Hepburn Shire Council considers wider rollout of separate bin for food scraps and garden waste | The Courier

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An organic waste trial for residents in Clunes has been extended for six months before a decision is made on whether the model should be rolled out more widely. Hepburn Shire Council launched the trial in March 2021 with organics bins delivered to residents to collect food scraps and garden waste for processing into compost. The weekly collection was designed to divert waste for landfill for both environmental and cost benefits. It was also a response to Victorian Government policy requiring councils to provide four waste services for households including organics by 2030 and glass by 2027 on top of general waste and recycling. Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Tim Drylie said the trial had been ‘quite successful’ and the extra time would allow for the collection of more data and further refinement of the composting process. “We are considering a wider rollout of food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins which is being considered in the waste strategy review at the moment as part of Sustainable Hepburn project,” he said. Cr Drylie said Clunes residents had prevented more than 100 tonnes of organic and garden waste from going to landfill nine months into the trial. Data recorded shows 12 tonnes of waste is being collected from the organic bins each month. There is a 4.3 per cent contamination rate in the bins, which is higher than most councils sitting at two to three per cent. But Cr Drylie said most contamination was caused by large branches and garden organics which were too large to break down in compost and without this contamination was at an impressive 0.1 per cent. “I think it shows the community is really committed to this project and that the Hepburn Shire community, in particular Clunes residents, value sustainable practices and changing the way we do waste,” he said. All food waste including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, eggshells, bread, pasta, cereals, tea leaves, coffee grinds and mouldy food can be put in the organics bin. Garden waste includes lawn clippings, garden prunings, leaves, weeds and flowers. Animal droppings, kitty litter and hair can also be put in the bins. Cr Drylie said data showed four per cent of the organics collections was food organics, which was less than expected. “Unfortunately food scraps are still being found in the waste bin,” he said. “We remind people not to forget to use the FOGO bin and read about what can and can’t go into the organic bin.” The collected organic material is processed in large composting units at the Creswick Transfer Station. “They are operating well now, the system is still being tweaked, but the product is coming out a lot better to the point where we can share the compost material as a stable product for community,” Cr Drylie said. “We are still working out what the model is to use the compost, that is part of next six months of the trial.” Clunes was selected as the location of the trial due to the size of the population and an expected manageable amount of waste. RELATED COVERAGE: The trial that aims to divert organic waste from landfill The town previously did not have a garden waste service, with residents required to take it to the transfer station themselves. Clunes resident Gary Wilkinson said he was initially skeptical about the need for the FOGO service and did not think it was worth paying for as he composted his own green waste. “After about two months of the trial I realised the bin had been going out full,” he said. “I was filling it with things that used to go in the general bin and other things I didn’t know where they were going in the past.” Mr Wilkinson said he was using the FOGO bin for things like dog poo and noxious weeds that he did not put in his own compost. “I have come to see the value of the service and would be willing to pay for it,” he said. “It would be a question of how much it would cost, but it would likely get me over the line if the composted material became available to residents.” Clunes resident Fiona Etchell said she did her own composting and did not need the FOGO service. “I probably would have preferred if council encouraged people to compost on site at their own homes,” she said. “That way they can turn their supposed waste into a resource for their own garden, not having to have it picked up in a truck and taken away and processed off site. “But if you don’t have a garden or have no interest in gardening then it is great to have the scraps and green waste stay out of landfill.” Ms Etchell said she would have also liked to see council consider the possibility of localised composting, like having a central drop off point and community compost in Clunes rather than sending it to Creswick. Many councils around the state have already introduced a FOGO bin as part of their waste services. Fifty three of the 79 councils in Victoria currently provide some sort of organics collection service, according to Sustainability Victoria. Of these, 28 services are regular compulsory services and 25 are an optional user-pays service. Food waste makes up 36 per cent of collected residual waste from households, according to Sustainability Victoria. Have you signed up to The Courier’s variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that’s happening in Ballarat.

