Suburb residents may face up to $5,000 in fines for this rubbish bin 'mistake'

Residents of this particular Australian neighbourhood are expressing concern that they may be subject to a hefty charge for a seemingly minor 'mistake' involving their rubbish bins.

According to a recently enacted law in the area, residents of Victoria Park could be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 if the odour coming from their green-topped garden organics (GO) bin is deemed to be 'smelly' or overwhelming.

lTXWSkfchClSCpGoXS3GqxSz2OiRIjIFa160c3BIlOv0lUeaQfF1h9L8HZ_JZym_pKPuhImoWcowDb80Vcqo7XzXoOAT1M4OrzTcinH2vbOF6T7PrweYmGov4Pv1-kA2Xl9VdyJEPfsUL719KYIcXpkDiZ8QZmDKO7Hqq-bTJrgCIB5yt6EHWGZWzg

Residents of a Perth suburb will receive a big fine if they let their rubbish bins get too smelly. Credit: Town Of Victoria Park.

When asked by an online news outlet about the purpose of the new accordance, Mayor Karen Vernon said it was to make sure that people properly sorted their waste in the new bin.

The new bin is merely for garden organics, such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds and sticks and it was recently introduced by the local council. 'What's really important is that the contents of that third bin are just organic material so there needs to be no level of contamination in there,' Ms Vernon added.



'That's what makes an organic collection process work really well and that's what allows waste processors to take organic material like garden organics or food organics and process them into a useful product like compost.'

Ms Vernon said that the council wanted people to know as soon as possible. She said that the heavy financial penalty would speed up the change in behaviour among the city's 35,000 residents, and in turn, help the local government meet its goal of keeping more waste out of landfills.



'We need people to change their behaviour in their own homes about how they separate their waste before they put it out on the kerb for the council to collect it,' the town's mayor went on to say.

'It might mean if somebody is putting in all the wrong things in the new third bin at some point in time, those people will find there are consequences for not doing the right thing.'

'We will need some powers, as a local council, to be able to make that behaviour change appropriately,' said Ms Vernon.

vxzK1r7pE1aWM1pR_08kKOU6JnGn-xhHPH8-I0gUKAJOwEx_3cn2xSkZcfQjNjIX7yPtCmlRajNsseqm6EXNMvPxIALaSvQvxtoD4dylfWggSA38NNORglZwj6nY-pE66wh8TEX4YZ4JhGasMIp7BDG2c6KdUaei3x2Tz1lM44LMVY_YThWVT8jK2g

The green bin should only be filled with garden waste, according to town mayor Karen Vernon. Credit: news.com.au.

Not surprisingly, many locals have strong feelings against the new regulation. Those who are outraged by the news have taken to social media to vent their frustration with what they see as a 'rubbish' decision by the council.

'Fining someone because their rubbish bin smells? It should be a council service to disinfect bins when emptied. We pay astronomical rates; let's see them justified,' one user wrote in the comments section of the Facebook post.

A second Victoria Park resident agreed and added: 'Omg, who seriously has clean smelling rubbish after a week in an outside bin? Maybe they can provide deodorant for our bins or perfume!'



Despite her stern campaign for the local ordinance, Ms Vernon made it clear that the council would not send officers to 'go and smell other people's rubbish bins' if that's what the residents are concerned about.

While some people have voiced opposition to the change, others have defended it by arguing that the residents need to be more mindful about where they put their rubbish.

'I mean, if your bins smell, it's because you are lazy - and that's on you,' said another local.

Do we have any members from Victoria Park here? What are your thoughts about this new regulation that is being implemented?

And for the rest of you lot, how would you react if the same law were applied in your local area? Would you contest it, or show your support? Let us know in the comments!
 

Seniors Discount Club

Sponsored content

Info
Loading data . . .
Yet another disproportionate Council action to a supposed problem. A crazy fine level so I would oppose it and go all the way to Court so that the issue gets appropriate publicity. And, vote the proposing Councellor(s) out of Office next election.
If rather more mean, an overnight visit to that Councellors home bins might add 'flavour' to their bin by adding an attention-giving item or two
 
Residents of this particular Australian neighbourhood are expressing concern that they may be subject to a hefty charge for a seemingly minor 'mistake' involving their rubbish bins.

