Brisbane City Council to offer free green bins, but no food organics bins
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Free green bins are to be rolled out across Brisbane, according to council plans leaked by the Labor opposition.
LNP councillor Sarah Hutton refused to confirm or deny the leaks, but acknowledged the existence of an army of green bins that could be seen via satellite photos.
Google Maps photos showed hundreds of green bins at Nudgee, Rochedale and Willawong council depots.
The LNP had hinted it would make a bin-related announcement when the council budget was released on June 18, but Labor got in before it had a chance.
Labor, LNP and the Greens are now all claiming credit for the green bins idea.
Cr Hutton said she would not say more until June 18, but confirmed "FOGO was a no-go".
FOGO bins are for food waste, whereas green bins are for garden waste such as grass and clippings, which are turned into compost.
Brisbane's green bin program is opt-in, costs a fee and is only used by 30 per cent of households.
"I can promise you that we will be making sure if people want a green bin, there'll be an option for them to get a green bin," Cr Hutton said.
"We'll wait and see what the budget has to say."
Cr Hutton would not say whether the residents who paid for green bin collections would get their money back.
Taking credit
Opposition leader Jared Cassidy claimed Labor deserved the credit for the green bins because they had advocated for it.
Cr Cassidy said the green bin rollout would begin next financial year, but would have happened sooner if not for the council "stalling".
"The amount of organic waste going into landfill is the single biggest contributor to Brisbane's carbon footprint, and all we've seen is years of inaction from this LNP Council," Cr Cassidy said.
"Brisbane should be leading Queensland on green waste services, but instead we've been falling behind other councils like Moreton Bay, which rolled out a city-wide garden organics program last year."
Greenwashing accusation
Greens councillor Trina Massey said her party had also been advocating for green bins for many years.
She said the green bins were welcome, but severely inadequate given a lack of FOGO bins to keep food waste out of landfill.
Cr Massey said the council was unwilling to allocate its budget to food waste diversion, despite the enormous amounts of methane it generated.
"This is more greenwashing by the ALP and the LNP, who are celebrating 'wins' when we are a city not moving forward, unlike other cities that are dealing with food waste," Cr Massey said.
"The reality is we are in a financial budget spiral and the LNP are finding short-term ways to boost their green credentials."
Written by Kenji Sato, Ellen Fanning, ABC News.
LNP councillor Sarah Hutton refused to confirm or deny the leaks, but acknowledged the existence of an army of green bins that could be seen via satellite photos.
Google Maps photos showed hundreds of green bins at Nudgee, Rochedale and Willawong council depots.
Google Maps satellite photos show green bins sitting in Willawong. (Supplied: Google Maps)
The LNP had hinted it would make a bin-related announcement when the council budget was released on June 18, but Labor got in before it had a chance.
Labor, LNP and the Greens are now all claiming credit for the green bins idea.
Cr Hutton said she would not say more until June 18, but confirmed "FOGO was a no-go".
FOGO bins are for food waste, whereas green bins are for garden waste such as grass and clippings, which are turned into compost.
Brisbane's green bin program is opt-in, costs a fee and is only used by 30 per cent of households.
Sarah Hutton says everyone in Brisbane will be able to get a green bin. (Supplied: Sarah Hutton)
"I can promise you that we will be making sure if people want a green bin, there'll be an option for them to get a green bin," Cr Hutton said.
"We'll wait and see what the budget has to say."
Cr Hutton would not say whether the residents who paid for green bin collections would get their money back.
Taking credit
Opposition leader Jared Cassidy claimed Labor deserved the credit for the green bins because they had advocated for it.
Jared Cassidy claims the green bins represent a Labor win. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
Cr Cassidy said the green bin rollout would begin next financial year, but would have happened sooner if not for the council "stalling".
"The amount of organic waste going into landfill is the single biggest contributor to Brisbane's carbon footprint, and all we've seen is years of inaction from this LNP Council," Cr Cassidy said.
"Brisbane should be leading Queensland on green waste services, but instead we've been falling behind other councils like Moreton Bay, which rolled out a city-wide garden organics program last year."
Brisbane City Council documents show a collection of green bins. (Supplied: Brisbane City Council)
Greens councillor Trina Massey said her party had also been advocating for green bins for many years.
She said the green bins were welcome, but severely inadequate given a lack of FOGO bins to keep food waste out of landfill.
Trina Massey says Brisbane is failing to take action on food waste. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
Cr Massey said the council was unwilling to allocate its budget to food waste diversion, despite the enormous amounts of methane it generated.
"This is more greenwashing by the ALP and the LNP, who are celebrating 'wins' when we are a city not moving forward, unlike other cities that are dealing with food waste," Cr Massey said.
"The reality is we are in a financial budget spiral and the LNP are finding short-term ways to boost their green credentials."
Written by Kenji Sato, Ellen Fanning, ABC News.
