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The Victorian Government has directed all councils to introduce a glass recycling bin by mid‑2027

Independent modelling commissioned by councils found that a fourth bin would be costly to establish and maintain – and that a better, more affordable alternative already exists.

Council is one of over 30 Victorian Councils actively advocating to the Victorian Government to postpone the mandatory requirement for councils to provide a glass only bin service to households.

The group of councils is significantly concerned about the cost implications the glass only bin service will have on their community.

We have shared a survey conducted by more than 30 councils with the state government and will continue to advocate against the 2027 rollout.
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What are our concerns?

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.

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Is there an alternative to a glass‑only bin?

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.

‍What is Council's specific request to the Victorian Government?
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.
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