2017-04-11 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     11 APRIL 2017


6.    Addition of raw fruit and vegetable waste

During the period 21 October and 8 November 2016, Waste Management staff conducted a trial
at approximately 1,000 premises that received an optional garden waste recycling service to
determine the impact of adding a limited volume of raw fruit and vegetable waste to the garden
waste bin. The results of the trial are detailed in a separate report to Council, but in summary the
trial set out to determine - “Could a limited amount of fruit and vegetable waste be added to the
garden waste bin and collected fortnightly without significant increase in nuisance from flies, odour
or attraction to vermin?”

The results of the trial showed:
   A high level of public acceptance to the addition of fruit and vegetable waste in the garden
     waste bin;
   The volume of fruit and vegetable waste in the garden waste bin was relatively small
     (averaging 4%) and did not significantly increase odour or nuisance at the resource recovery
     facility; and
   There was no need to compost the collected waste given that only 4% of the waste was fruit
     or vegetable waste. This would avoid the very high costs of composting the waste.

Staff negotiated with Cleanaway during the evaluation of the waste management tenders for the
new waste contract to allow the inclusion of raw fruit and vegetable waste without increasing the
tender price for collecting garden waste recycling bins.

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection was contacted regarding any legal
obligations upon Council to compost the garden waste bin contents if this additional waste was
included in the garden waste bin. The Department confirmed that Council has the authority to make
the decision to allow the addition of raw fruit and vegetable waste to garden waste bins and to
decide if mulching or composting is an appropriate treatment method (mulching is proposed).

The diversion of raw fruit and vegetable waste goes some way towards a full organic waste
collection service recommended by the Community Jury, without the high costs of composting the
waste.

A report to the Services & Organisation Committee was endorsed by Council on 16 March 2017 to
allow residents to include this limited waste in the garden waste recycling bin from September
2017.

7.    Public education and information

The implementation of a 3 bin waste collection service to single domestic premises and duplexes
will require an education and communication strategy to ensure that the community is properly
informed about the service introduction and limitation on what items can be placed into the garden
waste bin.

There are three distinct stages associated with the education program.
1.   Preliminary information to ensure the community is well informed that a new service will be
     introduced (July 2016 – June 2017).
2.   Secondary stage where the bins are delivered together with information to identify the correct
     use of the garden waste recycling bin and the accepted contents that can be placed into the
     bin. This will include literature delivered with the bin, embossed lid, instructional stickers on
     the bin and details of the first and subsequent service day for each premises (July 2017 -
     August 2017).
3.   A third stage which involves the reinforcement of messages and monitoring the use of the
     bins including inspections post roll out, and providing support for those having difficulty with
     the new service (post September 2017).
                                                                                        Page 6 of 71