Waste Management Strategy

Adopted by resolution of the Glenelg Shire Council at its Ordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday 21st December 2004

Prepared by Stuart Ferrier Glenelg Shire Council Waste Management Strategy

INDEX

1. Introduction ______2 Introduction.______2 2. Glenelg Shire Council – Overview ______2 3. The Current Situation ______2 4. Regulatory Aspects______4 Environment Protection Act 1970 ______4 EcoRecycle. ______5 Waste REDUCTION Group ______5 5. Current Waste Management Practices and Facilities ______6 Waste and Recyclables Collection Services ______6 Landfill and Transfer Stations ______7 • Portland. ______7 • Heywood. ______7 • Digby. ______8 • Merino. ______8 • Casterton. ______8 • Dartmoor. ______9 • Nelson. ______9 • Transfer Stations. ______10 Waste Fees and Charges ______11 6. Strategies and Actions ______12 Strategy 1:______12 Strategy 2:______13 Strategy 3:______14 Strategy 4:______15 Strategy 5:______16 Strategy 6:______17 Strategy 7:______18 Strategy 8:______19 7. Performance Monitoring ______21

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1. Introduction

Introduction.

This document provides a framework through which the Glenelg Shire Council will progress waste management priorities and directions.

The Glenelg Shire Council acknowledges that sound waste management practices are necessary for the achievement of sustainability and for effective service delivery to the community, so this Waste Management Strategy has strong links with the Council Plan 2004 - 2008.

The development of this document takes into account: ° Current practices; ° Landfill diversion targets set by government; ° State government policies and directions; ° The role of the South West Waste REDUCTION Group; ° The need to make waste and recycling services cost-effective; and ° Community expectations

2. Glenelg Shire Council – Overview

The Glenelg Shire is nestled in Victoria’s south west corner, featuring an area rich in history and diverse in landscape.

Portland, located around a deep-water port, is the major urban city in the Shire, offering a unique balance of business and tourism, whilst the towns of Dartmoor, Casterton and Heywood are situated in vibrant rural communities.

The Glenelg River flows down through the National Parks to the quaint little village of Nelson, near the river mouth.

The population of the Glenelg Shire is 20,200. It is projected that the population may begin to increase slightly over the next 10 years in line with anticipated increased commercial and industrial activities in the region.

3. The Current Situation

Council provides a waste and recyclables collection service to selected areas within the shire and also provides a number of points of disposal for waste at strategic locations around the Shire. These disposal points may be either transfer stations or active landfills.

As Council works towards an environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to waste disposal, transfer stations are progressively being introduced to replace smaller landfills.

The Council owns a number of rural landfills as well as the major licensed landfill at Portland. - 2 - Glenelg Shire Council Waste Management Strategy

The Portland landfill is anticipated to provide for Council’s waste disposal needs for at least the next 20 years.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed which include:

° The increasing cost of delivery of waste services; ° Increasing community expectations as to the level of waste services provided; ° The potential for a regional approach to the delivery of waste services through the WRG (Waste REDUCTION Group); ° The high cost of providing an annual hard waste collection; ° The inequity of waste services offered to residents across the Shire. ° Meeting the requirements and expectations of the State Government waste management legislation, administered through the EPA and EcoRecycle Victoria.

The Council embraces the principles of ecologically sustainable development and environmentally sound waste management and has incorporated these principles into this strategy.

Within this context it is generally recognised that waste management strategies need to follow the Waste Management Hierarchy (Figure 1).

Most Preferred Avoid Waste generation

Reuse Waste that is generated

Recycle Waste that is generated

Recover Energy From waste that is generated

Treat Waste materials so they can be reused, recycled or recovered

Contain Waste for disposal

Least Preferred Dispose Waste

Figure 1. The Waste Management Hierarchy

(sour ce: Keep Australia Beautiful & Environment Australia, Waste Minimisation Manual for Local Gove rnment.)

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4. Regulatory Aspects

There are a number of regulatory aspects that have a significant influence on the manner and nature that the Council delivers waste and recycling services.

