Page 2660 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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I was horrified at the time when the committee came out and spoke so publicly about the notion of inflicting big bins on to a recycling report. This was totally out of character on such a good recycling report. I had foreshadowed in that committee that I was prepared to put the matter for reconsideration by the new committee, whatever form it took, because I considered that the notion of big bins combined with the notion of recycling did not go together very well. I must say I still feel uneasy about some of the Government's response. Response 31 states the following:
... the trial use of big wheelie bins be introduced well after the recommendations relating to door-to-door collection services and recycling measures are introduced.
That is supported in principle. So, we have some time at the moment to get the recycling things into place and then put the big bins in. This appears to be the option that the Government favours at this stage. While this is far better than introducing big bins before the recycling program is in place, it is still not adequate.
The reason it is not adequate is that big bins by their very nature make it much easier to avoid recycling. I stayed with my brother a few weeks ago. He had a big bin and the easy thing to do is to go out and drop the recyclables in the big bin. I have heard the notion on many occasions that you just get people into the habit of recycling and then they will be right, but the reality of the situation is that even there where he had a very good paper recycling system available to him it was much easier each day to drop it into the big bin. There was always room there and away it went. There are possibilities in terms of the smaller versions of the big bins, and I hope that, over the next 18 months to 2 years, the length of the time of this recommendation, more consideration will be given to them.
Even more interesting - and I feel very supportive about this - is the fact that Mr Duby has recognised the possibility that - and I think this was the term he used - the cutting edge of technology has presented the possibility of a collection which actually collects recyclables as well as waste products. Mr Humphries will remember that this is a matter that we discussed at length and looked for compromise in the committee. I am sure that is also recalled by Ms Maher and Mr Wood who were members of that committee at that stage.
I am very pleased the Government has left room for that option to be explored. It is an option that needs to be explored very carefully. I am concerned, however, that there is still a great deal of room left for the standard big bin option. However, I do recognise the sort of issues that were raised in this paper about occupational health and safety and about the financial advantages of having a
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