It hasn’t bin easy
Is there a solution to bin confusion?
Bin rage has become an annual event in Bass Coast Shire since the three-bin system was introduced in 2017.
Whether it’s concern about the lack of weekly kerbside red bin collection, or frustration at visitors use of the green and yellow bins for landfill rubbish, the new system has not been without its detractors.
Now Cr Ronnie Bauer – who stood on an election platform to increase red bin collection in peak periods – has turned his focus to a possible creative solution: colour coding of bin lids.
At last week’s council meeting, Cr Bauer successfully moved a motion to call on the state government to standardise bin lids across Victoria.
He said visitor confusion over bins in Bass Coast stemmed from a lack of uniformity, giving the example of a red bin in Stonnington council indicating organic waste, which is the green bin in Bass Coast.
“This motion brings into sharp focus the problems we are facing with visitors coming to Bass Coast especially in the holiday period in summer,” Cr Bauer said.
“The blue bin in Stonington denotes plastics and tins recycling, in Bass Coast it’s the yellow bin and the green bin in Stonington which is the landfill is the red bin in Bass Coast.
“When holidaymakers come to our shire many are naturally confused by which bin is for what purpose. They do not come here for a lesson in recycling.”
Cr Bauer said the problem was predominantly for short-term accommodation or holiday home owners, “but nevertheless it is a problem”.
“Bass Coast Shire is a victim of its own success. We are ahead of the curve with recycling and our need for landfill. We want it to remain that way.
“If the lid colours were uniform throughout the state it would take the guesswork of which bin is for what purpose. It would reduce the amount of contamination in our recycling endeavours.”
He said when a purple bin is introduced for glass, there would be consistency through the state.
