Changes to how we manage waste

When people put recyclable items in the garbage bin, we 'lose' materials to landfill that we could recycle instead.

When people put the wrong items in the recycling bin, they 'contaminate' the recyclables. In some cases, an entire truckload must go to landfill instead of being recycled.

So, there are two main reasons for the trial:

• Help people put the right item in the right bin. We want to recycle more and send less to landfill to help our environment.
• Save the Council and our ratepayers' money. Right now, high landfill fees and penalties can cost an extra $590,000 each year.

Households will be randomly selected to be a part of the 12-month trial. They will have their bins inspected at least three times throughout the trial.

An 'inspection' means a contractor selected by Council will open the lid of the bin when you put it at the kerbside for collection. They will do a visual check of the top layer of waste and note whether there is an item that doesn't belong in that bin. The contents of bins will not be emptied out or rummaged through.

If everything looks OK from the inspection, we’ll let you know with a thank you tag on your bin. We will also enter you into a monthly draw to win vouchers for local businesses.

You will know if you're a part of the trial when you receive a tag on your bin letting you know we've looked at it.

We have designed the bin feedback program to be educational. There will be no fines or penalties for not quite getting it right. We will always continue to collect your bins.

If we find the wrong things in your bins, you will get a tag on your bin letting you know what the problem was. You will also get a flyer in your letterbox that will help you understand how to recycle right.

If we find the wrong items again, we'll leave a letter with more information about recycling. You may also get a phone call where you can discuss the matter with a member of our waste team.

RFID is a wireless data collection technology. Lots of different industries use RFID around the world, as it’s used to identify and track specific items. You can find the technology in access cards, library books, linen in hotels, produce crates in supermarkets, and clothes in shops.

An RFID tag is a small piece of plastic, about the size of a 20-cent coin, that sends information about the item it's on via an antenna and microchip inside it. A tag works with an RFID reader and when it's scanned, the reader uses radio waves to pick up the data a tag holds. A tag isn't active and doesn’t send any data until a reader scans it.

RFID tags have been installed in the new food and green waste bins, as it’s cheaper to install them when the bin is being manufactured.

For the trial, one of our waste trucks will be fitted with an RFID reader. When the truck picks up the bin, it reads the tag and receives data about the bin.

The reader will be in the truck for three months. At the end of the trial, the reader will be removed.

The RFID tag itself does not collect:

• personal information
• information about the contents of the bin.

It is assigned to a bin and property address, which is read and logged when the truck picks up the bin.

Since we can confirm the location of a specific bin and when it was collected, the RFID bin program trial will collect information about:

• where a bin is collected, because each bin is tied to a property address
• when a bin is collected, with a time stamp
• when a bin is missed and not collected
• if there is an issue with a bin that our drivers note and lodge, such as if it needs repairs, was too heavy or collected at the wrong address.

Data will be stored on a secure Australian server in line with the Privacy Act. Only authorised Council staff will have access to it, and the information will only be used for reviewing and improving our waste services. When the trial ends, this access and the data itself will be removed from the server.

We will keep reports that are created during the trial period, which include information like how many bins were emptied and common issues that our drivers reported.

We currently have a paper-based system to manage waste collection and bin requests. The system is due for a digital update to make our services faster and more reliable both for our community and our staff.

This technology will allow us to make improvements across the waste service, including to:

• Monitor stolen, lost or misplaced bins better. The truck will see if a reported bin is scanned somewhere else.
• Identify areas with consistent waste issues, like overflowing bins.
• Provide more targeted community education and engagement in those areas.
• Give real-time information to our Customer Service team to respond to reports and questions better.
• Reduce the time it takes to respond to waste issues because our team will have accurate real-time data. You may even find an issue resolved before you need to report it!

1. The waste truck empties a food and green waste bin with an RFID tag.
2. The truck's system collects data about the bin, including its unique identifying number, location and when it gets emptied.
3. If the truck driver sees any issues with the bin or the collection, they can report this from the truck on a tablet. Currently, they need to note it on paper and go back to the depot to action it.
4. The report is tied to the property and sent to our Customer Service and waste teams in real time.
5. Details about a reported issue with a bin are sent to the tablet in the truck for the driver to action instead of printed on paper.

Nothing, just use your bins as normal.