Latest news with #wasteeducators
News.com.au
2 days 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
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Aussie man called out for little-known rubbish bin mistake most of us make
A Canberra resident was surprised to find a note attached to his recycling bin, informing him of a little-known mistake he was making with his rubbish. The bright yellow tag informed him that his bin had been inspected, as part of a new program rolled out last month across the ACT. The slip highlighted two types of items that had been incorrectly thrown away — soft plastics and receipts. Receipts are one of the most commonly misunderstood items when it comes to recycling. Despite their paper appearance, most receipts are coated in chemicals that make them unsuitable for recycling. Also high on the list of frequent mistakes are disposable coffee cups and used paper towels — items many Aussies assume are recyclable but, in most cases, belong in the general waste bin. The programs were introduced in 2017 beginning with the green waste and FOGO bins. In May, the program was extended to include recycling bins and aims to educate residents on what can and can't be put in those bins. Each week, streets are selected at random to have their bins inspected by 'waste educators' from the ACT Government or Envirocom Australia. 'They aim to inspect approximately 600 recycling bins and 500 green waste and FOGO bins across various suburbs each week,' an ACT Government spokesperson told Yahoo News. 'The bin inspections are conducted on the morning of bin collection when all bins are presented on the kerbside.' The program is purely for educational purposes, with officials insisting no fines or penalties will be imposed, and bins will still be collected as normal — unless hazardous material is discovered. The spokesperson said correct disposal can: reduce contamination improve resource recovery protect our recycling and composting systems. Yes, the inspectors do open the bins to look at the items inside, but they will only 'observe material on or near the top,' the spokesperson said. 'They may move a few items from the top surface so they can provide accurate feedback.' The inspectors will only ever look at bins already on the kerb for collection, and carry a letter of authorisation from the government if any resident is unsure of what they are doing. And it's not just the inspectors that can raise issues with bins. Rubbish trucks in the ACT are fitted with cameras that allow drivers to monitor the waste being emptied from the bins. The drivers can also place a tag on a bin if they spot a hazardous item or large amounts of contamination. In rare cases, drivers may refuse to empty the bin of the load is deemed dangerous or overly contaminated. One final reason for a bin tag is if the bin is damaged or broken. This tag will prompt residents to book a repair or arrange a replacement. While some Aussies find bin tags to be a welcome bit of education, others find it too intrusive. Essendon mum Kali told Yahoo last year that she felt the note on her bin was "shaming her" for making a mistake. She had put reusable shopping bags into her recycling bin, and noticed many bins in the street were tagged. "It's just a bizarre thing to do," she said. "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. "Our whole street was embarrassed about it," she added, saying "other neighbours were more offended" than she was. A 2024 survey from Veolia 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). Other items leaving residents stumped are bamboo and wood cutlery, which 63 per cent assumed were recyclable, and biodegradable plastic bags, which 58 per cent of people were putting in the wrong bin. Both of these should also go in the general waste bin and then to landfill. 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. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
