Richard Paschke and Wangaratta Council’s Tony Chetcuti compare the current recycling bin with the trial bin. Picture: SUPPLIED
HOUSEHOLDS in Wangaratta and Benalla will take part in a Victorian-first trial to discover if bigger bins encourage better recycling.
For two months, 500 recycling bins in each city will be replaced by larger 340-litre bins, which carry 40 per cent more recyclable material.
In Wangaratta, 500 people in the Cambridge Estate and Waratah Drive area have already received letters notifying about the trial — although they do have the option not to take part.
Benalla residents, who live in the trial area, will be notified next week.
NevRwaste project manager Richard Paschke said to discover what effect the bigger bins have, rubbish and recycling levels will be audited before and during the trial.
However that won’t involve staff rifling through bins, rather each truck load from the trial areas will be weighed after collection.
Demographic information from the area will be used to work out what type of households benefit most from the scheme.
Mr Paschke said a similar trial in Western Australia a couple of years ago resulted a 25 per cent increase in recycling, with bigger households producing the best improvements.
“The results of the trial was that it was positive for yield but not for everyone,” Mr Paschke said.
“For households with more than three or four occupants the bins were beneficial, for older people or single households the bins were not as beneficial.”
Participants in Wangaratta may have an option to keep the bigger bin after the trial ends.
Wanagaratta mayor Rozi Parisotto said the aim of the trial was to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
“More space in the recycling bin will help households to recycle correctly, especially around peak season such as Easter and Christmas,” Mrs Parisotto said.
The trial has received funding from Sustainability Victoria and the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association.
