Collections commencing this week for new purple glass recycling bins
Published on 01 October 2024
Residents are encouraged to begin placing glass bottles and jars into the purple-lidded bins ahead of the first collections commencing this week.
Below are the most frequently asked questions regarding the new glass recycling bins:
When will my glass recycling bin be collected?
Collections will commence across Baw Baw Shire from Monday 7 October 2024 and will occur once every four weeks on your current bin collection day.
To find out your upcoming bin collection schedule, residents can:
What can go in the glass recycling bin?
Glass bottles and jars including:
- Glass bottles of beer, wine, soft drink and olive oil bottles
- Glass jars of pasta sauce and condiment jars for jams, spreads and preserves
- Glass bottles and jars for medicine or toiletries
It is ok to place broken glass bottles and jars in the glass recycling bin.
Residents are encouraged to rinse all jars, remove all lids or corks and place items in the glass recycling bin loosely (do not bag recyclables).
Lids and corks can be placed in the red-lidded general rubbish bin. Labels can be left on.
What can’t go in the glass recycling bin?
Any glass item that isn’t a glass bottle and jar including:
- Drinking or wine glasses
- Window glass, fish tank glass, glass doors
- Pyrex or glass containers
- Bakeware or ovenware
- Ceramics or stoneware
- Perfume bottles
- Light bulbs
- Mirrors
- Vases
These items are made to melt at a higher temperature in the manufacturing process compared to glass bottles and jars that contained food or drink and therefore cannot be recycled in the same process.
These items should be donated if possible or placed in your red-lidded general rubbish bin where appropriate.
Why introduce a new glass recycling bin?
Separating glass bottles and jars into a new glass recycling bin will help improve recycling quality and keep unnecessary waste out of landfill.
When broken glass is present in the yellow-lidded mixed recycling bin it makes other items like cardboard, paper and plastic hard to recycle due to broken glass contamination. This contamination often results in recyclable materials going to landfill.
By putting your glass bottles and jars in a separate glass recycling bin, more glass can be kept out of landfill and recycled into products like new glass bottles and jars, and even new road base.
All Victorian Councils are required to introduce a separate glass recycling bin as part of the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria: A new economy policy – a 10-year policy and action plan to improve waste and recycling. As part of this policy, all households will transition to a four-waste stream system to support the circular economy.
Roll out of the new purple-lidded glass recycling bins took place between June and August 2024 to households across the Shire.
The new glass recycling service will not impact the waste charge to residents.
For more information, please go to the Glass Recycling Bin page on Council’s website.
As of the date of signing, the Chief Executive Officer has certified that this material is not considered to be electoral material in accordance with Council’s Governance Rules made under the Local Government Act 2020, Civic Place, Warragul.