In the previous term of Campbelltown City Council, Animal Justice Party councillor Matt Stellino was behind a 12 month trial on garbage bin locks.
As he argued at the time, white cockatoos and other bird species had worked out that bins contained food and could be opened.
The result was litter strewn suburban streets across Campbelltown, especially in suburbs near bushland areas.
Council agreed to his suggestion for a pilot program to see how effective the bin locks would be in stopping the cockatoos from opening bin lids.
The bin locks, while stopping cockatoos from opening the lids, release open when the bin is picked up by the garbage truck every week.
That was December 2022. The 12 month trial began in May 2023.
The expected completion date was July 2024, just a few weeks before council elections where Cr Stellino failed to get re-elected for a second term and the issue disappeared in the next two years.
Fast forward to tonight’s monthly meeting of Campbelltown Council and the issue is back in the front seat.
Councillor Cameron McEwan, who was elected in 2024 under the Sustainable Australia Party banner, has given notice he will be moving the following motion:
- Note that a bin lock trial program was established in 2023 for the Campbelltown LGA, with the intention of deterring birds and other wildlife from accessing bins, as well as preventing litter from escaping when bins are blown over by wind.
- Commend the council on a successful trial of the bin locks program, with over 789 applications received to date.
- Utilise the waste management team’s on-the-ground information to identify streets where providing residents with bin locks would be useful in further deterring birds and wildlife from accessing bins.
- Identify methods to proactively provide information and further promote the uptake of the bin lock program in these locations and across the Campbelltown LGA.
Hopefully the rest of the council will support his call, because the rubbish bin bandits are still at it, probably worse than ever.
Tonight’s meeting starts from 6.30pm.
