Residents of Belconnen Town Centre will be the first to trial the food recycling scheme under a re-elected Labor Government, City Services spokesperson Chris Steel announced yesterday (7 September).

Around 5,000 households in the area, a mix of single and multi-unit dwellings, would be able to place food waste into their existing green bins along with other garden waste in a bid to divert food waste from landfill.

Mr Steel said more than a third (37%) of the ACT’s residential garbage bin contents are food waste, which currently goes to landfill and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

“By managing food waste through a new system, a re-elected ACT Labor Government will reduce the ACT’s emissions from the waste sector by approximately 30%,” Mr Steel said.

ACT Labor announced the scheme in August and said, if re-elected, the pilot program would start in 2021, with the scheme to be fully operational across Canberra by 2023. It is expected to create up to 200 jobs across collection, construction and management.

Mr Steel said at the time the food recycling scheme would see a new in-vessel composting facility take food and garden waste from Canberra’s existing green waste bins and turn it into a compost product, which will then be sold onto the compost market.

The 50% of Canberra households without a green waste bin would receive one, while every household would be issued a free kitchen caddy to collect food scraps.

The Canberra Liberals expressed support for the scheme when it was announced; Elizabeth Lee MLA said there was “no reason that we would not adopt it in the same way if we were in government”.

Mr Steel also announced yesterday Labor would bring forward the rollout of the bulky waste pickup scheme to all Canberrans by next year, if elected. The service is currently available to residents in Tuggeranong and Gungahlin.