Waste Education
The more we learn about the importance of correct waste sorting and sustainability, the greater impact we will have on our future actions.
| WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT |
| Avoid |
The best way is to prevent waste in the first place. Consider what you're buying - say no to plastic water bottles, plastic straws, coffee cups and plastic bags and choose reusable alternatives instead. |
| Reduce |
Only purchase what you need. Some good ideas to help: make a meal plan for the week and always check what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry before shopping. Try and stick to your list and avoid over-purchasing so your food doesn't go to waste. |
| Reuse and Repair |
Rather than throwing things away, check if they can be reused, repaired or repurposed. Donate unwanted items to charities at our Charity Clothing Drop Off Day or host a garage sale. Bring your broken items to the Repair Cafe (every third Saturday of the month) at the North Perth Lesser Hall and avoid sending them to landfill. |
| Recycle |
Visit our waste sorting page to make sure you are sorting your waste correctly and putting the correct items into each bin. |
Bin Tagging Program
In early 2022, the City of Vincent worked with the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) to provide bin tagging education to randomly selected households.
Following the great results of that program, the City participated again and tagged 2200 households across seven weeks between February and April 2023.
Many Perth Local Government areas have undertaken bin tagging programs which are proven to substantially improve household recycling and waste management performance. Experience shows that the improvements stick, which highlights the effectiveness of giving individual feedback to households.
The City of Vincent is grateful to WALGA for its funding assistance and support in running this important waste education program.
Bin Tagging FAQS
What is bin tagging?
Bin tagging is an education tool to provide residents with direct feedback on the contents of their bin. The aim of the project is to reduce waste to landfill and improve recycling rates in Vincent – this saves ratepayers' money and helps the environment.
Community Waste Educators do a quick visual inspection of the contents of the bins before giving ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face tags with feedback on how well the residents are using the bins or what can be improved.
Why is the program being undertaken?
There is much confusion about what goes in which bin. Bin tagging clarifies any misconceptions or confusion residents may have about the bin system, while also offering positive reinforcement to households who are sorting their waste correctly.
Experience shows that contamination decreases on repeat visits and only a handful of properties have bins that are severely contaminated. Reducing contamination in bins reduces waste service costs.
Which bins are being tagged?
Community Waste Educators will be providing feedback on all the bins - Recycling, General Waste and Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) - so we can help maximise your bin capacity across all three bins.
What do the auditors look for when looking in my bin? What kind of feedback is provided?
The bin tags have been tested and standardised in order to promote consistent waste education messages across all councils in WA. There are different tags for each bin type and they detail what is and isn’t accepted in the bin, with room for written feedback.
The inspectors make a visual assessment of the bins contents to identify:
- Contamination.
- How each property is sorting their waste.
- Correctly used but overflowing recycling bins.
- Correctly used but overflowing general waste bins.
- Correctly used but overflowing FOGO bins.
What happens if there is contamination in my bin?
When the wrong items are in the bins, the Community Waste Educators will leave a sad face tag with written comments on what can be improved. Only when there is repeated severe contamination in a bin, will the bins be taped shut and residents will be asked to remove the contamination before the bin can be emptied.
Why is it important for our bins to be free of contamination?
Recycling is a shared responsibility, so it’s important that we work together to maximise our resource recovery. Clean FOGO contents will be turned into high quality compost that can be used in our parks and gardens and potentially shared back to our residents. By sending less waste to landfill, we can save on processing and disposal costs and, in turn, stop the increase in cost to residents.
Recycling collected from the kerbside bin is sorted by a combination of people and machinery which does not guarantee that all contaminants will be removed. Decreasing contamination in the bin at the source ensures we are collecting cleaner waste streams that can go on to be useful commodities in a circular economy.
How are the households being selected for the program?
Households chosen to participate in the education program have been selected at random.
How do I know if my household is part of the program?
All households who have been selected to be part of this year's program will receive a postcard in their mailbox on their bin day in week one of the program (12-16 February 2024). They will also see bin tags hanging from the handle of each bin presented each week.
Is bin tagging an invasion of privacy?
No, once your bin is on the verge, it is Local Government property. Our Community Waste Educators are only doing a quick visual inspection to collect data regarding the overall quality of the bin contents and not taking any personal information. They do not have access to the names of residents and data will only be reported at a Council level.
If you are concerned about sensitive documents in your recycling bin, we suggest you shred or tear up the documents and put them in your FOGO bin.
I had a sad tag on my bin today. Will my bin still be collected?
Yes, your bin will still be collected the same day, unless the tag explicitly states 'We were not able to collect your bin today'.
If your bin is not collected, please phone the City within 48 hours to report the missed bin.
Where can I find more information on how to correctly sort my waste?
