Expansion of kerbside garden waste service in Macedon Ranges

Published on 26 October 2018

Residents will soon be able to place fruit and vegetable waste into green garden bins following Council’s approval of an expansion of the garden waste service.

From 1 November residents who have a green garden bin will be able to place fruit and vegetable waste including scraps, peelings, and whole fruit and vegetables into garden waste bins.

The vegetable and fruit waste will be processed with the garden waste and turned into compost.

Council data shows about 25 per cent of the contents of our garbage bins is food waste which ends up in landfill, where it generates harmful greenhouse gases. By composting fruit and vegetable waste residents can significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and at the same time produce a useful product in compost.

Council’s Acting Director Assets and Operations, Anne-Louise Lindner said the expansion of the garden waste service would not only reduce the amount of waste going to landfill but would highlight the importance of trying to reduce food wastage.

“When we looked at the amount of food in our garbage bins it really highlighted that something needed to be done to reduce this,” she said.

“Expanding the kerbside garden waste service is a good start, but we’ll be doing more to encourage people to reduce the amount of food we waste as well.

“We know many people produce compost at home from food waste or feed their fruit and vegetable waste to chickens and other animals, and we encourage them to continue that good work.”

A community education program on ways residents can reduce food wastage is being developed and will be implemented next year.

Council approved the trial expansion of the garden waste service at its Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday night. Council will review the outcomes of the trial service expansion in early 2019 to assess whether a full food organics garden organics service could be implemented at the start of the 2019/20 financial year.