Bin Inspection Program

Bin inspections will be carried out at random by Council staff or a contractor when your bins are placed on the kerb for collection.

This will occur by either:

• Bin inspection - staff may check the bin by lifting the lid to assess its contents; or
• Garbage truck inspection - drivers may assess the bin placement and its contents when collecting or emptying the bin using truck surveillance cameras

When inspecting assessors will be checking for:

• Recyclables in a waste bin
• Contamination (incorrect items) for that bin type
• Unsafe or unsuitable bin placement
• Incorrect number of bins
• Hazardous items
• Bins overflowing or exceeding weight limit

If any of the above are identified a coloured bin tag with details of the issue and relevant information will be placed on the handle or lid of the bin.

Currently, with the support of the Queensland Government, Council is undertaking a bin inspection program across the Bundaberg Region.

The goal of the Let's Get It Sorted campaign is to get Queenslanders recycling right and recycling more.

Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill which is good for the environment and your community. It also creates jobs and contributes to economic growth. 

Recent audits show that in Bundaberg:

• 18% of what goes into the yellow recycle bin is contamination, e.g. plastic bags
• 11% of what goes into the general waste bin is recyclable
• 1 in 3 households place batteries in their wheelie bins which can cause fires in garbage trucks, at landfill, or recycling facility

Feedback has highlighted that barriers to getting our recycling right include: 

• Lack of knowledge regarding what is acceptable for recycling 
• Confusion over what is recyclable through the kerbside bin and what is recyclable elsewhere 
• Not enough recycle bin space for larger households 
• Lack of care or awareness of the importance of recycling  

To help overcome these barriers, the Let's Get it Sorted bin inspection program aims to directly communicate with residents on their bin practices so they can obtain advice relevant to their needs.  

By sorting our waste, together we can:  

• Improve the safety and efficiency of collection services 
• Reduce the amount of recycling contamination, which is locally hand sorted by staff from Impact Community Services at Council's material recovery facility
• Increase the recovery of important resources while minimising the amount of waste sent to landfill 
• Provide households with tailored education and support 
• Save households money in waste service charges - the less material sent to landfill, the less it costs Council to provide the service 
• Increase safety by ensuring hazardous materials such as asbestos, batteries and chemicals are disposed of correctly

Areas chosen for inspections will be both targeted and chosen at random to ensure feedback to households is fair and consistent.

If you find a coloured tag on your bin it means it was inspected prior to or during collection.

For more information and next steps, click on the colour that corresponds with the tag you received at the top of this page.

Recipients will receive either a green, orange, blue or red tag.

For an overview of all waste and recycling services and options available to residents across the region, take a look at our waste and recycling handy guide or search for a specific item on the Recycle Mate website.

For more information on the waste and recycling that is accepted in your kerbside bins, please refer to our waste and recycling A-Z guide.

Council will be analysing trends regarding the number, location and type of concern identified during the bin tag inspection program. This information is vital to improving Council’s waste and recycling education across the region, ensuring all areas of the community have a clear understanding of how to sort their waste.

All Bundaberg Regional Council garbage trucks are fitted with GPS and surveillance cameras to monitor the safety of our employees, other road users, our assets and the performance of our waste services.

Video footage of individuals may be inadvertently captured during the normal waste collection process. Access to camera footage and GPS data is limited to authorised officers only, who may access these systems to review content as required.

All personal information is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.

The contents of household bins are the legal possession of the property owner when on private land. Once bins are left out for collection the contents become the property of Bundaberg Regional Council.

If you are concerned about any personal or confidential information, consider shredding and placing in your general waste bin.

We believe most residents want to do the right thing when given the correct information, therefore the Let's Get it Sorted program is primarily focussed on education, rather than enforcement.

In cases where bins are repeatedly tagged red and not serviced, Council will make contact with the household to discuss further. Only in extreme cases would Council take extra measures such as retrieving bin/s from servicing or issuing fines under local law.

Residents should only use the bins that belong to their household.

To reduce the risk of others using your bins, do not leave your bin out for longer than the 24 hour period around your collection day.

If this is a recurring problem contact Council on 1300 883 699 to report it.