The Borough of Queenscliffe will introduce a new kerbside food waste collection service in a bid to make its household waste collection more financially and environmentally sustainable.
Starting in August this year, Borough residents will be asked to place food waste in their green-lidded bins, so it can be composted instead of going to landfill.
The Borough will also alter its bin collection schedule, with the food and green waste bin collected weekly, while the landfill and recycling bins will be collected fortnightly.
Mayor Ross Ebbels said the change had a range of benefits for residents.
“By composting our food and green waste, we’re avoiding expensive landfill taxes and the greenhouse gases emitted from organic matter when it’s buried in a landfill,” Cr Ebbels said.
“I’m excited to start processing our food waste in a way that’s better for the budget, better for the planet and better for our community.”
Cr Ebbels said a recent bin audit showed almost 40 per cent the waste in the Borough’s household landfill bins was food waste.
Currently food waste to landfill, but the state government will start taxing it at $125.90 per tonne from July 1.
“Every tonne of waste we don’t send to landfill is a tonne of waste we don’t have to pay the Victorian government’s landfill tax on. With this tax increasing every year, these costs will add up for ratepayers if we don’t manage our waste more sustainably,” Cr Ebbels said.
“Composting our food waste will be cheaper for our residents over the long term by avoiding these landfill taxes.”
Households in the Borough will receive information and equipment deliveries in the coming months, including a benchtop kitchen caddy, a larger 240-litre recycling bin, and information sheets on how to sort waste using the new system.
Kerbside collections of food waste are expected to begin in August this year, with households to be notified of their first collection date in the coming months.
