Surprise note found on mans trash can after curb collection: I got bin shamed

A man has taken to social media to share his surprise after a note from the council was stuck to his recycling bin while out on the street for collection.The image shared to Facebook was of a bright yellow slip, attached to his recycling bin, that informed the Canberra resident that his recycling had been inspected.It had two options — that the bin contained no contamination, alternatively there was a list of possible items to tick if they appeared in the bin despite not being recyclable.The list includes plastic bags, textiles, e-waste, batteries, paper towel/tissues, coffee cups, toilet paper/sanitary items, as well as an option for the inspector to add their own comments.This particular man’s recycling bin included soft plastics and receipts — which meant he received “a B” rating on his contents.A man has posted a surprise note that he found on his yellow recycling bin after it was placed on the curb for collection.Bin inspections in various statesEvery council has its own rules when it comes to recycling, and fines for contaminating recycling bins.In New South Wales, fines can vary between $1000 and $1700.

Penrith City Council was the first to implement the fines back in 2011.However some councils, including ACT Government, have bin inspection programs.

Many have operated for close to 20 years.This particular bin inspection program was introduced in the ACT in 2017 after the introduction to the green waste and FOGO bins.Each week, random streets are selected by the ACT Government of Envirocom Australia, aiming to inspect 600 bins across various suburbs weekly.The ‘waste educators’ only look at bins that have been placed out for collection, and do not trawl through the container.Instead, they simply look at what’s on top.The green waste and FOGO bins are also inspected at random.

The program is purely for educational purposes, with no fines or penalties imposed.A similar scene was captured in Essedon, in Victoria, after mum Kali put out her bin...