The deadline for Victorian councils to introduce a kerbside glass recycling bin collection is looming in July 2027 but a vast majority of councils are dragging their feet on the program.
As recently reported by the Herald Sun, 54 of the state’s 79 councils have yet to introduce a service and 32 are opposed to doing so.
All of the Outer East councils of Yarra Ranges Maroondah, Knox and Cardinia are opposed to the change according to a list shared by Maroondah City Council earlier this year, while the Yarra Ranges is the only council to have anticipated starting a collection in the 2025/26 financial year, which has now been pushed back.
A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said their current implementation date for glass recycling is 2027.
“However, we’re continuing to work with other Councils to advocate to the State Government for a recycling program that gets the best possible outcomes for our residents,” they said.
“We will provide our community with information in the coming year as details are confirmed.”
The glass bin idea was first announced by former Premier Daniel Andrews in 2020 with the 2027 mandatory target in mind.
Knox City Council Mayor Lisa Cooper said Knox City Council, along with approximately 30 other Victorian councils, continues to advocate to the Victorian Government for a more cost effective and environmentally sound approach to glass recycling.
“Specifically, councils are requesting an extension to the mandated timeframe for the introduction of a separate kerbside glass recycling service until national standardisation of kerbside services and the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) has been implemented,” she said.
“We are also calling for the expansion of the Victorian CDS to include wine and spirit bottles, aligning with schemes already in place in other Australian states, this would significantly enhance glass recovery rates and reduce the financial burden on local communities,”
The state government stands by its position of the CDS being appropriate for beverage containers commonly consumed out of the home that contribute to litter but for for food jars and bottles more commonly consumed at home.
“Furthermore, councils are urging the Victorian Government to review the effectiveness of the current CDS and assess its performance against the uptake and outcomes of kerbside glass recycling services implemented to date,” Cr Cooper said.
“Knox remains committed to achieving the best environmental and economic outcomes for our community and believes a collaborative, evidence-based approach is essential to delivering a sustainable glass recycling solution.”
Maroondah City Council and Cardinia Shire Council were contacted for comment, but have previously released statements regarding their positions in March and April this year respectively.
Maroondah Mayor Kylie Spears said in March that the group of councils advocating for this delay include a range of Victorian Councils from across metropolitan and regional areas, all of which are concerned about the cost implications the glass only bin service will have on their community.
“As part of this advocacy, a group of Councils wrote a letter to the Minister for Environment, the Hon Steve Dimopoulos, in late 2024 outlining their research findings and appealing for the system to be reviewed,” she said.
“The research undertaken found that a glass only service would cost a typical Council approximately $4 million to implement, and on average cost an additional $27 per household per year to run the service,”
“This would be the largest increase to a waste charge that has ever been passed on to our community, something that in these challenging economic times, is concerning and unrealistic.”
The council-commissioned research also found that expanding the CDS to include wine and spirit bottles would have similar recycling benefits to a glass only bin, create less contamination reduce the millions of dollars in implementation costs.
Ms Spears said using existing infrastructure and a service that is already being used frequently and effectively by the community would require less investment, resourcing and education.
“An example is business cases released by the Queensland and South Australian Governments that assessed the net benefits of a glass only bin, as a result of this research, they opted to expand the CDS to include wine and spirit bottles instead of implementing a glass only bin service,” she said.
“Postponing the implementation date for the glass only bin would provide Councils more time to work with the Victorian Government on our research findings and find a way forward that maximises recycling efforts, but minimises the financial impact on local communities during what are challenging economic times for households.”
“Delaying the implementation date will also allow states and territories time to create a national standard for household bins.”
Cardinia Shire Council’s position was for the deadline to be postponed especially given the success of the CDS in the region.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Jack Kowarzik said in April he was thrilled with the uptake of CDS in Cardinia Shire.
“I am so proud of how the community has embraced CDS and boosted their recycling efforts. With 10c per container deposited, this also means money going back into our community, local businesses, charities, schools and sporting groups,” he said.
“Using existing infrastructure and resourcing to expand the scheme would further encourage these recycling efforts and minimise the financial cost to our community.”
The other councils opposed to the glass only bin deadline are Campaspe Shire Council, East Gippsland Shire Council, City of Greater Geelong, Wyndam City Council, Moorabool Council, Manningham Council, Latrobe City Council, Banyule City Council, City of Stonnington, Bayside City Council, Glen Eira City Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire, Mansfield Shire, City of Monash, Nillumbik Shire, Whitehorse City Council, Hume City Council and Alpine Shire Council.
A Victorian Government spokesperson said they’ve invested $129 million to help councils to reform household recycling, including to buy new bins, improve drop off facilities, deliver education campaigns, and ensuring that they have the infrastructure in place to roll out the four bin system.
“The Container Deposit Scheme has been embraced by Victorians and complements the roll out of Victoria’s four-stream waste and recycling system,” they said.
“Many items, such as glass bottles and jars, are not suitable for CDS Vic – the glass bin allows households to conveniently recycle these at home.”
