Man's odd bin tactic reignites debate over divisive recycling act
One controversial money-making method is continuing to cause stress for Aussie residents.
Since the cost-of-living crisis began, Aussies have taken to creative ways to find extra cash with one popular money-making method proving more controversial than others.
An increasing number of people have taken to trawling through households' recycling bins in a bid to find cans and bottles eligible for government-run container return schemes. Each container is worth 10 cents when returned, with some earning large sums from the incentives. But with the increased competition, some people are going to extreme lengths to acquire containers – a trend proving highly divisive among communities.
Man 'driving between recycling bins'
One eyebrow-raising example was shared by a Melbourne resident online this week. The video shows a man in a black car driving up to a kerbside recycling bin with a bag before rummaging through it, presumably looking for cans and bottles. While some are not convinced the scheme is "worth" the effort or petrol, others reveal they "don't see the problem" with people doing what they can amid tough times.
"I'm all for it for people to make a couple bucks. Times are hard for some and it all adds up," one said with hundreds sharing the same sentiment and some even sharing ways to make cans more accessible for those taking them.
However others were less welcoming, arguing the practice often created a mess. One person said bins were often upended onto front yards "just in case there was [a container] at the bottom".
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Some believe taking someone's recycling is stealing
In October, a similar post was shared in a Sydney Facebook group, with many citing trespassing and stealing as their main concerns with people taking a person's rubbish.
"No one has the right to enter your property for any reason," one person said at the time.
"Someone unlocked my gate and came into my porch and stole crates worth that I was saving up for veterans' charities," shared another person in the thread. In August, a TikToker in Sydney's west revealed her nan's year supply of water bottles she was saving had been "stolen" from inside the front gate.
How much can people earn through recycling programs?
Victoria introduced its Container Deposit Scheme in November 2023, while NSW rolled out their Return and Earn scheme in December 2017. Households on average can make $20 a month from their waste and a whopping $900 million has been paid to people recycling containers in NSW as of March 2023.
There are recycling incentive programs in other states too including South Australia and Queensland.
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