Port Stephens is moving to a greener future with the introduction of a new garden organics waste collection service, enabling and encouraging residents to separate their garden organics, to reduce the amount of general waste collected. 

Community Services Section Manager Tammy Gutsche said, currently, up to 25% of the waste collected in general waste red bins, is actually green waste.

“Our new garden organics service will redirect green waste from landfill, to be processed into an environmentally sustainable compost product,” Ms Gutsche said.

“Separating and recycling our green waste provides a cost saving by reducing the amount of landfill, which ultimately enables Council to provide the green waste service to our residents," she added.

From June 2023, delivery of the new green bins will commence to all Port Stephens residents. The collection service will begin a short time later, from 3 July 2023.

"We’ll be working with the community to educate people about what can and can’t go in their new bin, with lots of information available on the website, at Council facilities, and on Council’s Waste App,” Ms Gutsche added.

Residents will be able to dispose of prunings, lawn and grass clippings, cut flowers, weeds, sticks, twigs, leaves, bark and branches no bigger than 10cm in diameter, in their new bin.

Plastic bags, plastic, bio plastic or compostable bin liners, paper, food scraps of any kind, household items, bricks, rocks or soil, pot plants or any kind of priority weeds, treated timber and building materials are not permitted in the new green bin.

The new garden organics bins will be collected fortnightly for residents, on the alternate week to their yellow bin.

Mayor Ryan Palmer said the introduction of a garden organics service is an important step forward for our community and our environment.

“I’m confident our residents will embrace this opportunity and will make good use of the new bin for all their lawn clippings and other garden waste,” Mayor Ryan Palmer said.

For more information visit portstephens.nsw.gov.au/garden-organics or download the Port Stephens Waste app on Google Play for Android devices, and on the App Store for Apple devices for more information.