Bin Assessments

What Is Contamination?

Kerbside bin contamination happens when the wrong things are put into recycling or FOGO bins.

Examples of contamination include: 

  • Bin liners (including compostable or biodegradable brands) in your FOGO bin because they may contain ‘forever chemicals’ that we don’t want in our soil and waterways if it’s made into compost. 

  • Pet waste, including animal litter in your FOGO bin because it creates a health hazard for the staff on the picking line - they would literally have to pick up your pet’s poo and no one wants that! This waste can also spread disease.

  • Soft plastic bags in your recycling bin - the local recycling facilities don’t have the right tools to recycle these and they create maintenance issues and safety risks for workers at the facility.  

  • Coffee cups in your recycling bin - your coffee cup lid is made of plastic which can be recycled but the cup is made of mixed materials and needs to go to your landfill bin. 

  • Batteries, vapes, gas bottles and flares in any of your three kerbside bins - when they go into any kerbside bins they can cause fires and leach chemicals into the environment, while in the truck, landfill or processing facility. Take them to your local supermarket, hardware store, community collection hub or waste transfer station instead and dispose of them for free. 

    • Makes recycling harder: Contaminated recycling can't be processed properly wasting your effort in sorting it in the first place. It's like trying to make dinner with spoiled ingredients.

    • Can’t compost: Non-organic waste in FOGO bins ruins the compost which then goes to waste and, if not caught by the pickers, could ultimately end up in the soil and waterways of local farms. 

    • Costs more money: 

      • Cleaning up contaminated recycling and FOGO is expensive and can damage the local processing facilities. 

      • Contaminated truck loads that can’t be processed go to landfill. There is a cost for waste going to landfill, if you use the right bin for the right waste you help your council and community save money 

    • Safety issues: Waste in the wrong place puts staff processing the waste in danger from disease and fires. 

    • When contaminated truck loads have to go to landfill instead its: 

      • Bad for the environment: Organic waste in landfill can release harmful greenhouse gases. Plus, it takes up space that could be better used.   

      • Not great for your community: It also means a wasted effort from your friends, family and neighbours who did the right thing.

    By sorting our waste right, protect the environment, boost our local economy and make recycling work better for everyone.

    • Know what goes where: 

      • Learn which items go in each bin using the fridge magnets or checking out the NWRRR A-Z section which has a full list of everything that can go in each bin. 

      • Help your friends, family and neighbours who may be unsure 

    • Ask if unsure:

      • If you’re not sure and the NWRRR website doesn’t have the answer - give us a call on (03) 6427 4646. It's better to be safe than to contaminate the bin.

  • Each delivery of materials to our recycling and composting centres is checked for contamination.  

    Where there is only a small amount of the wrong waste  and it is safe to do so this will be picked out by hand. Where there is too much contamination or items that are a safety risk to the staff working at the facility this is loaded up and sent to the landfill.  

    As simple as it might seem, bagged items are the first to be removed – some have the right material in the bag but sometimes the material in the bag is a health hazard to staff.

    Following this initial sort the material moves through a system of machines and conveyors to remove any other contaminants and be sorted for the next stage:

    • At the recycling facility it is baled for travel to the re-processor – check out this link to see where different materials go; and

    • At the composting facility it will be blended with other organic waste and loaded into tunnels to heat and compost over the next 28 days before being tested and sold for use on farms and gardens.

    To track this before it even gets to the processing facilities, we will be rolling out kerbside bin checks and assessments to make sure we keep our contamination levels low.

  • The North West Resource Recovery and Recycling is a regional project responsible for helping improve waste management. They work closely with local councils and the community to ensure a more efficient, affordable and sustainable future for the communities of the North West. 

    Contamination is a key focus for the NWRRR and as a regional service, everyone will be doing the same thing across the Councils of: 

    • Central Coast Council 

    • Devonport City Council 

    • Kentish Council 

    • Latrobe City Council 

    • Waratah Wynyard Council 

    Burnie City Council & Circular Head Council will be coming online in the new year.

