Cessnock City Council, along with Maitland and Singleton councils will introduce green bins from March 6, 2017.

During January and February 2017, all households with a weekly garbage collection provided by their local council will have a new 240-litre bin with a lime green lid delivered to their homes.

The new bin will be in addition to the red general waste bin and yellow recycling bin currently provided.

Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent said this will give residents the convenience of disposing grass clippings and garden prunings through a new fortnightly kerbside collection.

“Currently up to a quarter of the contents of household garbage bins in our region are made up of garden organics,” Cr Pynsent said.

“This initiative will reduce the amount of useable material ending in our landfills, which are rapidly filling up.

“The garden organics collected from March will be processed into mulch and compost, providing residents with an environmentally-sustainable and cost-effective service.”

Every tonne of general waste that goes into landfill, including from household garbage bins, attracts the NSW Government waste levy that has to be passed on to residents.

The three councils worked together to obtain a grant from the NSW EPA, which has funded the purchase and supply of the bins.

The garden organics collection will increase the lifespan of the three cities’ landfill sites and provide a cost-effective expansion of waste management services.