Gannawarra residents oppose kerbside glass recycling bin service

Gannawarra residents oppose kerbside glass recycling bin service

Gannawarra Shire residents have expressed strong opposition to the introduction of a standalone glass kerbside recycling bin service.

Almost nine out of 10 people who completed the Residential Kerbside Reform Survey highlighted concerns regarding the provision of an additional bin to residential waste kerbside collection, with the cost of providing this service, its practicality and proposed suitability in a rural municipality being key factors.

Conducted during February and March 2026, close to 1,300 residents took the time to complete the survey, which was mailed out to all households and available on Council's website for completion.

"Council thanks all who took the time to complete the Residential Kerbside Reform Survey, which saw one of the highest responses for a Council-managed engagement activity," Mayor Garner Smith said.

"This strong response demonstrates the high level of community interest in waste and recycling services and provides Council with a robust, locally informed evidence base for future decision-making."

Some of the key findings from the survey included:

Strong community interest in clearer and more practical information about household waste and recycling, with close to 60 per cent of respondents selecting updated bin labels. Respondents could select multiple options, with other resources including brochures, fridge magnets, videos and guides also identified as useful.

Six out of every 10 red-lidded general waste bins and nearly seven out of every 10 yellow-lidded recycling bins were either full or three-quarters full when placed out for collection, indicating that the kerbside service is well used and continues to play an important role in supporting resource recovery across the municipality.

Over half of the survey respondents indicated that they currently dispose of food waste via their red-lidded general waste bins.

Close to four out of every 10 respondents placed their glass bottles and jars in their yellow-lidded recycling bins.

Three-quarters of respondents indicated they would prefer for Council to expand its existing glass recovery options, such as community drop-off points and Council transfer stations, rather than introducing an additional kerbside glass bin.

If changes to the kerbside waste service were to occur, 40 per cent of residents would prefer to retain the current arrangement of weekly red-lidded general waste collections and fortnightly yellow-lidded recycling collections, supplemented by a weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) service.

Residents also provided feedback regarding the desire for hard rubbish collections, the affordability of changes to current kerbside waste collection arrangements, transfer station fees and operating times, improvements to green waste services, and enhancements to educational resources.

"Council will use the data collected via this survey to assist with planning for the future of kerbside waste collection services in the Gannawarra," Mayor Smith said.

"This data will also bolster our advocacy efforts in calling for the Victorian Government to pause further progression of the mandatory glass-bin rollout until the program's Service Standards have been released, a transparent review of the supporting business case has been undertaken, and alternative approaches, including expansion of the Container Deposit Scheme to include wine and spirit bottles, have been fully assessed."

Residents who completed the survey were able to enter a draw to win one of five $50 Mastercard prepaid vouchers, which were won by Shirley Bruns, Val Kable, Trevor Linton, Amanda Scullion and Tegan Warby.

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