Glass recycling is coming (but we can’t tell you when)

The one constant about waste management and recycling is that more change is always on the horizon.

We are urged to separate waste as much as possible, to make the most of resources, and to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill. Over the past few years, most of the focus has been on encouraging people to recycle food and garden organics. The next big change in our area will be a new purple-lid bin for glass recycling.

At the moment, glass is put into the yellow-lid general recycling bin. (Tips: Please keep the lids on glass jars and bottles. Broken glass should not be put in yellow lid recycling bin – wrap it in newspaper or plastic and put it in the general waste bin.)

Every council has a different timetable for rolling out glass recycling. For example, in Merri-bek (formerly Moreland Council) and Whittlesea, residents already have a fourth bin for glass recycling, but dates still need to be set in Banyule and Darebin.

The State Government has mandated that all households have access to a glass recycling service by 2027. In some cases, this may mean communal glass drop-off points. Many councils are openly waiting to see how other councils have managed the purple bin service and how the Container Deposit Scheme affects the recycling landscape.

Why is glass recycling so important?

• Bottles, jars, and other products can be infinitely recycled to make new products without consuming the natural resources required to make glass in the first place.
• New roads are being made from recycled glass!
• Broken glass mixed with cardboard, paper, and plastic makes it much harder to recycle these items.

Check out Sustainability Victoria’s glass recycling page for more info on the value of glass recycling.

Container Deposit Scheme

Eligible items are: most aluminium, glass, plastic, and liquid paperboard (carton) drink containers between 150mL and 3 litres. You can keep the lids on, as they are recycled too.

Our local area has several drop-off points that are part of the Scheme. The points are either over-the-counter, reverse vending machines or depots. Here are some of the drop-off points.

• Macleod Recreation and Fitness Centre
• Cameron Parade Milk Bar Watsonia
• Southern Road Cellars Heidelberg Heights
• Greensborough Plaza Upper Carpark
• Greensborough Plaza Lower Carpark
• Yallambie Foodmart

For more information visit https://cdsvic.org.au/locations