By Jena Carr
Operation Lockatoo is coming to the Surf Coast to stop wild cockatoos from ransacking residential bins and spreading litter.
A lock-fitting program will be placed on Surf Coast bins in November to reduce the amount of rubbish being distributed by birds or blown around by wind from local bins.
Surf Coast Shire Council Place Making and Environment acting general manager John Bertoldi said the program would begin on Monday November 13 and run until April 2024.
“The locks stop cockatoos from opening lids and spreading rubbish onto streets. The
mechanisms automatically disengage during collection,” he said.
“This follows on from a trial of various locking mechanisms in Lorne during last two years.
“Lock fittings will be completed on a street-by-street basis on Mondays and Tuesdays (except public holidays) until April 2024.
“Cockatoos have been most active in Lorne, but we are receiving reports of cockatoo activity in Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven, and Anglesea. We’re currently trialling bin locks in these areas.”
LitterLock creator Colin Cox, from Torquay, said he was proud to have his design selected by the council to combat the amount of rubbish found in the Surf Coast.
“To have LitterLock picked up down in Lorne and to know that it’s going to make a difference and reduce litter down there, I’m really proud,” he said.
“There’s a little mount on the side of the bin at the top, and it’s on a little hinge where the top part clips over the lid.
“It’s interactive with the garbage truck, so when the truck collects and squeezes the bin with the mechanism release, it releases the latch at the top.
“It’s estimated that 25 per cent of litter in Australia escapes from residential bins. That’s approximately 35,000 tons of rubbish every year.
“We’re really rapped that the Surf Coast has come out and chosen it and given some great feedback and…we’ve been in in trial with them since December 2022.”
During the last two years, the lock-fitting program followed trials of nine different bin modifications and locking mechanisms fitted to 500 kerbside bins across Lorne.
More information about Operation Lockatoo is available at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/Property/Waste-and-recycling/Bins/Operation-Lockatoo
