The ‘damn purple bin’ was under the lens at the last council meeting, with the rollout of a glass-only recycling bin still a question mark for residents in the Yarra Ranges.
Mandatory glass recycling for the community was given a thumbs down by the Yarra Ranges Council at its recent meeting on Tuesday 9 December.
In what was considered an expected move, councillors moved a motion not to support the State Government’s imposed mandatory glass service as it is now, due to the burden and cost it would pass on to the community.
The motion includes calling upon the State Government to permit other options and pause the rollout.
Yarra Ranges cited the lack of release on the State’s service standards as part of the reason for the call.
“I believe that mandatory glass recycling does not suit our communities,” Melba Ward Councillor Mitch Mazzarella said.
“Giving every household another bin and passing on the cost of the service to the rate payer is not the right approach to take.”
The motion also supported continued support and efforts between Yarra Ranges and other Victorian councils to take on the State Policy on the matter.
The 2020 Recycling Victoria: A new Economy Policy and the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 requires councils to provide residents with a four-stream waste collection service, including a separate glass service by 2027 and food organics and garden organics by 2030.
The council had previously deferred the glass bin addition in July 2024 until July 2026 and then deferred it again to 2027 with the announcement of the 2025/26 budget.
Concerned with the way the service would be delivered and the cost to ratepayers, councillors discussed several factors, from poor uptakes reported by other councils who have already adopted the bin, to changes in recycling as a whole and the ongoing effects of the Container Deposit Scheme.
“To be clear, I’m not opposed to having some form of glass recycling available for ratepayers – a drop-off point would be the better option,” Cr Mazzarella said.
“Rate payers don’t want it, can’t afford it and won’t use it.”
Billanook Cr Tim Heenan advocated for the aged care services in his area and said they were already struggling with three bins, along with the need to pursue the expansion of the CDS to include jars and wine bottles.
“I sincerely hope they’ll come to their senses this time and not want to implement this useless purple bin for the collection of glass,” he said.
Looking at the cost to the consumer versus the producers of waste in the larger recycling landscape, Lyster Ward Councillor Peter Mcilwain said he predicted new technology would also be a major influence.
Pointing out issues with broken glass in the yellow recycling bins, Walling Ward Cr Len Cox OAM said that the separation into a new bin would improve the quality of all the recyclables and did not support the motion.
“I think there ought to be some work done on how to get around, recycling the glass separately,” he said.
Detailed reports are available on the matter within the council’s agenda, and state that since the introduction of the CDS, the amount of glass collected in kerbside garbage bins in the Yarra Ranges has remained stable whereas the amount of glass in recycling bins has reduced significantly.
Audits of resident’s kerbside garbage and recycling bins from before and after the CDS came in on November 2023, show a 15 per cent decrease in the amount of total glass collected in recycling bins, as well as movement of eligible glass containers out of the kerbside system. However, some community members have also been throwing glass into their garbage bins.
Yarra Ranges, along with other councils that don’t comply with the State’s plans, are at risk for not complying with the legislation, but they are not alone, with 31 other Victorian Councils actively working to postpone the mandatory implementation for councils to provide a glass-only bin service to households.
The motion passed with all in favour except for Cr Cox.
