The City of Greater Bendigo will extend its successful, fortnightly organics collection service for all food and garden waste to the townships of Heathcote, Axedale, Goornong and Elmore in January 2021.
City of Greater Bendigo Resource Education and Recovery Manager Brooke Pearce said in 2016 the City introduced an organics waste collection service in urban Bendigo and Marong to divert organic material from landfill and recycle it into compost for reuse.
"The organics service has been an outstanding success with over 43,000 tonnes of organics diverted from landfill from more than 39,000 households since the service commenced," Ms Pearce said.
"Residents have really embraced the service and its pleasing that contamination in the organics collections is less than one per cent which is great news.
"It is now time to extend the organics collection to our larger townships to ensure even more organic waste is collected and recycled into compost.
"Extending the service complies with the Victorian Government State-wide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan and the Recycling Victoria Policy. It is also a recommendation of the City's Food System Strategy 2020/2030.
"The City's organics service also reduces the landfill levy that the City must pay to the State Government each year for every tonne of waste that is sent to landfill. This currently totals over $5.7 million each year.
"Organic waste that is placed in landfill is the biggest cause of dangerous methane gas and other greenhouse gases. Keeping organic waste out of landfill and recycling it into compost is not only good for the environment, it's right and smart thing to do.
"In January 2021, the City will deliver a new 240 litre lime green lid organics bin, a kitchen caddy, a supply of special compostable caddy liners, a collection calendar and an information booklet about the organics service and existing waste and recycling services to homes that will receive the service in Heathcote, Axedale, Goornong and Elmore.
"Residents in the townships will receive the new organics service for free until July 2021 and the City will commence charging for the service on their rates notice for the 2021/2022 financial year.
"When the new organics service commences weekly waste and fortnightly recycling collection days will not change as the organics bin will be collected on the opposite week to the recycling collection."
