City of Greater Geelong: Councillor’s Column with Bruce Harwood

Yellow bins

Kerbside recycling has been back operating in Greater Geelong for more than a week now.

The deal between Cleanaway and G21 councils has been a long time coming and is a no doubt a relief for residents, who are conscious of their waste.

I’m proud to report many residents saved their recycling from landfill and dropped it off at the North Geelong and Drysdale waste recovery centres for processing – an increase of 145 per cent from the same period last year!

There have been a few slight changes as to what goes in the yellow bin, with coated cardboard cartons used for milk and juice no longer accepted.

Bottles and jars need a quick rinse so they’re clean and you can recycle their lids too – just pop them in separately.

A guide to the recycling dos and don’ts is available at geelongaustralia.com.au/recycling

It’s really important we follow these guidelines to avoid contaminated recycling going to landfill.

As we all know, kerbside recycling is a medium-term solution. It’s imperative that sustainable, long-term solutions are developed to reduce waste generation.

As we eagerly await the state government’s Circular Economy Policy, council has released a draft Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy for community consultation.

The strategy explains how the City will contribute to a circular economy by reducing, re-using and minimising waste over the next 10 years.

Head to geelongaustralia.com.au/yoursay to give your feedback until February 7, 2020.

We’ll also continue to lobby the state for a container deposit scheme and Canberra for stricter packaging laws.

Armstrong Creek

The safety of school children, their families and staff is number one for council, which is why my fellow councillors and I supported a matter for Urgent Business from Cr Ron Nelson at our last council meeting.

Council will now fund a crossing supervisor for the new St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School on Warralily Boulevard in Armstrong Creek, starting on the first day of the 2020 school year.

The state government generally funds the cost of these supervisors after pedestrian and vehicle numbers are counted when the school opens, but doesn’t provide a crossing guard in the meantime.

The City will stump up the funding from the 2019-20 Budget until its application for a funding contribution from the state can be submitted and assessed.

My fellow Kardinia ward councillors, Ron Nelson and Pat Murnane, and I are also having discussions around pedestrian, bus and car access for students to other new local schools in the area.

As the Armstrong Creek population grows, so does congestion and the need for better connections.

It is crucial we get the best and safest passage for our young students and their parents, or buses that are dropping them off.

The state government has an election promise to duplicate Barwon Heads Road between Settlement Road and Reserve Road, but we will also be advocating for the duplication of Barwon Heads Road from Reserve and Lower Duneed Roads.

This is urgently required, as well as upgrades of Horseshoe Bend Road and Burvilles Road.

We will be seeking to bring these urgent road upgrades ahead of the scheduled timeframe.

Community support

It’s been a particularly cheery festive season for a number of community groups and clubs in the Kardinia ward and across the region.

It’s thanks to the latest round of community grants being announced by council as the year comes to a close.

More than $3.2 million in funding will be poured into pavilion upgrades, renovations, community events and much more.

In my ward, I’m pleased the Highton Girl Guides have $260,000 to make their existing building more accessible.

The works will involve constructing an accessible toilet and open plan kitchen, and adding an external ramp.

The organisation does such a wonderful job in building up girls’ confidence, self-reliance and leadership skills, so the grant is well deserved!

Council has set aside $23,000 to the Geelong Central Netball Association for a pavilion upgrade at the Kardinia Park Netball Complex.

The current infrastructure isn’t doing the job when it comes to hosting Netball Victoria’s Association Championships, school championships, state-wide Indigenous carnivals, and local tournaments.

The Belmont Senior Citizens Club is doing its bit for the environment, set to use a $10,000 grant to install solar panels at the club building on Thomson Street. Well done!

That’s it from me! I wish you all a safe Christmas and a happy and healthy 2020.

Cr Bruce Harwood

Kardinia Ward, City of Greater Geelong