Three-bin system wheeled off to good start in week one

The first week of the Shire of Wagin’s new three-bin system resulted in half the number of truck trips to the tip last Thursday.

Residents in the shire are now placing their garden waste into new red bins to prolong the life of Wagin’s landfill, according to chief executive Peter Webster.

“The need for the three bins came about because of the life expectancy at the current landfill site,” he said.

“We’ve got about 20 years life expectancy at the current rate of waste disposal.

“What we thought would be a good way doing it was getting the green waste out of the general waste and put that in another pile and reduce it.”

The initiative is producing positive results straight off the bat.

“This week was the first week we’ve used green waste versus general waste, and we only had one truck go to the tip rather than the normal two,” Mr Webster said.

“I’m not going to say that’s going to double the life of the rubbish tip but it’s certainly going to increase the life.”

General waste will be collected weekly, while recycling and green waste will be collected every fortnight in Wagin.

Garden waste collected in the new system is burned by the Shire; however it will look to mulch the waste in the future, which could lead to food waste also being included.

Local government areas in Perth and the Peel region will be required to use the three-bin-system by 2025.