{"id":524436,"date":"2026-03-07T10:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/524436\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T10:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:14:09","slug":"aussies-face-37-fee-to-fix-kerbside-council-issue-plaguing-suburbs-footing-the-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/524436\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussies face $37 fee to fix kerbside council issue plaguing suburbs: ‘Footing the bill’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dangerous chemicals are leeching out of unwanted fridges and air conditioners when they\u2019re illegally dumped <\/a>or placed on the kerb for council collection.<\/p>\n

A new white paper <\/a>published by sustainability advocates Circularity for Climate warns that around 65 per cent of these appliances contain superseded or banned gases, which harm the environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The data informing the report was collected by retailer and co-author Appliances Online.<\/p>\n

Its sustainability team inspected the old white goods that its delivery drivers hauled away for recycling after they installed new ones at customer residences.<\/p>\n

The gases inside these items would have either contributed to global heating<\/a> or ozone depletion<\/a> if they weren\u2019t responsibly disposed of.<\/p>\n

Most retailers don\u2019t recycle old white goods, so it\u2019s left up to the consumer or council to clean them up, and not all local government areas have the proper facilities to process them.<\/p>\n

Circularity for Climate CEO Bronwyn Voice said the issue highlights an urgent need for a nationwide stewardship program<\/a> where businesses pay a levy<\/a> on the white goods they sell.<\/p>\n

A similar program already exists in the beverage industry, where customers earn 10 cents for each can or bottle<\/a> they return.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A fridge left out for council clean up in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Source: Yahoo News Australia<\/p>\n

The tyre industry is also calling for a stewardship scheme<\/a>, similar to what’s already in place in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really needs to be stronger regulation around appliance stewardship\u2026 so that local governments and communities don\u2019t end up footing the bill of the recovery at the end of life,\u201d Voice told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

$37 levy could reform white goods disposal<\/p>\n

Chemicals of concern in white goods include PFAS, which can contaminate land and water, and gases like CFCs, which were banned worldwide after the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, and HFCs, which are in the process of being phased out in Australia.<\/p>\n

Voice warns ozone-depleting gases are still contained in that \u201cold beer fridge from the 1980s\u201d or that appliance that was \u201cbuilt to last\u201d, and they can leach out if the product isn\u2019t correctly processed.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnits with those older gases that have since been banned\u2026 need to be recovered, and our current system doesn’t really effectively address that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In September, the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) and the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence found that only 57 per cent of bulky items were being recycled.<\/a><\/p>\n

It suggested a $37 levy could be paid by manufacturers to cover the costs of collection and processing.<\/p>\n

Voice supports this recommendation and argues Australia should be adopting a scheme similar to that mandated by the European Union, where manufacturers, importers and retailers take responsibility for recycling and disposal of white goods and electronics.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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