Environment Protection Act 1970

This Act is outcome oriented, with a basic philosophy of preventing pollution and environmental damage by setting environmental quality objectives and establishing programmes to meet them. Key aims of the Act include sustainable use and holistic management of the environment, ensuring consultative processes are adopted so that community input is a key driver of environmental protection goals and programs thus encouraging a co-operative approach to environment protection.

This Act encompasses the following Principles of Environment Protection: - Integration of economic, social and environment considerations; - Voluntary sustainability covenants to enable industries and companies to identify resource efficiency gains and reduce ecological impact; - Precautionary principle; - Principle of intergenerational equity; - Principle of conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity; - Principle of improved valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms; Principle of shared responsibility; - Principle of product stewardship; - Principle of wastes hierarchy; - Principle of integrated environmental management; - Principle of enforcement; - Principle of accountability.

This Act also strengthens Victoria’s waste management regime through clarifying the roles of key statutory bodies involved in waste management (regional waste management groups, EcoRecycle Victoria and EPA Victoria) and providing additional funding and increased incentive for environmental priorities (such as waste reduction programmes) through changes to landfill levies.

The implementation of the Environment Protection Act is carried out by the Victorian EPA through the use of State Environment Protection Policies (SEPP’s) which provide the framework for such implementation.

SEPP’s expresses in law the community expectations, needs and priorities for using and protecting the environment. They establish the uses and values of the environment that the community want to protect, define the environmental quality objectives and describe the attainment and management programs that will ensure the necessary environmental quality is maintained.

Under the Environment Protection Act 1970 the requirements in environmental regulations must be consistent with SEPP’s. - 4 - Glenelg Shire Council Waste Management Strategy

SEPPs which are applicable to this strategy are • State environment protection policy (Air Quality Management) • State environment protection policy (Groundwaters of Victoria) • State environment protection policy (Siting and Management of Landfills Receiving Municipal Waste) • State environment protection policy (Waters of Victoria)

EcoRecycle.

EcoRecycle Victoria is the Victorian Government agency with the mission to protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations by minimising the creation of waste, promoting the sustainable use of resources and better managing the disposal of materials that cannot be diverted from landfill for productive use.

EcoRecycle Victoria was established in 1996 by amendments to the Environment Protection Act 1970.

The function of EcoRecycle Victoria is to protect the environment by facilitating the achievement of waste reduction objectives identified in Victorian legislation and best practices in waste management.

Waste REDUCTION Group

The Glenelg Shire Council is one of five member councils of the Waste REDUCTION Group (Regional Waste Management Group). The Group was formed in 1997 in accordance with the Environment Protection Act 1970.

The Group developed a Regional Waste Management Plan that would provide direction and establish priorities on all waste management issues in the region to all waste practitioners, not just Councils or the Group.

The Plan recommends a preferred waste management strategy for the region that has been developed through consideration of future population growth, economic evaluations, environmental and legal requirements and compliance with best practice to ensure that the strategy is both sustainable and practical.

Compliance with the strategies in the Plan by the member councils is compulsory as non-compliance may affect works approvals or licenses issued by the EPA and funding applications with EcoRecycle.

The Waste REDUCTION Group has prepared a business plan as a response to the ‘rapidly changing imperatives regarding waste management both locally and nationally’. Its Corporate Objectives include: ° To achieve sustainable reduction in waste ° To raise community awareness of waste management issues ° To measure progress in environmental performance ° To plan a rolling program of waste management initiatives ° To meet regulatory requirements

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In addition the Waste REDUCTION Group has a role in advising member councils, government agencies and industry on regional waste management policy. This may include advice on: ° Best practice and compatible cost-effective service standards; ° Broad policy directions for hard waste, parks and gardens, litter and construction spoil collection, recycling, treatment and disposal; ° Regional landfill disposal strategy; ° Standard specifications for recyclable products; ° Standard specifications for green organics; ° Where appropriate, and for specific issues, lobby industry and government on behalf of member councils; ° Provision of training opportunities in areas such as the development of environmental management systems in relation to waste management ° Research and education; and ° Policy direction of constituent councils.

