With less than three months to go until Mitchell Shire’s new four bin system is officially rolled out—pun intended—preparations are in full swing to ensure all residents have access to their new bins ahead of time, with council’s contractor currently in the process of delivering more than 40,000 new glass recycling and food and garden organics bins.
A new seven litre kitchen caddy will also be delivered to residents, to collect vegetable scraps and left over food. Once the caddy is full, residents can empty the contents into the food and garden organics bin. Caddies can be lined with old newspaper, paper towel, or lime green compostable caddy liners stamped with AS5810 or AS4736.
Changes to the kerbside collection frequency will begin from March 1, 2025. The new food and garden organics bin will be collected weekly, while the general rubbish bin will move to a fortnightly collection. Mixed recycling will continue to be collected fortnightly, alternating with the general rubbish bin, while the new glass recycling bin will be collected monthly.
Waste from the food and garden organics bin, which can accept lawn clippings, leaves, weeds, and various food items, including dairy products, meat, and bones, will be processed into compost at Repurpose It Epping.
From March, glass bottles and jars must be placed in the glass bin. Once collected, the contents will be sent for processing and made into new jars, bottles, and road base material.
While acknowledging the new system would be a ‘significant change’ for some, Mitchell Shire Council Chief Executive Brett Luxford praised the home and environmental benefits of the garden and organics bin.
“Over the coming months, bins will be delivered to properties across the shire, along with a kitchen caddy and an information pack on how to use the new services,” he said.
“We understand this will be a significant change for some residents, and our team is here to assist everyone during this transition.
“I encourage all residents to visit the Kerbside Transition page on council’s website or contact our Customer Service team for any support they may need.
“I’m personally looking forward to using the new bins in my own home and with the addition of the kitchen caddy, I’ll soon be able to divert a number of food scraps and garden weeds that aren’t able to be home composted into the food and garden organics bin instead of putting them in the general rubbish bin.”
For a personalised bin collection calendar and bin day reminders, download the My Mitchell app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store or visit our website for the bin collection schedule at www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/bins.
If locals have not received their new bins by February 28, 2025, they are encouraged to contact council for assistance.
