Around 2000 households and businesses in the City of Swan are planned to take part in the council’s new bin auditing program, in an effort to improve recycling habits and reduce waste contamination.

The program will involve council staff conducting a visual check of the contents of general waste and recycling bins in randomly selected areas, followed by constructive individual feedback about how each household can recycle better and waste less.

The feedback is provided in the form of a tag on the bin handle, which highlights if there are any contaminated items in the recycling bin, or items in the general waste bin that can be recycled.

City of Swan Mayor David Lucas said while most of us have the best intentions with our waste and recycling, many of us are unsure of what to place in our general waste and recycling bins.

“If your recycling bin is contaminated with even a few unsuitable items, the remaining recyclable material in that bin will go to landfill,” he said.

“You might not know what you’re putting in your bin isn’t quite right, so we want to help you learn the best practice.

“Through tailored feedback on the contents of your bin, you’ll learn whether you’re on the right track, or how you can improve the way you recycle.”

According to WALGA, in South Australia, similar programs have reduced waste contamination by up to 60 per cent and increased the amount of recycling by 25 per cent

Whiteman Ward Councillor John McNamara said each property selected to take part in the program will be audited four times over an eight week period, starting from Monday, April 29.

“We’re focusing on providing useful feedback to residents to change behaviour, however if contaminated items continue to be placed in bins by the end of the program, residents will be required to remove the contamination before the bin is emptied,” he said.

“There have been some recent changes around what can be recycled, which can be confusing, and we’re using this program to empower our community to recycle better and waste less.”

The City will use the information collated through the visual assessments to understand how well recycling is understood, and to determine where more information is required.

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