The rollout of Hobsons Bay council’s Recycling 2.0 four-bin system has met with some opposition, with the contents of a garbage bin dumped outside Williamstown Town Hall in protest last week.
It comes as premier Daniel Andrews announced today that all Victorian households will get four bins with a rollout to start next year.
Meanwhile, the council says recycling bin inspections have shown some people are using them for rubbish, contaminating whole truckloads and increasing the cost associated with extra sorting.
Some residents are calling for the fortnightly garbage collection to be returned to a weekly service, particularly for items such as nappies and animal waste – the council last week said animal waste could be flushed down the toilet.
Residents also say the reduction in plastics accepted in the recycling bin is confusing and means more items going in the rubbish bin.
Others have expressed concern that bins have been audited and not collected, and that food waste bins can’t have compostable bin liners.
The council says audits have found some households are using the recycling service to get rid of rubbish.
Common contaminants found in the yellow bin include plastics 3-7, lids, milk cartons and general rubbish, while they have also found large bags of clothing, portable toilets, bar fridge doors, chairs, bicycle wheels, garden hoses, plant pots, vacuum cleaner arms and broken toys, the council said.
Newport’s Simon Morgan, a member of the newly-formed Hobsons Bay Talking Garbage group, said members were not against recycling and doing better but wanted weekly garbage collection restored.
“The silent Australians are out there going, ‘What on earth is this and where did this come from?’” he said.
“My purple [glass] bin’s still empty, three weeks later.
“I think a lot of this has been done on the quiet. There was no consultation of the four-bin concept. There hasn’t been a trial.
“Taking away the second garbage [collection] is just ridiculous – the math doesn’t add up.
“Council is supposed to be a service provider. Provide us with service.”
Cr Sandra Wilson said recycling bin inspections had found that many residents were putting in great effort to change the way they separated household rubbish.
“However, in some cases, recycling bins are sadly being used as a rubbish bin,” she said.
“Rubbish in recycling bins really chips away at the positive efforts and impacts people doing the right thing, as rubbish in just one recycling bin can lead to the entire truckload of recycling being sent to landfill.
“Council has put accessible options in place if you need an additional bin or a larger rubbish bin.
Cr Jonathon Marsden said many councils had operated a fortnightly rubbish collection for decades with great success.
“More councils are looking to do the same in a statewide effort to reduce landfill volumes and rebuild our recycling system in response to the recycling crisis,” he said.
He said the dumped rubbish at Williamstown Town Hall was “a significant disappointment to our community in Williamstown and beyond”.
“It is selfish to dump rubbish in public space and degrade the shared environment enjoyed by us all. Public rubbish dumping is an illegal act and the community will not tolerate it.”
