Victorian households to sort rubbish into four bins after new purple addition

One state will be forced to sort their household rubbish into four bins under a new disposal plan.

All households in Victoria will be required to sort rubbish into four bins by 2030, under new laws introduced to state parliament on Wednesday.

Recycling waste will be split between two bins once introduced — yellow for plastics and paper and a new purple bin for glass.

Households will continue to use the red bin for general waste and green for organics or garden waste.

The new sorting system is included in the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Bill which will establish a body to oversee and regulate the state’s recycling sector from mid-2022, named Recycling Victoria.

The purple bin will be used to dispose of glass waste. Picture: Mark Stewart

It will fall under the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and be in charge of transitioning to the four-bin system by the end of the decade as well as a container deposit scheme from 2023.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the new system would improve waste minimisation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We know Victorians want to be able to do more to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and use resources wisely – this new legislation helps to do exactly that,” she said.

“These reforms will revolutionise household recycling, drive business innovation and create jobs of the future – delivering Victorians a recycling system they can rely on.”