Contaminated Compost

Have you ever sighed with frustration when you receive a fresh load of compost only to find it laced with blue string, plastic strapping, fruit stickers, plastics, glass and other contaminants?  Have you expressed disappointment at this state of affairs and wondered why it wasn’t cleaned before being delivered?

The answer is very simple. We, the consumer, are not sufficiently careful of what goes in our FOGO bins. Sorting starts at source! 

Blue (or sometimes pink) string comes from bales of pea straw, lucerne or other bundled mulch; plastic strapping tape from the same source or other packaging. Plastics come from fertiliser bags, black waste bags used to collect green waste and placed in the bin, plant labels, and plastic pots. Plastic fruit and vegetable stickers come from peel and should be removed and placed in the red waste bin never the FOGO bin. Glass well, who knows? Obviously it comes from bottles or jars but it’s a mystery as to why it would be placed in the green bin when we all have a yellow bin generally right beside the green bin.

Perhaps the answer lies in haste and a misguided notion that a ‘little won’t hurt’. Whatever the reason, let’s all make an effort to sort at source and support Council in its recycling efforts. After all, contaminated FOGO bin waste results in fines for Council and that costs us all in our rates.

Written by Robin Gale-Baker