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       Council accused of 'shaming' residents with controversial bin move:
       'It's laughable'
        
 (HTM) Source
        
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       Residents living in a major city council are being rated on their
       recycling habits — a move one local has called "disgraceful". Waste
       collectors have started tagging bins with either a green or red badge
       after disposal to indicate their compliance with recycling guidelines.
        
       Speaking of the charge, Linda Hall told Yahoo News Australia she
       walked outside her home in Chirnside Park, Melbourne last Friday to
       collect her recycling bin from the curb. When she did, she spotted a
       green paper tag looped around the handle, causing her to lean closer
       for a better look.
        
       Hall noticed the Yarra Ranges Council logo on the tag, alongside a
       smiley face and the words 'well done' in bold. After the incident, she
       spoke to one neighbour who wasn't as fortunate. They copped the
       opposite, a red tag which included a sad face under the words, 'Please
       recycle correctly'.
        
       "I felt sadness for my neighbours who got red tags. I saw their faces.
       Some laughed it off, while others, I could see the humiliation," she
       told Yahoo.
        
       ## Council initiative branded 'waste of money' by resident
        
       Hall believes the "majority of people do the right thing" and publicly
       "shaming" residents isn't the best route to improving recycling
       habits.
        
       "People do the wrong thing, which I think is wrong, but has anyone
       stopped to ask why? Is it possible they made a genuine mistake?" she
       said.
        
       The resident also pointed to the fact that some walkers will dump
       items into bins as they pass by, with this not taken into account with
       the initiative. "I do object to this tactic... it's a waste of money".
        
       It's not clear why council introduced the new system, or exactly when
       it began. Yarra Ranges Council did not respond to Yahoo's request for
       comment.
        
       However, it follows a nationwide attempt to help avoid waste
       contamination and encourage correct rubbish disposal across Australia.
        
       ## Aussies have mixed reaction to recycling initiative
        
       The tags sparked a discussion online and many sided with the resident.
       Some said it's "a joke" to have council workers checking through
       residents' bins and either praise or "shame" them accordingly.
        
       "It's laughable," one wrote, while another said the practicalities of
       this just didn't fit his household. He said now that he has two small
       children he and his partner push their waste in "whatever bin it
       fits".
        
       "Not out of choice but necessity," the dad said.
        
       However, others welcomed the initiative, believing more needs to be
       done to improve recycling in the country — and where better to start
       than households.
        
       "Yes! We need more of this because people put their rubbish into their
       recycling bins, contaminating the loads in the trucks," one said.
        
        **Do you have a story tip? Email:** **newsroomau@yahoonews.com**
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