Rubbish disposal initiative

The story “Bin night goes DIY in $465m shake-up” (SMH 23 February) suggests that general householders may soon be facing issues familiar to many strata dwellers.  Unfortunately, the problems posed by the inescapable reality that we are surrounded by slobs will be brought home on a large scale to the sponsors of the proposed plan.

At my block, hardly anyone can be bothered to deliver household food scraps to the green bins provided within the complex, so I don’t know how the authorities plan to inspire large numbers to take their scraps to (presumably off-site) communal composting sites.  I can imagine quite a lot of CO₂ being generated in the process if it becomes popular!  Given the seeming inability of many strata residents to put the right recyclables in the appropriately coloured bins, I fear for the integrity of the system.  The people expected to respond to this initiative are the same as put unrinsed bottles and cans; greasy pizza boxes; worn-out appliances; and all the rest indiscriminately into their blocks’ rubbish facilities. 

The “unwieldy waste … such as batteries, paint, smoke detectors and fluorescent tubes” causing problems at present will continue to take the path of least resistance.  Why drive with your old CRT television or monitor to the bi-annual e-waste collection when you can just dump it on the footpath with minimal chance of detection.  Too bad if the quarterly pickup was last week!

This behaviour may seem the sort of thing associated with ‘trailer trash’, but it actually happens in upmarket postcode areas and is perpetrated by people who live in tastefully decorated homes and probably regard themselves as maintaining refined and gracious lifestyles.

Good luck with changing human nature, Minister Parker!  However, there is a glimmer of hope in that education has made public spitting a thing of the past, and public smoking is going the same way.