Macedon Ranges residents have helped save 8492 tonnes of organic waste from landfill since Macedon Ranges Council’s four-bin service was introduced last year.
The new Food Organics Garden Organics bins were rolled out last February and the organic waste collected has been turned into nutrient-rich compost used on farms, parks and gardens across the state.
When compared with the previous year, the council says this move has resulted in a reduction of 24,967 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions.
“This would save the equivalent emissions as produced by providing electricity to 4227 houses for one year using fossil fuels or the equivalent saving of removing 5394 cars off the road,” a council spokesperson said.
The council says its new glass-only bins have saved 1973 tonnes from landfill, which has been used in Victorian roads and construction.
While Macedon Ranges celebrated its one-year milestone in waste, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced $20 million in state funds for upgrades to transfer stations to improve processing of glass and organics in regional and rural areas.
Hepburn Shire mayor Lesley Hewitt welcomed the news, stating not all councils were positioned for a four-bin service.
“If we were successful in securing some of this funding, we could facilitate the necessary improvements to transfer stations to establish drop-off collection points for separated glass and organics,” Cr Hewitt said.
“For regional council such as Hepburn Shire, our dispersed population and the distances between our townships means having four household bins is not always practical or comes at a significant cost.”
Macedon Ranges Council says FOGO will be rolled out to its remaining townships and rural areas at the end of this financial year. Affected properties will receive a letter by post regarding upcoming service changes.
Macedon Ranges residents can learn more about waste and recycling at a local transfer station by visiting the A-Z guide of what goes where, on the council’s website mrsc.vic.gov.au/A-Zguide
