Brisbane’s green bin rollout schedule revealed
Council has begun distributing 160,000 green waste bins across 11 Brisbane suburbs, with renters now also eligible. SEE THE ROLLOUT SCHEDULE
A citywide rollout of green bins, promised in this year’s Brisbane City Council budget, has kicked off in 11 suburbs.
About 160,000 green garden waste bins would be distributed over the next four months.
Half of all eligible households, or about 170,000, presently had the bins.
Renters were now eligible to receive a green bin but people who already composted or managed their green waste differently could still opt out.
About 65,000 to 80,000 tonnes of green waste a year would potentially be diverted from landfill because of the program.
As part of the rollout, the Waste Utility Charge has been replaced with a Universal Waste Charge.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner defended the rollout after it emerged ratepayers would be slugged $49.52 a year for the bins — even if they did not need or want them.
“We’ve been upfront about the fact that we were going to do it, but we actually had to apply to the state government for some funding support for that,” Mr Schrinner said at the time the scheme was announced in June.
He said ratepayers, overall, would save between $2 million and $3 million in the first year and up to $32 million over five years because the new system would help offset the rising cost of the former State Government’s waste levy bin tax.
“If you removed the impact of the State Government’s ‘bin tax’ council’s waste charge for houses that don’t have a green bin (waste charges) would only have increased by the normal annual amount – 3.87 per cent, or around $4 a quarter,” Mr Schrinner said.
“Every green bin collected means less landfill, more mulch and compost for reuse and big savings for residents thanks to lower waste levy costs.’’
Labor Opposition Leader in Council, Jared Cassidy, said Ms Schrinner knew the “LNP bin tax was coming, he was warned’’.
“But instead of planning years in advance he sat on his hands until the last minute and now all of Brisbane is paying for his mistake,’’ he said.
“The extra rates people are now paying for waste have nothing to do with green bins, it’s just to pay the State Government more.
“Thousands of residents will be paying for a green bin they won’t be receiving until October.
“That’s like paying a Netflix subscription but not being able to watch anything for three months. How is this acceptable?
“We need to remove a hundred thousand tonnes of organic waste going into landfill every year.
It’s still not clear how the LNP will achieve this in the long term, apart from taxing you.”
The rollout would continue until December. Any changes to suburbs or dates would be published on Council’s website as they occurred.
