The City of Fremantle wants to clear the record over a controversy sparked by looming waste laws.
Last week the council proposed a new set of laws which introduced a fines system for residents who repeatedly screwed up looking after their bins properly.
The Waste Local Law 2026 sets out a range of penalties for non-compliance, with fines generally ranging from $250 to $500 depending on the severity of the offence.
Lower-level penalties of $250 typically apply to administrative or minor breaches, such as not following instructions for bin use, placement, or maintenance.
More serious breaches apply to issues like improper use of the three-bin system, failure to meet collection requirements, incorrect use of FOGO bins, or allowing waste to become a nuisance, attracting fines of $300 to $350.
Higher penalties of $400 – $500 apply to more serious offences, such as damaging or removing bins, not paying waste fees, or dumping hazardous waste at facilities.
The council voted to open the draft law for public consultation and would only be considered for adoption after the feedback is reviewed.
However, when radio station 6PR opened up the issue to talkback, people slammed the council for villainising people who didn’t recycle or maybe used the wrong bin for certain items.
It was even picked up by One Nation MP Philip Scott at the launch of the party’s Fremantle Branch, who took a shot at the council over its priorities.
The council told the Herald; it wasn’t the first to adopt the waste law but instead was following the lead of Subiaco, Perth, Cottesloe and Mosman Park and others who had adopted it as long ago as 2020.
The City said education was its top priority – not handing out fines and a “whole education program” sat behind the law, with infringements a last resort
The education program would involve talking to householders before reaching for the fines book.
The City added that fines would not be issued for incidents such as minor contamination, third-party placement of items in someone else’s bin, or accidental misuse of bins.
Instead, fines would be reserved for serial offenders after “all other avenues have been exhausted”.
Currently most people in Fremantle are using bins correctly with a 2.8 per cent contamination rate for FOGO bins and an 11.1 per cent contamination for recycling.
The proposed Waste Local Law will be advertised later this week and return to Council in a few months for its further consideration.
by ISLA TOMLINSON