If you see people lifting your red, yellow and green garbage bin lids, don't be alarmed, it is just Lismore City Council and North East Waste running an audit campaign to help our community reduce contamination and improve recycling across the Lismore area.

The 'lifting the lid' exercise won't be a widespread task over the next two weeks, volunteers will be checking bins in selected streets to see how we’re sorting our waste.

If you do receive an audit, you will receive quick, tailored feedback with red or green bin tags:

• Red tags if there’s contamination, with info on how to get it right next time.
• Green tags if you’ve nailed your waste sorting – and you’ll go in the draw to win a $150 Loving Local Gift Card!

The goal is to make sure valuable resources are recycled, not sent to landfill.

Even though Council's Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) closed in 2024, Lismore continues to separate and send recycling, FOGO and cardboard to specialist facilities to ensure nothing goes to waste.

As the audits begin, you are reminded of a few common mistakes to watch out for:

• The green FOGO bin is now only for food scraps and garden waste; items like pizza boxes, tea bags, newspaper and fibre-based containers are no longer accepted.
• Batteries and aerosols should never go in kerbside bins; take them to a Community Recycling Centre such as the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre for safe disposal.
• And remember, keep recyclables loose in the yellow bin. Having them inside a box, paper bag, or soft plastic bag makes the recovery of these resources difficult during the sorting process.

For more information, click here.