Victorian households will soon be able to recycle everything as part of the State Government’s transformation to Victoria’s recycling system.
The announcement means everything from soft plastics to used pizza boxes can be recycled in the four household bins, to be rolled out across the state by 2030.
“We’re the first state in Australia to roll out the same bins in every household, and the first to include soft plastics and pizza boxes in those bins – leading the way as we divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030,” Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said.
Victoria’s four bin system, purple for glass, yellow for mixed recyclables, green for food and garden organics and red for household rubbish would make it easier to sort waste and recycling and reduce landfill significantly, the government said.
The four bins would also be able to recycle soft plastics such as plastic bags, wrappers and soiled food containers.
“Whether through household recycling, the Container Deposit Scheme or banning single-use plastics, we are reducing waste, creating jobs and building a new economy that is better for the planet,” she said.
Victoria’s plastic pollution would be reduced by a statewide ban on single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery, drink stirrers, cotton bud sticks and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers from 1 February 2023, the government said.
Single-use plastics contribute to a third of the state’s litter.
The State Government has also announced they would provide $1 million in funding to a new facility to turn materials such as beverage cartons and coffee cups into sustainable building products.
The funding has created 226 new jobs so far and is expected to create up to 500 more jobs for Victorians by 2025.
You can visit Engage Victoria before 26 October 2022 to have your say on how the new four-stream bin system will work at engage.vic.gov.au