5. Current Waste Management Practices and Facilities

Waste and Recyclables Collection Services

The current waste and recyclables collection service within the municipality extends to Portland, Heywood and Casterton (including Sandford and Merino). The service consists of a weekly collection of both household waste and recyclables and is carried out by one contractor (presently on a short term contract). The contractor collects a 120 litre MGB and a 55 litre Recycling Crate from all residential properties in the collection districts as well as any commercial or industrial property that have made arrangements for the service with the Council. Some properties in Casterton have 240 litre bins collected and pay double the garbage rate. The number of tenements serviced in each of the three collection districts are as follows:

Collection Districts Existing No. of Tenements Serviced

1. Portland Residential 4353 2. Portland Commercial & Industrial 227 3. Casterton (includes Sandford & Merino) 846 4. Casterton (240 litre bins) 60 5. Casterton Commercial & Industrial( incl. Sandford 54 & Merino) 6. Heywood Residential 754 7. Heywood Commercial & Industrial 51

Total 6345

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In addition to the weekly kerbside collection service, Council has, in the past, conducted an annual hard waste collection in the townships that receive a kerbside collection service.

Landfill and Transfer Stations

The Glenelg Shire Council is served by a total of seven landfills including one licensed landfill. These landfills are located at Portland (licensed), Heywood, Nelson, Dartmoor, Digby, Merino and Casterton. A number of small rural landfills have been closed during recent years including Myamyn, Mumbannar and Sandford. These three landfills were closed in February 2002, March 2002 and February 2002 respectively.

The landfills currently operating are described as follows:

• Portland.

The Portland landfill is located on the southern edge of the City. The site is well fenced and surrounded on the perimeter by a screen of native trees. The landfill is open daily to all Glenelg residents and ratepayers. Entry is controlled by way of a manned booth where the attendant accepts all gate charges.

The landfill is licensed to accept the disposal of municipal, commercial and industrial waste including asbestos. The site currently operates in accordance with the license conditions, however does not meet contemporary ‘best practice’ landfill systems and practices.

The landfill currently receives approximately 15,000 tonnes of waste per annum and has a calculated airspace capacity to receive waste at this rate for at least 20 years.

The protection of groundwater is by means of the installation groundwater bores and as well as the disposal of affected groundwater or surface water to a site storage dam.

The acceptance and segregation of recyclables is available on site by means of skips which are transported to the recycler when full. Scrap steel and concrete and brick rubble are separated from the waste stream and are stockpiled for subsequent material recovery operations. Waste oil is accepted and stored in a purpose built facility.

• Heywood.

The Heywood site is located approximately 3km west of the town. The waste has been used to fill an old quarry and to all intents and purposes that quarry is filled and the waste is now compacted above ground and covered daily.

The landfill is open daily and controlled by a gatekeeper who collects all charges.

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There is no available water for fire control and no leachate management. At the current discharge rate of waste there is less than two years of life left in this landfill. Recyclables are accepted and segregated on site with the materials accepted being the same as in Portland.

This site has ample area and could be used for a regional transfer station.

• Digby.

The Digby landfill is located approximately 4km south of Digby off Paynes Lane and is surrounded by native vegetation in rural land.

The site is unmanned, therefore there is no control on the type of waste disposed of on site. The site is not well fenced and therefore is not stockproof.

There is no separation of recyclables although there is some attempt at separation of old steel tanks and wire. Cover is carried out on a weekly basis.

As there is no control on the type of wastes accepted and no leachate control there could be some environmental risk at this site. This site is programmed for closure upon the establishment of the proposed new Merino-Digby waste transfer station.

• Merino.

The Merino landfill is situated approximately 4km west of the Merino township and is surrounded by rural land. The site is partially fenced and is mostly screened by native trees and shrubs.

The landfill is open all hours and is not supervised, therefore it is open to indiscriminate disposal of waste.

There is no separation of waste although there are separate piles of steel and concrete. Waste is covered weekly and there is no fire control.

There is no leachate management and therefore no groundwater protection.

• Casterton.

The Casterton landfill is located approximately 2km south west of the town and is surrounded by rural land. The site is well fenced and has some new plantations around the perimeter.

