Everyone has a role to play in reducing waste. Since 2017, we have been inspecting kerbside bins to improve recycling and help residents understand their waste.
Our Waste Education team inspect and tag recycling and garden bins when they find items that shouldn't be in there. The tag is designed to help residents understand how to use their bins correctly.
What to do if your bin has been tagged
We understand most people aren’t willingly putting the wrong thing in their bins. In fact, 80 per cent of households go on to put the right thing in their bins after receiving a bin tag.
If your bin has been tagged:
- Take a moment to refresh your recycling knowledge with the education material we've left you - or at our recycling bin page - and let the rest of your household know too.
- Pay closer attention to what goes into you bin over the next few weeks to make sure everyone is following the new advice, as there can be further consequences if bins are contaminated after a warning.
If you're unsure about something, you can search for an item in our Waste & Recycling Guide.
Here are some common problem items - do not put them in your recycling or garden bin:
Clothing, shoes, textiles.
Drink cartons or cups.
Electronic waste, batteries.
Glassware, crockery, mirrors.
Plastic bags and other soft plastics.
Polystyrene or styrofoam.
The bin inspection process
Our bin inspection program is
carried out by a team of two people who follow kerbside bin collection trucks
on designated routes. Depending on the day and the route they're taking, the team will inspect either recycling or garden waste bins.
Each bin is inspected using a camera attached to the unloading hopper of the collection truck. When a bin
is emptied into the truck, inspectors can briefly see the bin's contents using a linked iPad. Each inspection happens within seconds, and no personal information can be seen.
If a contaminant is detected, it is recorded and a tag is placed on the bin.
Further contamination
If your household receives two or more stickers, the Waste Education team will contact you to explain the problem and answer any questions you might have. If the problem continues, we may decide not to collect your bin.
The Local Law also allows for bins to be removed or fines issued if serious contamination continues.
What to do if your bin is rejected for collection
1. Remove any non-recyclable items or bagged material from
your recycling bin. You would have received a letter to help you with information on what can and can't be recycled.
2. Report a missed bin online or by calling 5272 5272. Leave your bin out for collection.
3. Your recycling bin will be inspected within 2-3 business days and
collected if it is free of contamination.
What if I believe my bin has been tagged incorrectly?
Residents are ultimately responsible for any contamination found in their bins, and most residents are quick to adjust their bin habits after they receive their first tag.
While
bins can sometimes be contaminated by others when left out for collection, our
inspection program focuses on more significant contamination,
such as bagged rubbish or e-waste.
More serious warnings are only issued if such contamination has been found more than once within a three-month period, to rule out accidental contamination.
If you have recently moved into this
property, or believe a mistake has been made, please contact us with details.
Effectiveness of the program
In 2020, we applied for Working
for Victoria funding to expand our ad hoc inspection program into a thorough,
intensive campaign to push real behaviour change.
Between November 2020 and May
2021, our five inspection teams examined close to 300,000 bins, visiting each
area roughly fortnightly. By April 2021, overall contamination levels across
Greater Geelong had fallen by an average of 15 per cent, with some suburbs
recording dramatic drops of more than 50 per cent.
These
results were supported by independent audits which
showed our kerbside recycling contamination rate by weight fell from 18.8
per cent in 2018 to 11.3 per cent in 2021, a significant result considering
the 2019 recycling crisis occurred in-between.