Councils say kerbside bin funding will stop waste being sent to landfill. 

A national approach to kerbside recycling will help Australia’s 537 councils to reduce the five mega tonnes (MT) of waste sent to Australian landfills every year, advocates say.

In its 2024-25 Federal Budget submission, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is seeking $120 million over four years to standardise kerbside bins across Australia’s cities, towns and regions and implement a new national education campaign.

ALGA President Councillor Linda Scott says confusion around which products can be recycled - and which kerbside bin should be used - remains a significant barrier to diverting waste from landfill.

“Australia’s councils are committed to reducing the waste we send to landfill, as well as recovering valuable resources that can be separated, processed and used to make new products,” Cr Scott said.

“Standardising bin lids across the entire country would allow us to run a national education campaign that would give Australians the information they need to make informed decisions about what they put in their bins.

“While New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT already have standardised kerbside bins, this new federal program would enable councils in other states and territories to accelerate the transition in a nationally consistent way.”

Local councils manage around 25 per cent of Australia’s waste, collecting approximately 9.7 mega tonnes each year from kerbside bin services.  

This waste is sorted at material recovery facilities and dispatched to what can be recycled at reprocessing facilities in Australia and overseas.

Cr Scott said local government is also working closely with the Federal Government to strengthen product stewardship.

“Fundamental to improving kerbside recycling collection is the redesign of packaging so there is less waste, and it contains less mixed material and is more easily recycled,” Cr Scott said.