While the next census results are hoped to show further improvement upon release later this year, it would seem unlikely they'll be significantly closer to the 65 per cent target the government had set for the year 2020.

The low rates are less about people not putting enough in the yellow-lidded bin, more about putting in the wrong stuff, that is, dirty items and non-recyclables.

A “growing concern”, it was holding back improvements to recycling rates, the report said.

“Our message on the importance of correct separation of waste at home, into the correct bins, is still not connecting fully with the community,” it said.

Inconsistency in services across different council areas was a problem, as was a lack of new services.

Two-thirds of the average household rubbish bin is food and organic waste, which produces harmful methane gases in landfill (as opposed to the positive effects of composting it).

And so the best performing councils are those that have embraced a third, lime green-topped bin, collecting food organics and garden organics (nicknamed FOGO) and taking it to composting facilities, while the remaining landfill waste goes into a red-topped bin.

The councils have to also commit to taking back and using the compost produced.

The Waste Authority’s Better Bins kerbside collection program subsidises local governments to provide this service, paying them $30 per household getting the bin, or a lesser amount just to improve recycling bin supply and collection.

It also supplies education tools and templates for councils to hel communicate to residents what goes in what bin; customisable, but consistent enough so Perth can start developing uniformity.

This financial year, six councils signed up to Better Bins: Joondalup, Melville, Subiaco, East Fremantle, Mosman Park and Gingin.

A total of 16 local governments have now taken up the program. The others metro councils are Cockburn, Bayswater, Rockingham, Stirling, Cambridge, Cottesloe.

The regional councils are Bunbury, Capel, Collie and Donnybrook-Balingup.

More than 40 per cent of Perth households, or about 300,000, are now taking part.

But only 30,540 of these have gone full FOGO.

Councils can apply to join in by December 31.