City of Canning council to search rubbish as part of bin-tagging program to encourage proper waste disposal
Bin police will hit the streets again in February to check whether people are putting their rubbish in the right place.
The City of Canning will launch an eight-week bin labeling program on February 9 to educate residents on how to classify their waste correctly and improve recycling.
It will cover approximately 2,400 homes in Queens Park, St James, Wilson, Ferndale, Parkwood, Lynwood, Willetton, Canning Vale, Riverton and Shelley.
Every two weeks, waste education officers will look inside the bins at the curb and provide feedback in the form of a happy or sad face sticker.
“Happy” labels will be placed in recycling bins with little to no contamination.
Stickers will be placed on bins instead of labels in one area to see if they have a greater impact on people’s waste habits.
At the beginning of the program, stickers will be placed on the boxes to indicate what does and does not belong in each box. Every two weeks, bins will be inspected and results recorded to measure change in waste classification.
Mayor Patrick Hall said the program aims to educate, motivate and implement positive waste sorting habits.
“Helping residents understand how to sort their waste correctly plays a crucial role in improving recycling outcomes,” he said.
“When recycling is done correctly, it increases the recovery of resources and benefits both the city and our society.
“At the start of the latest round of bin labeling, 54 per cent of bins received a happy label and this rose to 81 per cent by the end of the eight-week programme.
“This was an excellent result and we hope to build on this success in the next round.”
When recycling, residents should ensure all items are loose as bagged items cannot be recycled, ensure all recyclables are empty and rinsed to reduce contamination, and that all caps on bottles and containers are removed.
The project is supported by the State Government and managed by the Waste Authority.
The WA Local Government Association manages the Waste Sorted Bin Labeling Program and is working with local governments to deliver project results.
For recycling guidance, visit: recycleright.wa.gov.au. To receive a free recycling label on the lid of your recycling bin, email the City of Canning at waste@canning.wa.gov.au.
The city also has waste segregation information in 18 different languages online at: canning.wa.gov.au/recycling.
