Organics bins get go-ahead

A KERBSIDE organics and green waste collection service will be implemented in urban areas of the Ballina Shire by July next year.

Organic waste is dumped with general waste at the Ballina Shire Council’s waste services facility. The council is aiming to recycle all its organic and green waste when it starts kerbside collections from next July. . Picture: Jerad Williams

A KERBSIDE organics and green waste collection service will be implemented in urban areas of the Ballina Shire by July next year.

The new bins will be collected each week, but general waste bins will only be collected on a fortnightly basis.

The council’s civil services group manager John Truman said that was because green and organics waste generally accounted for about half of the total waste in the average household bin.

“About 50 per cent of our waste stream is organics and green waste,” he said.

“We also need to collect the organics weekly so it doesn’t rot in people’s bins.

“This is the system that Lismore City Council operates, and that will give us the chance to co-operate on aregional level in the future.”

An education program will be implemented to teach residents how to sort their rubbish.

Mr Truman said the new waste strategy would have both environmental andfinancial benefits.

“This bin structure is the one that will lead to the greatest diversion from landfill,” he said.

“We haven’t yet settled on what the changes to the waste charges will be.

“The final costs won’t be certain until we determine how we will process the green waste.

“But the cost to collect and process it is, generally, going to be less expensive than the cost to landfill.”

It is expected that the new green waste and organics bins will be distributed and ready for collections to start by July 1 next year.

Cr Jeff Johnson said it was ‘about time’ the organics kerbside collection service wasintroduced.

“This will be one of the most environmentally friendly and cost-saving initiatives that this council will do in its term,” he said.

“It’s significant and I’ve been pushing for it for a while.

“Straight away, we will be able to halve what goes into landfill. It’s the best decision we’ve made and I feel proud to be a part of that.

“But as far as an integrated waste strategy goes, we’ve still got a long way to go.

“We don’t recycle enough.

“We need to make it easier for businesses.”

Councillors last week voted to put the draft Integrated Waste Management Strategy on public exhibition.

Meanwhile, council staff will investigate ways to make the commercial front-lift waste service more viable, after a rescission motion at last week’s meeting was passed.

The motion – which was put forward by Cr Alan Brown – was carried on Mayor Phillip Silver’s casting vote.

“I am pleased,” Cr Brown said.

“I would like to think that this service can be a success, if it’s properly driven.

“We won’t make a lot of money, but I think we should proceed further with it.”

Originally published as Organics bins get go-ahead