An empty bin is a good bin
With more bins provided, we can get excited and feel they should be filled. Not so, anything put on the verge will cost money. But it helps to sort it properly, keep the nasty chemicals out, try and repair it, find another use and best of all don’t even have it!
In Perth WA, residents can have 2 or 3 domestic waste bins. Our individual local council is responsible for deciding the bin system and destination. We all have the yellow top recycle bin that is sorted and sent off to, mostly overseas destinations for reprocessing. Those with 3 bins in the metro area will have a light green (or dark brown!) top bin for garden organics and a red top for general waste, including food waste.
Residents with the 2 bin system from Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) or South Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC), will have most of their general waste bins sent to a composting facility either in Neerabup (councils of Wanneroo, Joondalup, Vincent, Victoria Park) or in Canningvale (councils of Melville, Femantle, East Fremantle, Cockburn). As up to 50% of a 2 bin system can be organic material this is a useful alternative to landfill. However those in other 2 bin councils are currently going to landfill.
However, councils in the Rivers Regional Council (Armadale, Gosnells, Mandurah, Jarradale-Serpentine, South Perth) have agreed to have their general waste bin completely incinerated in facility in Kwinana, due to be completed by the end of 2021. Since the current Labour Gmt have come into government, they have added a clause to the legislation to state only ‘residual’ materials are to used in thermal Waste to Energy Facilities.
Those with a 3 bin system have their third garden waste bin going to a mulching facility and open win-rowed for further digesting before resale. The red top bin will usually go to landfill as it has had the garden waste removed and the only organics will be food scraps and dirty paper material. Confusing? The State Government through its Waste Authority, would prefer all councils to have a 3 bin system to separate at least the garden organics. Some councils in MRC and SMRC would be reluctant to go down this path as they currently have a system that removes all of their organic fraction (not just garden waste) and an introduction of a 3rd bin means higher collection costs. Those councils that have introduced a third bin reduce the tipping fee from the general waste bin, where it goes either to a composting facility or landfill. The mulching alternative is a far cheaper one than land filling or in-vessel composting (MRC and SMRC)
SMRC have now opted out of the mixed waste bin composting, moving to processing only food and green waste. MRC councils are currently (2021) going through negotiations to break a 20 year contract for the mixed MSW at the Neerabup Facility. The seven member councils are opting to move to 3 bins (some only taking green waste) but not using the Neerabup site for the 3rd bin. This renders the resultant ‘red’ bin too low in organic material to make the expensive in vessel processing worthwhile.
SMRC from 2020, have 3 councils, Melville, Fremantle and East Fremantle, taking food waste in the 3rd bin. This process goes through an initial rough sort of larger contaminates such as plastic bags etc on ground at the SMRC site. The material is then taken to an offsite facility in open windrows for digestion and screening.
Some councils in Regional WA have taken up the option of the 3 bin system and opted for all organics to be included in the light green lidded bin. This is possible because of close proximity to an open windrow system. In the rural areas, odour is not such an issue and with a closer market destinations for the compost material makes it a more viable option.