We all know that our huge and growing waste problem needs to be addressed. The throwaway economy of the past few decades thrived on convenience. But we are all paying the price –  both the price of sending waste to landfill as rate payers, and the price of climate damage (with food in landfill being a significant contributor). Let’s explore the issue and some practical solutions. We can rise to the challenge of slashing waste to landfill.

The latest data shows that only half of Merri-bek’s waste is being recycled or composted. The other half goes to landfill. For many years, Merri-bek Council has made plans to address this, but they have been slow to act. We ought to be a community leader. Instead, Merri-bek has become a laggard.

A third of Victorian councils have already made the switch to fortnightly rubbish collection. As the graph below shows, these Councils are doing much better in recycling and composting their waste. Several have reached the government’s target of 72% by 2025.  

Merri-bek has been trying to reduce waste to landfill for 30 years – see Timeline below. In 2018, Council committed to zero waste to landfill by 2030. This requires residents (all of us) to reduce the waste we generate each day AND to use the correct bin. Food waste is the biggest problem, with most still going in the red rubbish bin (and hence to landfill) rather than the green (FOGO – food and garden waste) bin.

In 2019, Council voted unanimously to bring in fortnightly collection of rubbish and weekly collection of FOGO. This was to be rolled out in early 2021. This was then delayed. Now in June 2026, Council will vote again on the same thing, to be implemented in July 2027. 

Merri-bek Council prides itself on being a leader in sustainability, and our residents are among the most environmentally progressive in the country. Council has shifted from waste strategies to a circular economy strategy. Council committed in 2018 to oppose the burning of waste. (Communities in the north are protesting against a proposed waste incinerator due to pollution impacts.) 

Why has Merri-bek been so slow to act on reducing waste to landfill? Yes, some residents would find the change challenging. This has led to Merri-bek having costly trials, surveys, and consultant reports. The delays have also led to higher waste charges on residents – we are one of only three Victorian municipalities where residents must pay for both weekly FOGO and rubbish collection.

We ask Merri-bek Council to stop the delays: implement the change to fortnightly waste and give more help to residents who are having challenges.

Council is offering bigger rubbish bins, and concessions, to certain households, This will help. But we suggest more measures. These are discussed in detail later. In summary: 

• Make it easier for residents to wrap food waste. Clarify exactly what type of paper bags are acceptable, and make them readily available, including subsidies for concession households. Amend the contract with FOGO processor Veolia (in 2028) to allow AS 4736 certified compostable bags.
• Review Merri-bek’s practices for encouraging the use of reusable nappies, and the recycling of disposable nappies in order to increase take up. Benchmark against councils including Glen Eira and Greater Shepparton to ensure we meet best practice.
• Employ a permanent council officer to deliver community outreach programs on circular economy practices. We see that many residents are crying out for more education / information / outreach. So Council needs to ramp this up.

Fortnightly rubbish collection greatly reduces waste to landfill

Fortnightly collection of the red (landfill) bin will encourage people to put their food waste in the green bin, and stop it going to landfill. The figure below compares Merri-bek’s performance with that of Metropolitan Councils using fortnightly rubbish collection. Clearly fortnightly rubbish collection makes a huge difference in helping us reach our target. And it seems that allowing compostable bags will help even more.

So, what are our solutions? 

Wrapping of food waste

Food waste put in the FOGO bin can’t be wrapped in plastic bags. So the bin can smell, and there may be residue waste which can attract pests. This is deterring too many residents from using the green bin for food waste. Some councils allow AS 4736 certified compostable bags. As seen in the graph above, Councils that allow these are overall performing better on reducing waste to landfill. 

Merri-bek uses two contractors for FOGO waste – Veolia and Repurpose It. Veolia doesn’t allow compostable plastic bags. However, the contract is up for renewal in early 2028. We suggest that Merri-bek amend the contract to allow these compostable bags.

Meanwhile, residents can wrap food in paper bags (or paper towels or newspaper – but many of us don’t have newspaper.). Council needs to clarify to residents exactly what type of paper bags are acceptable. We understand that thin plain paper bags are acceptable, as well as the compostable paper liners for the kitchen caddies.

While we are waiting for the Veolia contract to be amended, we suggest that Council make the suitable paper bags readily available, including subsidies for concession households.

Disposable nappies 

Absorbent Hygiene Products is the collective name for infant nappies, incontinence products and period products. Many are single use, and are disposed of in landfill. There is huge global interest in addressing this, through composting / recycling, and encouraging more use of reusable products. See review. Merri-bek will benefit from new developments. But we have a more immediate problem.

