OPT-IN green waste bins across the Mornington Peninsula can now be filled with garden cuttings and food scraps from the kitchen.
Acceptable items include fruit and vegetable scraps, meat scraps and uncooked bones, leftovers, dairy, seafood (no oyster shells), bread, desserts and rice, egg shells, loose tea leaves and coffee grounds, garden prunings, weeds and grass clippings, small plants, shrubs, leaves and branches.
The waste will be turned into commercial grade compost.
The shire says 43,000 households are already using the bins for garden waste. By adding food scraps residents will be helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste in landfill. This will help the shire reach its zero-waste target and thereby reduce our impact on climate change.
Those who opted in to receive a free caddy should see them arrive this week. Any container is acceptable, but it is important to use the certified compostable liners provided by the shire free of charge.
Those who didn’t order a caddy can pick up liners at Customer Service Centres at Rosebud, Hastings, and Mornington. Liners are optional, or throw your scraps straight into the bin or wrapped in newspaper.
To order a free caddy or a garden and food waste bin for an annual fee of $140 visit mornpen.vic.gov.au/greenwaste
Those living in an area not eligible for green bins can learn more about the rebate on compost bins at mornpen.vic.gov.au/compost
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 20 July 2021
