Is it illegal for people to rifle through your bins on the kerb?

As cost of living bites more Australians are turning to “bin scavenging” to earn an extra buck by cashing in on refundable recyclables.

The scheme has seen more than $1 billion in refunds issued to users since its inception in 2017.

But is a stranger well within their rights to rummage through your wheelie bin?

Well, depending on which council you reside in your bin could be fair game once its placed on the kerbside for bin night. 

In NSW, most councils don’t enforce fines for rummaging through waste provided people are not trespassing on private property or leaving litter outside of the bins.

Exchange for Change, the coordinators for Return and Earn, said because bin diving can be disruptive to residents and cause unnecessary litter it generally discourages the practice.

“Residents who are concerned about bin fossicking can report incidents to their local council or contact Police if someone is trespassing onto private property,” a spokesperson told 9News.com.au.

“Residents can also return the eligible drinks containers to a nearby return point or donate them to a local charity or community group as a deterrent for bin fossickers and a good way to support charitable causes.”

In Victoria and Queensland, however, rules can differ. 

If you’re bin raiding in the Victorian town of Wodonga, you could be subject to a $180 fine under council by-laws.

“In Wodonga, local law prohibits people from interfering with rubbish bins that are placed on the kerbside in readiness for collection,” a spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

“Raiding these bins is not condoned and participating in this activity will put you at risk of a fine.”

Redland City Council in the east of Brisbane takes a similar approach to bin raiders. 

“Under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 people are not permitted to disturb or otherwise interfere with the contents of a waste container,” the council said.

“This means that commercial bins, community bins or household wheelie bins (even once they are on the kerbside) must not be disturbed unless it’s your own rubbish or it’s Council’s waste and recycling collection contractor. “

Waste management company Veolia urged safety for those who do undertake bin scavenging.

“On bin day people often collect bottles and cans from their neighbours’ general waste bins, to redirect them for recycling, and earn money through the container deposit scheme,” a spokesperson said.

“While it’s great to see the extra efforts made to recycle, when collection trucks are moving through local suburbs, Veolia asks people to be extra vigilant of their surroundings, particularly children.”

For households who want to safeguard their waste Canterbury-Bankstown Council advises the following measures:

“Those who would like to discourage people going through their bins can put their bin out as later as possible the night before collection or put a sign on their bin saying, ‘all containers have been cashed already’,” a spokesperson said.