SYDNEY, Sept. 23 -- He can't help rid residents of their mortgage, but the City of Sydney’s new Garbage Guru has all the answers when it comes to other unwanted household items.

As the star of a new app, the Guru will soon inform residents about better waste practices to push the rate of recycled household goods past the 70 per cent mark achieved by the City over the past few years.

The “lovable larrikin”-like character will draw on vast experience in waste disposal to answer questions on how best to dispose of hundreds of things no longer needed by householders.

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said, “City of Sydney residents are already doing a great job, recycling more than two-thirds of their household waste. But we know that we can do even better and the Garbage Guru app is just another way we can push recycling rates even higher.”

The app, and other City projects such as the reverse vending machines for beverage containers, seek to increase recycling, reduce waste and protect our wildlife and environment from plastic and other pollution.