VIC council calls for more time on bin rollout, unveils waste strategy

Victoria’s Cardinia Shire Council has voted to delay the rollout of glass-only bins for all households, calling on the State Government for more time, information, and support for councils.

The rollout delay was announced at a council meeting on 16 February and will remain until the State Government has endorsed service standards that will provide certainty for councils in planning for future services.

The Cardinia Shire Council will write to various members of the State Government to outline its concerns about the service’s cost and inefficiency and its preference to deliver services that better meet local needs.

The council is also calling on the State Government to share its business case regarding kerbside glass recycling to provide councils with clarity on the need for the service.

Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Brett Owen said the council was committed to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill – a key objective of the council’s new draft Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2026–36. However, the introduction of a glass-only bin would not enable the council to achieve this goal.

“The current recycling system has been highly successful in supporting residents to recycle glass, with less than two per cent of glass bottles and jars in Cardinia Shire currently ending up in landfill instead of the recycling bin,” Owen said.

“Our community is already doing a great job with recycling, with 84 per cent of households putting out their fortnightly yellow-lid bin.

“This tells us our current system is working – and a fourth bin won’t necessarily add value. Adding another bin would also create practical challenges for many residents, particularly those living in medium- and higher-density homes who are already short on space. We want to make recycling easier, not harder.”

Owen said the council felt that any potential environmental benefit of the proposed service would be outweighed by emissions from the additional collection trucks required to deliver the service.

“Instead, we feel there would be greater benefit in expanding the Victorian Government’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) to include wine and spirit bottles, resulting in similar environmental benefits and more cost-effectiveness,” he said.

Cardinia Shire Council is one of 36 Victorian councils to join the glass advocacy group, established in 2024 and led by the City of Maroondah. The group commissioned independent research to explore the impact that implementing the glass-only service may have on households and the environment.

This research found that it would cost a typical council about $4 million to implement the service, followed by an additional $1.3 million per year to operate, which on average is an additional $27 per Cardinia Shire household per year.

This would be one of the largest increases to a waste charge the Cardinia Shire Council and community have seen.

The introduction of a glass-only bin is part of the State Government’s kerbside reform to standardise household waste and recycling services across the state, which includes all households having a glass-only service by July 2027.

Owen said extending the implementation date of the glass-only service would provide the council with more time to work with the government and other councils to consider other options to ensure the best outcomes for the community and the environment.

“By building on the success of our existing recycling system and infrastructure, we can achieve positive environmental outcomes without imposing unnecessary costs or complexity,” he said.

“Options such as expanding the highly successful Container Deposit Scheme show that efficient solutions are well within reach – and we’re committed to advocating for the approach that delivers the greatest benefit for our community and our environment.”

Cardinia Shire Council has developed a draft Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2026–36, which is now available for community feedback.