Green rubbish to cost

Sunday Herald Sun
Sunday 1/3/2009 Page: 26

HOUSEHOLD waste collection will be revamped in Victoria under a radical rubbish plan that could increase the cost of taking out the trash. The Brumby Government will unveil a 20-year plan today focused on turning household waste into renewable energy and reusable products. Up to seven superwaste stations are likely to be built throughout Melbourne under the strategy to reduce the state's landfill.

Remarkably, the Government will also investigate building rubbish tips that can transform garbage into electricity. The Government will set a target of recovering 65% of municipal waste by 2014 in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The plan is expected to reduce emissions by up to 400,000 tonnes a year. However, experts predicted the cost of making Victoria's waste collection greener would lead to higher costs for consumers, but beneficial long-term results for the environment. The frequency of rubbish collections could be reduced.

The Government is also expected to investigate what bins are used to collect the waste and private companies are set to profit from charging people to take their trash, similar to the way in which people pay to dump their rubbish in landfills. Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said the plan "set a new direction for waste management in Melbourne", moving away from landfill and toward new technologies that make use of what Victorians throw away.

"Melburnians have been great recyclers, but we are going to need to more than double the amount of waste we recover, recycle and reprocess," he said. A Sydney rubbish tip, which takes 8% of the city's waste, already turns organic waste into electricity and sorts recyclables. Similar tips are expected to be built in Victoria soon, under private public partnerships. Greenhouse emissions rose by 1.3% in Victoria last year, according to a report released last month.