Council workers to check inside recycling bins in new program

Gympie is considering the plan and Fraser Coast council is trialling it, but Bundaberg kicked it out after a public backlash about a perceived invasion of privacy.

Gympie is considering the plan and Fraser Coast council is trialling it, but Bundaberg kicked it out after a public backlash about a perceived invasion of privacy.

The Fraser Coast Regional Council has defended the introduction of a new bin education program despite a similar plan sparking community backlash in Bundaberg, while Gympie will consider the controversial plan.

Between now and November the Fraser Coast council will run a Better Bin program as part of a region wide blitz on recycling.

It will include council officers performing “lift the lid” checks on kerbside bins in selected neighbourhoods to help identify contamination and improve residents’ rubbish habits.

A council media release on the plan said “no items will be touched during inspections, and there are no fines or penalties involved”.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour.

“The focus of the Better Bin Program is education, not enforcement. It is a simple, supportive way to improve recycling habits,” the spokesperson said.

“Once your bin is placed on the kerb for collection, it is considered to be in a public space, so there is no intrusion into privacy.

“The recycling support officers won’t touch the contents, take anything out, or record any personal information, and will not enter properties to look at bins.

“Recycling support officers will conduct quick visual checks by lifting the lid and viewing the top layer of contents – a method that offers a useful snapshot of what’s inside without digging through the bin.”

The decision comes hours after Fraser Coast ratepayers learned they may be hit with more fees, as the state government imposed a waste tax on large Queensland councils.

Bundaberg Regional Council’s plan to introduce the bin-searching and tagging system sparked a wave of backlash from locals and prompted a surprised mayor to demand it be put on hold. Pictured is Mayor Helen Blackburn, who seemed just as surprised as everyone at the controversial decision, and waste portfolio councillor Gary Kirk, who has defended the decision.

Bundaberg Regional Council copped a major backlash from ratepayers earlier this year when it announced its intention to implement a similar program, using tags given out by rangers to communicate whether their bins were in good order.

Households in Bundaberg were to receive one of four coloured tags based on how well they had done: green for great job, orange for room for improvement, red for a bin not serviced, and blue for sorting tips.

Following the outcry, Mayor Helen Blackburn, who appeared to know nothing about the plan, took to her own Facebook page, distancing herself and the wider council from the decision.

“Bin tagging is rubbish,” she wrote.

“Councillors were never consulted about this decision to tag bins.

“I agree it doesn’t pass the pub test.

“Council will need to be provided information and then make a decision about moving forward with this project or scrapping it.”

A subsequent poll of readers in Bundaberg revealed that 81 per cent thought bin inspections and tagging were invasive.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said his council would consider the bin-checking program implemented by the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg

The Gympie Regional Council will consider the program, but will need approval by councillors at a meeting.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said there had been “robust” discussions in regards to the program, following the backlash and turnaround in Bundaberg.

Originally published as Council workers to check inside recycling bins in new program