• Bin tagging is a State Government-funded education program delivered by Local Government on a regular basis. The program has been running since 2015.
  
• Bin tagging is an education tool to provide residents with direct individualised feedback on the contents of their bin – to help them reduce their waste and recycle right. Information on what should go in which bin is also available on our website.
  
• Educators lift the lid of your bin while it is on the kerbside, waiting to be collected, and assess the immediately visible contents to see whether there is any contamination.
  
• Bins are given ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face tags based on the presence of visible contamination in the bins. The tags include what is and isn’t accepted in the bin, with room for written feedback.
  
• Bin tagging is just a quick look in the bin, Community Waste Educators visit around 100 bins per hour, and only look at what is immediately visible.  They do not rummage or tip out the contents.

There is much confusion about what goes in which bin, bin tagging clarifies any misconceptions or confusion residents may have about the bin system, while also offering positive reinforcement to households who are sorting their waste correctly.

Experience shows that contamination decreases on repeat visits and only a handful of properties have bins that are severely contaminated. Reducing contamination in bins reduces waste service costs.

Funding and support has been provided by the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) to assist the City with the bin tagging trial.

Bins in selected areas within Kalamunda, Forrestfield, Wattle Grove, High Wycombe, Lesmurdie, Maida Vale, Walliston and Gooseberry Hill will be tagged - beginning in February 2024.

Residents will be notified if their street has been selected as part of the bin tagging program.

Community Waste Educators are staff members and will be wearing a City of Kalamunda high-visibility vest and a name badge.

When the wrong items are in the bins, educators leave a sad face tag with written comments on what should be changed. Only when there is repeated severe contamination in a bin are bins taped shut and residents are asked to remove the contamination before the bin can be emptied.

The bin tags have been tested and standardised to promote consistent waste education messages across Councils.

There are different tags for each bin type, and they detail what is and isn’t accepted in the bin, with room for written feedback. The image below is an example of what a bin tag may look like.

• It can mean that the recyclables may go to landfill as they are no longer of good quality.
• Recycling collected from the kerbside bin is sorted by a combination of people and machinery which cannot remove all contaminants.
• Recycling processors have increasingly stringent standards for acceptance of material. Decreasing contamination in the bin decreases the cost to residents of their waste services.

• The City respects the privacy of our residents and every step will be taken to safeguard the privacy of households where bin tagging is undertaken.
• Once bins are on the verge, Local Governments take ownership of the contents. This is to ensure we can provide best-practise waste management for our community.
• Our well-trained educators tag approximately 100 households per tagging run to gain a general overview of how households are sorting their waste. They will only lift the lid and look at what is immediately visible – they will never rummage or tip out the contents of your bin.
• We are using a bin tagging system that has proven successful and has run without incident in many other Local Government Areas. It is tried and tested, with the potential for positive outcomes for our community.
• If you have any concerns, you can contact the City on 9257 9999 or email enquiries@kalamunda.wa.gov.au and we will work with you to ensure your privacy is safeguarded.

No. The educators will not have access to the names of residents and data will only be reported at a Council level.

No, this program is purely for educational purposes.

We would like to encourage you to use your recycling bin. The Bin Tagging program exists to help inform and educate residents. If you haven’t been using your bin, this may be a great time to start using it more. 

Recyclables that are put in plastic bags in the recycling bin don’t get recycled – the recycling sorting facilities don’t open or empty the bags – instead they get sent to landfill.

• Soft plastics are scrunchable plastics often used for packaging foods.
• As of 2018, soft plastics are no longer accepted in kerbside recycling bins. Please put soft plastics into your general waste (dark-green lidded) bin.