Council bans common household item from recycling bins
A council in Victoria has told residents they are no longer allowed to put glass in their recycling bins.
The decision from Macedon Ranges Shire Council comes after the collapse of recycling giant SKM which has caused widespread waste issues across Victoria.
“At its Ordinary Council Meeting on 28 August Council endorsed plans to remove glass from the current mixed recycling household bin collection service,’ council revealed.
A major stumbling block for SKM was that shards or fragments of glass regularly contaminated other recyclables such as cardboard.
This meant SKM struggled to sell on stockpiles of recycled materials with potential buyers unwilling to clean it up themselves.
“Small pieces of glass can become embedded in paper and cardboard in recycling bins and contaminate the other recyclables,” the council, north of Melbourne, said.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council revealed they have managed to find a recycling company willing to process their recycling if council can ensure it isn’t contaminated.
This request has led council to prohibiting any glass being placed into recycling bins.
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Residents must instead transport their glass items, such as beer and wine bottles and glass jars, even if unbroken, to transfer stations in Kyneton, Woodend and Romsey.
If that is unfeasible, residents are told to put their glass in their normal bins, sending it to landfill.
Deakin University lecturer in hazards material management Dr Trevor Thornton told Yahoo News Australia last month that residents were uneducated on how to recycle properly, which contributed to such contamination.
Town trials separate glass bin
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is currently trialling a fourth recycling bin solely for glass at 650 addresses in Lancefield with a view to implementing it across the shire if successful.
Following the announcement of the change on Facebook, the response from locals was mixed.
Some suggested the new recycling rules were impractical.
“Not very helpful for those who are unable to drive. Yet another ‘favour’ they will have to call in from a friend or neighbour to help them with this,” one person wrote.
“ANOTHER bin!?!? And at what cost to us!!” another asked.
Yet others praised council for their quick action during a difficult period.
“Thanks for your work in sorting out this fiddly and complex issue. The priority for me is for our waste to be processed here, as in Australia,” one person said.
“This is an incredibly quick turnaround to providing a workable solution to a difficult problem. Thanks and kudos to MRSC for how seriously you are taking this,” another wrote.
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