VICTORIA'S environment watchdog has given the thumbs up to householders washing rubbish bins and tipping out the slush onto lawns or gardens, but warned against it going into gutters.
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As Warrnambool residents turn their thoughts to a city council survey listing professional bin washing as one of three options to add to kerbside contract services questions have arisen on the legality of cleaning bins with the garden hose.
A city councillor asked this week if the practice was legal to which council chief executive Bruce Anson replied it was OK to wash and tip the rinse from domestic bins onto the lawn or gardens, but not for commercial bins.
Later the Environment Protection Authority in a statement to The Standard supported his interpretation.
"Where practical, rinse water should be disposed of via garden beds or the sewer and not discharged to stormwater," the authority said.
"EPA encourages correct disposal of rinse water from garbage and recycling bins at domestic and commercial premises.
"For significant breaches particularly in a commercial situation, EPA has powers to take further action."
However, a company which has expressed interest in cleaning all the city's bins, argues rubbish bin slush tipped onto lawns could be in breach of regulations.
"Our system adheres to all EPA and Australian standards in relation to the pollution of waterways," said FreshBins director David Nelson.
Company managing director Paul Sewell who helped invent a system using a robotic arm and ozone gas to clean bins said there needed to be a greater focus on reducing pollution.
"Our research shows that households use up 100 litres of water for cleaning rubbish bins - we've got it down to 65 millimetres per bin using recycled reclaimed water.
"If rolled out on a city-wide basis it could work out to about $2.50 to $3 a bin charge per household per service.
"It depends on the number of bins and frequency."
In surveying residents, the city council has stated that the introduction of a monthly mobile bin cleaning service would cost $72 - $144 per year depending on whether an extra greenwaste-organics bin collection was added.