A Little bit of Rubbish

Why does the amount of waste going to landfill matter?

Last year the disposal of almost 31,000 tonnes of rubbish from household bins in Whitehorse (our Local Council) cost rate payers $3.8 million. $2.2 million of of this is attributable to the state government landfill levy and the carbon tax. Reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill will therefore reduce pressure on our Council rates.

From an environmental perspective - we think it's clear why we should be aiming to throw less rubbish into a decreasing number of landfill sites across the state.

How big is our rubbish bin?

City of Whitehorse have recently introduced a smaller (80 litre) standard rubbish bin. If residents want to keep the large bin (120 litre) they need to pay an annual fee. They have also reduced the fees for the 'optional garden organics bin service'. Despite some negative press in the local paper we think all of this is a good thing. 

Why does our Council supply a Smaller Bin?

One of the proven strategies to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill is the use of a smaller 80 litre rubbish bin as standard. The average Victorian council with an 80 litre standard bin sends 402kg of waste per household per year to landfill. Whitehorse households currently send 508kg to landfill each year.

How much rubbish did we throw out last week?

Where we live Monday night is rubbish night. This week we threw out two bags of rubbish, which weighed in at 1.8kg. Multiplying this by 52 weeks equates to 94kg a year; which is less than 20 percent of the average Whitehorse household. A little bit of rubbish indeed!