Kangaroo land more generous.
Bin bandits strike in scramble to get YOUR cans
WA’s Cash for Containers scheme has proved to be a great money-spinner for kids’ piggy banks and community groups but it also seems to have birthed a new neighbourhood nuisance — the bin diver.
With 10 cents now up for grabs for every can, bottle or other eligible drink container handed into a collection centre, people can quickly rack up a tidy sum.
But the scheme, which kicked off in October, also seems to have motivated a few people to step over the line and raid other people’s bins in search of recycling gold.
While not widespread, some councils acknowledge the issue is on their radar and incidents have been reported.
The Town of Victoria Park received two complaints within the first month of the scheme launching and says it continues to receive contact from ratepayers over the issue.
Complaints centre around people going through their bins, and concerns about privacy.
Mayor Karen Vernon said anyone caught bin diving would likely receive a warning first, but repeat offenders risked a $100 fine for a first offence, $200 for a second offence and $500 for third and subsequent offences.
She encouraged anyone who spotted someone going through their bins without permission to call the council’s environmental health officers.
PerthNow is aware of one recent incident in the City of Joondalup, but Mayor Albert Jacob said city officers had been keeping an eye on whether the Containers for Change program had resulted in an increase in people rummaging through other residents’ bins, but to date it did not appear to be common.
Once a wheelie bin is placed at the kerb of a private property its contents became the responsibility of the council.
Once a wheelie bin is placed at the kerb of a private property its contents became the responsibility of the council. Credit: Bill Hatto/The West Australian
Jeremy Edwards, chief executive officer at City of Swan, said once a wheelie bin was placed at the kerb of a private property its contents became the responsibility of the council.
“While we appreciate the enthusiasm our community has for participating in the Containers for Change program, we discourage bin diving behaviour for the sake of our residents’ privacy, and for obvious health reasons. It is also prohibited under the City’s Health Local Law.
“That being said, if people want to collect containers from their neighbours, or from bins on other private properties, they need to seek the property owner’s permission.”
The City of Canning said it had received little negative feedback about people going through recycling bins searching for containers to cash in but it was discouraged, unless people had the homeowner’s permission.
City waste collection data pointed to a reduction in recycling tonnages collected from resident’s recycling bins since the scheme’s inception in October 2020 and the local community’s participation in the Containers for Change scheme was in part to thank.
Keeley Walters at a Containers for Change exchange point.
Keeley Walters at a Containers for Change exchange point. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian
Before Containers for Change was introduced just one in three eligible drink containers were recycled in WA, including through kerbside recycling. The program aims to see 85 per cent of containers recycled across the state by 2023.
Containers for Change spokesman Michael Madden said he wasn’t aware of any public complaints about bin diving.
“The contents of a recycling bin are the legal possession of the property owner when on private property,” he said.
“Once the recycling bin is placed at the kerbside for collection, ownership of the contents of the bin is transferred to the local city or shire. Decisions around enforcement lies with the police.”
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson.
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson. Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
Mr Madden said some people who were doing it tough collected containers to help supplement their income and pay for basic essentials.
Community groups had also jumped on board to use it as a way to raise funds.
“More than $750,000 has been donated to charities and community groups across WA in just 4 months,” he said.
“We have also had over 60,000 containers returned in just four days by the WA community to support the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund for the Wooroloo and Hills Bushfire Appeal 2021.”
The total number of containers returned through Containers for Change since it launched has now reached more than 200 million.
