Page 527 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
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unleased land and litter since 1 July 2019, and that totals $92,240 worth of fines that have been issued; 172 warning notices have also been issued, and that includes warning notices that have been issued to people who have been doing the wrong thing around charity bins in particular.
Members would be aware that illegal dumping around charity bins is a longstanding problem which is managed by TCCS through a combination of education, deterrence, enforcement and collaboration with charity bin operators. Charities who operate bins on public land must have a permit to do so and are responsible for clearing the bins and keeping the surrounding area tidy. The government’s role in charity bin management is to facilitate and authorise charity operations on public land in the interests of supporting charities and reducing waste to landfill.
Recently business decisions by charities have resulted in a reduction in the number of charity bins available in the ACT. We recognise that there will be fewer charity bins around for people to use to try to recycle particularly some of their clothing material but also Manchester, linen and so forth. A new arrangement will be trialled as a result, with the remaining bins being reallocated among the charities involved to make it easier to manage the collection and clean-up while also ensuring that the bins remain accessible for the community.
We are also highlighting to the community that it is their responsibility to do the right thing around charity bins and highlighting the various other options that are available to the community to responsibly recycle and dispose of everyday items that may be donated to charities, such as clothing. The Green Shed, for example, does accept unwanted items, subject to quality and demand, so that they can be resold in their city, Hume and Mitchell stores. The Green Shed accepts a vast variety of items, including clothing, kitchenware, building materials, sporting equipment, toys, books, musical instruments and much more.
GIVIT also collects many of these items so that they can be paired with people that need them and is another option. Many charities will accept items at their storefront rather than at a charity bin if they are taken in during work hours and are acceptable. We are highlighting those options to the community and will continue to work collaboratively with charity bin operators to work on how we can make sure that these facilities are available to the community, but we are also calling on the community to make sure that they act responsibly. Most people do that, which is great.
However, there have been some warnings that have been issued to those who are not putting stuff in the bin and are just leaving it next to the bin. If they cannot put it in the bin then they will need to find another location for that, whether it is with the Green Shed, GIVIT, at a storefront or another form of waste disposal.
We are continuing the education process and face-to-face engagement with the compliance team, supported by public information campaigns. Members here may have seen some of the ads that have been rolled out, videos on social media and the like with the key message “Your actions, your cost” and “If you illegally dump, you will pay the price”. That was instituted following the new laws that we passed last year, to send a clear message that illegal dumping is not accepted in the community.
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