Goya Dmytryshchak
Some Hobsons Bay residents have taken to social media to protest about council workers inspecting their mixed recycling bins for contamination and a confusing system.
Hobsons Bay council is checking the yellow bins for non-permitted items, which can send a whole truckload of recyclables to landfill.
The move comes after the council last year introduced Recycling 2.0. The council cut the weekly garbage collection to fortnightly and introduced a four-bin system to separate general waste, mixed recyclables, glass, and food and green waste.
Items accepted in the yellow bins include plastic bottles with code 1 or 2, plastic containers with code 5, unwaxed paper or cardboard, aluminium and steel cans.
Kim Browning posted she was angry after her yellow bin was found to be contaminated and went uncollected.
“So angry that my bin wasn’t emptied today along with loads [of] others in my street,” she stated.
“The ridiculous reason on the sticker is out of control.
“So by the time they come back in two weeks’ time it will be a month’s worth of recycling for five people in one small bin.
“Causing more trouble than a couple of pieces of waxy paper would.”
Ms Browning told Star Weekly the council said she could put the bin out six days later on a Saturday to be emptied for landfill or sort out her bin and put it out in a fortnight for recycling.
Laura Robinson posted that she didn’t know what had contaminated her bin.
“We got a non-descriptive letter saying we’d put something wrong in our recycling in the letterbox but didn’t say what it was and they still collected it.”
Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden said the bin checks were part of a community education campaign.
“There has been a lot to take in and one area that still needs work is helping people understand which items can go in mixed recycling bins,” he said.
“Council has a number of education activities under way to help households improve their recycling, and make recycling easy.
“One aspect of this is checking bins for contamination.
“This is the only way that we can give households feedback on what is happening in their own bins.”
He said the bin inspections had to be conducted overnight.
“The bin checks must be completed before 6am when collections start, which is why the team is working during the night,” Cr Marsden said.
The council is inviting anyone not sure about what to put in their bins to call 1300 179 944.
