How often have you stood by the bin, rubbish in hand, and hesitated: ‘Is this recyclable, or does it go in the red bin?’ If you’ve ever second-guess yourself, you’re certainly not alone.
A recent initiative in the nation’s capital has revealed a common error that many Australians are making when sorting their rubbish—and the consequences could affect more than just your local collection.
The sneaky offenders
Let’s start with receipts. They may look and feel like paper, but most are coated with chemicals that make them unsuitable for recycling.
The same goes for disposable coffee cups, used paper towels and soft plastics. While many people assume these are recyclable, they should actually go in the general waste bin.
The bin inspection program: Education, not punishment
The Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) bin inspection initiative began in 2017 with green waste and FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bins. In May this year, it expanded to include recycling bins.
Each week, waste educators from the ACT Government or Envirocom Australia randomly select streets and inspect about 600 recycling bins and 500 green waste/FOGO bins.
The goal? To help residents understand what should—and shouldn’t—go in each bin.
Inspectors only check the top layer of contents on bin day. They may gently move a few items for a better view but do not dig through your rubbish.
If you are ever unsure about someone inspecting your bin, they will have a letter of authorisation from the government.
Importantly, you won’t be fined for innocent mistakes unless hazardous materials are found, and your bin will still be collected.
The focus is on reducing contamination, improving resource recovery and supporting our recycling and composting systems.
Big Brother on bin day?
Rubbish trucks in the ACT are also equipped with cameras. This allows drivers to identify hazardous or contaminated loads.
If something unusual is spotted, your bin may be tagged. In rare cases, it may not be collected if it poses a risk.
Bins that are damaged may also be tagged, prompting residents to request a repair or replacement.
Bin shaming or bin learning?
Not everyone supports the bin tagging program. Some, like Essendon resident Kali, felt ‘bin shamed’ after discovering a tag on her bin.
She had placed reusable shopping bags in her recycling—something many others on her street did too.
‘I’m sure we’ve all made mistakes with recycling—it’s an easy error to make,’ she said.
While some view the tags as helpful reminders, others see them as intrusive. But overall, the aim remains to guide, not criticise.
The great Australian bin confusion
A 2024 survey by Veolia found that Australians are unsure which bin to use 40 per cent of the time.
Even more concerning, 77 per cent of respondents still believe that disposable coffee cups go in the recycling bin—they don’t.
Bamboo and wooden cutlery often cause confusion, with 63 per cent of Australians believing they’re recyclable.
Similarly, 58 per cent mistakenly toss biodegradable plastic bags into the wrong bin. In reality, both items should go in the general waste and end up in landfill.
How to get it right: Tools and tips
If you’re ever unsure about an item, help is just a tap away.
The Recycle Mate app lets you search for any product and tells you exactly which bin to use, based on your local council’s guidelines.
It’s a simple way to avoid contamination and ensure your recycling efforts don’t go to waste.
Why it matters
Recycling correctly isn’t just about good habits—it’s essential to making the entire system work. When a truckload of recycling is contaminated, it can end up in landfill.
By learning the rules and sharing them with others, we can all help reduce waste, recover valuable resources and protect our environment for the generations to come.
Your turn: Have you been bin-tagged?
Have you ever found a tag on your bin? Do you find the bin inspection program useful or a bit over the top? And what’s the trickiest item you’ve ever had to throw out?
Share your thoughts, questions and tips in the comments below—we’d love to hear your take. Together, we can turn rubbish confusion into recycling confidence.
Also read: Residents face new bin permit rules—what you need to know
Should disposable noodle bowls and cups be treated the same as disposable coffee cups ?
Right in the heart of Tokyo one can see the chimneys of waste incinerators, that’s how they reduce their landfill. We should be doing the same. A well designed incinerator produces it’s own power and can feed power back into the Grid.
The solid waste that is left behind should be quite benign with the metals able to be retrieved and the rest has only a fraction of the original bulk and can be safely used for land reclamation landfill.
In reality, due to the distances involved, in many country towns, there may be no energy savings in many of the recycling programs and local disposal may actually be the most environmentally friendly course of action.