  • We know that sorting your waste right can feel a bit complicated but the NWRRR is here to help keep our contamination levels low. 

    To make sure all Councils are sorting their waste right, North West Resource Recovery and Recycling (NWRRR) will be running two main activities: 

    • Bin checks

    • Bin assessments 

    These bin checks and assessments will help us get into the habit of sorting waste correctly into all three kerbside bins.

  • Our team of experts will be coming round to informally check your bins and give feedback on how well you’re sorting your waste. They will check the contents of your FOGO and Recycling bins and then attach a tag to the bin which will tell you if you’re doing a great job or how you can improve.

    Why? We know communities are still learning how to use their new FOGO bins and want to help you learn. These bin checks will help you make sure you’re sorting our waste right before formal bin assessments begin in October (information below). 

    When? The first round ofbin checks will happen in September 2024. 

    Who? The NWRRR team will be doing bin checks during your kerbside collection.

    Note: While we know you’re still learning, grossly contaminated bins will be stickered and not collected during this period for safety reasons. If you make a mistake, and this happens, you can phone the call centre to arrange a collection before your next one is due.

  • Bin assessments are a formal four strike system that tracks contamination in kerbside bins and has been used periodically in the NW region for over 14 years by our waste collection provider Veolia. 

    During every kerbside collection, Veolia drivers use the trucks cameras to check your FOGO and recycling bin contents before tipping it into the truck. If they find waste that doesn't belong, your bin will receive a sticker with information on what items need to be moved into a different bin. 

    The truck will not collect a contaminated bin until this is fixed. Residents can follow the instructions on the sticker to help them resolve the issue and phone the call centre to arrange another collection.

    They can also see all of the material in the bin as it empties and will sticker it after emptying if items have been hidden from view, so will sticker it and this counts towards the four strikes. 

    In the unlikely event that you receive more than 2 stickers or strikes in a 12 month period, NWRRR staff will contact you to arrange a visit and help you work out what goes where. If there is a further problem, your bin will be removed until you agree to use the system correctly - meaning you lose valuable bin space and have to make other arrangements to dispose of any excess waste.

    Data collected from these assessments will be used to track progress in each Council, specific communities and problem areas.

    When? Bin assessments will formally start in October 2024.

    Who? The Veolia collection teams will conduct these assessments during your  normal kerbside collection. 

    Why? Bin assessments are used and have proven highly successful in achieving low contamination rates across Australia. They aren’t new to the NW community and have been used periodically for 14 years. 

    They also help gather data to report back to inform future communications and also feed back to the State Government on the region’s success in diverting waste from landfill.

  • If your bin is contaminated, there will be a bright yellow or green sticker on your bin outlining what item/s have been sorted incorrectly. 

    If a bin is visibly contaminated, Veolia will not collect it. Once the contaminated contents has been removed you can phone the call centre to arrange an alternative collection. 

    Don’t be alarmed if you get a strike, simply remove the item/s and follow the instructions on the sticker.

  • While most strikes are resolved after the 1st or 2nd time, you can receive up to four strikes. 

    Here is what each strike means:

    • Strike 1 and 2: You will get a sticker on your bin during your kerbside collection that states the problem. You can call the NWRRR call centre for guidance and support if anything is unclear.  

    • Strike 3: If the problem continues in your third kerbside collection, one of the NWRRR team will visit you to provide any support or assistance to fix the problem. 

    • Strike 4: In the rare case the issue is still not resolved on the fourth collection, the bin for the service that is contaminated (Recycling and/or FOGO) will be removed until you agree to use the system correctly - which means you lose valuable space to put your waste. 

  • For all questions, concerns and feedback email hello@nwrrr.com.au or give us a call on (03) 6427 4646.

    The NWRRR team are managing this activity and your Councils will direct your enquiries this way.