Greater Shepparton City Council has reminded residents to be mindful of which bin their waste is ending up in as region-wide efforts to lower waste contamination rates continue.
Council has made changes to kerbside collection services in the past year to align with the Victorian Government's aim to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030.
These changes include the introduction of the purple-lidded glass-recycling bins, and the switch to weekly green bin collection and fortnightly red-lid bin waste collection.
Council thanked residents for their recycling efforts and said the consistent separation of household waste and recycling was vital to prevent recyclables ending up in landfill.
Residents are urged to take extra care when separating their waste, specifically regarding what goes in the green-lidded food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin.
So, what can go in the so-called FOGO bin?
Food scraps, paper towel, tissues, pizza boxes, coffee grinds, tea bags, garden waste, meat and bones can all go in the FOGO bin.
However, items like nappies, clothes, sand, kitty litter, soft plastics and non-organic recyclables cannot.
When FOGO bins are highly contaminated with items that can’t be composted, there is a risk that loads cannot be decontaminated and subsequently become landfill waste.
If contaminated FOGO material ends up in landfill, it produces the greenhouse gas methane which prevents it from breaking down naturally due to a lack of oxygen.
Then, the moisture from FOGO waste, combined with other contaminants, creates harmful liquids that must be contained and collected to prevent ground contamination.
“The green bin and its contents are important in helping us reduce our contamination and lower the ongoing costs of our landfill sites,” council’s infrastructure director Gary Randhawa said.
Council acknowledged and thanked the diligence of Tatura residents, where contamination rates have sat at a low 0-3 per cent across recent months.
Murchison, Merrigum and Toolamba were also commended, with rates in all towns consistently falling below 10 per cent.
“Everyone has a role to play in helping reduce the waste which ends up in landfill,” Mr Randhawa said.
“Some areas of our region are already doing fantastic work in this space, however more needs to be done to ensure we see these similar results across the whole municipality.”
For more information, visit https://greatershepparton.com.au/animals-environment-and-waste/waste-and-recycling
To find out more about education on waste separation and recycling, contact the resource recovery team on 5832 9700 or at council@shepparton.vic.gov.au