Yarra trial recognised as leading way in kerbside recycling

Yarra City Council has received a $400,000 grant from the State Government today to expand the kerbside recycling trial, in a bid to develop a more sustainable approach to managing waste that recovers valuable resources and reduces waste going to landfill.

The trial is currently taking place with 1300 households in Abbotsford, with residents separating their waste into four streams: glass, other recycling (paper, cardboard, metal and plastic), food and green waste, and other waste for landfill.

City of Yarra Mayor, Cr Danae Bosler said, “We are very pleased and grateful for the support the Victorian Government has shown Yarra by awarding us this grant. Yarra’s waste revolution is proving to be a great success – significantly reducing waste to landfill and improving the quality of recyclables being collected.

“In just 5 months within our trial area, we have increased waste diverted from landfill from 35% to 60% and reduced contamination in glass and food and organic waste bins from 15% to 3%, which means that more of our waste can be successfully recycled. Our food and organic waste is now composted and used in our local parks or sent to Victorian farms and 90% of the glass we collect separately is being recycled into new glass products and the remainder is being used in bitumen for our local roads. This is the circular economy in action” Cr Bosler said.

Council will consider how and when the trial will be expanded at a meeting later this year.

“Our trial is demonstrating a sustainable and replicable model for kerbside waste and recycling collection and processing. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Victorian Government to share what we learn through our trial and to discuss how this approach could be rolled out more widely across the State” Cr Bosler said.

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