The site is manned but is only open an average of four and one half days per week.

Waste is covered regularly using cover material excavated from the site.

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Recyclables are accepted and segregated on site by means of skips and Waste oil is also accepted and stored in a purpose built facility . The landfill has a remaining life of 15 years available on its current intake of waste.

• Dartmoor.

The Dartmoor landfill is located approximately 5km west of Dartmoor in a limestone quarry that is still operational. The site is fenced but is open all hours and unmanned, therefore there is no control on waste disposal. There are no litter fences and as a result there exists a quantity of wind blown litter.

Waste is covered on a weekly basis and there is sufficient cover material on site consisting of mulched pine tailings. There is no water on site and therefore no fire control.

There is no leachate management and therefore no groundwater protection.

This landfill has been identified by the EPA as a high risk landfill because of the potential for contamination of groundwater in this district.

Recyclables are not separated out but are buried with the general waste.

Due to the continued quarrying operations carried out in the site and the quantities disposed in it, a potential long life would be expected if landfilling was continued.

The site represents good site for a transfer station.

• Nelson.

The Landfill is located approximately 2km north of the Nelson township in an old quarry and adjacent to the Lower Glenelg National Park. The Glenelg River is located some 0.5km to the east of the site. The site is unmanned and open to Nelson residents who have access to gate keys from specified Nelson locations.

Gates are often left open or keys are lost and so waste from beyond Nelson is often deposited.

There are no litter control fences and as a result there is a litter problem in the surrounding areas. Covering of waste is carried out on a weekly basis.

There is no water supply or storage for fire control and no leachate management to protect the groundwaters.

There is no separation of recyclables which are disposed of with the general waste.

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• Transfer Stations.

To separate the public from the waste disposal areas at the Portland Landfill, a transfer station has been constructed. This transfer station offers a more ‘user friendly’ environment to customers and presents receptacles for the segregation of recyclables from the waste stream.

At the Heywood and Casterton landfills, waste is still deposited at the tipping face by customers, however receptacles are provided for the segregation of recyclables.

Collected recyclables are transported in the ‘hook lift’ receptacles to the recycler after weighing at the Portland transfer station.

Other transfer stations will be progressively established as smaller rural landfills are closed.

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Waste Fees and Charges

Uniform waste disposal charges apply at all manned landfills and transfer stations, however charges cannot be applied at uncontrolled sites.

The basic charge from which itemised fees are established is presently $60.00 per tonne of waste. This charge is calculated annually on a cost recovery basis to ensure that all operational costs of waste management are borne by the user or waste generators.

For the Portland licensed landfill, levies payable to the EPA are substantially increasing annually to provide the EPA with sufficient resources to address the increasing demands of better and sustainable waste management practices.

Residents and commercial properties that receive the weekly kerbside collection service pay an annual charge with their Council rates. At present this charge is $125.00 per annum calculated on the actual costs of providing the collection service as well as disposing of the waste that is received.

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6. Strategies and Actions

Strategy 1: That waste to landfill be minimised through adoption of the four “R’s”. (Reduce, Re-use, Recover, Recycle)

Background:

The objective of avoiding waste generation must be the main priority in any set of waste and recycling strategies. The less waste that is generated, the easier, more effective and more cost efficient the program becomes. By reducing the amount of waste generated at its source, the cost of collection, transportation, processing and disposal is avoided. By increasing the emphasis on resource recovery and recycling, Council can meet the sustainability objectives of EcoRecycle Victoria and can ensure valuable resources are not wasted. Council’s current recycling operations (collection, accumulation, transport and processing by a recycler) are relatively expensive. By exposing key elements of these operations to a competitive market, costs may be minimised.

Actions:

1.1 The strategy gives the commitment to community education programs, in conjunction with the Waste REDUCTION Group, that enable the community to reduce waste generated and disposed. 1.2 Promote waste re-use opportunities developed either by Council, the Waste REDUCTION Group or EcoRecycle that would be pursued to the community (Ongoing). 1.3 Expand the facilities for receiving recyclable materials to all manned landfills and transfer stations across the Shire. 1.4 Prepare and advertise a contract for receipt and processing of bulk recyclable materials. 1.5 Ensure that the costs of collecting, accumulating, transporting and processing of recyclables are fully recovered in accordance with Strategy 6.

