Council’s ‘lifesaver’ app has neighbours cheering ahead of bin night

A Sydney mum says it has made a world of difference to her mental load. So how do you get it? 

I don't know what happens in your street the day before your bins are collected, but in my neighbourhood, it usually begins with someone actually knowing what day it is and setting the trend with either the red or yellow bin - or both - wheeled out to the kerb before the rest of the neighbours follow suit. 

 

I'm one of those sheep. I peer out the window every Wednesday arvo before I commit to any colour. 

But here's the thing: we don't always get it right.

For example, Betty down at number 26 (bless her) simply can't be trusted. She is in her late 80s and can sometimes trick you into thinking it's just the red bin this week when recycling is actually due. Johnno at number 17 is usually spot-on but puts his bins out far too late for me to rely on that with my own busy nighttime schedule. The folks at number 13 usually forget, and then the people at number 22? Well, they have two red bins that no one questions and they always seem to think the green bin gets collected weekly, so let's not turn to them for our reminders!

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Neighbours cheering over council's app targeting bin night. Image: Supplied

Bin night creates unnecessary stress

Bin night is just another addition to our already heavy mental load, and the people at Blacktown Council know this, which is why they have introduced a feature in their app to help residents with all the weekly guesswork. 

Sydneysider Liz was singing her local council's praises after reading so many 'hacks' from people who kept forgetting what bins needed to be collected each week on social media. 

"Usually we pop our bins out a little earlier as we have after-school sports, so we are often the first on the street to do so, so it can be a battle trying to remember which bins need to go out in the scramble as we head out the door," the mum-of-two told Kidspot. 

It's in those busy moments, that the Aussie mum thanks the Blacktown City Council for thinking ahead around two years ago and introducing a 'lifesaving' feature in their "B informed" app to save all the guesswork for their local families. 

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The 'lifesaving' feature that will save you on bin night

The app feature allows residents to opt in to be notified when bins are being collected as well as reminding people which colour lid needs to be put out. 

"You just download the app, tell it your postcode or address and it will ask if you want to be notified on bin night," Liz explains.

"You can choose morning or afternoon notifications and if you only want to be reminded when it's yellow bin you can do that, or you can choose both bins."

A spokesperson from waste management company, Veolia, told Kidpsot they're not surprised that the app feature has been well-received by Aussie residents. 

"While it's not unusual in the early morning to see someone in their dressing gown rushing to the kerb dragging a bin behind them, most of us are surprisingly good at getting the right bin out at the right time. Usually, all it takes is for one person to put their bins out and then the rest of the street follows their cue," they said. 

"We always welcome innovations by councils that help accelerate the cultural shift that gets the right bins out at the right time to improve recycling, separation of green waste, and ensure we collect waste from every bin.

"We applaud Blacktown Council for setting up this helpful system and I'm sure those few forgetful Blacktown residents hoping to steal a few more minutes in bed before the alarm goes off are much happier too."

The app sends you a reminder about which bin to put out. Image: Supplied

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A great resource for Aussies

The feature is a total 'lifesaver' for people in her area, Liz insists.

"It's a great resource to have. We used to get the calendar that we could pop on the fridge that told us whether it was red bin or yellow and red bin night, but they stopped that several years ago," she says.

"Having the app just saves you relying on your neighbours and checking out the street late at night once everyone has popped their bins out to check."

Hopefully it will only be a matter of time before other councils do the same - but someone will still need to check on poor old Betty. 

Originally published as Council’s ‘lifesaver’ app has neighbours cheering ahead of bin night