City of Ballarat embarks on second consultation on new four bin waste collection

But it has assured residents all four bins would not be collected at one time.

How and when the bins - general rubbish, recycling, organics and glass - are collected, and how often, will be pivotal markers decided by the next phase of feedback.

The major overhaul, spurred by the state government's Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021, will require all Victorian councils to introduce a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin by 2030 and a separate glass recycling process by 2027.

Neighbouring council Hepburn Shire is one step ahead and currently trialling a kerbside organics bin, while two other neighbouring shires - Moorabool and Golden Plains - are already collecting general waste fortnightly.

Ballarat is seeking to reduce landfill from general waste as the costs skyrocket and a use-by-date for the Smythesdale landfill looms only 17 years away.

In a survey the council ran late last year, residents were asked to provide their feedback on the proposed waste disposal systems.

Of the more than 2000 submissions received, greater than half said they believed the council should prioritise maximising recycling efforts, with a significant portion - 18.8 per cent - highlighting they would prefer cost-effective waste management.

A similar number, at 17.9 per cent, also cited a need for waste management to be convenient.

The survey also made evident there was a strong demand for both a FOGO and a seperate glass recycling system, with more than three quarters of respondents having said they were "likely to use a FOGO kerbside service" and 83.9 per cent preferring to have a new glass kerbside collection.

Taking this data into account, the council has rolled-out a second community consultation, which will seek feedback on the frequency and financial implications of these proposed bins.

The first three options tackle the frequency and the cost of household waste and FOGO collection. Model one would see community members having their household waste bin collected on a weekly basis and the new FOGO bin collected on a fortnightly basis.

This option would result in an estimated extra $30 per year for the average ratepayer. For council this would be an additional $1.5 million a year.

Model two, which has been calculated to be the most cost-effective, would see a fortnightly collection of household waste and a weekly collection of FOGO scraps.

This method, according to the City, would help shift behaviour changes towards waste, encouraging residents to use their FOGO bins rather than dumping organic materials into their usual household waste.

The council has also emphasised this option would also aid with preventing pungent odours emanating from the FOGO bin and would likely reduce the accumulation of pests.

This model would bear almost half the cost for both ratepayers and the council compared to model one, with an average cost of an extra $16 per year for a ratepayer and an additional $800,000 for the City. It is also estimated this model would reduce carbon emissions by about 5000 tonnes.

The third model would see both FOGO and household waste collected weekly. This model has been reported by the council to be a deterrent to community members in using a FOGO bin.

It was also demonstrated this model was the most expensive, with the average ratepayer having to fork out almost three times more than model two at $45 a year. This translates to $2.2 million for the council.

As for glass options, two models have been outlined - one monthly and the other fortnightly.

Monthly glass collection demonstrated to be the most appropriate, citing greater cost-effectiveness in comparison to a fortnightly pick-up.

Specifically, ratepayers would only need to pay an additional $10 a year, which is $7 less than the fortnightly option.

Both systems, however, are expected to redirect 250 tonnes of glass that would have gone into landfill into recycling.

As for the debacle of whether community members would have to grapple with placing four bins on their streets, Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said residents could expect to only have a maximum of two bins out at any one time.

Cr Hudson also said the survey was another way for the council to take a more proactive approach on the fate of the Ballarat Regional Landfill centre in Smythesdale which is anticipated to reach capacity by 2040.

"Our landfill site is coming to the end of its life, even though we're talking about 2040 and 17 years away, but if we just parked that and put it on the shelf, we're leaving the task of someone to deal with that to a future point in time," he said.

"We know the issue exists today and there are some actions that we can do to absolutely grab hold of the issue and change our behaviour now, that can build further capacity into our landfill operations.

"So even though we're talking 2040, for potentially end of landfill, each cell if we can get more life out of that, by again, reducing a third of the amount that's currently going to that, that burden of $4 million, instead of being every two to three years might be every three to five years."

While it will cost $4 million to construct a new waste cell at the site, Cr Hudson said it was unlikely the council would be able to acquire another landfill licence in the region.

"So it would be likely we would have to be trucking (waste) either into Melbourne or some other parts that are considerable distance (and) that charge would increase the cost to our ratepayers," he said.

City of Ballarat executive manager waste and environment Les Stokes also noted after 2040 the council would still be responsible for maintaining the landfill site, which could "last for decades".

"Council has an ongoing legacy to maintain the environment around that and that's understanding and making sure there's no effects of pollution on the natural environment, whether it be groundwater or air pollution coming from an old landfill that can can last for decades that obligation," Mr Stokes said.

Since 2019 the Ballarat council has partnered with Compost Revolution, an environmental scheme run by social enterprise, Revolution Apps as part of the city's Good Food for All: Food Strategy 2019-2022.

The initiative, which encourages residents to consider composting, worm farming or Bokashi fermentation and provides the purchase of such products at a discounted rate of up to 40 percent, has seen a steady uptake over the years according to the City of Ballarat's director of community wellbeing Matt Wilson.

"Pleasingly, more than 1700 Ballarat residents have accessed online tutorials on the Compost Revolution website, with almost 300 residents and 14 local schools purchasing composting products," Mr Wilson said.

Compost Revolution estimates that on average for every household which is composting, 119kg of waste is diverted from landfill and 226kg of greenhouse gas emissions is saved per year.

The City of Ballarat's subscription to Compost Revolution, which administers the online platform, sales, warehousing, delivery, and promotion of the composting products, costs the council $3221 annually.

Feedback from this second survey will help shape the council's Kerbside Transition Plan. The plan and a proposed timeline for implementation will be presented later this year.

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This will coincide with a coin deposit scheme (CDS) planned for 2023, similar to the one in South Australia, which will see drink packaging made from recyclable materials such as glass and paper eligible for a 10-cent refund.

The state government is currently undertaking a tender process to appoint a (CDS) scheme coordinator and network operators who will aid with the initiative's roll out.

To complete council's survey visit mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au

There will also be the opportunity to provide feedback at the coming Ballarat Begonia Festival, the Ballarat Farmers Market at Lake Wendouree on March 25 and at the Bridge Market at Bridge Mall on April 1.

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