In 2022, the Victorian Government passed legislation requiring all councils to introduce an additional kerbside bin for glass recycling by a proposed date of mid‑2027.

This would mean a new glass‑only bin for most households, collected separately from existing recycling services.

Independent modelling commissioned on behalf of councils has raised several concerns about introducing a separate glass recycling bin.

The study examined 22 councils and found that:

• Introducing a glass‑only kerbside recycling service would cost councils a combined $75 million to set up.
• Running a monthly glass collection service would cost a typical council an additional $1.43 million each year.

These costs are likely to be passed on to households through higher waste and recycling service charges.

There are also practical and environmental concerns, including:

• The added burden on households to sort recycling into another bin.
• The space required to store an additional (fourth) bin at home.
• More waste collection trucks on local streets, particularly in narrow suburban areas.
• Increased traffic, emissions and impacts on neighbourhood amenity.
• Inefficiencies with collections as glass packaging represents a very small portion of the materials collected in the mixed recycling service.
• There are no quantifiable environmental benefits for our community, our glass will continue to be recycled back into glass packaging, it will just cost more to achieve this.

For many households, this change would result in four kerbside bins, including one already used for recycling glass. At a time when many people are managing rising living costs, additional bins and services this may place extra pressure on households.

Yes. A Container Deposit Scheme allows people to return eligible empty drink containers to collection points in exchange for a refund. In Victoria, this is currently 10 cents per eligible container. Since being launched in November 2023 the scheme has seen around 10 million containers processed a week.

Expanding Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme to include wine and spirit bottles is a proven alternative. All other states, with the exception of Victoria and Tasmania, have already adopted, or are moving towards, this approach.

An expanded scheme could:

• Improve glass recycling outcomes.
• Reduce the need for extra bins and collection trucks.
• Avoid additional ongoing costs for households.
• Return money back to households and community groups.

We believe it is an unnecessary, expensive and complicated option. An expanded Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) is a proven, cost-effective alternative that already exists and is popular with the community.

Adding a bin creates a 'double-up' in services. You already pay for glass recycling through your yellow bin. If an additional bin is introduced, on average, households will pay an additional $27 per year as part of their annual waste charge. Costs could be more for a council like Yarra Ranges.

Independent economic modelling found rolling out a fourth bin in just 22 councils would cost $75 million, plus significant ongoing collection, maintenance and processing costs.

Yes. A fourth bin means more trucks, more traffic congestion in neighbourhood streets and, ironically, more emissions from the collection fleet.

Yes. Container Deposit Schemes are being expanded nationally. Victoria is the only state planning a costly mandatory fourth bin. We support aligning with the national trend.

Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme launched in November 2023 is already processing around 10 million containers a week.

The opposite is true. Contamination is already an issue. Managing four streams makes doing the right thing even more complicated. Residents deserve a simple, clear system.

We are asking the Victorian Government to pause the proposed mid-2027 mandate, release the business case for the fourth bin, and prioritise expanding the CDS. Councils and residents want an effective, affordable and straightforward system.