Three-bin system a win for recycling

Stirling waste and fleet manager Sean Sciberras said the increase would equate to a 6 per cent improvement in recycling.

‘Over the last five years, the City has recycled approximately 54 per cent of all domestic waste received,’ he said.

‘The introduction of the three-bin system will increase the recycling rate for all the domestic waste the City handles to more than 60 per cent.’

The Recycling Activity in WA 2012-13 report released last month, showed the overall recycling rate across WA had risen from 39 per cent in 2011-12 to 40 percent the following year.

Recycling of metropolitan household waste had increased from 39 to 45 per cent in the same period.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob said this showed there was a ‘significant task’ ahead to reach targets of 50 per cent for household waste, 55 per cent for commercial and industrial rubbish and 60 per cent for construction and demolition waste by mid-2015.

‘Increases to the landfill levy in metropolitan Perth, which will take effect from January next year, will help to further reduce the amount of waste going to landfill,’ he said.

‘The State Government’s Better Bins pilot program, which will provide local governments with grants to introduce a three-bin system, is also expected to improve recycling rates.’

Mr Sciberras said the City’s recycling centre in Balcatta received about 185,000 tonnes of waste per annum; of that, about 85,000 tonnes was domestic waste collected from mobile garbage bins. He said about 62,000 tonnes of all waste received was recycled.

Mr Sciberras said the City expected the new three-bin system to increase the amount of waste being recycled but an exact figure could not be determined until final local government boundaries were known.

‘This move increases diversion of waste from landfill with the direct collection of recyclable material,’ he said.