CLAREMONT council is throwing away its old bins for an interim three-bin method for garden cuttings and then an even less wasteful system that also removes food from landfill by 2015.
“The third bin will be a godsend for all of us that have big tree and wide opened spaces,” Councillor Kate Main said at a recent meeting.
Quarterly verge collections are currently the primary source of the 34 per cent of residents’ waste diverted from landfill in the Town of Claremont.
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READ NOWAs part of metropolitan-wide efforts to increase the diversion, councillors considered adopting the garden organics (GO) system of a extra 240L bin collected fortnightly to take garden clippings to composting, and the food and organics (FOGO) system of a third bin for wet food and garden waste.
“We could be saving $70,000 in dumping fees,” Cr Paul Kelly said.
A report said GO would cost $2902 in its first year and save $61,373 in the second year, and FOGO would initially cost $72139 and save $12,198 12 months later.
It said both would get the State Government’s Better Bins subsidy of $30 for each household.
However, a FOGO trial in the City of Melville in 2017-18 had shown its introduction needed “extensive community education and promotion” and more equipment to divert up to 65 per cent of waste.
Cr Kelly said he was concerned Claremont council had done no public education about FOGO, its need and operation.
He said to have a “smoother” transition it would be better to have three green waste collections as an interim measure as the GO bins were introduced.
Councillors agreed on May 7 to have the verge collections for 12 months, after which time their continuation would be reviewed.
Funding for GO would be provided in the 2019-20 budget, depending on successful grant application, with FOGO planned for 2025 requiring another request for State funding.