Many rural residents in the shire’s north will soon enjoy the convenience of a regular roadside waste and recycling collection service.
The staged rollout will start on Wandella and Link Road, Wandella in November and then progress to other rural locations over the following weeks.
Project Manager overseeing the rural roadside waste collection service, Gordon Kelly said northern households will be prioritised due to the loss of the Cobargo Waste Transfer Station during the Black Summer bushfires.
“Rural residents in the Cobargo area are currently required to drop off household waste and recycling at a temporary facility, which is less than ideal for everyone,” Mr Kelly said.
“Roadside pickup means the journey into Cobargo to drop off waste and recycling will be drastically reduced, with a weekly trip to the end of the driveway all that is needed.
“Every household eligible for rural roadside collections will receive a 140-litre red bin for household general waste and a 240-litre yellow bin for recyclables.”
Mr Kelly said red bins will be collected weekly and yellow bins fortnightly. This is different to the town service that offers fortnightly alternating red and yellow bin collection, plus a weekly FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) green bin collection.
“Based on the public consultation phase of this program, consensus from our rural community is that many people manage their own organic waste through composting and keeping poultry, so there is little need for a FOGO bin collection in these areas.
“Residents eligible for rural roadside waste collection will receive a letter explaining the service, when it will begin in their area, when to expect delivery of their new bins, and the annual fees involved.
“This is a great step in the right direction to not only provide a much-needed service for our rural customers, but to also reduce the volume of recyclables going to landfill with a fortnightly yellow bin collection service.
“Having a convenient way for rural households to sort their recyclables is expected to significantly reduce waste to landfill once the full rural collection program has been delivered.
“Following the rollout of roadside collection to the Wandella district, the service will be introduced to Yowrie Road and then other areas, including north and south of Cobargo, Coolagolite, Quaama, Verona and Brogo.”
For more information on the rural roadside waste collection service, visit Council’s website.
