Jessica Micallef
Public glass-only recycling bins will be removed from the Macedon Ranges this month following the rollout of the council’s new kerbside glass collection service.
The 240-litre public bins were introduced as a temporary solution to the recycling crisis last year after Macedon Ranges council asked residents to remove all glass from their kerbside recycling bins.
The bins were installed in towns including Darraweit Guim, Gisborne, Kyneton, Lancefield, Malmsbury, Riddells Creek, Romsey, Tylden, Woodend and Macedon in November last year.
Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau said the public glass-only bins had “served their purpose”. She said implementing a glass-only bin in public places were rubbish bins were located was one way handling public disposal.
“Everybody has got glass bins now so rather than spending ratepayers money and keeping them there, when the situation seems to be addressed, it’s probably a reasonable thing to do,” she said.
“Maybe the council can think about having a glass recycling bin where they have bins in a public area.
“You can go to a place and have a bin for rubbish, one for recycling and one for glass.
“But there’s still the transfer stations open for disposal so it’s not as if you are being left with no option.”
Last month, the council introduced a four bin recycling initiative, with a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin and a glass-only bin added to households.
Ms Pruneau said the four bin system was “so far so good” despite some confusion among residents.
“The rubbish bin days have been changed [and] there’s a lot to think about with what days you are putting things out,” she said.
“It’ll take a bit of running in. There has only been one glass collection, maybe two. But I think it’s too early to say it’s a success of a failure.”
Macedon Ranges mayor Janet Pearce thanked residents and businesses for their assistance in removing glass from the region’s recycling stream through the use of public place bins.
“The community response has been just outstanding,” she said.
“We have diverted 74 tonnes of glass from landfill in just a short time through use of these public place bins.”
Glass collected in the public glass-only bins, kerbside bins and transfer stations will be recycled and reused in road construction materials.
Skip bins will remain in place at transfer stations in Kyneton, Woodend and Romsey.
