New garden waste service in Whittlesea

A new garden bin waste service is being launched in Whittlesea (Australia).

Ratepayers living in urban areas have an opportunity to increase the recycle of their garden waste and help to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases.

Whittlesea Mayor, Councillor Elizabeth Nealy said each householder who uses the new garden waste bin service being introduced in the middle of this year will join with others helping the environment.

Mayor Nealy said, “Some 7,000 tonnes of material is expected to be recycled through the bin service in a year which is the equivalent to filling the Epping Soccer Stadium to 3.5 metres in depth, or a metre above the goals.  This will divert a huge quantity of garden waste that currently ends up in landfill where it produces serious harmful greenhouse gas emissions for up to 50 years.”

The Garden Waste Bin Service is an optional user-pays service which provides the convenience of a wheelie bin for grass clippings, prunings, weeds and leaves. It will then be collected every two weeks.

The service costs $US 60 ($AUS 65) per year to cover a new bin, regular fortnightly collections and the processing of garden waste into mulch and soil products.

Whittlesea is one of 111 local governments in Australia that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.  For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the Oceania Region, please visit www.iclei.org/oceania.

Source:  “It’s easy being green with a garden waste bin”, Whittlesea City Council News Release, 20 February 2008.