The councils based their efforts on the NSW EPA’s Bin Trim Program, with the Victorian businesses participating collectively diverting around 720 tonnes of waste from landfill and saving approximately $230,000 in waste management costs.

The partnership between Frankston City Council, City of Casey Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in Victoria involved creating a grant-funded business program called ‘Trim Your Bin’, trialling the NSW EPA’s Bin Trim Program and Business App. The program successfully engaged 60 businesses from across the council’s combined area in its first year.

Councils across NSW and Australia are welcome to enquire about how they can access the app and discuss options that suit their needs by emailing Bin.trim@epa.nsw.gov.au

The Bin Trim Business App is available to other states and councils outside of NSW. For more information about forming an agreement, email bin.trim@epa.nsw.gov.au

How does the program work?

Businesses participating in the program receive a tailored action plan that identifies how they can improve management of their waste. Examples of measures businesses implemented to reduce both waste generation and waste management costs include:

• using larger recycling bins and changing the frequency of waste collections

• taking organics scraps to a local community garden

• using Facebook to connect with the local community to offload surplus cardboard

• using a green waste company to collect coffee grounds or offering it to the community to use in their gardens.

Participating businesses are provided with support and guidance from the councils to help them successfully execute their action plan. This not only improves results for the businesses but also allows the councils greater understanding of the waste management processes being used by businesses and the opportunity to identify barriers to efficient waste disposal.

Businesses from participating Victorian councils that are interested in the Trim Your Bin program should speak directly with their council.

Assistance and rebates for NSW businesses

More than 38,000 businesses have already participated in or used the NSW EPA’s Bin Trim Program and app in NSW, resulting in over 145,000 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill. NSW businesses can join the program and access the online portal for free.

The NSW EPA has also created the Bin Trim Equipment Rebates Program to further assist businesses in NSW on their waste reduction journeys and encourage uptake of recycling equipment and technology. Rebates of up to $50,000 are available, covering up to 50 per cent of the capital cost of small-scale, on-site recycling equipment and technology.

The rebates cover a variety of products that are designed to increase efficiency of material use and/or reduce waste including:

• smart scales

• source separation bins

• shredders

• commercial worm farms

• glass crushers

• trolleys to transport waste.

The funding is open to all NSW businesses, councils and organisations (including schools, charities, not-for-profits and hospitals). Contact the NSW EPA to find out whether the rebates program covers specific types of equipment and technology: 131 555 or Bintrim.rebates@epa.nsw.gov.au

How can businesses find recycling equipment?

Planet Ark’s Recycling Equipment Catalogue is a free directory that businesses and organisations can use to find a variety of waste management products such as small-scale recycling equipment, bins, worm farms, digestors, balers and more.

To use the catalogue, businesses can search by product category (e.g., shredders, glass crushers), or they can search by material type (e.g., paper, plastic) to find equipment that will help them manage waste streams relevant to their business.

The NSW EPA is the proud Foundation Partner of Planet Ark’s Business Recycling.