Geraldton council supports kerbside recycling trial
City of Greater Geraldton councillors have agreed to support a 12-month trial of a food and garden organic waste kerbside bin collection at 500 randomly selected households.
The trial is estimated to cost around $247,000 - or $15 per household – and will come out of the City’s 2019-20 general expenditure budget, providing the budget is approved.
Although residents will not pay for the trial, councillors stressed ratepayers would be hit if the kerbside collection is rolled out across the city.
Participating households will be randomly selected across several suburbs, which, according to briefing notes, will provide realistic data on the uptake of the program.
Participants will receive a new lime-green bin for their food and garden organic waste, collected weekly.
During the trial waste will be processed into compost within the new cell at the Meru Landfill.
Depending on the quality of the compost the City could make it available to agricultural, commercial and residential properties.
The cost of the trial will also cover employment of a waste education officer, additional staff and education packs for households.
According to council notes around 48 percent of the city’s waste stream is food and garden organic waste.
The trial will now be listed for consideration in the proposed 2019-20 budget.
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