As part of the Victorian Government's waste reform strategy, Greater Shepparton City Council has commenced the rollout of the Purple Lid (glass only) Bin with all bins expected to be delivered within four weeks.
The State Government is standardising household recycling and waste services across the state with the introduction of a new Recycling and Waste Policy. Standardising household recycling across Victoria is a key initiative of the State Government's circular economy policy and plan, 'Recycling Victoria: A New Economy'.
In order to meet the key actions from this strategy, Greater Shepparton will need to make significant changes to our waste collection in order to meet the state target of 80 per cent reduction to landfill by 2030.
The Separate Glass Collection is a Victorian State Government initiative which will be compulsory to all Victorian Councils by 2030. Greater Shepparton City Council chose to implement the individual bin option and adopted this early to allow it to secure additional State Government funding and make the service more affordable for our community.
Consultation with the community on the kerbside transition options was conducted in March 2022 with the responses informing the community's preferences for the new Purple Lid (glass only) Bin.
The results of the survey indicated that 80 per cent of residents wanted a glass bin and 20 per cent wanted a drop-off service. The community also saw this as a paired service with the recycling bin, so anyone who currently has a recycling bin should have a glass bin. [REF: July 2022 Council Meeting Agenda. See page 52]
To comply with the policy, Council has introduced a fourth Purple Lid Bin for glass, which will be collected every four weeks to improve diversion of glass waste from landfill and increase resource recovery through cleaner recycling.
The Purple Lid Bin will be used to collect glass bottles and jars, both with and without lids, complimenting the Yellow Lid Bin mixed recycling. Every household within Greater Shepparton will receive a 120 litre Purple Lid Bin which will be collected every four weeks, on the same day as your usual kerbside collection.
The Purple Lid Bin can be used for all glass bottles and jars, and should be used instead of the Yellow Lid Bin mixed recycling. Glass can often break and mix with the other recycled items, like cardboard and plastic containers, making it difficult to separate and contaminating the recycling process. By collecting glass products separately, we can improve the recycling process and recover resources more efficiently.
Learn more about the Purple Lid Bin
Residents are reminded that some glass items such as light globes and window panes cannot be placed in the Purple Lid Bin. These items should be placed in your Red Lid Bin general waste, or disposed of at your nearest Resource Recovery Centre.
Council's Director Infrastructure, Gary Randhawa, said the Victorian Government's standardised four-bin system aims to separate materials at the source to ensure better recycling and less waste ending up in landfill.
"Consistent separation of household waste and recycling will increase the quality of recycled material produced for reuse. The Purple Lid Bin will fit in with the current collection service, with the bin collected every four weeks alongside residents' other bins," he said.
"While separating glass from the rest of our recyclables is a small change, it will have a significant positive impact on the circular economy outcomes for our region and the state. The government's standardised system aims to ensure consistency of service by supporting improved household recycling and reduced contamination, moving Victoria towards a circular economy.
"The first collections for the Purple Lid Bins will commence from Monday 3 June. Council's online bin collection calendar has been updated so residents can check for the dates of their collection."
Please be aware there is no service charge this financial year for the new bin. The Purple Lid Bin service charge will be included in your annual rates and charges from 2024/2025, once the Budget is adopted at the June Council meeting.
