With the annual green waste recycling fee now slashed to less than $1 a week causing a surge in the uptake of green bins, The Gap and Bracken Ridge are leading the charge in terms of acquisition and usage of green bins last month, with 39 and 40 bins respectively.
Brighton and Forest Lake have also shown significant uptake, with 25 bins each for July.
The decision to cut the annual green waste recycling bin fee from $93 to $45 was a part of Brisbane City Council’s $80 million cost of living package announced in the 2023/24 budget.
This substantial saving seems to have incentivised more households to adopt green bins for their waste recycling needs. The number of orders for green bins in July alone is three times more than the orders for the same month last year.
Residents are expected to save over $6.7 million in total over the next twelve months due to the reduced fees.
The positive response from residents comes as no surprise, given that the Council had previously eliminated the $30 establishment fee in 2019. Since then, an impressive 45,000 green waste recycling bins have been adopted by Brisbane households, diverting an additional 7,000 tonnes of green waste from landfills annually.
The response from locals has been encouraging, according to Council, particularly since the initiative was meant to urge locals to recycle amid rising living costs. Brisbane also takes pride in being Australia’s cleanest and greenest capital city.
Over 10,200 new green bins were ordered in 2022 which diverted more than 36,600 tonnes of green waste from ending up in landfills.
To order a green waste recycling bin for their homes, residents can use their rate account number or address. Alternatively, they can contact the Council by phone at 07 3403 8888 or visit their offices.
Unit owners living in multi-unit dwellings can also take advantage of the green waste recycling service, with eligibility assessed on a case-by-case basis. If the property has a building manager or body corporate, then they must provide approval before the unit owners order the green waste recycling bin.
Which items can you place in your green waste bin?
- Grass clippings
- Small garden prunings from shrubs and trees
- Palm fronds, twigs, small branches, leaves, and loose bark
- Flowers and foliage
- Weeds, ivy, creepers, and vines.
Any other items are not allowed and should not be placed in your green waste recycling bin. Please make sure that all materials are no larger than 10 centimetres in diameter and 75 centimetres in length and ensure that the bin lid can close properly.
Published 4-August-2023
