Garden waste bins 'easier, cheaper' than trips to the tip

Judy Tulloch’s garden waste bin saves her countless trips to the tip.

The Marcus Beach resident says her Noosa Council garden waste bin is a great way to dispose of backyard lawn and plant clippings.

“Garden waste bins are a great idea. It makes it so easy to dispose of plant material,” she said.

She and her husband Colin Ingram have been using their garden waste bin for their off-cuts, weeds and branches for years.

“It’s a lot easier and cheaper than going to the Council tip,” says Colin.

The couple are among 4500 Noosa households already using the service, which will be rolled out to the majority of households in urban areas as a standard service in September.

The standard three-bin service is included in Council’s new waste contract to help reduce the amount of organic garden waste entering landfill.

Expanding the garden waste bin service will divert an estimated additional 1150 tonnes of organic matter from the landfill every year.

“This is important because garden waste, as it decomposes in landfill, produces methane gas, which contributes significantly to Council’s emissions,” says Council’s Acting Waste Manager Ian Florence.

The garden waste bin service is a key initiative of Council’s Towards Zero Waste strategy. It responds to the recommendations of the recent community jury which investigated ways to reduce the amount of organic waste ending up in Noosa’s landfill.

For those already using them, garden waste bins are a winner.

“The green bin is invaluable for larger branches that won’t compost and things like running grass that needs a hotter composting process like the one Council uses,” Colin says.

Mr Florence said residents could get a garden waste bin today by calling Council.

For more information, visit Council's website or call (07) 5329 6500.

30 January 2017