23-05-2025
Simple bin mistake forces entire truckload of recycling to be dumped in landfill
Aussies have been issued a stark reminder of 'what NOT to do' when it comes to recycling, with a shocking video showing how just one incorrectly disposed of item can have a devastating impact on the environment.
On the Cassowary Coast, south of Cairns, a recycling truck's entire load had to be sent to landfill due to contamination. Inside the truck were items that had been wrongfully put inside yellow bins, including plastic bags and food scraps.
Councillor Ellen Jessup told Yahoo News the dumping was a "shame" and said the region had recently undergone a major change, swapping 'wet waste' and 'dry waste' bins for red general waste and yellow recycling bins.
"Our now recycling bin, the yellow-lid bin, used to have a green lid on it, and that was for your dry waste. So people were used to doing that, and now telling them that it's co-mingled recycling, and what to put in that bin, they're still not sure," she said. "There's a lot of room for improvement."
Cr Jessop said council is trying to educate residents and help to break old habits, like bagging up items before binning them.
"If we're going to bag things and put them into the recycling bin, it's contaminated from the start, because the soft plastics cannot go into the recycling," she said.
"So if we can educate them to put loose items in, such as your cardboard, tins, bottles, those sort of things, that's a big outcome and it cuts down the amount of soft plastics that shouldn't be there."
Any residents who are unsure of what can and can't be recycled can download the Recycle Mate app, which allows you to search for any product and it will tell you which bin it belongs in. There is also the option to put in your address and local council to make sure the information is right for your area.
Find out more about the app here.
On Facebook, Cassowary Coast Council said some of the most common items found in the wrong bins are:
Soft plastics, like chip packets and cling wrap
Food scraps
Tiny items, like bread tags and bottle caps
Hazardous items, like batteries and chemicals
Bagged items
A survey by waste management giant Veolia found that on average, Aussies were stumped more than 40 per cent of the time when it came to deciding which bin to use.
With disposable of coffee cups, a staggering 77 per cent were unsure about which bin they should go in (spoiler alert – it's the red general waste bin). It's a similar story with vapes and e-cigarettes, with 78 per cent confused about where to put them. With these items, batteries can be hazardous to dispose of in any kerbside bin, so it is best to seek out alternative disposal or collection points.
Other stumpers were bamboo and wood cutlery, with 63 per cent thinking they are recyclable, and biodegradable plastic bags, confusing 58 per cent of Aussies. All of these items should go in the general waste bin.
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