P5.8Develop kerbside recycling/FOGO contamination management program.

When incorrect items are put in a recycling or food and organics waste bin, it’s called contamination. Contamination is deemed any material that is not accepted in the relevant bin. This contamination can result in an entire truckload being sent to landfill, as the processing facility is very strict on what they can and cannot accept.

An exciting stage of monitoring organic and recycled waste commences in February 2023. This includes utilising camera technology to improve our monitoring of bin contamination. We will be able to see contamination trends and hotspots to further identify where within our community to provide further support to tackle this together.

To support this technology, a range of education collateral has been developed. A comprehensive communications campaign in also being rollout out.

We have also begun regularly inspecting 500 household bins monthly to help understand contamination issues and provide feedback to the community on the correct bin usage. These inspections, along with the truck camera data, will be used to guide future education campaigns and awareness raising activities.