Please note: this is an archived news article release

This article was published on Thursday, 15 October, 2015. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

Council expands organic waste service

The expanded service provides 240 litre green lid bins to an extra 5,700 residents who don’t already have one and a convenient way of dealing with kitchen waste for all residents in urban areas.

Every urban household in Greater Shepparton, including units and flats, will receive a complimentary 8 litre kitchen caddy and a roll of 150 purple compostable bags to line them with. This means all kitchen scraps, especially those which can’t be added to your compost bin or worm farm can be added to the green lid bin. Products such as meat scraps, fish, bones and dairy which attract rodents and flies, can be placed in the lined kitchen caddy and emptied into the green lid bin.

The green lid bin can also take animal droppings, tissues and paper napkins, hair and the usual lawn clippings, garden prunings, weeds and branches under 100mm in diameter. This provides a convenient, cost effective way of getting rid of organic products that can be an issue for some residents.

For residents receiving a green lid bin for the first time, it will be collected on a fortnightly basis on the alternative week to the recycling yellow lid bin.

Greater Shepparton City Councillor Jenny Houlihan said “It’s a really exciting time for residents who will soon have a comprehensive waste collection service. The kitchen caddy and compostable bags are a great idea,” said Cr Houlihan.

Residents who live in units or flats will receive an 80 litre green lid bin while all other residents without a green lid bin will receive a 240 litre bin. “The service charge will be $78 per year but for the 5,700 residents receiving a green lid bin for the first time the charge will be reduced to $48.60 because they will not have had the service for a full year,” said Cr Houlihan. “As most residents already have a green lid bin they won’t have any extra costs. They are getting a better service for the same money.”

“Residents can save on their waste costs by reducing their 240 litre red lid bin to an 80 litre red lid bin which saves $204 per year,” said Cr Houlihan. If you want to down size your red bin please just let council know.

“The other benefit to the expanded service is that less reusable products are ending up in landfill which reduces the cost to Council and the environment. The green lid bins are picked up from your kerbside, taken to Western Composting to be converted into compost which is then used by landscapers and farmers and returned to the earth,” Cr Houlihan.

New green lid bins, kitchen caddies and purple compostable bags will be delivered from 19 October until 6 November. The new service will commence on 16 November, 2015.

For more information visit: www.greatershepparton.com.au or call 5832 9700.