East Gippsland Shire Council has joined 14 other Victorian councils requesting the State to reconsider its plan to introduce kerbside glass recycling.
The collective of councils understands the importance of glass recycling and commends the Victorian Government on its commitment to increasing resource recovery rates. However, there are alternative approaches that can achieve the desired outcomes more cost effectively and environmentally efficiently, including the successful Container Deposit Scheme (CDS).
Mayor Cr John White said Council had joined the other Councils in advocating to the Victoria Government to ensure the financial cost to ratepayers was kept as low as possible.
"We are in challenging economic times, and we must consider the impact statewide decisions can have on our communities. Kerbside glass recycling is one government program that, if implemented as proposed, will cost our ratepayers more," John said.
"Fortunately, we have a program - the Container Deposit Scheme - that can provide this service, continue to reduce waste to landfill, and minimise the impact on local families and communities. This is particularly relevant across our vast shire. We do not need a fourth bin collection service imposed on us."
The letter sent to the Minister for Environment the Hon Steve Dimopoulous highlighted a recently completed research and modelling project, conducted by 22 Victorian local governments, which found that implementing a glass only service would come at a significant cost to local communities, including an estimated $75 million set up fee and additional average ongoing collection and processing cost of $27 per household, per annum. The Government would only offset a small portion of this cost burden.
The modelling found that expanding the CDS to include wine and spirit bottles would have similar benefits to a kerbside glass service but would be less of a financial burden to councils as existing infrastructure can be utilised and collections would be funded via the producers of the bottles and containers, rather than local communities.
The Government's CDS has proven to be successful, with record numbers of glass containers collected in its first year of operation. The statewide scheme has easy-to-access infrastructure and clear educational messaging, making it widely embraced by the community.
In comparison, a household glass only service still requires mechanical processing to remove contamination, resulting in no gate fee reduction from the separated collection. Additionally, utilising the CDS infrastructure and existing transport fleet would result in less transport emissions when compared to a kerbside glass only service. Expanding the CDS to include wine and spirit bottles also aligns with the National Environment Ministers' agreement to a nationally harmonised CDS by the end of 2025.
There are also declining volumes of glass being collected.
"By focusing on expanding the highly successful Container Deposit Scheme to include wine and spirit bottles, and exploring other cost-effective alternatives, we can achieve our shared recycling goals while minimising the financial burden on households and local communities during the current cost of living crisis," the co-signed letter to the Minister requested.
