Kerbside Bin Contamination

If our waste collection drivers or in-truck cameras detect significant contaminants in your household bin, your bin will be tagged.

This tag is to let you know why we consider it to be contaminated and advise you of the actions you need to take. Tags can also be used if there is another issue with your bin.

Our contamination procedure aims to minimise contamination in kerbside bins by:

• Providing information on what waste and recycling goes where.
• Establishing a staged process to ensure bin contamination is reduced as much as possible.
• Documenting a series of actions to be implemented to address ongoing contamination in kerbside bins.

Why has my bin been tagged?

Tags are used to let you know your bins were contaminated, or have an issue. They will point you to information on how to fix that.

Contamination can impact recycling processes and includes materials that have been placed in the wrong bin or have been incorrectly prepared. For example, plastic in your FOGO bin, bagged material in your Recycling bin or something prohibited like asbestos in any bin.

Gross contamination refers to materials placed in a recycling bin that are so contaminated or unsuitable that they significantly reduce the quality or recyclability of the load. A kerbside bin may be considered grossly contaminated if it contains:

• A bag of household rubbish mixed with recyclables.
• Containers still full of food or liquid.
• Nappies, pet waste or medical waste.
• Paint, oils, pesticides or other hazardous substances.
   

What happens next?

If your bin is contaminated, the driver will assess the severity and determine if the bin can still be collected without contaminating the entire load. A tag or sticker will be placed on your bin to let you know what was found and indicate what action you need to take.

If you bin is assessed and they decide it cannot be collected, you will need to properly sort your waste before your next collection. Disposal of your uncollected waste is your responsibility.

If your bin contains gross contamination, the driver will not collect your bin. In this case, a tag or sticker will be placed on your bin to tell you why it wasn't collected. You will then need to properly sort your waste before your next collection and dispose of it.

If contamination is found during or after your bin has been emptied, a tag or sticker will be placed on your bin to let you know contamination was found and where you can find information to use your bins correctly.

For serious or hazardous contamination that poses a health or safety risk, such as suspected asbestos, Council or Cleanaway will contact you directly in relation to the issue and discuss any actions.

Each contamination incident is recorded to help monitor and improve waste services and identify common contamination issues.

We want to work with residents to improve recycling and reduce contamination.

If your bins is regularly contaminated, enforcement actions may be taken in accordance with Council's General Local Law.