Households that repeatedly put the “wrong stuff” in recycling and organic waste wheelie bins across north-west Tasmania may have their service suspended, under a “four strikes and you’re out” system.
Some households have been dumping needles, cans, garden tools and even laptops in FOGO (food organics and garden organics) or recycling bins, as well as incorrectly bagging green and recycling waste in those bins.
“We have had all sorts of strange and weird and wonderful [items binned] … I can’t explain some things,” Dulverton Waste Management (DWM) chief executive Veronica Schilling said.
Veronica Schilling said incorrect waste disposal of items like batteries also posed a safety risk to waste workers. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
Under a new strike system that began in July, residents have four opportunities to get it right before their service is cut off.
The system is an attempt to save money for ratepayers, as it cost the region $700,000 to send truckloads of contaminated waste to landfill in the last financial year.
But it is also a safety issue, as household batteries have exploded and caused fires inside the company’s trucks, Ms Schilling said.
And, Ms Schilling said, every truckload of contaminated waste that needs to go to landfill is contaminating the earth for future generations.
About 4 per cent of households are deliberately using their bins incorrectly, according to Dulverton Waste Management. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
Four strikes and you’re out (for a while)
DWM has a landfill, but it is also Tasmania’s largest composting facility, re-purposing the region’s green and food organic waste into high-quality soil for farms and gardens.
The company has implemented the strike system now as the region’s residents have had their FOGO bins for at least a year, with households in Burnie and Circular Head the latest to join.
Ms Schilling said as they were now collecting the waste across the entire region, they “had an obligation” to ensure the right materials were going in the right bins.
Veronica Schilling is the chief executive of Dulverton Waste Management. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
When the bins were deployed across the region’s households, magnets and flyers detailing what items could go in each bin were also provided.
In the past year, Ms Schilling said about 90 per cent of households were doing the right thing.
She said most of the last 10 per cent were at least trying to get it right, while 4 per cent of people were continually doing the wrong thing.
In the first two strikes, DWM staff place tags on residents’ bins advising them of what they are getting wrong.
At the third strike, residents and property owners are provided with a fresh set of magnets and a letter providing further information.
At the fourth strike, the company will engage with the household to make sure they have not recently purchased the home and inherited someone else’s previous strikes.
They will also ensure that any barriers such as language and disability are not causing the contamination.
“And then we say, ‘well, we’ve given you every opportunity to improve’,” Ms Schilling said.
Residents will then miss several collections.
After that, they have another chance to improve their waste sorting — or remain disconnected from the service for the remainder of the year.
Small number of residents costing region
In the agenda for the Latrobe Council’s July meeting, a report noted the cost to north-west ratepayers was more than $700,000 to take contaminated truckloads to landfill in 2025-26.
“On average, [Latrobe] Council pays an additional $720 per truck load (or $130 per tonne), if the contaminated FOGO cannot be recovered and must instead be sent to landfill,” the report said.
“Any contaminated material that is collected in the recycling bins also attracts an additional charge on top of the standard processing fee when the residual material is removed and taken to landfill.”
The issues affect Burnie, as well as other north-west Tasmanian council areas. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)
Ms Schilling said that any truckload, which contains about 350 wheelie bins worth of rubbish, can be contaminated by a small number of people doing the wrong thing.
“That handful of people … they’re ruining everybody else’s work,” Ms Schilling said.
“There’s a real dollar value for that. That was $700,000 that our councils — and by extension, our ratepayers — paid that they didn’t need to.”
Ms Schilling also said that material then needs to be managed for the next three decades, which is avoided if green and organic waste is composted at DWM.
“That means our children, and in some cases our grandchildren, will be paying for the [contamination],” Ms Schilling said.
Burnie mayor optimistic kids will bring parents into line
Burnie City Council also noted the new system at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, and Mayor Teeny Brumby said she was optimistic residents would comply.
Burnie Mayor Teeny Brumby had faith in younger people setting a good example for the wider community. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
“It comes down to education,” Cr Brumby said.
“I have assurances from Dulverton [Dulverton Waste Management] that they are more prepared to allocate staff resources to better equip and educate that 4 per cent [of people doing the wrong thing].
“We must lift the bar. Without a penalty … ratepayers will bear the cost moving forward into the future.”
Cr Brumby said the Burnie council was comfortable that the strike system was fair and appropriate to ensure FOGO and recycling contamination levels dropped.
She said the younger generation also appeared enthusiastic about taking up the mantle of recycling and composting.
“It was my children that educated me on the importance of recycling some years ago,” she said.
“It’s the children that often lead the way. If we are in schools educating our children, it often goes home to the parents.”
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