ACROSS the next six weeks, eligible households will begin to receive their new garden organics bin as part of Sunshine Coast Council’s expanded waste collection service.
Residents can start using the bin service from Monday, July 11, 2022.
A helpful information pack will be delivered with the bins which will include a sticker residents can place on the top of the bins as a friendly reminder of what can go in.
Garden organics bins will be collected on the same day as the general waste bin and on the alternate week to your recycling bin. There will be no change to bin days when the new service starts and council asks that residents put their bins out before 6am on collection day.
Lawn clippings, weeds, leaves and other organic garden materials placed in the new lime green-lidded bin will be collected by council, diverted from landfill and mulched ready to be re-used.
Sunshine Coast Council Environment and Liveability Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez said council’s aspiration was for the Sunshine Coast to send zero waste to landfill by 2041 for a cleaner, greener environment and sustainable future.
“Across the next six weeks, approximately 50,000 garden organics bins will be delivered to eligible properties across the Sunshine Coast including rented properties,” Cr Suarez said.
At this stage the service is only for single-unit residences and will be expanded to apartments, townhouses and duplexes later in the year.
“Mulching garden waste, instead of dumping it, will extend our landfill life and reduce greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere,” Cr Suarez stated.
“It could also potentially save property owners paying the full cost of the Queensland Government Waste Levy.”
It is also anticipated that in the coming years, this bin will transition to a food organics and garden organics bin, also known as FOGO, creating the opportunity to turn our waste into a resource.
“We encourage everyone to get behind the garden organics bin program and recycle garden organics as we continue the journey to achieving our vision to be Australia’s most sustainable region.”
Community feedback received in February 2021 from 7500 residents regarding the future management of Sunshine Coast waste revealed overwhelming support for expanding the garden organics service to contribute to a better and more sustainable future.
The results showed that 84 per cent of respondents agreed it was very important council provided a service to reduce organic waste in landfill and convert recovered organic material to useful by-products.
The 240L garden organics bin service is expected to be approximately $35 per year (subject to change), collected fortnightly.
More information on the expanded garden organics service is available at www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/gardenbin