Waste Contamination Policy
Contaminated recycling bins are a major issue.
If we recycle well, we reduce the financial and environmental costs of waste.
If we put the wrong things in our recycling bins, we risk contaminating the bin and the entire load of recycling in a truck.
A contaminated truck load comes at a huge cost to the environment. It adds to landfill and loses resources that could have been remade into new products. It also comes at a significant financial cost. Contaminated bins cost the Shire and ratepayers over $600,000 per year.
A small minority of households continue to disregard recycling rules. This results in regular contamination undoing the good work of their entire street. This policy helps educate residents so that we bring contamination rates down.
It is essential that the Shire continues to:
- educate households on correct waste disposal,
- minimise contamination,
- seek opportunities to improve the resource recovery of materials and
- divert waste from landfill.
If the Peninsula’s waste contamination continues without mitigation, the Shire and community face the possibility of increasing cost to process our waste and limited markets that will accept the materials for recycling and composting.
- Learn what else we are doing to reduce waste going to landfill on the Our Waste Future page.
- Visit our recycling page to learn more about what goes in your recycling bin.