Improving waste and recycling services

At tomorrow night's Council meeting agenda item 9.3 relates to a review of Council's free hard rubbish kerbside collection service. It also identifies future improvements/terms as recommended in the upcoming tender process.
The changes suggested especially in relation to ewaste are very welcome and I will be encouraging my collegues to support all the considerations and recommendations-Full details in item 9.3 on Council website - see under links.

From the agenda papers the review has found-
"There is high level of community satisfaction with Council’s Waste Management Services generally.Some people, however, would like Council to better address the issue of hard and illegal dumped rubbish on naturestrips.
The waste industry generally considers Council’s current method of hard rubbish collection best practice.
No other method of hard rubbish collection appears to provide a better deterrent to illegal rubbish dumping.

In retendering Council’s hard rubbish service, Council should consider:
o Options to increase recycling of hard and dumped rubbish
o Including ewaste recycling in the hard rubbish collection service
Recent changes to Federal Government legislation requires suppliers of electronic equipment to now fund the recycling of televisions and computers. These changes have reduced the cost of Council providing Ewaste collection days from about $120,000 to $55,000.
o Ways to increase proactive reporting of illegal dumped rubbish to reduce time
between dumping and removal
o Extending the hard rubbish collection service to working days over the
Christmas / New Year period.

Recommendation
That Council:
i. Continue with the current hard rubbish collection service method: on call,
presented on the naturestrip.
ii. Retender its Hard Rubbish Collection Service to
a. Include options for greater recycling of the rubbish as outlined in this paper
b. Include options for proactive reporting of dumped rubbish
c. Extend collection days to include all working days over the Christmas/New Year Period.
iii. Move to a kerbside collection of ewaste in 2013-14 ($120,000 already allowed in draft 2013-14 Budget for ewaste collection."

Draft budget and SRP 2013/14 - funds for increased public open space and Carnegie Pool

Last night Council's draft budget for 13/14 and the Strategic Resource Plan SRP (which allocated funds over a decade)were released.

There were many important highlights including from the draft budget

GESAC's popularity means that the sports and aquatic centre is budgeted to cover all its costs this financial year.This includes all the loan repayments and interest which is approx $3m per annum.

Duncan Mckinnon pavillion - $2.5m to complete
Centenary Park pavillion - $1.3m to begin with and $2m the following year to complete

Environmental Sustainability - $1.415m
- completion of energy saving streetlight changeover reducing Council's greenhouse emmissions
by upto 14%- $300k
- community energy audits for residents - $250k
- bicycle strategy- $100k less than other years mainly because most actions now complete
- solar panel trial on council properties incl pavillions - $115k
- drought tolerant grasses on sports grounds that greatly reduce water consumption - $600k

-from the draft SRP
- Booran Rd Reservoir converting to open space -$9.5m over two years from 2015-17
- Carnegie Pool -$5m for upgrading the facility over two years from 2017-19
- Public Open Space strategy -rolling funding increasing from $4m per year in 2017 upto $10.5m in 2023 to fund this strategy

From 1st July 2013 all Public Open Space contributions from new developments will be allocated to the aquisition or improvement of new not pre-existing open space.

Many of these items especially around Public Open Space herald very significant changes for the municipality.

Full details on Council website - view under links - Public submissions very welcome.