We worked with the waste industry and our community to develop smart and sustainable solutions for our future waste services.
Future Waste, Greener Glen Eira
We collect general waste, recyclables, food and garden waste, and hard waste from over 59,000 residences across the municipality through our residential kerbside and booked collection services. We also collect rubbish from our open spaces like parks and activity centres through our public bins.
In Glen Eira, we partner with external companies to deliver all our waste collection services for kerbside bins, hard rubbish collection and public bins along the street and in parks and reserves.
We sought to align these services as an action in our Circular Economy Plan 2022–2026, to identify opportunities to drive better circularity outcomes.
With some of the contracts up for review in 2024, we took the opportunity to speak to our community to seek their thoughts about the future of waste services in Glen Eira under our community engagement campaign Future Waste, Greener Glen Eira.
These contracts are typically in place for multiple years and are one of our highest expenses. Since they were last updated, we made major commitments to reduce our climate footprint and our community’s values had also shifted. So, it was time for a refresh.
At the same time, we engaged with the waste industry to seek new ideas and cutting-edge solutions to support the development of these contracts and to grow our circular economy.
The Future Waste, Greener Glen Eira Engagement Summary Report was presented to Council at its meeting on 21 May 2024. During this meeting, Council unanimously endorsed the community’s feedback in the report and confirmed the intention to use these findings to inform future planning of our waste services.
Following a robust procurement process, Council endorsed four new waste contracts. Three contracts were awarded at the September 2024 Council meeting and the fourth was awarded at the June 2025 Council meeting.
They reflect the needs of the community and are future-focused, sustainable and support our goals to minimise waste and transition to a circular economy. They provide the best value and fit-for-purpose services that meet our community’s needs and expectations now and into the future.
Frequently asked questions
What are the contracts?
Council awarded four new waste contracts. Three were awarded at the September 2024 Council meeting and one was awarded at the June 2025 Council meeting.
Solo Resource Recovery will manage kerbside waste collection for food and garden waste recycling, recycling and general waste. These are your green, yellow and red-lidded kerbside bins.
Visy Recycling will process recyclables — the contents of your yellow bin.
Total Waste Solutions will collect bins in public places, Council buildings, small and medium businesses and some multi-unit dwellings, like apartments. They will also deliver booked waste collections.
How did the community inform the new contracts?
Council undertook broad community engagement in early 2024 — Future Waste, Greener Glen Eira — to seek the community’s views and ideas about the future of waste services in Glen Eira.
The goal of the engagement was to understand community views of existing waste services and their aspirations and expectations for the future. More than 2,900 residents joined in and shared their ideas which have helped to shape the criteria of these new waste contracts.
For more information and to read a copy of the summary report, visit
Are they the same contractors who held the contracts previously?
Some are new and some are existing. Solo Resource Recovery has been providing our kerbside waste collection services since 2014.
Total Waste Solutions has been managing our hard waste bookings since 2014 and public place bins since 2017.
Re.Group (formerly Polytrade) has been providing our recycling processing since 2019. These services will be provided by Visy Recycling from July 2025.
How long are the contracts in place for?
There are four contracts in place for the next seven to thirteen years, beginning in 2025 and 2026 when the current contracts expire.
When do the existing contracts expire?
- Kerbside waste collection: End June 2025
- Hard waste collection: End June 2025
- Rubbish collection of Council buildings and public spaces: October 2026
- Recycling processing: End June 2025
Can you tell me about the procurement process?
The chosen contractors were selected through a rigorous procurement process. The waste industry was invited to respond to an expression of interest (EOI) process in early 2024.
Respondents that demonstrated the knowledge, resources and willingness to partner with Council in delivering reliable and sustainable services to the community were shortlisted.
Shortlisted respondents were invited to submit tender bids for a series of waste and circular economy services in 2024 and 2025. The most appropriate contractors were then selected through a robust assessment process.
Glass recycling
What about the separate glass recycling service.
Under Victorian Government legislation, all Victorian councils are required to deliver a separate glass recycling service by 2027. This means glass bottles and jars will be collected separately from other recyclable items such as paper and carboard.
In a letter to the Victorian Government earlier this year, we’ve proposed the expansion of the highly successful Container Deposit Scheme to include wine and spirit bottles, instead of a separate household bin for glass. We think this slight change would produce similar outcomes while being far cheaper and easier to implement for the community, rather than delivering a separate glass recycling bin service. We’ll keep you updated once we hear back from the Victorian Government.
Pending the outcome of our advocacy, Solo Resource Recovery will deliver a standalone glass recycling service as part of these new contracts.
What about the Container Deposit Scheme?
The Victorian Government’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) complements your kerbside waste collection. Please continue to use the Scheme to recycle eligible drink bottles and cans to earn a rebate.
There are a range of locations across Glen Eira and in neighbouring councils. For more information, visit cdsvic.org.au
Waste services
Will there be any impacts with the transition to the new contractors?
We’ve worked to ensure a smooth transition into our new contracts with no interruption for the community. The transition will occur when the existing contracts expire:
- Kerbside waste collection: End June 2025
- Hard waste collection: End June 2025
- Rubbish collection of Council buildings and public spaces: October 2026
Recycling processing: End June 2025
Will these new contracts change the service I currently receive?
These new contracts won’t cause any changes to the current kerbside and booked waste services the community receives. They are asked to continue to use the service as normal.
This means putting food and garden waste in your green bin, booking a hard waste collection for large items like old televisions and putting soft plastics into your red bin.
For more information, visit www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/waste
I am a resident. What waste collection services do I get with these contracts?
These new contracts won’t cause any changes to the current kerbside and booked waste services you receive.
As a resident, aside from your standard kerbside waste collection, each year you are entitled to:
- three hard rubbish collection services
- three bundled branch collection services
- three bulk cardboard collections
For more information, visit www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/waste
When do I need to put my bins out for collection?
Keep putting them out on their scheduled collection day — there is no change!
For more information, visit www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/waste
How do I book a hard waste collection?
Book online at www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/waste or call our Customer Service team on 9524 3333.
What resources are available to help me better manage my waste responsibly?
There are a range of resources and information available to support you to manage your waste. This includes:
- A-Z Recycling Guide
- Top 10 tips to reduce waste
- Resources for schools and educators
- Rubbish and recycling calendar
For more information and to access these resources, visit www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/waste