Disposable nappies can fill up a red bin. Nappies and period products make up 13.5% of waste going into the red (landfill) bins. Solutions include:

• Bigger bins. Residents can choose a bin size that meets their needs. Bigger bins cost more, but Merri-bek offers concessions to families with two or more children under the age of four. (Concessions are also available for larger families and those producing a lot of medical waste.) Of course this doesn’t solve the landfill issue. 
• Increase use of reusable nappies. Merri-bek offers subsidies for reusable nappies and runs workshops. But can we do better? Other councils, led by Glen Eira, have reported great success in helping residents switch to using more reusable nappies through increasing community outreach and education.
• There is a service that recycles disposable nappies (and adult incontinence products) and turns them into pet litter. Greater Shepparton Council has partnered with this company to offer a free weekly nappy collection. Merri-bek could look into ways to increase the use of nappy recycling services, including subsidies.

We propose that Merri-bek review practices around encouraging the use of reusable nappies, and the recycling of disposable nappies. This would include benchmarking against councils including Glen Eira and Greater Shepparton to ensure we meet best practice.

Employ a permanent community outreach officer

People are crying out for help on reducing waste. Indeed, Merri-bek’s trial showed that most people didn’t even know how to change their bin size to suit their needs. Tenants also face obstacles with this (particularly where landlords decide on the bin size). 

Merri-bek does offer help, but can do better. In particular we think Merri-bek needs a permanent council officer to deliver community outreach programs on circular economy practices. (Currently, Council employs some people on contract to do various waste projects.) 

In particular, education around the environmental impact of disposable nappies could be ramped up, as this is poorly understood. Given that in the most recent trial, larger families reported the most issues with fortnightly waste collection, we suggest that schools, kindergartens, childcare centres could be engaged in this education campaign. 

The benefits of community outreach were made clear by Fawkner resident Maryam Sarrafzadeh at the May 2026 Council meeting, when she expressed her concern about Council ending a place-based program. She said:

The Place-Based Community Outreach project has been one of the most impactful community initiatives many of us have ever participated in. For residents from multicultural backgrounds in particular — people who have often felt disconnected from local government — this program was a first point of genuine connection. It spoke to us in ways we could understand, in places where we already felt at home, about things that directly affect our daily lives. There is simply no equivalent engagement happening in suburbs like Fawkner and Glenroy on sustainability issues. These are communities that face real cost-of-living pressures, that stand to benefit enormously from environmental support programs — and that are currently underserved when it comes to climate and sustainability outreach. Ending this project does not just pause that work. It creates a gap that, based on our experience, nothing else is currently positioned to fill. 

So, Merri-bek, let’s get cracking. We know how to slash waste to landfill. We know some residents need help. And we can do it! Now!  

Timeline

• 1996: Moreland Council aims to reduce waste to landfill by 50% by 2000.
• 2007: Moreland Council adopts its Waste and Litter Strategy 2007-2012. This signaled a move from waste management to waste minimisation. It set a target of reducing waste to landfill by 3% per year. (This was not achieved: Merri-bek’s waste to landfill is about the same today as it was in 2005. This is not just about population growth. Many newer apartment blocks employ private waste contractors. Council does not measure their waste).
• 2014: Moreland Council adopts its Waste and Litter Strategy 2014-2017. It sought to reduce food waste to landfill by optimising home composting until “kerbside food waste collection service becomes viable.” 
• 2018: Moreland Council adopts Waste and Litter Strategy 2018. This includes initiatives to meet target of zero waste to landfill by 2030. It also affirmed Council’s opposition to waste incinerators. 
• April 2019: Council votes unanimously to bring in fortnightly collection of rubbish, and weekly collection of FOGO. This was to be rolled out across the whole municipality by early 2021. 
• May 2020: Council changes the timeline due to state government Recycling Victoria 10-year plan. It stated that a “draft Waste Policy (informed by community engagement in 2020)” would be brought to the March 2021 Council Meeting.
• 2020/21: Council engages in Waste community consultation about the 4-bin service on  Conversations Merri-bek.
• December 2020: Council resolves to engage the community on a range of waste service models, and to communicate the growing landfill levy and landfill capacity problems.
• July 2021: Council endorses draft waste policy, which includes fortnightly garbage/weekly FOGO for community consultation.
• December 2021: Council endorses the waste policy with staged implementation of 4-bin service, with fortnightly garbage the final stage with decision subject to outcomes of fortnightly rubbish trial.
• December 2022:  Council reports on the 4-bin trial for multi-unit developments. Interestingly it noted: “While paper bags were provided as compostable bin liners for food organics disposal, only a very small number were observed to be used, and as such, it is not proposed to progress with municipal-wide distribution of paper bags in the rollout of the 4-stream waste service”. (We think paper bags would help.)
• July 2023: Council changes to a 4 bin service, with the green bin collected weekly.  
• 2025: Fortnightly rubbish trial on Conversations Merri-bek.  
• October 2025: Merri-bek endorses its latest waste strategy, now renamed as the Circular Economy Strategy.
• March/April 2026: Council undertakes  8-week community engagement on Fortnightly rubbish collections on Conversations Merri-bek.
• June 2026: Council to vote yet again on fortnightly rubbish collection.