne, Pyrenees, Surf Coast, Warrnambool, West Wimmera, City of Yarra and Yarriambiack.

However, a cohort of councils across regional, metro and rural Victoria have called for a rethink of the plans, arguing there are better ways to mitigate waste without costing ratepayers “millions”.

Instead, they have called for the introduction of an expanded Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), which accepts different types of bottles, including glass.

The expanded CDS has been rolled out across parts of Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and NSW.

Manningham Mayor Jim Grivas said it was a “smart, more cost-effective” solution.

“More bins mean more costs, more trucks, more congestion, and more contamination,” he said.

“There is a better way to recycle glass.”

In February, Wyndham City councillors said they were concerned about the rollout of the purple bins and said it would mean residents would be hit with an extra $64.33 in the first year, followed by $20.89 the following year.

A Wyndham City Council report projected the cost of rolling out and operating the 119,799 120L bins would set the council back $7.7m in the first year, with ongoing operational costs reaching about $2.5m in the years that follow.

“These costs would be borne by households at a time of increasing cost-of-living pressure,” the report read.

The report also argued the introduction of the purple bins would be “premature” to introduce a fourth bin, arguing residents did not go through enough glass to justify the extra bin.

According to the report, the council said it would take 34 weeks for residents to fill half of the 120L bins with glass.

Boroondara Mayor Wes Gault told NewsWire the expanded CDS was a better solution.

He said the introduction of the purple bins would set the inner-Melbourne ratepayers back $6.5m in the first year, followed by $2.2m in operational costs moving forward.

“We are one of 35 councils collectively advocating the State Government to pause their mandated rollout and work with us to create more efficient, cost-effective options that can achieve the same environmental results without costing our residents millions of dollars,” he told NewsWire. “The Container Deposit Scheme is being expanded nationally - our efforts should be focused on supporting this expansion where our community gets something back in return, instead of enforcing a costly service they don’t need.”

He said the council could deliver a “sustainable and efficient waste and recycling service that meets local community need, delivers optimum environmental outcomes and provides best public value without the need for a fourth bin in Boroondara”.

“Together we’re saying NO to more bins, more confusion, more contamination, more trucks and more emissions,” he said.

NewsWire has contacted the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action for comment.