Metro Fund Round Three

Flexible plastics kerbside recycling

Allowing residents in Boroondara, Cardinia, Hobsons Bay and Nillumbik to recycle flexible plastics (eg. plastic bags) in their kerbside recycling bins, diverting tonnes of flexible plastics from landfill over the funding period. The Australian Packaging Covenant has contributed an additional $130,000 to the project.

Improving recycling in multi-unit dwellings

Engaging with residents in both privately owned and public housing multi-unit developments to improve recycling in the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra. The project targeted privately owned multi-unit developments to increase recycling and reduce contamination in the recycling bin. The project also involved improving recycling in public housing developments in the City of Yarra and introduced new recycling services into public housing developments in the City of Melbourne. This project saw substantial improvements in recycling capacity and quality of material collected.

Resale centre upgrade and best practice hard waste collections

Upgrading the Melton Resale Centre to provide an improved drop-off zone for residents bringing reusable material to the facility. Upgrading the Resale Centre ensured recovery and reuse of materials are maximised through the council’s hard waste collection service and resident materials drop-off, and has enabled a greater range and quantity of materials to be accepted for resale.

Food Know How regional food waste avoidance program

Extending the City of Yarra's successful household Food Know How program across Yarra, Darebin, Maribyrnong, Moreland and Whittlesea councils. The program increased the participants' knowledge and ability to reduce the amount of food waste they discard in the kerbside bin.

Business/shopping precinct resource recovery project

Improving commercial recycling and waste management standards by educating businesses to get the most out of their recycling, minimise food waste and reduce stormwater pollution. The project targeted businesses, residents and customers in six shopping strips in Bridge Road and Swan Street in Richmond, Brunswick and Smith Streets in Fitzroy and Rathdowne and Nicholson Streets in Carlton. Business managers and staff enthusiastically adopted the recycling culture, diverting an estimated 1107 tonnes from landfill.

Bright Sparks: Small appliance reuse, repair and recycling

Establishing a large scale collection, assessment, repair and recycling of small electrical appliances annually in the cities of Moreland, Boroondara, Darebin, Whittlesea and Yarra with a view to metropolitan-wide expansion. The project tested appliances for safety and function before being donated, sold or recycled. Refurbished appliances were made available to low-income households. This pilot project diverted 6,132 electrical appliances from landfill, almost 15 tonnes of e-waste.

Community resource recovery hubs

Establishing public recycling hubs in Yarra to collect and recover small electrical appliances, textiles, household goods, mobile phones, polystyrene, plastic bags, paper and cardboard. Items that could be repaired were made available to the community. The Hub bins recovered 50 tonnes over the 10 month project period.

Communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse communities in multi-unit developments

Expanding on Maroondah Council's previous Metro Fund funded project which evaluated different multi-unit development waste education approaches to understanding and improving communication approaches for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Across the project sites an extra 7 tonnes of recyclable materials is now being recovered per annum.

Diverting polystyrene from landfill

Helping to divert polystyrene from landfill with the purchase of an expanded polystyrene extrusion machine to compact expanded polystyrene for recycling at the transfer station for community and neighbouring council use. The project diverted 306 cubic metres of EPS waste from landfill in 6 months.