Green bin trial for Adelaide retail precinct begins

Designated green bins for food scraps and compostable materials are set to be trialled over 12 months in Adelaide’s retail precinct, Rundle Mall, to reduce landfill and protect the environment.

The 12-month trial program, the country’s largest green bin trial in a retail precinct, will see six new multi-bin systems installed in Adelaide’s premier shopping district.

The new multi-bin systems were launched by the City of Adelaide Lord Mayor, Sandy Verschoor, and South Australian Environment Minister, Susan Close, as a partnership between the City of Adelaide, Green Industries SA, and the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.

Mayor Verschoor said the pilot program will demonstrate how Council is taking significant steps to protect the environment.

“The City of Adelaide has a vision to be the first zero-waste city in Australia and initiatives like the green organics bin trial will go a long way to helping us achieve that goal,” Mayor Verschoor said.

“Adelaide is already the first South Australian Council to be entirely powered by renewable energy and now we are leading the nation with these new bin systems, designed to encourage the thousands of people who visit Rundle Mall every day to separate their waste.

“Council will be offering education programs for shoppers, as well as incentives for traders who provide compostable food and drink serving materials.”

The City of Adelaide has committed $143,000 with additional funding of $72,000 from Green Industries.

South Australian Minister for Environment, Susan Close, said, “Providing shoppers with simple systems to avoid waste while also capturing the valuable nutrients in food, organics and compostable packaging is essential to reduce our carbon footprint.

“If we make a better choice and use these new public place bins all of those valuable resources remain part of a South Australian circular economy where we reduce, reuse, recover and recycle resources at every opportunity.

“It’s a powerful choice for people to use the green bin for all their food and organic waste. Every scrap of food, every piece of compostable packaging that we send to compost helps combat climate change.

“Clear signage on these bins in Rundle Mall will make sure we all know which bin to use for food waste, and that’s the green bin.”

Chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, Nikki Govan, was pleased Australia’s retail precinct of the year has been chosen for the trial.

“Thousands of people visit Rundle Mall every day to shop, eat and drink, so launching this community initiative in one of Adelaide’s busiest spots is a great opportunity to test the concept and hopefully reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill,” Ms Govan said.

“These new bin banks will be strategically placed along the Mall at key spots near food outlets, to maximise their effectiveness and reduce litter, while maintaining the flow of foot traffic.”

Featured image of smart green bins provided by the City of Adelaide.