Moreland Council moves towards bin policy that caused chaos in the west

Looks like there could be more trips to the tip after a council voted on a draft policy to move to fortnightly rubbish bin pick- ups.

Moreland’s draft policy would see general rubbish collection move to a fortnightly basis. Picture Norm Oorloff

Residents in Melbourne’s northwest may be forced to have their garbage removed fortnightly after a council voted for a new kerbside waste policy.

The move came just two weeks after Hobsons Bay Council voted to scrap a similar fortnightly collection policy following massive community backlash.

Unlike Hobsons Bay, Moreland Council’s draft policy included upsized bins to compensate for the reduction in collection frequency.

Garbage bins are planned to increase from 80L to 120L and standard recycling bins from 120L to 240L.

Under the plan, residents would be able to opt-in to more frequent collections for an additional fee.

Councillor Adam Pulford said concessions such as larger bins or more frequent collections were included for large households and families with young children.

Pensioners and healthcare concession card holders would also be able to acquire larger bins at no extra cost.

Councillor Angelica Panopoulos said: “We’ve got more concessions and flexibilities than any other council that has tried to implement this change.”

The move is part of a broader shift, pushed by the Victorian government, to transition to a four-bin waste system statewide by the end of the decade.

The system would see Victorians sorting their waste into a food and garden organics (FOGO) bin, a general waste bin, a recycling bin and a glass bin.

The government has handed out more than $127m to the state’s councils to fund the transition.

The next stage of Moreland’s policy is community consultation.