Inner West Council will rollout food recycling bins to every house in the suburb

The Inner West Council agreed to expand food recycling to every home in the suburb, helping reduce waste and helping to meet the state’s target of bins in every home by 2030.

A move that will see thousands of inner west residents scrape their plates into a dedicated new food bin has been met with a positive reaction from locals, although some are worried about the smell.

The Inner West Council agreed on a motion on Tuesday to expand food recycling throughout the suburb and provide every home with a designated bin by the end of the current term.

Council members unanimously agreed to the motion, which was introduced by Labor councillor for Marrickville Mat Howard.

The move will also help the state government meet its target of every home by 2030 having a designated food organics and garden organics (FOGO) recycling bin and follows the councils of Randwick, Woollahra and Penrith in implementing the scheme.

Pick-up of the recycling initiative has been slow, with the above three councils – and now the Inner West Council – the only LGAs in the city to introduce the bins. The City of Sydney Council and Canterbury-Bankstown Council had both also previously trialled the bins.

The move by the Inner West Council follows the successful rollout of the small recycling bins in strata buildings within the suburb.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne (left) holding up the purple food recycling bin with residents. Picture: Darcy Byrne (Facebook)

“This motion means Council will now expand food recycling to single dwelling houses, so now everyone in the inner west will be able to recycle food scraps and divert them from landfill,” Cr Howard said.

As at November 2021 the food recycling program has saved more than 713 tonnes of food waste from going to landfill. The program covers over 22,000 units in more than 1100 apartment buildings.

A small, purple-lid counter bin is given to residents to fill with their food scraps, before then depositing the provided compostable bin bag in a designated food recycling roadside bin.

Small bins will be given to homes to deposit food waste into, before being recycled.

The majority of residents support the idea, but some are worried about the smell caused by food left to sit out.

“I think it's great that everyone will be getting a food waste bin,” Chloe Alexis, an Ashfield resident, exclaimed.

“I currently use a small compost bin that sits on my bench but it gets full really quickly, so having a food waste bin would help.”

Joanna Harton, from Balmain, said: “I’m very pleased, it’s about time!”

One resident of Stanmore however was worried about the smell.

“I think it’s a gross idea,” James Morrow said.

“Who needs yet another bin and for apartment dwellers it would mean food rotting inside their unit.”

Cr Howard explained that the bins are another step towards a more sustainable inner west.

“Food waste makes up roughly 40% of all the waste in an average household red bin,” he explained.

“Recycling it instead turns scraps into green energy that is fed back to the grid, or compost.”

Cr Howard said that it was encouraging to see such widespread support for the motion and initiative across the council chamber, with all members supporting the motion.

“Inner Westies are passionate about our local environment and I am heartened and grateful that all councillors supported our motion for food recycling,” he said.