Wheelie Waste is one of those contractors and it collects recyclable material for the Mount Alexander Shire Council. 

A spokesperson for Mount Alexander Shire Council said it was working with the contractor Wheelie Waste to better understand the implications of the decision by Visy to suspend some recycling agreements, but the council’s waste and recycling collection will continue to operate as normal.

Bendigo’s recycling collection contract is with Veolia, according to City of Greater Bendigo resource recovery and education manager Brooke Pearce.

“At this stage the city has been advised by its contractors that they will continue to collect and process recyclables from local households,” she said.

“The city is committed to reducing waste and would like to let the community know it is business as usual and residents should continue to sort and recycle their waste and put their bins out for collection as they normally would.

“We certainly don’t want to see any residents placing recyclables in their general waste bin.

“We hope to have some clear direction from the Victorian Government in the near future.”

THURSDAY Central Victorian councils have become embroiled in the statewide recycling fiasco, as multinational company Visy announced it will stop receiving recyclable materials from some contractors in Victoria next week.

The move – a response to China banning imports of Australian paper and plastic waste from January 1 – may force affected councils to stockpile their recycled materials, pay more to recycling operators, or put it in landfill.

Wheelie Waste is a bin-collecting contractor for Visy and collects recycling for Mount Alexander Shire and Macedon Ranges.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council confirmed its agreement with Wheelie Waste and Visy was suspended.

Mayor Jennifer Anderson said the council was looking for a solution.

“We’re working closely with industry and state government to ensure that this doesn’t impact our residents and we’re confident that we will have a solution in place by then,” Cr Anderson said.

A spokesperson for the Mount Alexander Shire said: “The council is working with our contractor Wheelie Waste to better understand the implications of the decision. At this point in time our waste and recycling collection will operate as normal.”

Buloke Shire confirmed it was also implicated. 

The shire’s director of works and technical services Anthony Judd said its recycling collector, Four Seasons Waste, had a contract with Visy.

In the interim, Four Seasons Waste had secured a short-term deal with a company in Dandenong to recycle the waste.

“There’s cost implications – the current (short-term) cost is much higher than our contractor has arranged,” he said.

“The much bigger issue about this is where all of it (recycling) will end up.

“The last thing anyone wants is recycling in landfill, it would just be an atrocity.”

Kerbside recycling collection would continue as normal in the shire, Mr Judd said.

Loddon Shire Council chief executive officer Phil Pinyon said it was “business as usual” for his shire, but suggested the long-term implications of the current situation would be considered in conjunction with the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

A spokesperson for the City of Greater Bendigo confirmed its recycling collector was Veolia and residents were encouraged to keep putting their bins out at this stage. 

Fairfax Media has reported that several councils have already had recycling contracts cut off, with the Municipal Association of Victoria warning the problem could soon spread to the entire state.

“The council’s kept giving it to them, and the recyclers have no recourse. It’s like throwing the rubbish over your back fence – ‘it’s not in my backyard’,” says Peter Anderson, chief executive of the Victorian Waste Management Association.

“The councils are dumping their rubbish on the providers. And when the commercial process breaks down, there is no recourse for those providers.”

Wheelie Waste declined to comment, and Visy did not respond to requests for comment.

Fairfax Media understands several other councils have also been told they will lose service.

"We think ultimately there’s a potential for them all to be affected," Municipal Association of Victoria CEO Rob Spence said.

"This is just the beginning of the potential impacts."

The Opposition suggested Daniel Andrews knew of China’s July 2017 announcement to the World Trade Organisation that it was placing an anti-dumping import ban on certain categories of recyclable plastics and paper.

Shadow Environment Minister Nick Wakeling said: “Victorians should not be left to endure an environmental and health crisis on their curbside, as household bins pile up with uncollected waste.”

“Premier Daniel Andrews and his failed energy and environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, have shown no willingness to act as the looming crisis drew nearer, with no solution in sight.”

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio will meet with businesses this week to find out what has happened and she said she would be discussing the issue with local government.

Central Goldfields Shire council and the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group were contacted for comment.