From July 2022 the residents of Whitehorse will have an access to Food and Garden Organics recycling services. With food waste collections commencing shortly, the Whitehorse City Council sets out on a journey to divert a significant volume of organics from landfill.
Based on several bin audits across the municipality, an average garbage bin in Whitehorse consists of up to 47 per cent of organic waste including raw food and leftovers, garden clippings and weeds. Currently, this waste, otherwise a valuable resource, is sent to landfill where it rots and produces a harmful greenhouse gas called methane.
With the introduction of Food and Garden Organic recycling services, the food waste from Whitehorse will be processed into quality mulch and compost at the Bio Gro facility in Dandenong South. The products will then be used on gardens and farms across Victoria and sold in retail or hardware stores.
The Whitehorse City Council recognises that food recycling can be a messy business. To make collection and storage of food scraps as convenient as possible for the residents, council provides special kitchen caddies and a year supply of compostable liners to local households.
In addition to the significant environmental benefits, this service can bring long-term financial benefits to the Whitehorse community. Space in landfill is limited, and the cost of sending waste to landfill is ever-increasing. By 2023, landfill costs are anticipated to be 30% more expensive than the Food and Garden Waste service.
The Food and Garden Organics bin is currently an optional service in Whitehorse, and the additional cost of $69 per year applies. For Whitehorse residents who already use garden bins, the food recycling service won’t cost anything, and they can start putting their food waste into their current lime-green lid garden bins from 1 July 2022.
