Rockhampton Regional Council is encouraging residents to be more alert when it comes to disposing their waste correctly, after an incident delayed bin collections in Kawana on Monday.
It is believed that a mix of chemicals including bleach was the cause of a small fire in the truck, forcing the driver to dump the load of rubbish.
Waste Committee Chair Councillor Neil Fisher said it provided a timely reminder to us all to be more mindful and do the right thing and use the right bin.
“Putting the wrong items in the wrong bin contaminates not only your bin but also the entire truck load, which means recyclable resources cannot be recovered and our environment is threatened with pollutants,” Cr Fisher said.
“Every single person has a very important role in helping reduce the amount of waste that we send to landfill and to ensure they are educated in disposing of things the right way.
“Not only can a mix of dangerous chemicals cause small fires in our trucks, but it also puts our staff at risk too. Fortunately nobody was hurt and the cosmetic damage to the truck is repairable, however these situations can become very dangerous very quickly.
“For everyday household chemicals such as bleach, triple rinse, leave the lids off and let the container dry. And don’t forget that local pool maintenance shops will take any leftover pool chemicals you don’t need.
“In 2020, I ask everyone to take a moment to get to know what goes in what bin so we can keep our environment clean and our workers safe.”
Commingled recycling should be placed in the yellow-lidded wheelie bin, this includes; paper, aluminium, glass, steel cans and plastics (labelled 1-7 in the recycling symbol) – no lids, no food scraps, no liquids. General everyday household waste should be placed in the red or dark green lidded wheelie bin.
Commercial waste (including home renovation demolition) should be taken to a Council waste management facility and disposed of where directed.
Waste collection services may occur anytime between 6am and 6pm on day of scheduled service.
