City of Greater Dandenong: Multi-unit dwellings dumped rubbish and recycling contamination project

The City of Greater Dandenong and Frankston City Council are experiencing ongoing problems with illegal dumping of hard rubbish from multi-unit dwellings (MUDs). These properties have a high tenancy turnover and tenants frequently dump unwanted furniture and other household items on the nature strip when vacating the premises.

In an effort to combat these issues, the City of Greater Dandenong and Frankston City Council in conjunction with the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG) have undertaken a waste education program targeting six MUD sites in Greater Dandenong and five MUD sites in Frankston.

Key aims of this collaborative project were to:

• reduce recycling contamination and increase diversion rates at six MUD sites in Greater Dandenong and five MUD sites in Frankston
• reduce instances of illegally dumped rubbish at the selected MUD sites by 5%
• develop an educational toolkit for tenants, body corporates and real estate agents to influence behaviours of tenants and inform on best practice waste management
• increase tenants’ understanding of what can and cannot be recycled in the recycling bin through face-to-face interaction and written materials.

The project involved surveying tenants with regards to their habits and behaviours towards waste separation practices and recycling in the household, as well as their awareness of illegal dumping. An educational toolkit and program collateral was also developed and distributed to residents, real estate agents and body corporates in the project areas. These kits were specifically designed to help increase residents’ knowledge of correct recycling behaviours and influence better separation of household waste.

During the project period, the City of Greater Dandenong also replaced all residential garbage, recycling and green waste wheelie bins with new Australian standard bins. MUD sites with shared bin arrangements were assessed and given the appropriate number of bins for their site. The City of Greater Dandenong has reported that since the introduction of the new bins, visual audits have been conducted and council is pleased to see an improvement, with limited contamination now observed in the shared recycling bins across some project sites.

Key results achieved through this project include:

• Total recycling bin contamination at project sites reduced by 8.2% in Greater Dandenong and by 9% in Frankston
• 50% of Greater Dandenong residents involved in the project reported an increased understanding of what can and cannot be recycled in their recycling bin
• 100% of Frankston City residents involved in the project now separate their recycling and reported an awareness of council fines for dumping rubbish
• 45% of Greater Dandenong residents surveyed now dispose of unwanted furniture and household goods through a charity compared to only 10% at the start of project.

For more information about this project visit the City of Greater Dandenong website or contact the Waste Education Officer at City of Greater Dandenong on (03) 8571 1000.