What happens if you put the wrong thing in the bin?

It is important to recycle right. Incorrect items put in the recycling bin could ruin the whole truck load of recyclables or break the sorting machinery at the recycling plant . This results in the need to remove recycling service from households who repeatedly contaminated their recycling bin.

Is it rude to use someone else's bin?

“The letter of the law says that it is a form of anti-social behaviour and technically illegal, as it's classed as fly-tipping ,” explains skip hire company Colson Transport.

What do the different bin colors mean?

The blue box or blue colour is generally used for the disposal of paper and card so this includes old paper from the printer, old birthday cards, cardboard from opening household items, etc. The green/red box or colour is generally used for recycling glass, bottles, jars, food, drink cans, and plastic bottles.

Using the right bin (2024)

Key points

Bin contaminationmakes the waste service more expensive. It can also result in materials being sent to landfill that could have been put to good use.
Cardinia Shire residents are generally very committed to disposing of waste correctly and responsibly. However you could be putting the wrong items in a bin, and may not even realise!
To help you sort your waste correctly and reduce bin contamination, our waste truck drivers are now monitoring what gets collected with the help of new technology in our trucks. You can watch the video here.
We also have a Good Sort Program to reward "good sorters" and educate householders who have the wrong items in their bins.

What goes in each bin? To find out visitWhat you can put in your bins

Our A to Z waste guide also tells you how you can dispose of a wide range of items.

Why bin contamination is a problem

When the wrong items go into a particular bin, the bin is contaminated.

Top 5 contaminants in recycling bins across Cardinia Shire

Please don’t put the items below in your bin! To find out how to dispose of these and many other items go to our A to Z waste guide
A ‘No plastic bags’ sticker will be put on the lids of inspected recycling bins that contain plastic bags or soft plastics.

1. Recyclable items put in plastic bags
Items must be loose, not bagged.

2. Soft plastics
These can go in your rubbish bin but if you can, put them in the RedCycle bins at Coles and Woolworths so they can be used to make new products.

3. Rubbish that should go in the general rubbish (landfill) bin

New truck technology monitoring waste collected

Cameras and other new technology installed in our waste collection trucks mean that drivers can now monitor what is being collected, and how much of it.

This new technology will help to:

prevent bin contamination– which is costly for ratepayers as well as the planet
educate bin users on what can go in each bin
identify issues such as missed or damaged bins.

How the technologywill be used

Drivers will stop to put educational stickers on bins with obvious issues, such as recycling or green waste bins overflowing with plastic bags or general rubbish.
Cameras also capture the contents of each bin as it gets collected. Households sorting their waste incorrectly are notified later.

Good Sort Program

Our waste educators are on the street checking bins before they’re collected, to help you sort your waste correctly.
Educators give encouragement and rewards to households doing a great job, and constructive feedback about sorting and disposing of waste properly to those who need it.

Rewards for good sorters

Households sorting their waste correctly are rewarded with a green ‘Thanks for being a good sort!’ tag on their inspected bin.
Recipients of a green tag go in the draw to win a weekly gift voucher worth $20.

If your bin is contaminated

If your bin is inspected and incorrect items are found: We’ll put an orange “Oops!” tag on the lid to let you know which items shouldn't be in there. Please take note so you can make sure the same items aren't placed in that bin again.
Highly contaminated bins: We will put a red “Oh No” tag, and the bin will only be collected once the contaminated items are removed.

Frequently asked questions

For more information about our Good Sort Program, read our frequently asked questions.

Questions?

Contact our Waste team
Ph: 1300 787 624
Email: [email protected]