Councillors to consider glass recycling service proposal

Published on 24 October 2022

Mildura Rural City Councillors will consider introducing the State Government’s mandated separate glass recycling service at this weeks’ Ordinary Council Meeting.

Thousands of homes and businesses across the region would get a fourth, purple-lidded wheelie bin for glass, under the proposed plan. If it goes ahead, the new bins will be introduced from July 2024.

New State Government legislation requires all Victorian councils to provide four waste and recycling streams – including dedicated glass recycling – by 2030.

Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said the new laws aimed to reduce the unsustainable amount of waste Victorians send to landfill each year.

“Glass often breaks during the collection process which contaminates other valuable materials such as paper and cardboard, reducing their quality and ability to be recycled,” Cr Wood said.

“Keeping glass separate means more materials can be recycled into valuable products and ultimately keeps more materials out of landfill.”

Many Victorian councils already have a glass recycling service in place or are in the planning stages for this to start.

A 2021 audit found that glass made up 43% by weight of the contents of the average kerbside recycling bin.

“Separating glass out would free up more space in your mixed recycling bin for things like cardboard, paper, aluminium, steel and rigid plastics,” Cr Wood said.

Mildura Rural City Council currently provides a three-stream service which includes general rubbish, mixed recycling and food and garden organics bins.

Under the proposed new system, households and businesses would receive a fourth, 120L, purple-lid bin, to be emptied once a month. Glass would no longer be accepted in the yellow-lid mixed recycling bin.

Recycling drop-off points would be set up at rural transfer stations for residents who do not have access to the kerbside bin service.

If the plan goes ahead, a glass recycling facility would also be established in the Mildura region, meaning all the glass collected would be processed locally and turned in to new products like roads.

Mildura Rural City Councillors will consider the proposed new glass recycling service at the October Ordinary Council Meeting. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live on Council’s website from 5.30pm on Thursday 27 October. The Council Meeting Agenda and full report is available to view at www.mildura.vic.gov.au

For more information about the new State Government legislation that requires a separate glass service visit www.vic.gov.au/Standardising-household-recycling-across-Victoria

ENDS