A recent kerbside bin audit undertaken by Rawtec and Dynamic 3E on behalf of the City of Mount Gambier identified that more than half the general waste stream could be diverted away from landfill with food organics making up 27 per cent of the average residential general waste bin.
Residential waste was audited from a representative sample of the community across the three bin system including general waste, recycling and food organics/garden organics (FOGO) with results indicating contamination in all kerbside streams was above reasonable levels.
In the 2016 audit food organics made up 36 per cent, so while we are making good progress, 27 per cent is still very high and equates to more than 1,500 tonnes of food waste from Mount Gambier households going to landfill every year.- City of Mount Gambier Environmental Sustainability Officer Aaron Izzard
"We implore residents not to put their food waste in the general waste bin, but instead purchase a FOGO bin for a one-off fee of $85 or take advantage of discounts on composting gear through Council's partnership with Compost Revolution and start composting food scraps at home."
"Everyone can do their bit to help the environment and reduce the cost to the community - food waste should not be going in the general waste bin as all food waste - even bones, meat, dairy etc can go in the organics bin," Mr Izzard said.
The audit highlighted that on average residents generate 14.9 kilograms of waste per household per week, while 30 per cent of the contents of the average general waste bin could be placed in the recycling bin.
"Each household has a recycling bin with fortnightly collection and this result highlights a need for the community to better separate their waste and make proper use of the recycling bin system," Mr Izzard said.
The sample showed a contamination rate in the recycling stream of more than 22 per cent with the most common contaminants including general waste, large e-waste, textiles and soft plastics.
