Understand how waste is managed in Victoria's alpine resorts.
On this page:
Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) is a leader in alpine waste management in Victoria. Innovative programs support the collection, reuse and recycling of materials, with a strong focus on organic waste. Our aim is to maximise diversion from the waste stream and significantly reduce waste sent to landfill.
Waste management systems across the alpine resorts operate in accordance with Victorian State Government legislation.
Residents, staff, and visitors must source-separate items into the correct bags to enable maximum diversion of recyclables (including organics) and reduction of waste to landfill.
We do this to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, which are especially significant from organic waste in landfill. ARV encourages all visitors, staff, stakeholders to save the snow by participating in best practice waste management.
Best practice waste management
What does best practice waste management look like in an alpine resort?
Place source‑separated materials in the correct bag and ensure each bag is securely tied shut. All rubbish in resorts is moved by hand, so do not overfill bags. Double‑knot bags to ensure they can withstand harsh alpine conditions and transportation.
Use the following bags for each waste stream (refer to the waste management table for more detail):
waste to landfill – clear or black garbage bag
recycling – clear bag with red or black text
organics – clear bag with green text or compostable bag (organics bins and bags are provided free of charge from your local ARV office)
glass – clear bag with purple text
cardboard (bulk) – flatten and bundle together.
Place your waste and/or recycling bags neatly into one of the resort waste huts/hutches for collection.
Glass
Bags: New glass recycling bag (clear with purple text)
Examples of what can be put in:
glass bottles and jars for food and drinks such as beer and olive oil bottles, and pasta sauce and condiment jars
glass bottles and jars for medicine and toiletries.
Recycling
Bags:
mixed recycling bag (clear with red text)
cardboard can be flattened and bagged without needing to tie the bag.
Examples of what can be put in:
plastics (1-7) drink bottles and food containers
aluminium cans, trays and foil
paper and cardboard.
Organics
Bags:
food organics bag (clear with green text for 20 L bins
clear bags with peel seal for 7 L kitchen caddies).
Examples of what can be put in:
food scraps and leftovers
peels, fruit and vegies
meat, bones and shells
dairy products
citrus, egg shells and tea bags
paper tissues, paper towels.
General rubbish
Bags: General rubbish bag (for example BYO black)
Examples of what can be put in:
soft plastics such as bread bags and cling wrap
sachets and wrappers
glass kitchenware and crockery
nappies and wet wipes.
Living bin
Alpine Resorts Victoria has offered the award-winning Living Bin organics management service since 2010. The food waste recycling system was originally launched as part of the Victorian Government's 'Towards Zero Waste' strategy and is now standard waste management practice within the resorts.
The system encourages the separation of organic waste, (fruit, vegetables and meat), to be collected and recycled into compost.
Diversion of food organics from the waste stream significantly reduces harmful emissions from landfills – so save the snow and make the most of the living bin service at the resorts.
20 L green bins and bags, and 7 L kitchen caddies and bags are available for free from your local resort office.
Electronic waste, or e waste, includes any item with a plug, battery or power cable. This includes disposable vapes, mobile phones and cables, as well as larger items such as televisions, printers and white goods.
E waste must not be placed in bags with general waste or recycling. Small e waste items must be packaged individually in a clear recycling bag and placed in designated garbage hutches. Large e waste items can be collected during allocated hard rubbish collection dates.
Non-recyclable hard waste can be accepted for a nominal fee, such as:
processed timber
white goods
mattresses
soft furnishings
e-waste.
We don't accept
chemicals
paint
hazardous waste, for example asbestos
construction/demolition.
These must be taken off mountain to an approved disposal facility. For hard waste from Mt Buller and Mt Stirling:
Mansfield Resource Recovery Centre (Transfer Station) 163 Monkey Gully Road, Mansfield VIC 3723 – opening hours and fees.
Please contact your local resort for further information on recycling clean and sorted timber and steel.
Do not put any hard waste items in village waste huts/hutches or on the kerbside.
This is unsafe for staff and visitors and is considered illegal dumping; significant penalties apply.
Single-use plastic ban
From 1 February 2023, a variety of single-use plastic items were banned in Victoria. This includes:
single-use plastic drinking straws
single-use plastic drink stirrers
single-use plastic cutlery
single-use plastic plates
single-use plastic cotton buds
foodware and cups made from expanded polystyrene.
From 1 January 2026, these items are also banned when they are pre-packaged into a food or beverage product by a mechanical process (for example straw attached to juice box, plate in a frozen meal).
Compostable plastic alternatives are also banned. The ban applies where the items are sold or supplied for free, and where they are provided individually or in packets.
