Edward River Council will introduce a new system of waste collection next year to divert recycling and organics away from landfill.
At its July meeting, Council endorsed the introduction of a "3 bin" system that will allow food and garden waste to be collected from households, as well as a separate collection for materials to be recycled.
Edward River Council Mayor Cr Peta Betts said the new system will be pivotal in helping drive growth in the region.
"This new waste system will be a gamechanger for our Council and we are very excited to be introducing it to Deniliquin residents. We are taking steps to become a progressive region with the adoption of our Growth Strategy, so we need to make sure the way we deal with waste is aligned to that vision and we can sustainably support our future growth.
Edward River is one of the few NSW Councils without a recycling collection. However, its introduction along with FOGO (food organics green organics) collection means Edward River will join Councils who are leading the state in waste management. Cr Betts said the change from one bin to three would mean some adjustment in the way households managed their waste, but it was well worth doing.
"Deni residents will now have three separate 240-litre bins, with organics collected weekly, and recycling and general waste collected fortnightly. Instead of having to take lawn and garden clippings to the tip, residents will be able to fill up their bin and have it collected for them. Plus households will get a little kitchen tidy and compostable liners to manage kitchen food scraps."
"The 3 bin system means our recycling can be handled by a professional Material Recovery Facility where it will be sorted and then recycled. And our new organics collection will handle food waste and garden waste and turned into soil or fertiliser."
"With less waste going to landfill, we are extending the life of our facility, not to mention safeguarding the health of our river and protecting our wonderful local environment.
Edward River Council conducted a robust procurement process which was delivered under a joint tender process led by Albury City Council, and awarded the tender to JR Richards for supply of the new bins and ongoing collection and diversion of waste. The new system is predicted to halve the waste going to landfill, with the remainder either recycled or processed into compost for use on farms or parklands.
Under the new system recyclable waste is sent to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operated by Veolia in Echuca. The waste runs through a series of manual and mechanical sorting stations where the different waste streams such as plastic (multiple types), paper, aluminium, steel, cardboard and glass are separated.
After garden waste and food organics have been collected they are taken to Biomix at Stanhope and turned into soil or fertiliser to be used on farms and to keep parklands green.
The introduction of the organics service in NSW councils has been mandated by the NSW Government to help reduce the strain on landfill sites and utilise the compost generated in the region's agricultural industries. The new service will come at an additional annual cost of around $150 per household, which will be determined in consultation with the community on next year's budget.
Cr Betts said there is a huge amount of preparation work to be undertaken over the next 12 months to help the community prepare for the new service.
"There's a lot to learn about recycling but we have received resources through a grant from the NSW Government "Go FOGO" program to help mount a community education program. In addition, we are part of the "Halve Waste" initiative and have joined five other councils – Berrigan, Leeton, Greater Hume, Federation and Murrumbidgee – in introducing the organics bin and will be working together to deliver a consistent waste and recycling message across the Murray and Riverina regions."
"I encourage local residents to keep an eye on our website and facebook page to find out more about the new system and the changes and improvements on the way."
