Recently the Moreland Council has taken to inspecting bins. The Council has found extraordinarily high levels of recycling contamination in Moreland. The state average level of contamination is 10 percent, whereas in Moreland, contamination of recycling is at 17 per cent.
In an effort to reduce contamination of the food and garden organics (FOGO) and recycling bins in Moreland, the Council has started conducting random inspections of bins. Bins that have been contaminated receive a new “warning bin tag”. Bins that have a significant level of contamination may be given a “rejection sticker”, which means that the bins are not collected that week.
People may remember back in 2019 when it came to light the extent to which Australia’s recycling system was in shambles. For the 2017-18 financial year, Australia had used around 3.4 million tonnes of plastic, with only 9.4 per cent being recycled.
Given this, it might be hard to support the Council’s decision to publicly shame others for not recycling properly; if the stuff isn’t being recycled anyway, what’s the big deal?
But Moreland Council is making active attempts to improve recycling in the municipality by devoting more resources to ensure it is being done better. No longer will Shakespeare say:
Tremble, thou wretch,
That hast within thee undivulged crimes
Unwhipped of justice.
We shall be whipped.
By ES
The Coburg Meddler 