Performance Indicators:

° Education programs/ projects developed ° Promotional ‘articles’ included in Council publications and local newspapers ° Number of recyclable ‘drop off’ facilities across the Shire ° Establishment of a contract for receipt and processing of bulk recyclable materials.

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Strategy 2: That all unlicensed landfills in the municipality be progressively closed and rehabilitated.

Background:

Heywood landfill is near the end of its useful life and is encumbered with environmental concerns relating to litter and groundwater contamination. Small uncontrolled rural landfills present potential risks to the environment through both windblown litter and possible groundwater contamination. The uncontrolled landfills allow free disposal of waste to some residents which is inconsistent with the principle of uniform charges across the Shire. Uncontrolled landfills do not provide effective means of separating recyclables from the waste stream and meeting the objectives of Strategy 1. Casterton landfill, whilst it is operating effectively in terms of recycling, still presents a potential for environmental impacts.

Actions:

2.1 Close Digby and Merino Landfills after establishment of the Merino-Digby transfer station. (2004/2005) 2.2 Close Heywood landfill after establishment of the Heywood waste and recyclable material transfer station. (2005/2006) 2.3 Close Dartmoor and Nelson landfills after establishment of waste and recyclable material transfer stations at each of these localities (2005/2006) 2.4 Terminate landfill activities at Casterton landfill after construction of a waste and recyclable material transfer station. 2.5 Transfer all waste from rural transfer stations to the Portland licensed landfill or an alternative regional facility. 2.6 Rehabilitate all closed landfill sites, in order of closure, on a staged basis to suit budget limitations (eg. stage 1 covering and shaping, stage 2 clay capping etc). 2.7 Pursue funding of opportunities through the EPA Sustainability Fund or other opportunities for landfill closures and rehabilitation. (Note: All closure and rehabilitation actions in Strategy 2 are dependant on the receipt of matching funding).

Performance Indicators:

° Closure of landfills according to the timeframes contained in the above actions. ° Extent of rehabilitation works completed.

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Strategy 3: That all urban communities be provided with a point of disposal for waste and recyclable materials, in the form of a transfer station.

Background:

The Glenelg Shire has the following Urban Communities in Portland, Heywood, Casterton, Sandford, Merino, Digby, Dartmoor, Nelson, Narrawong, Cape Bridgewater and Tyrendarra.

The current waste deposit facilities are not distributed equitably across the shire, thus leaving the small urban communities of Narrawong and Cape Bridgewater without nearby access to a waste disposal facility.

This strategy aims to rectify this inequality by the progressive development of waste and recyclable material deposit facilities to service these urban communities.

The small rural settlements of Myamyn/Condah and Strathdownie are relatively distant from a waste disposal facility and could be included in this strategy for the provision of a small facility for deposit of waste and recyclables.

Actions:

3.1 Investigate suitable sites in the Narrawong and Cape Bridgewater areas. (2005/2006) 3.2 Establish a waste and recyclable material transfer station at Cape Bridgewater (2006/2007) 3.3 Establish a waste and recyclable material transfer station at Narrawong (2006/2007) 3.4 Investigate suitable sites and types of waste collection and recycling facility that may suit small rural settlements and develop a model of how these facilities will be operated. 3.5 Establish small waste collection and recycling facilities at selected small rural settlements. (Note: The development of transfer stations is dependant on matching funding through EcoRecycle Victoria)

Performance Indicators:

° Commissioning of waste and recyclable material deposit facilities at Narrawong and Cape Bridgewater areas in accordance with the stated timeframes.

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Strategy 4: That all waste deposit or disposal facilities will be fenced, manned and operated for defined hours only.

Background:

Uncontrolled or unmanned waste deposit facilities invariably become untidy and can present risks to users of the facility.

Manned facilities can be maintained and presented in a neat, safe and orderly way to the public users.

Unmanned facilities are unable to offer advice and assistance to the public in the correct use of the facilities and the best ways to minimize waste and maximize recycling.

