Lismore's villages get organic waste bins

ALL rural village residents in the Lismore City Council area have received a new green organics bin in preparation for the new rural village organics service starting on Monday.

ALL rural village residents in the Lismore City Council area have received a new green organics bin in preparation for the new rural village organics service starting on Monday.

Residents of Nimbin, Clunes, Bexhill, The Channon, Dunoon, Modanville, Tullera, Caniaba, Wyrallah, North Woodburn and Richmond Hill have received their new green bin as well as a benchtop kitchen caddy, roll of compostable caddy liners, and a comprehensive information package.

Council anticipates that through the rural village organics expansion, 617 tonnes of organic waste will be diverted from landfill each year. This food and garden waste will be processed and sold as compost and mulch for local farms and gardens.

Council's Waste and Water Education Officer Danielle Hanigan said the service is at no extra cost to residents who already pay for waste collection. Rural village residents will now have the three-bin service that has operated successfully in the urban areas of Lismore since 2006.

"We also want to let commercial properties know they have not been left out - we will consult commercial customers on an individual basis to determine their collection requirements," Ms Hanigan said.

"We expect there may be a few small teething problems with the new service and we ask residents to please be patient during the initial rollout phase.

"We may have to change some pick-up times by an hour or two to facilitate the new collections runs, but no collection days will change unless you are directly notified by mail.

"This only affects a handful of people including those in Richmond Hill."

The new green organics bins will be collected weekly, with waste and recycling collected on alternate fortnights.

The organics bin is for the disposal of all food and garden waste, including fruit and vegetable scraps; meat, fish and bones (including prawn shells etc); dairy, bread, pasta and rice; and lawn clippings, leaves, twigs and small branches.

The project is funded through the NSW Environmental Protection Authority's Waste Less, Recycle More initiative and is an integral part of Lismore's recycling revolution.

Should you have any questions about the organics service, phone Council on 1300 87 83 87 or visit www.northernriverswaste.com.au.