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An organic waste trial for residents in Clunes has been extended for six months before a decision is made on whether the model should be rolled out more widely.

Hepburn Shire Council launched the trial in March 2021 with organics bins delivered to residents to collect food scraps and garden waste for processing into compost.

The weekly collection was designed to divert waste for landfill for both environmental and cost benefits.

It was also a response to Victorian Government policy requiring councils to provide four waste services for households including organics by 2030 and glass by 2027 on top of general waste and recycling.

I think it shows the community is really committed to this project .

Cr Tim Drylie, Hepburn Shire mayor

Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Tim Drylie said the trial had been ‘quite successful’ and the extra time would allow for the collection of more data and further refinement of the composting process.

“We are considering a wider rollout of food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins which is being considered in the waste strategy review at the moment as part of Sustainable Hepburn project,” he said.

Cr Drylie said Clunes residents had prevented more than 100 tonnes of organic and garden waste from going to landfill nine months into the trial.

Data recorded shows 12 tonnes of waste is being collected from the organic bins each month.

There is a 4.3 per cent contamination rate in the bins, which is higher than most councils sitting at two to three per cent.

But Cr Drylie said most contamination was caused by large branches and garden organics which were too large to break down in compost and without this contamination was at an impressive 0.1 per cent.

“I think it shows the community is really committed to this project and that the Hepburn Shire community, in particular Clunes residents, value sustainable practices and changing the way we do waste,” he said.

All food waste including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, eggshells, bread, pasta, cereals, tea leaves, coffee grinds and mouldy food can be put in the organics bin.

Garden waste includes lawn clippings, garden prunings, leaves, weeds and flowers. Animal droppings, kitty litter and hair can also be put in the bins.

Cr Drylie said data showed four per cent of the organics collections was food organics, which was less than expected.

“Unfortunately food scraps are still being found in the waste bin,” he said.

“We remind people not to forget to use the FOGO bin and read about what can and can’t go into the organic bin.”

The collected organic material is processed in large composting units at the Creswick Transfer Station.

“They are operating well now, the system is still being tweaked, but the product is coming out a lot better to the point where we can share the compost material as a stable product for community,” Cr Drylie said.

“We are still working out what the model is to use the compost, that is part of next six months of the trial.”

Clunes was selected as the location of the trial due to the size of the population and an expected manageable amount of waste.

The town previously did not have a garden waste service, with residents required to take it to the transfer station themselves.

Clunes resident Gary Wilkinson said he was initially skeptical about the need for the FOGO service and did not think it was worth paying for as he composted his own green waste.

“After about two months of the trial I realised the bin had been going out full,” he said.

“I was filling it with things that used to go in the general bin and other things I didn’t know where they were going in the past.”

Mr Wilkinson said he was using the FOGO bin for things like dog poo and noxious weeds that he did not put in his own compost.

“I have come to see the value of the service and would be willing to pay for it,” he said.

“It would be a question of how much it would cost, but it would likely get me over the line if the composted material became available to residents.”

Clunes resident Fiona Etchell said she did her own composting and did not need the FOGO service.

“I probably would have preferred if council encouraged people to compost on site at their own homes,” she said.

“That way they can turn their supposed waste into a resource for their own garden, not having to have it picked up in a truck and taken away and processed off site.

“But if you don’t have a garden or have no interest in gardening then it is great to have the scraps and green waste stay out of landfill.”

Ms Etchell said she would have also liked to see council consider the possibility of localised composting, like having a central drop off point and community compost in Clunes rather than sending it to Creswick.

Many councils around the state have already introduced a FOGO bin as part of their waste services.

Fifty three of the 79 councils in Victoria currently provide some sort of organics collection service, according to Sustainability Victoria.

Of these, 28 services are regular compulsory services and 25 are an optional user-pays service.

Food waste makes up 36 per cent of collected residual waste from households, according to Sustainability Victoria.

Have you signed up to The Courier’s variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that’s happening in Ballarat.