According to a recently enacted law in the area, residents of Victoria Park could be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 if the odour coming from their green-topped garden organics (GO) bin is deemed to be 'smelly' or overwhelming.

lTXWSkfchClSCpGoXS3GqxSz2OiRIjIFa160c3BIlOv0lUeaQfF1h9L8HZ_JZym_pKPuhImoWcowDb80Vcqo7XzXoOAT1M4OrzTcinH2vbOF6T7PrweYmGov4Pv1-kA2Xl9VdyJEPfsUL719KYIcXpkDiZ8QZmDKO7Hqq-bTJrgCIB5yt6EHWGZWzg

Residents of a Perth suburb will receive a big fine if they let their rubbish bins get too smelly. Credit: Town Of Victoria Park.

When asked by an online news outlet about the purpose of the new accordance, Mayor Karen Vernon said it was to make sure that people properly sorted their waste in the new bin.

The new bin is merely for garden organics, such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds and sticks and it was recently introduced by the local council. 'What's really important is that the contents of that third bin are just organic material so there needs to be no level of contamination in there,' Ms Vernon added.



'That's what makes an organic collection process work really well and that's what allows waste processors to take organic material like garden organics or food organics and process them into a useful product like compost.'

Ms Vernon said that the council wanted people to know as soon as possible. She said that the heavy financial penalty would speed up the change in behaviour among the city's 35,000 residents, and in turn, help the local government meet its goal of keeping more waste out of landfills.



'We need people to change their behaviour in their own homes about how they separate their waste before they put it out on the kerb for the council to collect it,' the town's mayor went on to say.

'It might mean if somebody is putting in all the wrong things in the new third bin at some point in time, those people will find there are consequences for not doing the right thing.'

'We will need some powers, as a local council, to be able to make that behaviour change appropriately,' said Ms Vernon.

vxzK1r7pE1aWM1pR_08kKOU6JnGn-xhHPH8-I0gUKAJOwEx_3cn2xSkZcfQjNjIX7yPtCmlRajNsseqm6EXNMvPxIALaSvQvxtoD4dylfWggSA38NNORglZwj6nY-pE66wh8TEX4YZ4JhGasMIp7BDG2c6KdUaei3x2Tz1lM44LMVY_YThWVT8jK2g

The green bin should only be filled with garden waste, according to town mayor Karen Vernon. Credit: news.com.au.

Not surprisingly, many locals have strong feelings against the new regulation. Those who are outraged by the news have taken to social media to vent their frustration with what they see as a 'rubbish' decision by the council.

'Fining someone because their rubbish bin smells? It should be a council service to disinfect bins when emptied. We pay astronomical rates; let's see them justified,' one user wrote in the comments section of the Facebook post.

A second Victoria Park resident agreed and added: 'Omg, who seriously has clean smelling rubbish after a week in an outside bin? Maybe they can provide deodorant for our bins or perfume!'



Despite her stern campaign for the local ordinance, Ms Vernon made it clear that the council would not send officers to 'go and smell other people's rubbish bins' if that's what the residents are concerned about.

While some people have voiced opposition to the change, others have defended it by arguing that the residents need to be more mindful about where they put their rubbish.

'I mean, if your bins smell, it's because you are lazy - and that's on you,' said another local.

Do we have any members from Victoria Park here? What are your thoughts about this new regulation that is being implemented?

And for the rest of you lot, how would you react if the same law were applied in your local area? Would you contest it, or show your support? Let us know in the comments!
Someone should remind the mayor she serves not rule the public and such a form of motivation is an insult.
 
If a similar law come in where i live, we would be up for squillions. Some people in our unit complex just toss their garbage in whatever bin they feel like doing it. I am sick of cleaning bins so only do mine and the green waste ones now. The rest can do their own because they are so lazy and don't care. After doing it for years I think it is time for the rest of the people to pull up their socks.
 
Our council supplies 2 bins. One for recycles and one for regular rubbish. If we have green waste, ie garden, lawn clippings and suchlike, we need to take it to the Waste Station where they make compost from it. We live on acreage, so no need for that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy, Liz and Ricci
We only have two bins, one for rubbish one for recyclables, any so called green stuff gets burned down the back like always, of course once it dries out.
We love our fires, great to drink 🍺 a few around it.
 
