Wharf to Waves sustainability officer Cathleen O’Halloran organized the introduction of the event style bins, with the goal of diverting recyclables and compostables and reducing the amount of waste destined to go to landfill.

“Ideally we would like the Wharf to Waves weekend to be a zero-waste event,” Ms O’Halloran said.

Zero-waste events ensure all waste created is either recycled or composted with no waste to landfill, she said.

“To achieve this we all need to reset our attitude towards waste,” Ms O’Halloran said.

“We would like visitors and competitors to be aware of what they buy or bring, to reduce the waste they create and to dispose of it responsibly.”

The yellow, green and red flip top bins gave the public the opportunity to separate their waste into separate streams.

“The yellow is for recyclable, green for compostable, with the remaining waste placed into the red lid bins destined for landfill,” Ms O’Halloran said.

”We believe it was a great success.”

The bins were well received by the public with the majority of waste finding its way into the right bins‬, she said.

“We all need to take responsibility for our own waste and this initiative is a great opportunity for the community to take immediate and meaningful action that has a real impact,” Tathra resident and compost enthusiast Luke Hamilton said.

The colour coded bins and signage were made available through the Bega Valley Shire Council’s Waste Grant scheme, with delivery and collection of the full bins was provided by Cleanaway.

“Cleanaway has been a committed supporter of Wharf To Waves and we would really like to acknowledge the unseen contribution they have made over the years” Ms O’Halloran said.