General News
20 June, 2025
EPA, Council release seasonal cleaning advice
Alongside the colder months some locals may be considering a winter clean up. While many just want the rubbish gone here’s some resources to get it done the right way.
EPA interim CEO Joss Crawford reminds the public that everyone in Victoria has an environmental duty.
“There are pathways for disposal of things like old paint or chemicals, or asbestos that work much better than trying to hide it at the bottom of the bin. You just have to know what to do,” she said.
“A little knowledge can equip you to avoid the traps of sending waste to the wrong place and turning it into a pollution problem that will come back to get you.”
In an effort to help locals sort their waste for bin day ,the Central Goldfields Shire Council has started monitoring bin contents with CCTV.
Their Waste Services team have designed tags which will advise residents on what the cameras find — specifically if they’re doing well or how they can improve their waste sorting going forward.
While properly sorting waste might seem small it has a big impact across the community.
Recycling keeps things out of landfill and in circulation to become new things like glass jars, mulch, and compost.
For example, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action found for every tonne of recycled paper three cubic metres of landfill space is saved.
The Central Goldfields Shire reminds locals to:
Only put non-reusable or non-recyclable items in your General Waste bin (red lid).
Place recyclables loose in your Mixed Recycling bin (yellow lid).
Never dispose of batteries or electronics in any of these bins.
If you’ve opted into the Food and Garden Organics service, make sure to only place loose food scraps and garden clippings in the lime green lid bin – no plastic bags, no biodegradable or compostable bags, tennis balls or gardening gloves.
But what if you have too much rubbish for the bin?
If you’re in need of a skip the EPA recommends locals choose a respectable company, ask to see the receipts that show they took the waste to a licensed landfill or recycling facility, and warns suspiciously low prices are a red flag of illegal dumping.
The Central Goldfields Shire Council also operate four transfer stations in Carisbrook, Talbot, Dunolly and Bealiba.
While waste loads are limited to trucks or trailers of less than three cubic metres their policy is to recycle what they can to reduce what gets sent to landfill.
For residents in urban areas the council also provides bi-monthly pick ups of hard rubbish via booking. This service is for things like household furniture, scrap metal, timber and white goods.
Residents can use waste vouchers provided in their rates notice for both these services with more information available on the council’s website.
For further information on cleaning up responsibly locals can visit the EPA’s website.