Residents of this particular Australian neighbourhood are expressing concern that they may be subject to a hefty charge for a seemingly minor 'mistake' involving their rubbish bins.

According to a recently enacted law in the area, residents of Victoria Park could be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 if the odour coming from their green-topped garden organics (GO) bin is deemed to be 'smelly' or overwhelming.

lTXWSkfchClSCpGoXS3GqxSz2OiRIjIFa160c3BIlOv0lUeaQfF1h9L8HZ_JZym_pKPuhImoWcowDb80Vcqo7XzXoOAT1M4OrzTcinH2vbOF6T7PrweYmGov4Pv1-kA2Xl9VdyJEPfsUL719KYIcXpkDiZ8QZmDKO7Hqq-bTJrgCIB5yt6EHWGZWzg

Residents of a Perth suburb will receive a big fine if they let their rubbish bins get too smelly. Credit: Town Of Victoria Park.

When asked by an online news outlet about the purpose of the new accordance, Mayor Karen Vernon said it was to make sure that people properly sorted their waste in the new bin.

The new bin is merely for garden organics, such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds and sticks and it was recently introduced by the local council. 'What's really important is that the contents of that third bin are just organic material so there needs to be no level of contamination in there,' Ms Vernon added.



'That's what makes an organic collection process work really well and that's what allows waste processors to take organic material like garden organics or food organics and process them into a useful product like compost.'

Ms Vernon said that the council wanted people to know as soon as possible. She said that the heavy financial penalty would speed up the change in behaviour among the city's 35,000 residents, and in turn, help the local government meet its goal of keeping more waste out of landfills.



'We need people to change their behaviour in their own homes about how they separate their waste before they put it out on the kerb for the council to collect it,' the town's mayor went on to say.

'It might mean if somebody is putting in all the wrong things in the new third bin at some point in time, those people will find there are consequences for not doing the right thing.'

'We will need some powers, as a local council, to be able to make that behaviour change appropriately,' said Ms Vernon.

vxzK1r7pE1aWM1pR_08kKOU6JnGn-xhHPH8-I0gUKAJOwEx_3cn2xSkZcfQjNjIX7yPtCmlRajNsseqm6EXNMvPxIALaSvQvxtoD4dylfWggSA38NNORglZwj6nY-pE66wh8TEX4YZ4JhGasMIp7BDG2c6KdUaei3x2Tz1lM44LMVY_YThWVT8jK2g

The green bin should only be filled with garden waste, according to town mayor Karen Vernon. Credit: news.com.au.

Not surprisingly, many locals have strong feelings against the new regulation. Those who are outraged by the news have taken to social media to vent their frustration with what they see as a 'rubbish' decision by the council.

'Fining someone because their rubbish bin smells? It should be a council service to disinfect bins when emptied. We pay astronomical rates; let's see them justified,' one user wrote in the comments section of the Facebook post.

A second Victoria Park resident agreed and added: 'Omg, who seriously has clean smelling rubbish after a week in an outside bin? Maybe they can provide deodorant for our bins or perfume!'



Despite her stern campaign for the local ordinance, Ms Vernon made it clear that the council would not send officers to 'go and smell other people's rubbish bins' if that's what the residents are concerned about.

While some people have voiced opposition to the change, others have defended it by arguing that the residents need to be more mindful about where they put their rubbish.

'I mean, if your bins smell, it's because you are lazy - and that's on you,' said another local.

Do we have any members from Victoria Park here? What are your thoughts about this new regulation that is being implemented?

And for the rest of you lot, how would you react if the same law were applied in your local area? Would you contest it, or show your support? Let us know in the comments!
The Mayor was saying that people need to put the correct articles into this bin which did not include pooey nappies & food waste which must go into the general waste bin.

When asked who will be checking these, she stated that this would have to be done by Council employees. She is not expecting this to happen very often. Neighbours will soon tell you if your bin smells offensive. The news article ( mockingly ) showed a gentleman lifting the lid & sniffing his bin & then smiled in delight.

