You’re probably worried about whether or not a particular waste is hazardous, recyclable or non-hazardous. To compound the problem, it’s almost impossible to differentiate between what’s fact and fiction. Waste management is an area where we all shouldn’t go wrong. For this reason, we want to set the record straight by addressing the biggest waste misconceptions and myths about local council pick-ups in NSW.
Honestly speaking, it’s difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction is when it comes to waste management in NSW. Rather than assuming that you know what is right and wrong, let’s quickly highlight the biggest waste misconceptions so that you don’t get misled.
Common Myths and Misconceptions
1) Local Council Pick-ups will Pick Up all Forms of Rubbish
One of the biggest misconceptions is that the local council pick-ups will pick up just about any garbage you put in the dustbin. This is actually not true. The pick-ups will not pick up bags of rubbish, building, renovation or demolition material. Some of the materials that they will not pick include bricks, rubble, carpet, timber, fencing, girders, dirt, roofing panels, piping, and doors.
They will also not pick hazardous materials such as paints, flammable liquids, chemicals, poisons, motor oil, poisons, cooking oil, tree stumps, branches (that are thicker than 10 cm), and fluorescent lights.
2) You’ll have to pay for Pick up Services
Most local councils in NSW organise free weekly pick-up services. You do not have to pay for anything for these services. All you have to do is make a booking for collection and you’ll be good to go.
You’ll be expected to separate items into categories such as mattresses, bulky items such as furniture, metal or white-good bookings (fridges, washing machines, heaters, metal barbecues and many more). These collections are done based on residential zones. Note that if fees and extra charges are imposed on rubbish that exceeds the allowable limit.
3) You can Place Plastic Bags in the Yellow Lid Bin
Plastic bags that you get from the supermarket can go to the yellow recycling bin because they’re recyclable. Well, you shouldn’t put soft plastic bags and plastics in the yellow bin because they’re likely to block the sorting machine at the recycling plant.
Instead, soft plastic bags are garbage and should go to the red garbage bin or your nearest Redcycle centre for recycling. The only types of plastics that are allowed into the yellow bin are rigid plastics. It’s, nonetheless, important to avoid plastic bags altogether by using your own reusable bag.
4) Glass is Recyclable
You may have heard about this countless times and now think that it’s true. Sadly, this is one of the biggest misconceptions. The truth is, glass can easily break but it can be re-manufactured and re-used numerous times. So throwing it in the dustbin is not the wisest move. It will just lie somewhere and can potentially cause injuries or damage to the environment.
The best thing to do is to keep the glass intact as it’s an asset that can be remodelled or re-used in many different ways.
5) The Local Council has Effective Policies in Place
While the local councils in NSW are likely to blow their own trumpets about having effective policies in place to make some major advances on recycling and waste avoidance, this is far from true. The local councils may talk big about doing away with landfills, incineration, and wasted resources but this has not been achieved in NSW.
For this reason, Sydney residents should not leave their entire waste management problem at the hands of the local councils. Local councils are overwhelmed but are still doing their best to ensure that NSW is clean and free of waste. However, it’s upon residents to chip in and help by being more conscious of their actions, especially in terms of waste disposal and management.
6) Relying on Local Council Pickups will Reduce Your Waste Collection Costs
As much as the local councils can schedule waste pickups, you cannot virtually rely on them to help keep your environment clean. Well, local council pickups have set times or days to collect waste at given areas. As a Sydney resident, you’re probably too busy to wait for local council pickups. In fact, you wouldn’t want to wait for an entire week just to have your waste collected by the council.
It would, therefore, be better if you look for a waste removal company that offers affordable services and can work around your tight schedule. This is where Paul’s Rubbish Removal comes in. As a leading rubbish removal company in Sydney, you can contact us on 0407 125 125 and we’ll help you remove your waste without necessarily relying on local council pickups.
