Are you a bin whizz?

Christchurch residents are being invited to play an interactive online game that will test their knowledge of what items belong in the red, yellow and green wheelie bins.

The game, which people can play on their smartphones and online has been developed by Christchurch City Council staff and is the latest tool in the Council’s ongoing campaign to help people bin good.

The game requires players to drag selected items into either the red, green or yellow bin.  If they put the item in the right bin, they earn points. If they put the item in the wrong bin, the bin shakes and they get an X on the scoreboard. The correct bin will light up.

The items used in the game were selected because they are ones that people often get confused about and put in the wrong bin.

“The success of our kerbside rubbish and recycling service depends on people putting the right stuff in the right bin. This new game is a fun, interactive way of teaching people about what bin they should use for different items,’ says Council Resource Recovery Manager Ross Trotter.

“The contents of the green wheelie bin get processed and turned into compost. That cannot happen if there is too much non-organic material in the bin.  Likewise, the contents of the yellow wheelie bin cannot be recycled if non-recyclable items are included.

“Our goal is to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill so that’s why we need people to put the right stuff in the right bin,’’ Mr Trotter says.

“If you are confused about what goes in each of the bins, give the game a try. I also recommend that you use our updated wheelie bin app. It has a great search function which you can use if you are uncertain about which bin a particular items belongs in. All you have to do is enter the name of the item you want to dispose of and it will tell you which bin to put it in.’’

You can play the game at ccc.govt.nz/bingoodgame or at smartview.ccc.govt.nz.