Waste reduction is in the bag

City Hall has claimed a bin win with recent audits showing an 80 per cent reduction of plastic bags in recycling bins.
The City’s services director Will Tieppo said rubbish collectors placed “educational stickers” on bins incorrectly containing plastic bags.
“In almost 80 per cent of cases, the educational stickers led to a change in behaviour with follow up bin audits showing plastic bags had been removed from recycling bins.”
City Hall inspected 3525 recycling bins and 2757 green waste bins in Newcomb, Belmont and Bell Post Hill with cameras fixed to collection trucks.
The City conducted the audit in response to the region’s climbing recycling contamination rate, which sits at 9.53 per cent.
Earlier this year Mr Teippo said if the contamination rate passed 10 per cent the revenue the City received from the recycling processing company would reduce by up to $350,000.
Mr Tieppo said more than 86 per cent of recycling contamination and 79 per cent of green waste contamination was due to plastic bags.
“We’re really trying to push the message to keep recyclables loose and not in a plastic bag.”
City Hall also issues residents with reusable bags to collect their recycling and empty into their yellow bin.
The City will conduct its next recycling audits in Corio, Waurn Ponds, Whittington and Geelong West.