Putting rubbish in a bin may seem like the right thing to do, but one Aussie council is urging residents to think twice when disposing of waste in public bins.
Recently, in Sydney’s west, a large garbage bag of household waste was thrown into a public bin, blocking the entrance and causing the bin to overflow.
After the bag was removed, it was discovered that the bin still had plenty of room for other items, Liverpool City Council said.
The annoying incident is being used as a reminder: “Public bins are for small, on-the-go items, not household waste.”
A council spokesperson told Yahoo News people who put household waste in public bins could be fined anywhere between $150 to $1,000.
Some public bins in the Liverpool Council area have stickers placed on the front. warning offenders that fines apply for dumping household waste. Source: Liverpool Council/Yahoo News Australia
While the council said it is aware some households go through busy periods and create more waste, it encourages residents to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill wherever possible by full use of the City’s waste services.
While fines are hefty for violators, the spokesperson said it is “rarely imposed”.
Where can the rubbish go?
Liverpool is reminding the community that there are three bins residents can use to reduce the amount of items they are throwing in the landfill, such as:
Green-lid bins: for all compostable waste,
Or yellow-lid bins: for paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and glass.
Council added that it can upgrade households’ red‑lid general waste bin from 140 litres to 240 litres — but it will cost residents an additional $197.30 every year.
Free household clean-ups are also available free of charge for locals twice per year, to help dispose of bulky items that don’t fit in regular bins.
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Waste that isn’t allowed to be disposed of in kerbside bins can be dropped off at Liverpool City Council’s Community Recycling Centre (Rose St Liverpool) for free.
“The centre accepts items such as paints, oils, batteries, gas bottles, chemicals, e‑waste and fluorescent lights, helping prevent harmful materials from going to landfill,” council explained.
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