By Luke Voogt
A glass drop-off scheme could replace plans for a fourth bin in Geelong, with council leaving its options open on a state government recycling deadline.
Council on Tuesday night allocated $10,000 toward the creation of a transition plan for a purple bin for glass, or an “equivalent waste service”.
An equivalent waste service could include a glass drop-off scheme similar to that in Ballarat, according to council’s waste services manager Rodney Thomas.
City of Ballarat last year introduced the scheme requiring residents to dispose their glass at one of eight drop-off sites.
The state government’s new circular economy policy requires Victorian councils to introduce a separate collection for glass by 2027.
Geelong currently has three residential bins: yellow for paper, plastic and glass recycling, green for garden waste and red for other waste.
City Hall officers will develop the transition plan for separate glass collection with a draft due at the end of September.
“There is quite a bit of work to be done to prepare greater Geelong for a move to the new waste system,” mayor Stephanie Asher said.
“But we have a solid 10-year waste strategy in place and our team is already doing the necessary planning.”
Waste management portfolio chair Ron Nelson said council’s 10-year Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy “set the vision” to “actively avoid waste and increase resource recovery”.
“These reforms will help us recover and recycle more resources, reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill and contributing to a circular economy.”
The state government’s circular economy policy also requires separate collection services for food and garden organics by 2030.
Food waste currently amounts to about one-third of rubbish in household garbage bins.
Council will begin a household food collection service trial this financial year in partnership with Barwon Water and neighbouring councils.
Together the organisations plan to investigate a regional network seeking to use organic waste to generate renewable energy and soil fertiliser products.
Cr Asher also restated council’s previous offer for Geelong to be a trial site for a container deposit scheme.
“We see this as a very important part of the recycling reforms and we’d love to see a container deposit scheme available in greater Geelong as soon as possible,” she said.
