Port Phillip Council proposes to introduce a new waste management plan which does not go far enough to divert waste from landfill. The plan will be funded by a separate waste charge, estimated to cost residents and ratepayers an additional $25 million over the next 10 years.
Council proposals
Single Unit Developments (SUDs) which include approximately 15,000 houses and terraces plus nearly 3,000 townhouses (only those with at least 30% of the property not covered by buildings):
- weekly kerbside collection of food organic and green organic (FOGO) bins;
- reduce landfill waste collection frequency to fortnightly;
- pay an additional 50% surcharge on the waste levy.
Multistorey unit developments (MUDs) i.e. more than 50,000 apartments
- keep existing weekly landfill waste bins;
- access to community FOGO bins.
People living in multistorey apartments will have to walk up to 300m to put their green organic and food organic waste into community bins. Council have assumed that apartment buildings do not have sufficient space for kerbside FOGO bins. But apartment blocks already have landfill/recycling bins, and most have car parks that should be able to accommodate FOGO bins. Council’s Waste Management Review Engagement Summary Report revealed significant community concerns with the viability of community hubs, which seem to have been brushed aside. Indeed, both Bayside and Glen Eira Councils provide kerbside FOGO bins to apartments. Is Port Phillip Council effectively saying that apartments in Port Phillip are different? Even the City of Melbourne is rolling out FOGO bins to multi-unit dwellings between two and five storeys high.
Unlike neighbouring Councils, is Port Phillip Council just giving up on attempting to divert food waste (from apartments) from landfill?
Environmental Impact
Composting food scraps and green waste instead of sending them to landfill significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions. When food scraps and other organic materials are sent to landfill, they begin to rot anaerobically (without oxygen) and release greenhouse gases, primarily methane, which contributes to climate change. The impact of methane on climate change is around 25 times greater than carbon dioxide. In fact, about 3% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions comes from organic matter rotting anaerobically (without air) in landfills. Source: https://compostrevolution.com.au/
Port Phillip is one of Victoria’s worst performing Councils in waste diversion because it sends 68% of its waste to landfill compared with similar LGAs (51%). The introduction of FOGO bins would divert kerbside waste from landfill. (Source: https://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/councils/port-phillip/reports/summary)
A Middle Park resident said “The proposal is disappointing from an environmental perspective because Port Phillip Council has effectively said that they are not interested in increasing waste diversion from landfill for 75% of properties (MUD's). If Council thought that communal FOGO drop off points worked, they would reduce the landfill bin pickup frequency to fortnightly for MUD's- just as they are for the SUD’s”.
Port Phillip’s new waste proposal contradicts their 2019 declaration of a climate emergency and exposes it as just virtue signalling. If Port Phillip Council was serious about climate change, they would implement kerbside FOGO to MUDs and collect landfill bins every 2 weeks, just like Bayside and Glen Eira. Instead, we have an overly complicated system, which will be difficult to administer and hence presumably require more employees. They have not even publicised a list of which properties are designated to receive kerbside FOGO bins and hence pay the 50% waste levy surcharge.
One resident who attended Council’s Deliberative Consultation in February said he “was shocked that Council had ignored community feedback that the most people living in MUDs would not be motivated to take their food waste and other organic waste to communal bins up to 300m”.
Economic Impact
All properties will pay $176.20 in 2022-23 for the standard landfill/recycling bin services, which comes with access to community FOGO bins.
SUDs will be charged an extra 50% ($88.10) for kerbside FOGO bins and will revert to fortnightly landfill bin pickups.
The new waste charge is revenue neutral in the first year, meaning Council will not be raising additional revenues in 2022-23 i.e. the total amount of rates collected will reduce by the total amount of waste levy collected. But it is forecasting an additional $25 million in waste charges over the next 10 years. It can do this because the waste charge will not be constrained by the Victorian Government rate cap that was brought in to protect residents and ratepayers.
One concerned resident said “Glen Eira and Bayside have determined that all properties can have FOGO bins yet Port Phillip hasn’t. Is this to save money? Council have been telling us that MUDs are not able to use FOGO bins for years. I contacted them about 5 years ago asking why we don't have FOGO bins- their answer was that over half the residents (those in apartments) can't use them. As if half the residents don't have food waste?”
You can have your say on this proposal which is part of the Draft 2022-23 Budget, Neighbourhood conversations 2022 | Have Your Say Port Phillip and you can attend the following Pop-up sessions to provide feedback:
- Sunday 1 May 2022 10:00am – 1:00 pm, 50 Albert Road, South Melbourne
- Friday 6 May 2022 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Ripponlea, Glen Eira Road, cnr Quat Quatta Avenue
- Saturday 7 May 2022 09:00 am – 12:00 pm St Kilda / St Kilda West Veg Out St Kilda Farmers Market
- Friday 13 May 2022 10:00 am – 01:00 pm, Balaclava - St Kilda East, Carlisle Street, Balaclava Station
- Saturday 14 May 2022 11:00 pm – 12:00 pm, Albert Park / Middle Park, Canterbury Place Reserve, Armstrong Street
- Sunday 15 May 2022 10:00 am – 01:00 pm, Port Melbourne, Bay Street, outside Coles entrance
- Friday 20 May 2022 10:00 am – 01:00 pm, South Melbourne, Market Street, outside South Melbourne Central entrance
- Sunday 22 May 2022 10:00 am – 01:00 pm , Elwood, Ormond Road cnr Docker Street
