Tracking our Waste Reduction and Recycling

The following information is provided on waste reduction and recycling from the Council kerbside collection service.

Note that all measurements are by weight, not volume.

2023/24 Summary

In 2023/24 the overall amount of waste that was diverted away from landfill was 55.49%. This is slightly lower than the previous year. This is predominately due to the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme which resulted in a reduction in co-mingled recycling materials being collected. The diversion rate remains consistently higher than before the introduction of the food organics and garden organics (FOGO) service. More food waste continues to be removed from garbage bins and is now being processed for compost and mulch.

In comparison to previous years:

In 2023/24 there was an increase 2,695 tonnes (or around 18%) collected through the FOGO service compared to before the service was introduced after 2021/22.
The amount of FOGO material continues to be consistent with previous season trends, with a spike in the spring season.
Co-mingled recycling has continued its downward trend, down around 1,000 tonnes (7%) in 2023/24 compared to the previous year.
The amount of co-mingled recycling material continues to be consistent with previous season trends, with higher amounts in December and January.

To benchmark Whitehorse City Council’s waste and recycling performance with other councils, check out Recycling Victoria Data Hub.

Additional data on waste and recycling performance is available from the State Government, for further information visit the Know Your Council Comparison Dashboard.

A breakdown of the amount of waste and recycling collected, recycling composition and hard waste bookings can be found below.

Presentation of Data

Monthly Garbage (Tonnes)

Monthly Co-mingled Recycling (Tonnes)

Recycling graph - Monthly recycling tonnes - year on year

Co-mingled recycling - composition and how it is processed

Council’s co-mingled recycling material is taken to the Visy Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Springvale or Heidelberg, where it is sorted into material groups including paper and cardboard, glass, plastics, aluminium and steel. By weight, paper, cardboard and glass make up close to 80% of the materials recovered from the kerbside recycling bin. For further information on what happens to recyclable materials, visit What Happens to Your Waste and Recycling.