At its council meeting on Monday, May 23, Horsham Rural City councillors voted to bring in the new system, which is set to commence on April 3, 2023.

Under the four bin model, urban residencies will have bins for waste, commingled recycling, organics and glass - all of which will be collected fortnightly except glass, which will be collected monthly.

Councillor David Bowe, who moved the original motion, said the council had engaged the community on the matter and encouraged people to get on board with the change.

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"I encourage the community to have a look at the survey report on the four bin service model. Every council across the state is required to adopt this new service model, however, it will all affect us differently depending on our situation," he said.

"We all need to be open to these new changes and see different ways to cut waste and manage concerns that the community has."

Waste, comingled and organic bins will come in 240 litres, and glass bins will be 120 litres.

Meanwhile, rural residents will not have a glass service, instead only switching to a two-bin waste and commingled recycling system.

At the meeting, Councillor Di Bell raised concerns about residents who did not require a dedicated glass bin and asked if any alternatives were available.

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"I do have concerns for people who don't use certain bins, I hope in the future we can have others who are only putting two pieces of glass in the bin, we can use the model for the rural where they can drop off their glass," she said.

As a result of the new bin system, coupled with an increase in the EPA service levy, the council will increase its waste collection charges across the next two years.

For 240 litre bins in urban areas, the garbage rate will increase from $470 in 2021-22 to a projected $482 in 2023-24. Smaller 140-litre bins will increase from $307 in 2021-22 to a projected $482 in 2023-24.

The changes come after the Victorian government released its circular economy plan, 'Recycling Victoria: A new economy' in 2020, requiring council's across the state to introduce a four-bin system from 2026.

The plan will also introduce a container deposit scheme, which will refund people for returning empty drink containers and cans.

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