Rethink on recycling and garbage

NEXT month will see new kerbside garbage and recycling bins for much of South Gippsland Shire, as a new seven-year contract takes effect. Transpacific Cleanaway is taking over from the former contractor, Cleanaway. At the same time, residents of Walkerville and Venus Bay will have the option of an entirely new garbage and recycling collection service.

Council resolved at its December meeting to introduce an optional user pays kerbside garbage and recycling collection service to the residents of Walkerville and Venus Bay from February 1, 2013. Service options include a 12-month service, a six-month service or no service at all. Transfer station operating hours at Walkerville and Venus Bay will be maintained at their current level.

The decision was made following a survey of property owners, and the proposed service will be delivered on a full cost recovery basis. Council is hoping that by providing residents with the option of a kerbside collection service the incidence of household waste dumping in and around street litter bins – which has become all too common – will decrease.

The more than 9000 properties that already receive kerbside collection services in South Gippsland will, from February 1, have their rubbish collected by Transpacific Cleanaway. New garbage bins will be the only visible change to the service. In accordance with the Australian Standards, the garbage bin will have a red lid and the recycling bin will have a yellow lid. Both bins will be the same size as the current bins and the collection days will remain the same.

To enable an easy changeover to the new contractor, on the recycling days in February anyone with a bin is asked to leave the bins out for replacement after they have been emptied – until 5pm. If they are not replaced by this time, they will be replaced on the next recycling day. This is necessary because the current bins are owned by the current contractor, Cleanaway, not Council.

Cleanaway will clean and reuse bins that are in reasonable condition, while damaged bins will be recycled into new plastic products. Residents are able to buy the old bins from the contractor (call Cleanaway on 5133 6872) and keep them for other uses, but they can’t be put out for collection as an additional bin.

Facts and Figures

Council’s waste management services are based on the principles of cost recovery and user pays. The garbage charge is set at a level to recover the direct costs of providing the service, plus indirect costs associated with the disposal of waste, sorting of recycling, etc. It is adjusted every year to reflect the calculated costs associated with providing the service. Current garbage charges are listed on Council’s web site. The new contract is not expected to increase the garbage charge on rates notices. The direct service costs are comparable with those of the previous contract.

The 9236 properties that currently receive kerbside collection services in South Gippsland each produce an average of 7.96 kilograms of garbage per week and 4.05 kilograms of recycling per week. Garbage is disposed of at the Koonwarra Landfill, and recycling is transported to a sorting facility, where it is mechanically sorted into the different material types which are then sold to other companies to be turned into new products.

If you pay a garbage charge and have not received a new bin by March, you should contact Council on 5662 9200.

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