Unmanned facilities allow free disposal of waste which is inconsistent with the uniform ‘user pays principle’ established in Strategy 6.

Fencing of facilities allows for security of the site, effective containment of litter and prevention of use during non-opening hours.

The cost of operating each facility is controlled by allowing access during very limited times during the week.

Actions:

4.1 Establish secure fencing to all new waste and recyclable deposit facilities that are developed. 4.2 Establish a regime for opening transfer stations for limited hours only. 4.3 Provide an attendant at each transfer station site during opening hours.

Performance Indicators:

° Secure fencing established at each site in accordance with the timeframes described in Strategies 2 and 3. ° Transfer stations operating on limited hours. ° Attendants present at each transfer station when open.

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Strategy 5: That all municipal waste transferred from small rural landfills and transfer stations will be disposed of by Council to the Portland Landfill or an alternative regional landfill/s.

Background:

In order to localize the environmental impacts of burying waste in the ground, waste disposal to landfill is proposed to be centralized at the Portland Landfill or an alternative regional landfill/s that operate/s to ‘best practice’ guidelines.

Following the closure of small rural landfills across the shire and the development of waste transfer stations, deposited waste will be transported to the centralized site.

Municipal waste that is transported to landfill does not include recyclable materials that will be separately transported to a recycler.

Actions:

5.1 Establish arrangements, either by in-house staff or by contract, to transport the collected municipal waste from all transfer stations to the nominated disposal facility/s.

Performance Indicators:

° All municipal waste from transfer stations being transported to the nominated facility from the date of commissioning of each facility.

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Strategy 6: That the total costs associated with waste management are recovered through uniform waste disposal fees and charges and that where possible, fees match the disposal costs.

Background:

Council has been working towards a ‘user pays’ or ‘full cost recovery’ model for waste management for several years, however this has been difficult to achieve with the ongoing acceptance of uncontrolled small rural landfills and the provision of a ‘free’ hard waste collection service to selected urban areas. The hard waste collection that has been conducted annually is an extremely expensive operation and it works against the principles that Council is endeavouring to implement. With the establishment of manned facilities across the Shire, a more equitable system may be applied to disposers of waste, where users in one part of the Shire are not subsidising users in another part of the shire. This strategy provides for full cost recovery of all waste management activities from the users of the waste disposal facilities. Waste disposal fees are calculated annually by evaluation of the total costs of managing municipal waste and recycling and the total quantities of waste disposed. As Council does not aim to profit from the management of waste, the user charges should reflect the actual costs of waste handling and disposal. For example if a truck tyre costs Council $16.70 to dispose of to a recycler, then the gate fee for this item should be set at $16.70. Uniform waste disposal charges should apply across the Shire to provide equity to all users of the waste disposal facilities. Actions:

6.1 Establish manned facilities in accordance with Strategy 4 to ensure that user charges can be collected from all waste depositors. 6.2 Continue with existing methods for calculation of gate fees and ensure that these are applied uniformly across the Shire. 6.3 Abandon the 2004/2005 hard waste collection and subsequent hard waste collections.

Performance Indicators:

° Annual calculation of waste disposal charges in accordance with established principles prior to budget setting each year. ° No further hard waste collections.

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Strategy 7: That all urban residences will have their rubbish collected by kerbside service.

Background:

Council’s existing kerbside collection service for waste and recyclables does not extend to all urban areas within the Shire.

This produces an inequity of service provision for residents that live in urban areas that are not within Council’s present collection areas.

Townships of Cape Bridgewater, Narrawong, Dartmoor, Nelson, and Digby do not have a kerbside collection service provided by Council.

Implementation of a kerbside service in these locations will ease the demand for waste deposit and transfer facilities to be open, thus operating hours for these facilities can be minimized.

Actions:

7.1 Prepare and establish a kerbside waste and recyclables collection contract to extend to all urban areas within the Shire (2004/2005) following community consultation to establish level of demand and preparedness to pay. 7.2 Ensure budget allocations (2005/2006) are established to allow for the expansion in both capital and operational expenditures for the expanded collection network. 7.3 Ensure that waste disposal and garbage charge calculations reflect the expanded collection network (2004/2005). 7.4 Perform these actions in conjunction with those in Strategy 8.

