Groovy purple bins and plastic work trousers could save the planet

I heaved a sigh of relief when I realised the new purple waste bin was for glass only, because old Gewurztraminer containers are really starting to pile up, giving my deluxe neighbourhood a bit of a shabby chic-sick look.

But then I found out glass isn't glass. You can't put drinking glasses in the purple bin. Or perfume glass, window or mirror glass, or cookware glass.

This all adds to the general confusion for recycling wannabe duffers like me.

I thought the yellow bin was for everything plastic. But nope. Anything scrunchable goes in the red bin.

So what about those strawberry or blueberry containers? They can be scrunched, so they go in the red bin, right?

Nope. Sustainability Victoria says they actually return to their original shape after being scrunched, so you should put them in your recycling bin.

The green bin is for organic waste: plants, dog poo and food waste — but not soil or stones.

So everything else goes in the red bin?

Well no. There's a long list of stuff you can't put in the red bin including batteries, fluorescent globes, paints, oils, cleaners, car parts, medical waste and more.

And radioactive waste is a definite no-no.

Do try and keep up, please.

The point of all this flippancy is to make the serious point that whatever we do, waste disposal will never succeed until we genuinely tackle the root cause.

And the root cause is over-production and over-consumption combined with thoughtless manufacturing and marketing.

Hopefully, the coronavirus will slow the numbers of container ships jammed with plastic Star Wars figures arriving on our shores and destined for landfill within weeks.

But I wouldn't bank on it.

The shiny engine of mass market capitalism looks unstoppable.

But there is hope.

The concept of the circular economy is slowly taking shape, based on only using the materials needed, manufacturing without creating additional waste, and producing products that can be used again later.

Some European countries are suggesting lower taxes on recyclable products, more repair services and specific targets for manufacturing materials and waste recylcing.

Here in Australia we have focused on banning electronic waste from landfill and encouraging people to dispose of waste properly.

But fundamentally we are still using the "take, make and chuck away" model.

How about using plastic bottles to make council worker trousers?

Sounds weird, but so does a big purple bin.