Education drive on bin system

Bunbury City Council is littering its residents with information on its three-bin system following concerns people did not know what went in which bin.

The council is even extending its education of the waste system to school children by calling on young artists to design the branding of five new rubbish trucks.

The rebrand initiative is open to Bunbury school children aged between eight and 12 and entries close tomorrow.

City of Bunbury waste services manager Aileen Clemens said teaching children about putting rubbish in the correct bin and reducing waste was “so important” towards making their future world more sustainable.

“As everyone will see when the artworks are released, our children are very passionate about sustainability and have great ideas on ways to portray their messages,” Ms Clemens said.

“The three bins on the side of our trucks have been a message of our system only for the last five years.

“Revamping this on ways to recycle and why we would should recycle is our future branding.”

The council last week also launched the first of its waste education videos on social media, educating residents on how to use their Food Organics Green Organics – or FOGO – bins.

Funding for the videos was provided through a grant from the Waste Authority and is one of the many initiatives being implemented by the waste education team.

Ms Clemens said reducing waste was one of the council’s major priorities.

“Through audits conducted on the kerbside residential bins and concerns raised by our residents there was a reoccurring theme that they just did not know what went in which bin,” she said.

“It was also highlighted that residents new to our beautiful city were given limited – if any – information on our three-bin system.

“Our residents have been the leaders in landfill diversion since the introduction of the FOGO bin in 2013 – Last year city residents diverted 61 per cent of waste away from landfill.

“By rolling out this plan it will assist them on increasing the diversion rate and lead the way to a better future for our children.

“The environment is a key issue that needs to be addressed for our children’s future – recycling is the key for our city by the sea.”