Advertisement

State set to roll out a fourth rubbish bin for all residents

Sweeping changes are being made to how Victorians sort their household rubbish, with the addition of an extra purple bin.

By 2030, all Victorian homes will be required to have four bins under new laws introduced to state parliament.

It means recycling waste will be split into two bins — yellow for plastics and paper plus a new purple one for glass.

The red bin will still be used for general rubbish and the green for organics.

General view of the current and planned waste bins outside a property in Spotswood, Melbourne, Monday, February 24, 2020. Source: AAP
All Victorian households will have to sort waste into four separate bins by 2030, if news laws pass. Source: AAP

New recycling laws introduced

The new sorting system is included in the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Bill, which was introduced on Wednesday.

A new body called Recycling Victoria will also be established to oversee and regulate the state's recycling sector from July 2022.

It will fall under the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, helping all local councils to transition over to the four-bin system by 2030, as well as a container deposit scheme from 2023.

Residents in 13 councils are already using four bins.

Girl throwing banana peel in garbage can at home. Source: Getty Images
Under the new system, red is for rubbish, purple is for glass, yellow is for paper, plastics and metal and green is for organics. Source: Getty Images

Environment Minister Lily D'Amboriso said she wouldn’t be surprised if all councils adopted the new system “much sooner”.

"For too long, we've had a sector that has been desegregated, that has been very disjointed, with a whole range of different rules existing across a whole range of different municipalities, making it really hard for Victorians who want to do the right thing in terms of recycling," she told reporters.

It’s estimated the new measures will divert up to 650,000 tonnes of organic waste away from landfill.

With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.