YOUR TRIPLE-BIN SYSTEM HAS WHEELED ITS WAY AROUND THE CORNER

On 29 June 2009 Liverpool City Council commenced its new waste recovery service for all households in the Liverpool Local Government Area.

Residents living in single-unit dwellings received a 240-litre commingled recycling bin, a 240-litre garden waste bin and a 140-litre garbage bin. Residents living in the rural areas where garden waste can be managed on-site received a 240-litre comingled recycling bin and a 240-litre garbage bin.

Residents in multi-unit dwellings received recycling for the first time. With the introduction of Council's new service and the use of SITA's Advanced Waste Treatment (AWT) facility at Kemps Creek, it is expected that 80 per cent of domestic waste will be diverted from landfill and recovered as valuable resources.                                                                                                    

For more information on Council's waste and recycling services follow the links below:

Click on the link below for information about other Domestic Waste services provided by Liverpool City Council:

• Free booked household clean up service
• Household Chemical CleanOut

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Frequently Asked Questions  

What is Council's Policy on Domestic Waste?
Why is Liverpool City Council moving forward on resource recovery?
What is Advanced Waste Treatment?
What is the domestic waste charge on my rates notice?
Who owns the residential waste bins?
What bins should I have at my property and how often will they be collected?
Where does my recycling, garden waste and garbage go once collected?
I didn't receive a waste service information pack. How can I get one?
How important is it to recycle correctly?
Why should food waste be recovered from landfill?
What happens if the bins are lost, stolen or damaged?
Special Event Bins: I'm having a party and need more bin space
What do I do if I need a larger garbage or an additional recycling or garden waste bin? 

Why is Liverpool City Council moving forward on resource recovery?

Council’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Strategy adopted in 2005, identified that Liverpool could improve its environmental performance by providing an enhanced kerbside recycling service involving mobile bins of increased capacity and introducing regular fortnightly collections of garden organics. The WARR Strategy also identified that residual waste could be processed into valuable resources using Advanced Waste Treatment (AWT).  

Click here to view the WARR Strategy.

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SITA's Advanced Waste Treatment (SAWT) facility at Kemps Creek is able to process 134,000 tonnes of waste annually, with up to 78 per cent being diverted from landfill. This purpose-built AWT facility helps to provide Liverpool City Council with the means to achieve the aims of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2005.

Click here to visit SITA's website for more information about Advanced Waste Treatment.

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What is the domestic waste charge on my rates notice?

Council must levy a separate charge for domestic waste management services. The costs of these services cannot be financed from ordinary rates and the charge must be sufficient to recover the reasonable costs of providing the services. With the State Government landfill levy and landfill operating charges, landfill disposal costs have increased and will continue to increase each year. Our domestic waste charge is set annually based on the Domestic Waste Management Collection Service cost to Council.

Domestic waste management charges include garbage, clean-up and recycling services. For the majority of residents this consists of a three-bin system: 240L commingled recycling bin, 240L commingled garden waste bin and a 140L general waste bin.

The current annual domestic waste management charge for a regular service is $308.00 (per dwelling or unit).

Domestic waste management charges are exempt from Goods and Services Tax (GST), under Division 81, determination entitled a New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) (Exempt Taxes, Fees andCharges) Determination 2001.

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Who owns the residential waste bins?

The residential waste bins allocated to your property are owned by Council's collection contractor, JJ Richards. The bins are NOT to be removed from the property if you move home. 

If you are renting and there are no bins at your new address, you should contact your real estate agent and they will arrange delivery of a set of bins for you.

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What bins should I have at my property and how often will they be collected?

Residents in single-unit dwellings (houses) in urban areas will be provided with (standard service):

Please note: Residents living on rural properties may not receive a garden waste collection service for their garden waste as these properties have the space to manage their garden waste on site. Residents on these properties will receive a larger 240 litre garbage bin. If you would like further information please contact Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170.

Residents in townhouses and villas will be provided with:

• One 140 litre red-lid garbage bin collected weekly
• One 240 litre yellow-lid recycling bin collected fortnightly
• One 240 litre green-lid garden waste bin collected fortnightly (provided on request at no additional charge to the resident)

Residents in multi-unit dwellings (flats and units) will be provided with:

• One 240 litre red-lid garbage bin shared between two units, collected weekly
• One 240 litre yellow-lid recycling bin shared between two units, collected weekly

Unit blocks that have limited space for bin storage, will receive additional collection services during the week to accommodate for this.

