Bin Inspection Program

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To date (April 2021), we have inspected 6,789 bins   

Peninsula residents are keen recyclers. Most residents want to do the right thing and recycle right. To help residents, the Shire will be inspecting recycling bins and leaving behind a bin tag on the bin handle. If you receive a blue tag, you are recycling correctly. If you receive a red tag, contaminants were found in the recycling bin.

Find out more about household recycling, or visit our Disposal Guide to find out what can be recycled FREE of charge at our Resource Recovery Centres.  

Why are we doing this?

  • The Shire's average contamination rate is 15.4%, significantly higher than the state average. Bin inspections is a part of the Shire’s waste education program to reduce contamination and increase rates of recycling. Bin tags will provide direct feedback to encourage households to keep recycling right and help households identify what can and can't go into the household recycling bin. 
  • Just one misused recycling bin can contaminate the whole recycling truck, resulting it being sent to landfill rather than recycled. 
  • Contaminated recycling costs the Shire. The Shire now must pay the additional cost to dispose of contaminated recycling.  
  • It is still important that we continue to recycle. Recycling reduces the demand for new resources, reduces energy and water used to make products and minimises the waste sent to landfill.

Be Rewarded for Recycling Right

Households that are recycling correctly will receive a blue tag to go into a monthly draw to win a $100 gift voucher. 

I received a red tag, will my bin still be collected? 

  • Yes, in most cases. The Shire has instructed our Waste Collection service provider to collect the bins as normal and ignore the red tags.
  • In some cases, there may be a problem with collecting your rubbish (eg bin too heavy, no clear access, significant contamination), and in these circumstances your bin lid will be stickered shut and not collected. This is normal practice and is not related to the bin inspections. 

My bin lid was stickered shut

Bins that are significantly contaminated or contain hazardous materials will be stickered shut and not collected. Trucks will not return until the next scheduled collection and contaminating item/s have been removed.  

Can the bin tags be recycled? How do we dispose of the bin tags?

Yes, the tags are made from 100% recycled paper and can be placed into your household recycling bin. 

However, the tags also provide a handy checklist of what items can be recycled, so residents are welcome to keep this tag in the kitchen or on the bin handle for future reference.