What’s up with the green lids?

With the changeover of red lids on green waste bins for food waste recycling, some residents are asking why the change is necessary. Why not keep the red lid and just use a sticker?

The lid colour change brings Bayside in line with the Australian standard bin lid colour for organics recycling. This will help eliminate confusion for new residents as our current red lids are the Australian standard for landfill.

In bin language, red means ‘rethink your rubbish’ –  can you recycle or reduce this waste instead?

Green lids equate to ‘go’ or ‘thanks for recycling this waste’.

The permanent stamp on the new bin lid will also outlast the initial communication effort so that it is clear many years into the future that this bin is for both food and green waste rather than just green waste (which is what is stamped on the existing bin lid).

Stickers, while a cheaper option, have a finite life span. With many bins living outside in the wind and rain, it is likely that stickers could peel off over a period of time.

The new green lids will also provide an important visual signal at the point of the behaviour, to encourage ‘green behaviour’ when putting rubbish in the bin.

The old red bin lids will be recycled by our garbage bin supplier and turned into new bins at their facility in Dandenong. Our rubbish bins contain 25% recycled plastic so the plan is for the old lids to come back into circulation in their new form in Bayside over time. We'll welcome home our ole reds!

See more answers to common questions about food and green waste recycling here