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Where does my recycling, garden waste and garbage go once collected?

The contents of your yellow-lid recycling bin (paper, cardboard, plastics, glass containers, metal containers) are taken to the VISY Recycling Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located at Smithfield for recycling.

The contents of your green-lid garden waste bin (twigs, flowers, lawn clippings and leaves) are composted by SITA and Australian Native Landscapes located at Kemps Creek.

The contents of your red-lid garbage bin (food scraps and other domestic rubbish) will be processed at the SITA Advanced Waste Treatment Facility located at Kemps Creek. Up to 68 percent of the rubbish will be recycled or composted with the remainder being disposed to landfill.

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I didn't receive a waste service information pack. How can I get one?

Your waste service information pack contains important information about your garbage and recycling service. In your information pack, you will find an information letter, an information booklet and a collection calendar similar to the ones pictured below.

If you would like an information pack please contact Council's Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170 and a waste service information pack will then be delivered to your household. Or click on the appropriate link below to download the correct Service Information booklet for your dwelling type.

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Why should food waste be recovered from landfill?

In landfill, food waste produces significant quantities of greenhouse gases. By recovering food waste and combining it with garden waste there will be a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions produced by Liverpool residents. A combination of food and garden waste produces higher quality compost than garden waste alone.

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What happens if the bins are lost, stolen or damaged?

If your bin goes missing or is stolen you must contact Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170 so we can conduct an investigation of your lost bin. If your bin is unable to be found it will be replaced at no cost.

If your bin is damaged you must contact Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170. The bin will be inspected to determine whether it can be repaired. If your bin is beyond repair due to damage as a result of normal wear and tear or by the collection crew, a replacement bin will be provided free of charge.

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Special Event Bins:  I'm having a party and need more bin space

Worried that you won't have enough bin space to dispose of waste and recycling after your birthday party, bbq or Christmas get-together?

Are you unpacking after moving house and need to recycle all your cardboard boxes but they won't all fit into the recycling bin that's provided with the property?

Council can provide you with temporary Special Event Bins for occasions where additional waste is generated. One 240L garbage and 240L recycling bin will be provided at a cost of $40. Advanced payment is required and this can be done in person at Council Customer Service Centres or over the phone using a credit card.

Requests for special event bins must be made before 3pm Wednesday for delivery on the following Friday. Bins will then be removed on Monday. Delivery and removal of bins is not available on weekends.

For further information, or to order your bins contact Council on 1300 36 2170.

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What do I do if I need a larger garbage bin?

Council is committed to sustainable waste management which promotes avoiding the generation of waste where possible and maximising recovery of recyclable material. If you are doing as much as you can to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle but still believe you require an additional domestic waste service, you must go through an application process with Council. This may include a waste audit of your current bin to determine your eligibility for an additional bin.

Prior to making an application, consider the following:

• Are you recycling as much as possible? Do you know what you can put into your yellow recycling bin?

• Do you generating more recycling or green waste rather than garbage?

• Consider alternatives to waste disposal like composting or worm farming which can reduce waste by 50%.

The current system was selected as the most suitable system to collect domestic waste in the Liverpool area that would meet residential waste service needs, cost, convenience and to maximise resource recovery. By receiving the third garden waste bin, your actual bin capacity provided has increased from 420 litres per week (standard service option) to 620 litres per week.

On average, more than 50 per cent of household generated waste is food and garden waste. The introduction of the garden waste bin allows garden waste to be placed in this bin instead of your garbage bin, where it will be composted and mulched. 

A larger bin may be obtained if your household meets set requirements as determined by Council. To find out if you are eligible for a larger bin contact Council's Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170.

How to apply for a larger red-lid waste bin or for an additional waste service:

• Complete the Application for Upgrade and Additional Bin(s) (Garbage/ Garden Waste/ Recycling).

or contact Council's Customer Contact Centre on 1300 36 2170 to have the form mailed out to you.

Once your application has been thoroughly assessed, you will be informed as to whether or not you have been successful in your request for an additional waste service or larger red bin.

Please note: Owner consent is required as the owner is responsible for the payment of the charge in conjunction with payment of rates.

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