More than 1,300 new green waste recycling bins have been ordered by households after Brisbane City Council slashed the cost to less than $1-a-week.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the take-up of green bins in July was a threefold increase on the same month last year.
“Brisbane is Australia’s cleanest and greenest capital city and we’re committed to helping residents improve sustainability,” he said.
“We slashed green bin fees because we recognise residents are dealing with rising living costs but we also want to encourage them to recycle.
“I’m pleased that our decision to cut the fee has led to over 1,300 new Brisbane households adopting a green bin, adding to the 135,000 that already have one.”
From July 1, the annual green waste recycling bin fee was permanently reduced from $93 to $45, or less than $1-a-week.
This has resulted in 1,372 bins being ordered this month. By comparison, 452 green bins were ordered during July last year, Council said in a statement.
The total savings for residents over twelve months is expected to exceed $6.7 million.
Lord Mayor Schrinner said cutting green waste recycling bin costs was part of Council’s $80 million cost of living package announced in the 2023/24 budget.
“Brisbane already has the cheapest residential rates in south east Queensland and we’re committed to reducing the pressure on households,” he said.
“Our Budget also included slashing the cost of attending a Council pool throughout Summer to just $2 which will deliver significant savings for families looking for affordable fun.”
The suburb of Bracken Ridge is leading the charge in green bin uptake with 40 bins ordered, followed closely by The Gap (39), Brighton and Forest Lake (25).
“Last year, more than 10,200 new green bins were ordered by residents who were keen to recycle their green waste,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Collectively, more than 36,600 tonnes of green waste was recycled in our green bins rather than ending up in landfill.
“We are eager for more residents to adopt a green bin as we move towards expanding our food organics recycling scheme.”
The decision to slash the annual cost of green waste recycling bins comes after the Schrinner Council dropped the $30 establishment fee in 2019.
As a result, an additional 45,000 green waste recycling bins have now been adopted by Brisbane households while an extra 7,000 tonnes of green waste are diverted from landfill each year.