Mown grass which sits in a green bin in a West Australian summer for two or three days can start to smell, as we in the west know. The solution would be to wash the bin on the day it is emptied. This can be done with dirty washing machine water. A solution l used to adopt for grass clippings put down the bottom, was to place 3 or 4 layers of old newspaper in the bottom of the bin & then extend these up the bin as well. The newspaper will absorb moisture, come out with the grass when emptied & keep the bin clean.

Laying a bin on its side & not leaving it upright after being emptied will allow air to circulate into a bin & dry it out whereas keeping it upright will not allow anything to dry properly ( l include shoes here. Laid on their side the same applies ). After the bin is dry a broom will remove any bits or pieces which may be in there.

We too only get two bins, general & recycling. General is emptied weekly & recycling fortnightly. The general waste bin could really be left for 3 weeks & still wouldn't be full, because most of our waste is recycled, either in the yellow topped bin or the worm farm.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TheBear
I have a green garden waste bin that we pay extra to the local Council.
It gets emptied fortnightly & never smells.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy
How about getting an inspector to go around and start firing people that can't be bothered recycling their rubbish as I have residents in my street in Queensland that can't be bothered sorting their rubbish and everything goes into the green bin.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Liz and TheBear
I love the way we are made to feel like criminals by councils just so they can make more money.
Our council didn’t collect our green bin once, just because we had some leaves sticking out of it. So now we compost everything yes even smelly stuff like prawn shells and our garden looks amazing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy
The Mayor was saying that people need to put the correct articles into this bin which did not include pooey nappies & food waste which must go into the general waste bin.

When asked who will be checking these, she stated that this would have to be done by Council employees. She is not expecting this to happen very often. Neighbours will soon tell you if your bin smells offensive. The news article ( mockingly ) showed a gentleman lifting the lid & sniffing his bin & then smiled in delight.

Mown grass which sits in a green bin in a West Australian summer for two or three days can start to smell, as we in the west know. The solution would be to wash the bin on the day it is emptied. This can be done with dirty washing machine water. A solution l used to adopt for grass clippings put down the bottom, was to place 3 or 4 layers of old newspaper in the bottom of the bin & then extend these up the bin as well. The newspaper will absorb moisture, come out with the grass when emptied & keep the bin clean.

Laying a bin on its side & not leaving it upright after being emptied will allow air to circulate into a bin & dry it out whereas keeping it upright will not allow anything to dry properly ( l include shoes here. Laid on their side the same applies ). After the bin is dry a broom will remove any bits or pieces which may be in there.

We too only get two bins, general & recycling. General is emptied weekly & recycling fortnightly. The general waste bin could really be left for 3 weeks & still wouldn't be full, because most of our waste is recycled, either in the yellow topped bin or the worm farm.
Food waste is acceptable in the green waste bins in all shires to my knowledge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy
If a similar law come in where i live, we would be up for squillions. Some people in our unit complex just toss their garbage in whatever bin they feel like doing it. I am sick of cleaning bins so only do mine and the green waste ones now. The rest can do their own because they are so lazy and don't care. After doing it for years I think it is time for the rest of the people to pull up their socks.
Can't wait to get my own bins after living in an apartment complex for a year. No-one gives a shit what they throw where..
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheBear and Ezzy
Not Victoria Park but the City Of Gosnells and we have had our 2 bins (1 black and the other for recyclables with a yellow lid) since 1990 and even though they get washed out regularly they do smell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy
How about getting an inspector to go around and start firing people that can't be bothered recycling their rubbish as I have residents in my street in Queensland that can't be bothered sorting their rubbish and everything goes into the green bin.
Or the people who go walking their dogs and put the dog poo in whoever's bin is nearest the road. :mad:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ezzy

Join the conversation

News, deals, games, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.

Seniors Discount Club

The SDC searches for the best deals, discounts, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.
  1. New members
  2. Jokes & fun
  3. Photography
  4. Nostalgia / Yesterday's Australia
  5. Food and Lifestyle
  6. Money Saving Hacks
  7. Offtopic / Everything else
  • We believe that retirement should be a time to relax and enjoy life, not worry about money. That's why we're here to help our members make the most of their retirement years. If you're over 60 and looking for ways to save money, connect with others, and have a laugh, we’d love to have you aboard.
  • Advertise with us

User Menu

Enjoyed Reading our Story?

  • Share this forum to your loved ones.
Change Weather Postcode×
Change Petrol Postcode×