The Young Witness can confirm bottles and cans in kerbside recycling bins are not free for the taking.
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After we published a story in January about a Currawong Street recycling bin raider, some readers claimed that no one owned the contents of the bins once they were placed at the kerb.
According to the Local Government Act when recycling bins are left at the kerbside for collection, the contents of the bin become the property of the council.
When the bins are within a property boundary, they are owned by the people living there.
So, if you remove bottles and cans from a recycling bin left out for collection on the kerb it seems you are stealing the Council's property.
But, a question to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as to whether bin raiders were breaking the law was left unanswered.
People have been spotted at night taking bottles and cans from the council, yellow-lid recycling bins to take to the two machines in town where they get the money.
“I purposely filled the bin with bottles, because the recycling company that employs disabled people would get the money for them,” Currawong Street resident Bill Yeomans said. “I don’t fill my bin with cans and bottles and take the time to recycle for someone to take them all out of the bin.”
If they stay in the yellow lid recycling bin, the council gets the bottles and cans.
The bottles and cans in the council scheme go to the Elouera Association which sorts them and sells them to recycling centres.
Elouera employs people with a disability; if it doesn't get the material, it can’t sell it on.
Elouera Association CEO Allan Young said they have had some reduction in bottles and cans since the Return and earn scheme started, but not at the levels they expected.
“In anticipation of the return and earn scheme starting up we have been actively promoting that if you do put your recycling in your yellow top bin, you are donating to Elouera," he said.
A Hilltops Council spokesperson encouraged people to donate to Elouera by using the Council provided bin.