A NEW recycling app could help remove any confusion out the city's three-bin system.
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By using photo recognition, the free app Recycle Mate allows users to take a photograph of an item and find out immediately if it belongs in the red, yellow or green bin. It is a state government initiative that has been tailored to each local government's recycling landscape.
Gregadoo Waste Management Facility manager Geoff Pym said the new app has the potential to answer a lot of questions about waste and recycling at a click of a button.
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"People are unknowingly putting the wrong things in the wrong bin and we certainly have room for improvement," he said.
Wagga City Council's most recent bin audit revealed the yellow-lidded recycling bins had a contamination rate of 12 per cent, higher than the six to 10 per cent national average, while 62 per cent of the rubbish thrown into the red-topped general waste bin was disposed incorrectly.
The green-lidded food organics and garden organics only recorded a contamination rate of two per cent.
Mr Pym said the app's use of modern technology was building on the council's current efforts in reducing contamination in the three-bin system.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the app will make it easier to recycle every day, no matter where you are or what you are doing.
"NSW has been recycling for more than 30 years, but with a changing landscape we need to be even more careful with what goes in our recycling bins, and this app will help us achieve that," he said.
"This app will make recycling easier, and more importantly, it will help sort our waste, which ultimately means more items can be recovered and reused, as we move closer to closing the loop and creating a circular economy."
Recycle Mate is free to download and is available on Apple and Android devices.