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How to Use Your Bin System

The district's kerbside waste and recycling collection shows some positive gains as well as some opportunities for improvement to help reduce waste generation and divert recyclables and green organics (including food waste) from landfill. (To find out which bin to put out and when visit www.mountbarker.sa.gov.au/recyclewaste#KerbsideCalendarsMaps)

Which Bin

The State Government has launched a statewide education campaign to support households’ optimum use of recycling and green organics bins. Check out the Which Bin website whichbin.sa.gov.au or call the Which Bin hotline on 1300 137 118. You can simply type in your suburb and what you want to dispose of and it will give you information on the bin to use or drop off locations for waste that can't go into kerbside bins.

Check out their commercials on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGBjZfq8ki9hh-JFWbSfrGcHN_mLcHt-1

Key tips for the recycling bin
  • No plastic bags
  • No food
  • No shredded paper
  • No fabric
  • No e-waste or appliances
Key tips for the green organics bin 
  • If it didn’t grow, it doesn’t go – nothing metal or plastic goes in the green organics bin 
  • All garden organics like lawn clippings, small branches, prunings and even weeds are fine
  • Food scraps are fine - you can even put meat, bones and oyster shells in – commercial composting facilities in South Australia can quickly convert them to valuable organic compost no problem 
  • Pet hair and human hair can go in 
  • Greasy pizza boxes are welcome
  • Never put any plastic in your green bin. Only certified compostable bags are acceptable. They must be labelled with the Australian Standard AS-4736 for compostability. Don’t place degradable or bio-degradeable bags in your organics bin.

The information below is an example of what can go in which bin.

 

Household Waste

  

Recyclables

  

Green Organics
 

Weekly
140L Blue lid

  

Fortnightly (alternative week to Green Organics)
240L Yellow lid

  

Fortnightly (alternative week to Recyclables)
240L Green lid (townships only)
 

Items that CAN be placed in this bin:

  • Any remaining items that cannot be recycled or composted, provided it is not in the non-permitted list or EPA landfill banned list below
  • Non-recyclable items
  • Crockery, glass etc
  • Cling film/soft plastics
  • Nappies
  

Items that CAN be placed in this bin:

  • Cans including aerosols
  • All glass bottles and jars (lids off)
  • Paper and cardboard
  • Milk and juice cartons
  • Newspapers and magazines
  • All plastic containers including milk, juice and soft drink bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles, yoghurt and margarine containers (recycling symbols 1 to 6)
  • Pizza boxes
  

Items that CAN be placed in this bin:

  • Lawn clippings
  • Pruning
  • Small branches and twigs
  • Leaves
  • Sweepings
  • Food or kitchen scraps
  • Soft papers like kitchen towel and tissues
  • Other organics like nail clippings and dog waste, provided it is not wrapped in plastic (compostable bags ok)
 

Items NOT permitted in this bin:

  • Liquid waste
  • Hot ashes
  • Hazardous or radioactive materials
  • Medical waste and syringes
  • Automobile parts
  • Gas cylinders
  

Items NOT permitted in this bin:

  • Plastic bags (including when filled with recycling)
  • Polystyrene foam
  • Liquids
  • Cling film
  • General rubbish
  • Green organics/garden waste
  • Food waste
  

Items NOT permitted in this bin:

  • Garden pots
  • Plastic
  • Hot ashes
  • Bricks/rubble/soil
  • Any other rubbish
 

Blue lid bins are owned by and remain the property of Council and must remain with the property.

  

Yellow lid bins are owned by and remain the property of Council and must remain with the property.

  

Green lid bins are owned by the rate payer for use at their own property.

Bins may not be collected for the following reasons:

  • Excessively contaminated with materials that should not be placed into that bin; and
  • Excessive weight: bins that exceed 50 kg in weight will not be collected. 

How to place your bins for collection on the kerbside

  • Bins are required to be one (1) metre apart where possible and one (1) metre from surrounding objects (such as poles, trees, cars etc);
  • Bins to be placed on the edge of the kerb;
  • Council logo must face the road;
  • Don't put bins behind parked cars;
  • All bins to be out by 6am

Please call Solo Resource Recovery for all your waste, recycling and green organics kerbside service enquiries including if your bin has been missed, damaged or stolen.

Solo Resource Recovery
T: 8295 5077
www.solo.com.au

 

Commercial and Industrial Premises

Commercial and industrial premises will receive one 140L waste bin that will be collected weekly and one 240L recycling bin that will be collected fortnighly.

 

Landfill Ban

Under the State Government's Waste to Resources Environment Protection Policy a number of landfill bans have been progressively introduced since 2010.

The following items cannot be placed into any bin for disposal to landfill:

No batteries in any bin Most batteries can be recycled, please call 1300 137 118 or find your nearest battery recycler using the WHICH BIN search engine for BATTERIES at www.whichbin.sa.gov.au
No electronic items in any bin Televisions and computers can be recycled for free at the Windmill Hill Transfer Station, Brinkley Waste and Recycling Facility and the Heathfield Resource Recovery Centre
No light globes in any bin SA householders can take their end-of life globes to any Mitre 10, Banner or True Value hardware stores FREE of charge
No oil in any bin Used motor oil can be taken to the Windmill Hill Transfer Station free of charge
No paint in any bin You can dispose of your left over paint at the Windmill Hill Transfer Station free of charge as part of the Paintback scheme. For more information go to www.paintback.com.au

Please visit the EPA website for a full list of banned wastes to landfill https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/data_and_publications/standards_and_laws/waste_to_resources_policy/landfill_bans