Contamination is costly
Lockyer Valley Regional Council has one simple message to impart to residents – recycling contamination is both costly – and dangerous.
Be it fabrics, batteries, pet waste or building waste, Council’s Waste Portfolio Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Cr Jason Cook said placing incorrect items in the recycling bin can cause major issues.
“This causes jams in the truck or processing facilities and can become workplace health and safety issues.
“Our Waste Management Contractors recently completed an extensive Recycle Bin audit across our region, and the cameras on board show the bin contents falling into the truck.
“This allows our team to spot items that should have been placed in the general waste bin (red lid bin), or other items requiring disposal or recovery at one of Council’s waste facilities.
“Better bin habits really do have such an impact.
“Some residents may have received a letter from us, and this was done so we can help you improve your habits by identifying what needs fixing.
“If we work together, and our Council is committed to doing just that, we can make a change and have a positive impact on our environment by using the recycling bin correctly,” Cr Cook said.
The Australasian Recycling Label on many products tells you how to correctly dispose of packaging and what can go in kerbside recycling. Alternatively, you can use the guide on the lid of your yellow recycle bin as a reference.
With the region currently experiencing the highest contamination of recycling bins ever recorded, Council is reminding all residents their actions have long-term impacts on the community.
“Despite most of our region doing the right thing when it comes to recycling, their efforts are being jeopardised by those who blatantly disregard the correct use of bins and are contaminating our recycling streams.
“When you choose to throw items such as soiled nappies in the recycling bin, the entire truck load is at risk of becoming contaminated and ending up in landfill, which in turn wastes both the time and effort of residents who are doing the right thing and adds to the cost of waste management.”
Some common items being incorrectly placed in the recycling bin are:
- Food waste
- Nappies
- Clothing
- Sheets/blankets
- Garden hoses
- Carpet, door mats
- House renovation rubbish
- Plastic oil containers
- Small broken furniture
- Seasonal items such as Christmas lighting/decorations
- Green waste
- Soft toys
- Small whitegoods such as toasters, kettles
- Small E-Waste items such as computer monitors, DVD Players, radios, speakers, electrical leads
- Plastic bags
- Batteries
For information on what does and doesn’t belong in your yellow top bin, visit www.lockyervalley.qld.gov.au/waste
