Seven thousand City of Melville residents will be the first in the Perth metropolitan area to take part in a trial of separating their household food waste into a third bin.
Several Perth councils have trialled three-bin systems, but none have yet gone so far as to ask residents to separate their compostable household waste at home. The other three-bin trials still send food waste to landfill, where it rots and produces greenhouse gases.
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Why do Melville residents get a third bin?
Seven thousand City of Melville residents will be the first in the Perth Metropolitan area to take part in a trial of separating household food waste into a third bin.
The trial is being organised by the South Metropolitan Regional Council, which represents member councils Fremantle, East Fremantle, Kwinana, Melville and Cockburn.
At the moment, general household waste from these councils is taken to the Regional Resource Recovery Centre in Canning Vale, where the food waste is separated out from the hard waste.
![Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey, South Metropolitan Regional Council chairman Cameron Schuster, East Fremantle Mayor Jim ...](/web/20170424064215im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/q/z/m/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvo4xw.png/1492992371500.jpg)
The food waste and garden waste is then composted, while the hard waste is sent to landfill.
Under the new system, householders will sort out their compostables for themselves. Food and garden waste will go in the green bin - residents will get a new lime-green lid - to be collected weekly.
Landfill waste will go in the new 140-litre red bin, smaller than the standard 240 litres to be collected fortnightly.
It's business as usual for the yellow-topped recycling bin, which will be collected fortnightly, though residents who need bigger bins can upgrade to a 360-litre bin for free.
The trial will begin in October 2017 in Melville, and is anticipated to be rolled out in Fremantle and East Fremantle in 2018/19 after its results are evaluated.
SMRC chairman and Melville councillor Cameron Schuster said after an initial outlay, the change was expected to eventually bring cost savings for residents.
"This is a positive change, both environmentally and socially, that honours the waste hierarchy," he said.
All waste can and should be considered as a resource, which can be used for something productive.
"There is a lot of interest in this, an appetite for change. And there will be significant education for residents before the new red bins are delivered."
The trial is expected to take place in parts of Bicton, Willagee, Mt Pleasant, Brentwood and Bull Creek, with households taking part still being finalised. Over the coming months, more information about the project will be provided to trial residents.
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