All go for green bins

Noosa Council is urging residents to get in early and start using a green bin before the service is rolled out to all urban households in September.
Judy Tulloch of Marcus Beach said her garden waste bin saves her countless trips to the tip and is a great way to dispose of backyard lawn and plant clippings.
“Garden waste bins are a great idea. It makes it so easy to dispose of plant material,” she said.
She and husband Colin Ingram have been using their garden waste bin for their off-cuts, weeds and branches for years.
The couple are among 4500 Noosa households already using the service, which will be rolled out to the majority of households in urban areas as a standard service in September.
The standard three-bin service is included in the council’s new waste contract to help reduce the amount of organic garden waste entering landfill.
Expanding the garden waste bin service will divert an estimated additional 1150 tonnes of organic matter from the landfill every year.
The council’s acting waste manager Ian Florence said this is important because garden waste, as it decomposes in landfill, produces methane gas, which contributes significantly to the council’s emissions.
The garden waste bin service is a key initiative of the council’s Towards Zero Waste strategy.
It responds to the recommendations of the recent community jury which investigated ways to reduce the amount of organic waste ending up in Noosa’s landfill.
For those already using them, garden waste bins are a winner.
“The green bin is invaluable for larger branches that won’t compost and things like running grass that needs a hotter composting process like the one council uses,” Colin said.
Mr Florence said residents could get a garden waste bin by calling the council.
For more information, visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/garden-green-waste-services or call 5329 6500.