Moyne Shire Council's glass recycling: one year on, going strong

Victoria’s Moyne Shire Council was one of Australia’s first councils to introduce a glass-only bin collection system, introducing a fourth kerbside bin in September 2019.

Eight community groups were engaged to work with the council to hand deliver more than 6000 glass-only, purple-lidded bins — adding to the existing collection service that includes recycling, FOGO (food organics, garden organics) and landfill/general waste. Glass-only bins are collected monthly, recycling and FOGO fortnightly, and landfill is collected weekly.

Glass from the kerbside collection service has been recycled and used in the making of local roads including Toolong North Road, Walsh Road and Dickson Street, Warrnambool.

Moyne Shire Mayor Cr Daniel Meade said the move has significantly reduced the amount of glass going to landfill.

“Glass accounted for about 40% of recyclables in Council’s kerbside collection. Now, one year on we have collected over 570 tonnes of glass — that’s more than two million glass bottles,” Cr Meade said.

Community groups such as The Koroit Cricket Club, Nirranda Football Netball Club and Grassmere Primary School Parent and Friends received $5 for every bin delivered, creating a new fundraising stream for the clubs and groups.

Community engagement and education was integral to the successful rollout of the scheme. A branded Better4Moyne campaign was launched to engage and educate the community about the new four-bin kerbside collection service.

Cr Meade said that as an early adopter of glass separation, Moyne Shire Council was playing an important leadership role.

“We have seen a behavioural shift in residents, even during the pandemic. People have been able to come on board with the four-bin service putting the right things in each bin and we are so proud of the residents of Moyne,” he said.

One year on, glass-only bins are now an entrenched part of the four-bin waste collection system.

“The four-bin system is a great example of Council’s forward-thinking approach to waste management and a great way to reduce the impact on the environment. We hope other municipalities can learn from our experiences and ultimately follow suit.”