Waste company caught dumping recycling in red waste bins

A private waste company that services almost 500 apartment buildings has been caught on camera pouring recycling into general waste bins.

A private waste collection company has defended its workers after staff were caught dumping bins full of recyclable waste into trucks filled with rubbish.

Garbage collectors from the private waste company Urban Waste were caught on camera by A Current Affair this week emptying yellow recycling ins into general waste red bins.

The company, which services almost 500 apartment buildings and major events in Melbourne, has told NCA NewsWire that the yellow bins were already “contaminated” by non-recyclable waste.

A private waste company, Urban Waste, has been caught mixing recycling and general waste. Picture: ACA

“This is a common occurrence especially within bins at larger community living complexes,” a statement from Urban Waste read.

Food scraps, polystyrene, and plastic bags often end up in yellow bins and cannot be accepted by recycling facilities.

The company could face a fine of up to $5000 per load of recycling waste containing more than 5 per cent contaminated waste.

“Our drivers made the correct decision to not transport contaminated bins to the recycling plant which could cause further contamination on a broader scale,” the statement said.

Environmentalists are disappointed by the discovery. Picture: ACA

“This is something all waste companies face on a daily basis.”

Jeff Angel from the Boomerang Alliance – a collective of 56 Australian environmental groups – told the ACA it was very disappointing to see waste companies not following protocol.

“This company should be collecting the yellow bin separately, with a different truck, and take it to a material recycling facility where they can then do the sorting,” Mr Angel said.

The garbage collector was caught on camera dumping the yellow bin and red bin into the same truck. Picture: ACA

It comes a week after soft plastic recycler REDcycle was caught stockpiling waste. Picture: ACA

“That‘s the normal practice.”

He said it was unfortunate given the time that everyday Australians put into washing and separating their recycling everyday.

“People are very, very enthusiastic about recycling,” Mr Angel said.

“Unfortunately this type of publicity does lose confidence in recycling.”

It comes just a week after new broke that supermarket soft plastic recycling scheme REDcycle had been stockpiling thousands of bags in warehouses and was forced to suspend it’s program indefinitely.

Originally published as Waste company caught dumping recycling in red waste bins