Getting your recycling right
Bin-spections program
We'll be lifting the lid on Bayside's recycling habits with our dedicated bin-spectors checking randomly selected food and green waste or recycling bins.
With a simple lid lift- the bins will be visually checked to ensure the right things go in the correct bin.
We'll be leaving feedback via a bin tag with tips on how to recycle correctly and reminders of which items can be recycled.
No private or identifiable information is being collected; all waste and recyclables will be disposed of as per the normal collection process.
Why are we doing this?
When the wrong items are put into recycling and organics bins, sorting becomes more difficult.
They can contaminate and damage other materials and send the whole truckload to a landfill instead of being recycled, recovered or composted. In the landfill, those resources are wasted, they create harmful greenhouse gases, and it costs us all to manage.
Using recycling and green waste bins helps ensure that accepted items can be sorted and recycled into new products or composted for use on farms and gardens.
This initiative aims to:
- Cut down on contamination
- Reduce the waste sent to landfill
- Offer personalised education and support to households
- Enhance safety by keeping hazardous materials out of recycling
We understand that sorting waste and recycling can be confusing. With so many different items, it's easy to make mistakes. This program is here to help everyone learn what should go in our kerbside bins — and what shouldn't — so we can improve together.
Refresh your recycling knowledge
If you are unsure about what goes in what bin, visit our What can go in your bins webpage or our comprehensive A-Z waste & recycling directory.
What happens to our recycling and food and garden waste?
Learn how your recyclables and food and garden waste are processed by visiting our what happens to my recycling or food and garden waste pages.
Your questions answered
What is the program?
We will have dedicated bin-spectors lifting the lids on randomly selected food and green waste or recycling bins across Bayside to assess our recycling habits.
Bins that have the right things in them will get a ‘thanks for recycling right’ tag while bins found with contamination will get an ‘oh no…’ tag. Feedback will include useful tips and tailored advice as well as a list of accepted items.
How does the program work?
Official Council contractors, our dedicated bin-spectors, will visually assess the randomly selected household’s recycling or food and green waste bin at the kerbside prior to collection on bin day.
Based on the visual assessment, each bin will have a bin tag placed on it that will provide relevant feedback on doing a great job or if there’s room for some recycling improvement.
How can I ensure my privacy?
No private or identifiable information is being collected, and all waste and recyclables will be disposed of as per the normal collection process. All recorded information will be stored in accordance with the Information Privacy Principles outlined in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). Information will be held in a restricted database and accessed and reviewed only for service improvement.
Why is Bayside doing this?
When the wrong items are put into recycling and organics bins, sorting becomes more difficult.
They can contaminate and damage other materials and send the whole truckload to a landfill instead of being recycled, recovered or composted. In the landfill, those resources are wasted, they create harmful greenhouse gases, and it costs us all to manage.
Using recycling and green waste bins helps ensure that accepted items can be sorted and recycled into new products or composted for use on farms and gardens.
Our bin health checks are an excellent opportunity to refresh our knowledge and reduce contamination rates.
What is contamination?
Contamination is any material placed in your recycling or food and green waste bins that isn’t meant to be there.
Incorrect items can get caught in the machinery, contaminate the recyclable materials, impact the quality of the end product, and pose a severe hazard to workers at the recycling and composting facilities.