Adelaide proposes see-though bins to tackle lazy recycling. /9NEWS
An Australian council has proposed the roll out of see-through recycling wheelie bins as part of a plan to enforce better practices on residents by making them feel embarrassed.
Adelaide councillors suggested transparent bins would have the two-pronged effect of making people feel "rubbish shame" if they used their bins incorrectly, as well as making it easier for people to fossick in bins for cans they wish to exchange at bottle depots, according to Adelaide Now.
Adelaide City Councillor Robert Simms said the see-through bins would ensure Adelaide remained a leader in recycling.
Transparent wheelie bins have had success in seven Perth councils and Adelaide wants to introduce a similar system. Photo / Today
South Australia first implemented a container deposit scheme in 1977, which has slowly spread to other states and territories.
It was adopted in the NT in 2012, in NSW in 2017 and the ACT and QLD in 2018. WA will implement its own scheme in 2020, as will Tasmania in 2022.
"If we want to encourage behavioural change, I think this is something that will really encourage people to do the right thing … and we have a reputation as a clean, green city," Mr Simms told Adelaide Now. "In a way, it is kind of naming and shaming."
He also said having transparent bins would be helpful to people fishing for cans and bottles to recycle for 10c a pop as part of the state's container deposit scheme.
An SA Councillor wants to introduce see-through wheelie bins in Adelaide to counter recycling problems. Photo / Today
Mr Simms' call for transparent bins was backed by fellow Adelaide City councillor Alex Hyde, who said, "I agree with Rob's idea, and we should rubbish shame people."
In 2018, the Mindarie Regional Council in Perth rolled out see-through bins on busy streets. The "Face-Your-Waste" campaign was created to make residents look at reducing their overall waste in the long term.
The campaign was referred to as a "gimmick" by the organisers, but they told Community News last year that waste reduction was everyone's problem.
A landfill in the Perth area, the Tamala Park site, is predicted to be filled by 2028. The site services seven local councils — Wanneroo, Joondalup, Stirling, Perth, Vincent, Cambridge and Victoria Park — and, once filled, will leave hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste without anywhere to be dumped.
