Householders who put the wrong waste into recycling bins could pay higher charges with contamination detection cameras set to be installed on bin lorries, according to the waste industry’s representative body.
Panda, one of Ireland’s largest waste management companies, will put the cameras in place across their nationwide fleet in an effort to reduce contamination levels in recycling bins.
The company stressed it had “no plans at present” to charge people for the incorrect use of recycling bins but has carried out a trial using cameras in waste collection bins “to educate” customers on the correct use of bins and increase “overall recycling levels”.
“Panda has been running a large trial programme using cameras in waste collection bins to track incorrect use of domestic waste recycling bins,” said a spokesman for the company in a statement issued on Friday.
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“The data collected was used to educate customers in relation to the correct use of bins and resulted in a very significant reduction in incorrect recycling.”
Other waste collection companies are expected to follow Panda later this year and use cameras on collections to improve recycling levels.
“It’s not an enforcement tool but if customers consistently ignore the feedback and advice, they can expect to pay a higher price than those who make a greater effort to separate recyclables from nonrecyclables,” says Conor Walsh, secretary of the Irish Waste Management Association.
Following an 18-month trial using cameras on trucks for 80,000 Dublin customers Dublin, Panda found that the percentage of bins contaminated with unrecyclable waste fell from 50 to 5 per cent.
The placing of cameras on trucks will allow waste companies photograph materials from each household as they are tipped into the truck. Each bin is identifiable with an individual chip linked back to the customer’s address.
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“The person will get an email with the photograph pointing out what has been done wrong with advice on what to do correctly,” says Walsh.
While waste management companies cannot fine customers for not segregating their waste correctly, they can – with repeated evidence of incorrect materials in bins – refuse to collect the bins from the kerb side or charge that customer more.
“If a customer is advised three or four times that they are not segregating their waste correctly in their recycling bin and they continue to contaminate the recycling bin, the waste company is likely to see that as a breach of contract and can charge the general waste rate (which is higher) for the contaminated recyclable bin,” says Walsh.
The initiative to monitor the quality of materials in recycling bins is funded by Repak, the membership body that supports commercial companies to recycle packaging. The expected cost of the initiative for all waste operators is between €15 million and €20 million.
Cameras will also be placed on general waste bins to highlight materials in these bins that shouldn’t be there. “Food waste, textiles, plastics and cardboard boxes shouldn’t be in the general waste bin,” says Walsh.
Which bin? How to sort your waste correctly
Putting the right materials in the right bin will improve recycling levels and reduce your bin charges.
The food/organic bin (usually brown) is for all cooked and raw food. Food soiled paper napkins, paper towels, egg boxes, used pizza boxes and compostable packaging can also be put in the food bin as can cut flowers, plants and small quantities of garden waste.
The recycling bin (green or blue) is for all types of plastic containers and packaging, paper and cardboard, aluminium and steel cans, tins and lids Everything should be clean, dry and placed loosely in the bins (not in bags).
The general waste bin (usually black or purple) is for materials that can’t be recycled or composted or that are too dirty to be included in either the brown or green bins. However, clothing and textiles are not allowed in general waste bins collected on the kerb side. Glass, batteries, paints, adhesives, household cleaners, garden fertilisers and all forms of electronic waste should all be brought to civic amenity sites where they can be recycled or disposed of. Source: mywaste.ie