Visit our Sorting Your Waste page to find information on what goes in which bin for both the three-bin FOGO system.
There is also a link to the Recycle Right® website and app where you can find a comprehensive A-Z materials list as well as their Find My Nearest drop off location for items that can’t go in your kerbside bins.
Our How to sort your waste guide is a handy visual reminder you can download and print out for your household. It is available on the above page in 12 different languages. This is also included in your annual waste guide.
Container Deposit Scheme WA
The State Government introduced a statewide container deposit scheme in 2020.
What's Covered?
CHECK FOR THE 10¢ MARK
It's easy to save your 10¢ containers from landfill so they can live another life — just check for the 10¢ mark!
Most plastic and glass bottles, as well as drink cartons, cans and pouches, that are 150ml to 3L are accepted.
This includes:
• Most single-serve water and fizzy drink containers up to and including 3L.
• Most single-serve alcohol containers, like beer bottles and pre-mixed spirits.
• Flavoured milk containers that are 150ml to 999ml.
• Coconut water, pure fruit, or vegetable juice containers that are 150ml to 999ml.
Make sure you take off the lids — they can be recycled through Containers for Change too, just separately.
To find out more about the program and to find local collection points, visit www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/ or download the Containers for Change app.
Scouts WA Recycling
Scouts WA Recycling has multiple Refund and Donations Depots throughout WA where you are able to drop off your eligible containers and receive your refund. Scouts WA Recycling also offers Commercial Collection Service that makes refund collection convenient for local businesses, community groups, schools and clubs. To find out more please head to their website:
https://scoutswa.com.au/scoutswarecycling/
Other Drop Off Locations
There are a number of locations in close surrounding areas of The City of Vincent, in which you are able to return your eligible containers and obtain the 10 cent refund.
- City of Perth Aberdeen St Depot, 8 Aberdeen St, Perth
- City of Perth Roe St Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), 68 Roe St, Northbridge
- TOMRA Recycling Centre, 426 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park
- Good Sammy Balcatta Drive Thru Depot, 257 Balcatta Road, Balcatta
- Good Sammy Bag Drop Recycling Centre, 238 Balcatta Road, Balcatta
CDS Info for Businesses
Existing businesses within the City of Vincent wanting to incorporate in-shop, over the counter or bag drop return points may be exempt from the need to obtain development approval (planning approval) in accordance with the City’s Policy 7.5.1 - Minor Nature Development. To confirm whether a specific proposal would be exempt from the need for planning approval, a Duty Planner is available to talk to at the City’s Administration Building, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm, in person or on the phone on 9273 6000.
Customers and businesses wanting to establish larger scale container deposit scheme infrastructure including reverse vending machines and container deposit recycling centres are required to submit a planning application for the City’s assessment and consideration.
Any application for planning approval need to be assessed against the relevant provisions of the City’s Policy 7.1.1 - Built Form and the City’s Policy 7.7.1 – Non-Residential Development Parking Requirements, and need to be accompanied by the supporting information outlined in the City’s Mixed Use and Commercial Development Application Checklist.
A building permit may be required to be sought and issued prior to the installation of container deposit scheme infrastructure. To confirm whether a specific proposal would require a building permit please contact the Building Services team on 9273 6000.
Free Waste Education Program for Primary Schools
The free program is run by the City of Vincent with the aim to educate students about waste minimisation and management through implementing reduce, reuse and recycle principles. The program has been designed to integrate with the curriculum, making it easy for teachers to use the sessions efficiently and as a part of the school year, rather than an additional topic to cover.
Children are recognised as great agents of change, encouraged to take what they learn from the program and utilise the principles within their school, at home and within the community. They will learn concepts and approaches for sustainable practices that should be carried forward into adult life.
If your school would like to get involved, please contact our Waste and Recycling team on 9273 6000 or email mail@vincent.wa.gov.au
Repair Cafe
Repair Cafe Perth is an initiative based in the the Western Australian suburb of North Perth that aims to minimise waste and strengthen our community.
Post-consumer waste has become a huge problem in modern society, and this partly stems from a culture of discarding broken or unused items, including clothing and electronics. We’re here to help those in our community who want to save their items from landfill and bring back a culture of repairing.
Useful Resources
Own Your Impact | Waste Education Program
Plastic Free July | Take part of the Challenge
Responsible Cafes | Cafés offering a discount to customers who bring their own cup
RENOME Reusable Cup Network | use a RENOME cup then drop it off at any of our partner cafes
HuskeeSwap | Reusable cup exchange
The Last Straw | Reduce the use of the plastic straw
No More Butts - Get involved in reducing waste from cigarettes
Treading my Own Path | Lindsay Miles plastic-free, zero waste and minimalism blog
What's Your Bag Plan? | WA consumers are encouraged to carry their own alternative, reusable bags