Mayor Hersey supported in attack on State Government bin mandate

MAYOR Nathan Hersey won unanimous support for his Notice of Motion to oppose the Victorian Government’s requirement for a separate kerbside bin for glass after speaking passionately about the unsuitability of the plan for South Gippsland Shire during Wednesday's council meeting.

Council will now write to the Minister for Environment seeking reconsideration of the compulsory glass kerbside collection service, requesting improved transparency regarding the business case supporting the introduction of a fourth bin.

“The policy is not only poorly designed but is increasingly opposed by councils right across Victoria for the same fundamental reasons; this mandate is not supported by a transparent business case, it’s not supported by evidence of improved environmental outcomes and it’s certainly not supported by the councils expected to deliver it,” Cr Hersey said.

Labelling the mandate that requires all Victorian councils to introduce a fourth bin by July 1 next year as a step that would be “expensive and duplicative”, he stressed that metropolitan, regional and rural councils have raised the same concerns.

He remarked that the mandate applies regardless of geography, population density or existing successful recycling systems.

“This is a textbook example of one size fits all, that’s designed for the State Government’s own convenience and not for a rural reality,” Cr Hersey said.

“I urge this council, and councillors, to advocate for more sensible, more flexible and more rural-appropriate approaches to glass recovery.”

Only around half of South Gippsland’s residents receive a kerbside waste collection service, so the new bin requirement wouldn’t reach the rest.

“The mandate would apply to approximately 13,800 properties regardless of whether the service is needed, wanted or cost effective,” Cr Hersey said.

Stressing the cost of introducing the extra bin would not be small, he noted the estimated figure for the first year is $983,000, followed by a $355,000 amount every year thereafter, elaborating that’s before CPI and not including future additional areas for kerbside collection.

The cost of the additional bins themselves is projected to be $588,000.

“These are real dollars that would ultimately fall to our ratepayers at a time when households are already under significant financial pressure; waste charges are passed on to ratepayers and that’s the way we operate with full cost recovery,” the Mayor declared.

For all the extra cost, he is adamant South Gippsland Shire would gain nothing through adopting the new glass bin requirement.

“We already have recycling bins that collect glass and centralised systems for that,” Cr Hersey said.

“Our existing drop off facilities deliver the same environmental outcome, the same level of glass recovery at a significantly lower cost.”

Cr Hersey commented that his opposition to the glass bin mandate is about responsible governance and ensuring every dollar ratepayers contribute is used in a fashion that results in real value.

He credited Councillors Clare Williams and Steve Finlay for raising their concerns in relation to rubbish and recycling early in the piece when the glass bin mandate was put forward.