Latest news with #PenrithCityCouncil
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- General
- News.com.au
Surprise note found on man's yellow bin after kerb collection
A man has taken to social media to share his surprise after a note from the council was stuck to his yellow bin while out on the street for collection. The image shared to Facebook was of a bright yellow slip, attached to his recycling bin, that informed the Canberra resident that his rubbish had been inspected. It had two options — that the bin contained no contamination, alternatively there was a list of possible items to tick if they appeared in the bin despite not being recyclable. The list includes plastic bags, textiles, e-waste, batteries, paper towel/tissues, coffee cups, nappies/sanitary items, as well as an option for the inspector to add their own comments. This particular man's recycling bin included soft plastics and receipts — which meant he received 'a B' rating on his contents. Bin inspections in various states Every council has its own rules when it comes to recycling, and fines for contaminating yellow bins. In New South Wales, fines can vary between $1000 and $1700. Penrith City Council was the first to implement the fines back in 2011. However some councils, including ACT Government, have bin inspection programs. Many have operated for close to 20 years. This particular bin inspection program was introduced in the ACT in 2017 after the introduction to the green waste and FOGO bins. Each week, random streets are selected by the ACT Government of Envirocom Australia, aiming to inspect 600 bins across various suburbs weekly. The 'waste educators' only look at bins that have been placed out for collection, and do not trawl through the container. Instead, they simply look at what's on top. The green waste and FOGO bins are also inspected at random. The program is purely for educational purposes, with no fines or penalties imposed. A similar scene was captured in Essedon, in Victoria, after mum Kali put out her bins, grabbed a coffee and returned to find a note reading 'Oh no' attached to her yellow bin. The note claimed that she put reusable shopping bags — which aren't recyclable — in her yellow bin. She wasn't the only one on her street who had copped a similar notice. 'I thought it was funny that I got bin shamed. I'm sure we're all guilty of [recycling incorrectly], it's an easy mistake,' she told Yahoo at the time. Surprisingly, instead of kicking off about the bin inspections, many social media users praised the initiative for helping people learn about what can and can't be recycled. 'I think it's a good initiative. Constructive feedback to improve habits,' one person commented. Another said: 'This is actually really cool. I'm often shocked by what people think is recyclable (pulled a lump of styrofoam out of the communal recycling the other day). 'Issue is that these things aren't always able to be sorted out at the recycling centre, meaning often lots of recyclables get scrapped because a batch is 'too contaminated'.' 'Jeez, recycling is getting complicated. I must confess, not knowing any better, I have put receipts in my recycling bin,' one person said. Someone else added: 'Actually very useful info, thank you.' 'This won't stop my neighbour from dumping all their general waste and food scraps into their overflowing recycling bin. They asked me why it's not being collected and they wouldn't believe me,' one added. One person said: 'No one told me this was on the test?! Man and I only just got a C social skills! I'm gonna flunk adulting for sure now!' Back in April, TikTok user @conspiracytrucker revealed another way that garbage collectors know when you break the rules. He showed the vehicle had a camera on either side of it, including the front. It also showed a camera inside that could see what was being emptied from the bin into the garbage truck. Recycling is typically governed by local councils, and therefore there are different rules and regulations and fines. In New South Wales, fines can vary between $1000 and $1700. Many social media users shared their own experiences, revealing people have put everything from an airfryer to a lawnmower in their bin when they weren't supposed to. 'This whole time I've been hiding my rubbish under grass and thought I was getting away with it,' one social media user said. Another added: 'Worked this out when I got caught out putting an airfryer in my red bin.' 'So the garbo KNEW I put that whole lawnmower in the bin,' another commented. One social media user commented: 'I'm genuinely baffled by the comments, I can't believe people put litter in the green bin on purpose.' 'My 90-year-old neighbour thought he'd be sneaky and put concrete slabs in my bin. Luckily I saw him and took them out and placed them neatly on top of his bin lid. Ready for the garbo,' someone else said.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Garbo calls out sneaky bin day act attracting $1,000 fines: 'We know'
If you've ever put rubbish in your green bin or soft plastics into your yellow bin and thought no one will ever know — think again. There's a good chance your local garbo knew as soon as your bin was collected thanks to cameras inside the garbage truck. The new technology is forcing residents to think twice about how they dispose of their waste, with one garbage collector showing exactly what is seen when our bins are collected. In some council areas, incorrect disposal can lead to harsh penalties of up to $1,674. As each bin is lifted into the truck, the contents are emptied onto the hopper where the first few bins show loads of cut grass. It isn't long, however, until one of the bins reveals several small plastic bags hidden under a pile of grass. "Here's our cameras," the garbage man wrote alongside the video. "Everyone, this is how we know what's in your bins." A spokesperson from waste management company Veolia said the cameras allow the drivers to "see and record any items that shouldn't be in the bin before it goes into the main compactor". "If the driver spots something that shouldn't be there, they press a button to take a photo of the item, the house it came from, and then share that information with the councils. The councils can then decide on what action they would like to take. "What happens next depends on the level of contamination. Small items that shouldn't be in the bin are removed at material recovery facilities. However, if it has the capacity to contaminate the entire load, everything in the truck may have to go to spokesperson With a fleet of more than 700 trucks, it's not surprising that Veolia waste workers have seen some odd sights. The weirdest on the list includes: A full engine block in a mixed recycling bin A bag of money (ironically in the green bin) A donkey head. The spokesperson said despite all the gross things found in the bins, the one thing they wish people would stop throwing out is batteries. "The biggest nasty for us today are household batteries that are so small they can easily be missed, even with cameras. Every day someone in our sector reports a fire in a truck or material recovery facility started by a battery. If there is one single item that we really want to stop seeing entering any household bin, that would be it." A recent study found Aussies are unsure which bin to use about 40 per cent of them time, and 77 per cent of residents still don't know which bin disposable coffee cups should go in (it's the red one). Over the last few years, councils around Australia have been cracking down on bin contamination. Most councils are able to issue on-the-spot fines to residents, or even suspend services or remove the bins completely for repeat offenders. Penrith City Council was the first council in NSW to penalise residents for not disposing of waste properly. Since the implementation of the rule in 2011, the 'contamination fee' has jumped from $475 to $1,054 for contamination in a green or yellow bin, or $1,674 if both bins contain incorrect items. The fees are for repeat offenders who are found to have contaminated waste on three or more occasions, and the owner and occupier of the property have been made aware on each occasion, council explained on their website. Other councils, like Lake Macquarie City, will refuse to collect the rubbish and issue a letter or put a sticker on the bin to notify the resident of the issue. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
