The purple bin glass recycling program has successfully diverted more than 387 tonnes of glass from Moira Shire landfill since its introduction in December 2024.
That’s equivalent to more than one million glass bottles.
Moira Shire Council Chair Administrator Dr Graeme Emonson PSM said there were good reasons to celebrate the purple bin’s first anniversary.
“The results show an encouraging trend in the community’s adoption of the glass recycling program over the past 12 months,” Dr Emonson said.
“The figures tell a positive story about our community’s growing commitment to better waste management.
“Every glass jar or bottle placed in a purple bin rather than the yellow recycling bin means less contamination in our recycling stream.
“When glass breaks in yellow bins, it can make other recyclables like paper and cardboard impossible to recycle, so this simple act of separation makes a huge difference to what actually gets recycled.”
The monthly collection program has seen Moira residents put out an average of 10.5 kilograms of glass in each purple bin, about the weight of a full case of wine bottles.
The kerbside waste audit in August 2025 showed a 10.1% contamination rate in the glass bin, with the other 89.9% recovered and made into new products.
In addition to kerbside collection, locals have brought 13.3 tonnes of glass to Council's Resource Recovery Centres through drop-off points.
“This is excellent for such a new service,” Dr Emonson said. “Every purple bin put out makes a difference to our environment.
“I encourage people to head to our website or download the Moira Shire Waste Info App and use the kerbside collection calendar to regularly check when their next purple bin collection is due.”