Big changes coming to kerbside collections

CITY of Ballarat residents and ratepayers will soon have their general kerbside waste bin collected every fortnight after a decision made by councillors at their regular meeting last week.

The changes will also include weekly collection of a food and garden organics, or FOGO, bin and monthly collection of a new blue-lidded glass bin.

Other, yellow toped, recycling will continue to be collected once a fortnight.

Mayor Cr Des Hudson argued that to create behaviour change, it was imperative to reduce the frequency of general waste collection.

“Having a system where general waste remains the same and FOGO is collected weekly does not deliver behaviour change because people are probably most likely to continue to do the thing they have always done,” he said.

“We have a legacy to future generations about how we deal with waste.”

Councillors were split over the decision with Crs Hudson, Belinda Coates, Samantha McIntosh and Peter Eddy all voting for the motion.

Crs Amy Johnson, Tracey Hargreaves, Mark Harris and Ben Taylor voted against the plan, saying they would rather support weekly general waste collection and fortnightly FOGO collection.

“We need to bring the community along with us, rather than force them by making change from the top,” said Cr Johnson.

The motion was carried on the passing vote of the meeting chair and mayor, with Cr Hudson saying he reached out to Cr Daniel Molony who was on a leave of absence, and that he had intended to vote for the motion.

The exact implementation date of the changes remains unclear as it is dependent on finding a suitable FOGO processor, acquiring new bins, and the creation of a public education campaign.

The introduction of four bins is required by new State Government policy, however, the frequency of their collection is determined by local governments.

As part of the process on deciding the future of the City’s kerbside rubbish and recycling collection programs several rounds of community engagement were conducted which saw more than 7000 responses.

Cr Hudson said this was the largest number of people taking part he’d seen in 22 years as a councillor.

“The responses from the community are absolutely fantastic,” he said. “Is it all of the community? No, but is it a better sample than most other surveys we’ve done with the community? Absolutely.”

As part of the changes, households and business users of municipal kerbside collections will be able to acquire a second general waste bin for $120 a year, however, they will need to demonstrate a genuine need for it.

Criteria may include people with babies, households of six or more people, or people with medical conditions.

Cr Hargreaves expressed concern with the idea that people may need to prove a need.

“I’m just wondering if there will be any onus on people to prove they have a medical condition?” she said.

“If I say I have a medical condition, wouldn’t it be breaching some kind of privacy through doing that?”

Municipal director of development and growth Natalie Robertson said the City of Ballarat would not be seeking to invade people’s privacy but aiming to understand why there is a need for an extra bin.