Gardening reminder to residents over common green bin mistake

Residents are being reminded to dispose of their waste correctly with one simple gardening error sometimes overlooked.

Left: Lavender waste inside green-lidded organics waste bin. Right: Image of three bins, yellow, green and red.
Residents are being reminded how to properly dispose of invasive weeds. Source: Gardens 4 Wildlife/Halve Waste

As Australia continues with its mission to reduce waste and landfill, residents are being reminded how they can do their bit to help when it comes to gardening and dealing with green waste around their homes.

Locals living in regional council areas across parts of NSW and Victoria have been warned of a common mistake when it comes to their red and green waste bins.

The message is being reinforced by Halve Waste, an educational body working with regional councils to help reduce waste across the area, Albury City Council told to Yahoo News Australia.

Its mission is to "reduce waste generation, increase recycling and decrease waste to landfill" by implementing local solutions to reduce all waste to landfill by 80 per cent by 2030, which aligns with the state government targets.

The organic waste bin, or green-lidded bin, is designed for food scraps, paper-based products and general garden waste — which is typically the system in council areas across the country. But for rural communities across NSW and Victoria, including the Albury-Wodonga area, there is some garden rubbish that is banned, with residents being reminded on social media this week.

The green-lidded organics bin can be used for all types of weeds, often referred to as escapee plants, including those "classified as weeds of national significance", according to Halve Waste. This includes "poisonous plants including Tree of Heaven, Rhus Tree, and Oleander" which are all considered common invasive weeds.

"The breakdown process undertaken at the composting facility eliminates any danger posed by these plants," they explained.

However, invasive weeds recently treated with herbicides, pesticides, or poisons need to go in the red-lidded bin.

Large branches or logs and treated timber are also banned from the green-lidded bin and must instead be disposed of in the general waste bin.

Thousands of green-lidded general waste bins ready to be distributed to residents.
Green-lidded organics waste bins are being distributed to residents across Australia. l. Source: City of Moreton Bay Council

It's understood that common escapee plants, including lavender, can still be transformed into valuable compost when disposed of properly in the organics bin. However, those treated with chemicals can not.

The initiative is part of a bigger plan for Australia as we move towards a more sustainable future. A Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin system has been slowly introduced in council areas across the country with plans to halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030.

Meanwhile, a new innovative device could help solve a big coffee problem in Australia. And supermarkets, including Coles and Woolworths, could see a huge change introduced by next year aimed at reducing plastic in stores.

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