LAKE Macquarie residents will begin receiving starter packs next week for the city’s transition to a new, greener, bin collection regime.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Council will begin its Food+Garden=Green service for residents on July 30.
That’s when residents will be required to put food scraps into the green bin, along with grass clippings and garden waste.
The green bins will be emptied weekly.
The red bins, containing general waste, and the yellow bins, containing recyclables, will be emptied fortnightly, on alternate weeks.
To date, 16 other councils in NSW have implemented the same three-bin service that Lake Macquarie is introducing.
And Lake Macquarie Council is confident that local residents can get it right.
But if the new system is to succeed, it will require residents to display discipline and to abandon old habits.
A key factor in the success of the new system will be the use of compostable bags which residents will receive in their starter packs.
Residents will receive a roll of 150 bags, which is expected to last most households 12 months.
Council is instructing residents to place the compostable bags inside the food scraps bin they will receive in their starter packs.
The idea is that the food scraps bin, lined with a compostable bag, is to be placed on the kitchen bench, or under the sink.
Once the bag becomes filled with food scraps – including everything from leftovers, meat and seafood to dairy, bones, fruit and vegetable scraps – residents simply lift out the bag, tie it off, and place it straight into the green bin.
“Compostable bags are made of natural plant starch and will break down readily in the composting process at the Lake Macquarie Organics Resource Recovery Facility,” a spokesperson for the council said.
Only the council-supplied compostable bags can go into the green bins. Plastic bags must not be used.
“Compostable bags are the only type of bag accepted in the green bin and are different to biodegradable bags and degradable bags,” the spokesperson said.
“Degradable bags are made from plastic and disintegrate into smaller bits of micro plastic over time. Biodegradable bags are also often made of plastic with micro-organisms added to speed up the disintegration process.”
When residents run out of compostable bags, new rolls can be picked up for free.
Additional bags will be available at several locations, including Lake Mac Libraries.
Council’s planning and sustainability manager Alice Howe said the new system would be a win-win for Lake Macquarie.
“This system makes it easy for people to manage their waste and will have many benefits for our community,” Dr Howe said.
“Diverting food waste from landfill will keep our waste services as affordable as possible and extend the lifespan of our only landfill at the Awaba Waste Management Facility.”
Food and garden waste collected from the green bins will be processed into mulch and compost to be used on parks, gardens, sporting grounds and in agriculture.
