Recycling bins: Randwick council confirms plan to check household waste

A Sydney mayor has slammed a council’s plan to monitor residents’ waste on bin day and leave notes for those who get their recycling wrong.

A Sydney mayor has slammed the invasive practice of council bureaucrats searching through residents’ bins in search of recycling infractions.

As revealed by The Daily Telegraph, Randwick Council has come under fire for its plan to send out staff to look through residents rubbish on bin day and leave little notes letting people know if they got their recycling wrong.

Cumberland City Council Mayor Steve Christou told The Daily Telegraph ratepayers should be outraged.

“Now we have councils spying and intruding on their residents’ privacy all under the banner of environmental sustainability,” Mr Christou said.

“What’s next, visits to peoples’ bathrooms to inspect if they are using recycled toilet paper?

“I can think of a lot better uses of staff time than paying the spy police.

“They can try addressing the upgrades of roads, footpaths, and maintenance of their parks. If I was a Randwick ratepayer, I’d be putting the Mayor on notice.”

Randwick Council staff will be looking at what locals are placing in their bins. Picture: John Grainger

A Randwick Council spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph the new regime, which began on November 16, was aimed at diverting 75 per cent of waste from landfill by 2022 and increasing the rate of recycling in the area.

“Until February 2021, council has engaged a consultant to conduct red and yellow lid bin inspections to gather information so that we can measure current waste minimisation and resource recovery levels,” she said.

“These consultants conduct visual inspections only, they don’t move or remove any items from the bin.

“If the recycling bin contains items that can be recycled, the house will not be revisited. If there are items incorrectly placed in the recycle bin, a tag is left on the bin offering advice and guidance for the resident.”

However Randwick councillor Harry Stavrinos said the new policing regime was invasive.

Randwick Council wants 75 per cent of waste away from landfills within two years. Picture: John Grainger

“I don’t agree with it, I find it a bit intrusive, I wouldn’t be happy if I saw someone go through my waste,” Mr Stavrinos said.

He said a better idea would be extra council education programs that could save the council money in the long run.

“Contamination of rubbish costs our council millions of dollars every year … I can understand why our staff would be concerned about cross contamination of recyclables,” he said.

Some councillors are against the move. Picture: John Grainger

Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance policy director Emily Dye said how individuals chose to look after the environment should be a personal decision and not dictated by government.

“It seems like an extreme waste of resources to have people hired and wasting their time by literally going through people’s bins,” she said.

“I think it is a personal choice.

“People should make their own personal choices as to how they take care of the environment.”

Originally published as Recycling bins: Randwick council confirms plan to check household waste