Hepburn Shire’s Kerbside bin collection trucks are sporting a new look.

And it’s not just about appearances.

As part of the Hepburn Shire Council’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and responsible resource recovery, the Veolia bin collection trucks now feature informative messaging as part of their livery.

The more colourful new look and messaging is aimed at educating residents on how to better manage and reduce their household waste – something that’s in line with wider circular economy aims.

Bruce Lucas, Director Infrastructure and Delivery, said that the new look trucks will serve as a mobile educational tool, raising awareness about getting the right items into each bin. 

The initiative is part of a broader effort to reduce what is sent to landfill and increase participation in local recycling programs.

The trucks feature Sustainability Victoria developed graphics with clear and concise messages on how to sort waste correctly at home.  

“The key messages we want to get across to the community are to keep bags out of your recycling and food and garden organics bin, how to recycle properly, and ensuring that food and garden organics collected has no contamination given it is being made into compost to be used to improve local soils in our parks and open spaces,” said Mr Lucas.  

“We are excited to introduce this new campaign and bring educational messages directly to our residents using kerbside collection trucks.

:This is an exciting way to turn everyday bin collection into an educational opportunity. We’re hopeful that this initiative will spark conversations at the community level and inspire individuals to make lasting changes,” said Mr Lucas. 

The trucks have various messages on increasing resource recovery in our region through correct sorting at home.

Local residents will see the trucks traveling through their neighbourhoods as they make their regular collections, providing continuous reminders about the importance of sorting items correctly, and keeping items loose in their recycling and organics bins. 

In the new year as we reach one year since the introduction of the Food and Garden Organics collection service, we will also undertake a review of these services and how they are performing and keep community informed of this review.  

The council was able to fund these new messages on all four collection trucks thanks to a grant from Sustainability Victoria.

This story based on a Hepburn Shire Council media release

The Hepburn Shire Council will introduce a weekly kerbside collection of food and garden organics for township residents this year, in a bid to help divert thousands of tonnes of organic material from landfill.

The roll-out of this service is part of the council’s sustainable Hepburn strategy and the kerbside collection for townships will include: 

• Lime green-lidded food and garden organics bins – collected weekly 
• Red-lidded landfill (general rubbish) bins – collected fortnightly 
• Yellow-lidded recycling – collected fortnightly (no change). 

As of May 2023, almost half of Australia’s councils offered a food and garden organics service, including Macedon Ranges Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Melton City Council, Central Goldfields, Campaspe, Southern Grampians and more. 

The state government requires all Victorian Councils to introduce a food and garden organics service by 2030. 

The Hepburn shire’s new waste collection regime is expected to make a big impact to reduce waste to landfill.

More than half of the material currently placed in the red-lidded general waste landfill bin is understood to be food waste that would be suitable for the new lime green-lidded bin.

Reducing waste to landfill is forecast to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise future waste costs associated with using landfill.

The council is creating short videos to explain the new food and garden organics kerbside collection with township residents to receive a lime-green lidded bin and kitchen caddy this year.