Environment Minister Albert Jacob last week announced $7.5 million would be used to help councils offset the cost of an optional two-year pilot program to trial the three-bin system and improve kerbside recycling rates.
But Mr Withers said having three same-sized kerbside bins for general waste, recyclables and green waste was not effective in promoting recycling.
‘If their three-bin system isn’t shrinking the general waste bin and enlarging the (recycling) bin they’ve missed the whole point of the system,’ Mr Withers said.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW‘All that means is garden waste gets composted somewhere else instead of being composted in landfill.
‘It’s not increasing recycling and it’s not reducing ‘waste’.’
Only seven WA councils including Cambridge, Cottesloe and Nedlands currently use a three-bin system.
Cambridge limits the size of its general waste bins to 120lt, while ratepayers can upgrade their 240lt recycling bin to 360lt, as well as opt to pay $70 a year for a 240lt green waste bin.
A three-bin system is used widely in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria where kerbside recycling rates are between 50 and 60 per cent, compared to about 15-30 per cent for many Perth councils using a two-bin system.