Call to improve kerbside recycling
Published on 25 June 2015
Mildura Rural City Council is calling on locals to help reduce contamination from rubbish in kerbside recycling bins.
With as many as one in ten households putting incorrect items in their 240L recycling bin, residents and business owners are urged to take time to check what can be put in their recycling bin.
While it only takes a moment to toss the wrong thing in your recycling bin, Cr Judi Harris said the potential ramifications were far-reaching and quite costly.
“Placing the wrong items in your recycling bin may contaminate an entire truck load of recycling and this means we have to dispose of it all in landfill instead of recycling it, this is an unnecessary cost to ratepayers” Cr Harris said.
Each truckload of contaminated material costs about $450 to dispose of at landfill.
Council empties recycling bins from about 24,000 properties across the region every fortnight. Some of the most common contaminants found in them include plastic bags, nappies, soft plastics, hard rubbish, food scraps and green waste.
“We know that the majority of people want to recycle correctly, but they may not know that these items can’t go in their recycling bin. We’re asking everyone to take the time to check the list so they can be confident that the right thing has gone into the right bin at home and at work.”
Cr Harris encouraged families to talk about their recycling practices and help each other to recycle right.
“Our data shows that about 18% of what ends up in people’s 120L rubbish bins is in fact recyclable so there are definitely opportunities for us all to recycle more.
“We would love to see this improve as it would reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill, which will help cut costs for ratepayers”.
Items you can put in your recycling bin:
- Hard plastic containers and bottles
- Cardboard, cereal boxes, juice, milk and egg cartons
- Glass bottles and jars
- Aluminium cans and foil containers, including foil scrunched up into a ball
- Paper products, newspapers and magazines
- Steel and empty aerosol cans
- Plastic pots
Items you cannot put in your recycling bin:
- Plastic bags, soft plastics such as cling wrap, chip and muesli bar wrappers
- Polystyrene – foam cups and foam meat trays
- Household glass or crockery
- Liquids
- Food scraps
- Gas cylinders
- Green waste
- Clothing or shoes
- All nappies including biodegradable nappies
Kerbside recycling calendars and fact sheets that outline what can and cannot go in your recycling bin are available from Council.
In a bid to increase awareness and understanding of correct kerbside recycling practices Council is also available to visit schools, community groups and businesses to present recycling education sessions. Anyone interested in hosting a session should contact Council for more information.
ENDS
Media enquiries
Angela Umback
(03) 5018 8689
angela.umback@mildura.vic.gov.au