Bin Inspection Program

recycling bin

It might not seem like a big deal, but putting the wrong items in our bins, or bagging recycling and garden organics has real impacts down the line – for all of us (it makes your waste service cost more) and the environment (it sends valuable materials to landfill).

Why are people looking in my bins?

As part of our education program, we’ve got a new team of bin inspectors out and about in the community checking recycling and garden organics bins on collection day. They’ll be looking for things that shouldn’t be in your bins, and if any of the items are in bags. To start with, we will be tagging bins to help people understand where they went wrong.

After a few months we will change over from tagging to bin stickers. A bin with a tag will still be emptied, a bin with a sticker will only be emptied after the incorrect items have been removed.

There’s a tag on my bin?

The tags will identify the incorrect items or if items were in bags to help our residents understand where things went wrong.

If you find a tag on your bin please check your letterbox for a postcard. The postcard will be advising you where to find more information.

During this phase your bins will still be emptied on your normal bin collection day. After this phase we will move to the stickering of bins with incorrect and bagged items. It is at this stage that bins will not be emptied until the wrong items or bagged items are removed.

Once we move to the stickering phase, we will provide more information to let you know what to do.

Get your bins emptied every time

The easiest way to make sure your bin gets emptied every time is to make sure you’re only putting the right things in there. Remember that plastic bags can’t go in either your recycling or garden organics bins – even if they contain the right items.

You can check what goes in your recycling and garden organics bins on our website, or by downloading our My Waste Bin app.

What if I don’t want you looking in my bins?

We will only inspect your bins when they are presented on the kerbside for collection. Information will only be collected if there are incorrect or bagged items in your bin, that information will only be used so that the bin inspectors can return to re-check if needed.

At no stage will we collect personal information, or enter your property to inspect a bin that is not presented at the kerbside.

But they’re my bins, why can’t I put whatever I like in them?

The bins we supply to our residents are actually owned by Council – the service you pay for is for the bins to be emptied, and for the contents to be recycled or disposed of safely. We provide the service to residents on the basis that your bins are used correctly and contain the right items.