Weekly return for red-lid bin: Coalition

The state Coalition promised to reintroduce a weekly collection of general waste bins (red-lidded), however, the doubling of service delivery could cost Rural City of Wangaratta Council an extra $4.9m per annum. Opposition leader Jess Wilson announced the election promise on Monday, but the change to weekly collection would financially impact councils, not ratepayers directly, as the Coalition confirmed it "will apply the rates cap to council waste charges". The total cost of kerbside collection in Wangaratta this year has increased $416,000 on 2025/26 to $4.9m, up more than 6 per cent for urban and rural properties. Kerbside, recycling and organic collection is budgeted at $10.118 million in 2026/27, with glass container recycling not yet a cost to ratepayers. Mayor Irene Grant said as a council they have made no decision or had any meaningful discussion regarding the proposed changes to waste management by the Coalition. "If the red bins were collected on a weekly basis, this would come at an extra cost to council," Mayor Grant said. "The purple bins, which were introduced last year and part of a push by the current government, have not yet demonstrated any real value – the collection of glass needs to be considered in a wholistic way and in a way that reflects the needs of the community. "While the container deposit scheme has been a step forward, consideration also needs to be made of all the other glass containers, ie wine bottles and food containers, and how these may be recycled and better used." Cr Grant said council already pays a significant cost for waste management across the municipality (which also includes the maintenance of landfill and recycling services). She said it is also wrong to suggest that a system that may be workable in metro Melbourne would work in a rural and semi-rural locations. Ms Wilson said the Coalition will review the rate of the landfill levy alongside its previously announced review of the container deposit scheme. "This is a commonsense change that makes life easier for families - households shouldn't have to wait a fortnight for their over-flowing bin to be collected," Ms Wilson said. "Weekly rubbish collection is an essential service that shouldn't depend on your postcode." As for the Coalition's promise in July to remove the fourth bin if elected, shadow minister for Local Government Bev McArthur said it was "an unnecessary mandate that is already driving up costs and diverting scarce resources away from the local services and infrastructure communities rely on every day". There is currently no charge for ratepayers to have their purple-lidded bin collected quarterly. One Nation upper house MP Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell said she agrees with a change to weekly collection. She also said all the councils she has spoken to in Northern Victoria are opposed to the purple bins. "It’s a huge cost to everyone,” Mrs Tyrrell said.

Weekly return for red-lid bin: Coalition

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