Performance Indicators:

° Appointment of a kerbside waste and recyclables collection contract to extend to all urban areas and designated routes within the Shire. ° Budget allocations provided.

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Strategy 8: That collection routes between urban centres be defined across the shire and that properties that are along or near these collection routes may elect to participate in the collection system. Bins will be left on, and collected from, the designated collection routes only.

Background:

Council’s existing kerbside collection service for waste and recyclables only extends to selected urban areas within the Shire.

To optimize the costs of the collection service, it is advantageous to collect from as many properties, along the route travelled between urban areas, as possible.

To only provide a kerbside collection service for waste and recyclables for urban areas introduces some inequity into the service provision, however to introduce a kerbside service to every rural property would be unfeasible because of the anticipated high cost and limited benefit of such a service.

Given that a Contractor will be driving between the urban areas to provide a kerbside service to them, it would be reasonable to give the contractor the opportunity to optimise his service by collecting from more properties along the route and thus keep unit costs to a minimum.

Implementation of a kerbside service to selected routes across the Shire will ease the demand for waste deposit and transfer facilities to be open, thus operating hours for these facilities can be minimized.

The service should be made available to properties that are along the route or near the route with the understanding that bins must be left for collection along the designated route.

Actions:

8.1 Prepare maps of proposed collection routes between urban areas to maximise the number of collections. 8.2 Prepare and establish a kerbside waste and recyclables collection contract to extend along designated routes between urban areas within the Shire (2004/2005). 8.3 Ensure that waste disposal and garbage charge calculations reflect the expanded collection network (2004/2005). 8.4 Perform these actions in conjunction with those in Strategy 7.

Performance Indicators:

° Appointment of a kerbside waste and recyclables collection contract to extend to all urban areas and designated routes within the Shire. ° Budget allocations provided.

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Strategy 9: That bins will be standardised to 120L wheelie bins for waste and 240L wheelie bins for recycling and that all property owners shall be responsible for their waste and recycling bins.

Background:

Industry ‘best practice’ guidelines currently recommend the adoption of 120 litre wheelie bins for waste and 240 litre wheelie bins for recycling.

This bin combination allows for greater collection flexibility than with split bin systems and better provides for the increased quantities of recyclable products and encourages minimization of waste to fit within the smaller bin.

Council has experienced resident dissatisfaction with the 55 litre crates for recycling which tend to blow easily in strong wind and can represent a hazard to motorists and pedestrians in these circumstances.

The larger 240 litre bin for recyclables has a larger footprint and is more stable with the relatively light contents that they often contain.

By ensuring that property owners are responsible for the bins that are initially supplied by Council, it is anticipated that more care will be taken of the bins and the costs of replacement will not be borne by Council. Council should supply the first bin only to encourage take-up of the service and to minimize financial impact on the users.

Actions:

9.1 Phase out the present 55 litre crate and introduce 240 L recycling collection bins. 9.2 Provide for the collection of larger 240 litre recycling bins in the preparation of the revised kerbside collection contract. 9.3 Ensure budget allocations (2005/2006) are established to allow for the expansion in both capital and operational expenditures for the increased bin size. 9.4 Ensure that waste disposal and garbage charge calculations reflect the additional capital and operational expenditure on the larger bins (2004/2005). 9.5 Continue with the adoption of 120 litre bins for kerbside waste collection. 9.6 Advise all users of the collection service of the changes relating to bin ownership.

Performance Indicators:

° Roll-out of 240 litre recycling bins to all kerbside collections. ° Roll-out of 120 litre bins to all new kerbside collection areas. ° Successful implementation of ownership changes

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7. Performance Monitoring

To ensure effective implementation of this plan, performance will be regularly monitored and reviewed.

The performance indicators listed against each strategy within this plan will be reported against annually. Reports will be presented to the Management Group.

Relevant information regarding Council’s performance against this plan will be communicated to the community through Council’s Annual Report and through other Council publications.

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