Following a recent kerbside recycling audit, Council is urging residents to familiarise themselves with recent changes to recycling guidelines to avoid contamination.
The audit showed an increase in the contamination rate of Port Phillip residential recycling bins from 10 per cent in 2019 to 25 per cent in April 2020. Items such as soft plastics, garden waste and e-waste were found in bins, resulting in additional processing costs to Council and ratepayers.
Mayor Bernadene Voss said it remains important for households to ensure their recycling met the requirements of what the processor is able to recycle.
“With more people at home at the moment due to COVID-19, we’ve noticed a sharp increase in recycling contamination. This happens when the wrong items are put in the yellow-lidded recycling bin. Sometimes it can be the simplest thing, such as broken window glass, a plastic bag or a chip packet,” Cr Voss said.
“Even if you think you’re doing the right thing, we urge you to double-check to make sure, as some things have changed over the past few months.”
Council will be conducting ongoing audits of bins to improve residential recycling. If recycling bins are found to have high levels of contamination, the bin may not be collected.
The following items can be placed in the yellow-lidded recycling bin:
- Empty plastic containers and bottles (numbered 1 to 5)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Steel and aluminium cans
- Paper and cardboard
The following items must not be placed in the yellow-lidded bin:
- Household waste/food scraps
- Garden waste or leaves
- Soft plastics and plastic bags
- Styrofoam
- E-waste
For a full list of acceptable items, visit .
To request a recycling poster for your apartment’s bin area, please contact ASSIST on
