Green waste disposal

Green waste, also known as garden waste or organic waste, includes biodegradable materials derived from plant sources. Examples of green waste include grass and hedge clippings, leaves, plant cuttings and weeds.

Green waste can be disposed of at any transfer station within the shire. Please review the fees and charges page for further information on relevant costs for each location.

Council does not have the capacity to provide free vouchers or compensations to local residents in order to disposal of their green waste. This approach was trialed in 2021 and subsequently abandoned due to the high cost involved in providing the service and relatively low community uptake. Whilst we appreciate other larger councils may have a program available for their community, our council observed the following challenges:

High transport cost due to centralised processing based in St Arnaud as it is the only facility available within the shire; and
Collection of non-compliant waste, including branches over 10mm and general waste items, hindered efficient processing and added to high operational costs.

Following the trial, it was deemed the approach was unfair for ratepayers who would ultimately need to fund an ongoing green waste disposal program, especially during times of high cost of living pressures.

In addition, council is also reviewing our waste and recycling services across the shire in accordance with the State Government's Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021. Under the Act, council is required to introduce a new recycling service for food and garden organics (FOGO) and is working towards a shire-wide implementation by July 2027.

More information on council's previous free green waste disposal program, please review this article: Free Green Waste Disposal Trial too costly to continue.