2017-04-11 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                 11 APRIL 2017


8.    Criteria for service exemptions

During the implementation of the new 3 bin waste collection service there is likely to be public
comment on the service changes. Anticipating those comments is useful and necessary to facilitate
early consideration of potential requests for exemption and to cater for them in the policy. The
following table lists the anticipated requests for exemption from receiving a third bin and
recommends the approach which could be taken by Council to these requests.

 Anticipated exemption                 Suggested Response                                 Exemption Allowed?
 request
 Unit owners and commercial            To mitigate the risk of anti-competitive           Allowed.
 premises within the designated 3      behaviour and minimise the impact on local
 bin service areas.                    businesses an undertaking has been given           Units   owners     and
                                       to service providers and to the ACCC that          commercial premises
                                       Council would not mandate the third garden         can request an optional
                                       waste bin for unit complexes and                   garden waste recycling
                                       commercial premises.                               service

 Owner has a service provider          Council’s objectives of diverting waste from       Allowed (unless the
 who removes garden waste for          landfill are achieved and an exemption             service provider wants
 beneficial reuse.                     should be allowed. Also meets the                  to use a garden waste
                                       undertaking provided to ACCC to ensure             recycling bin on site).
                                       Council is not acting in breach of competitive
                                       neutrality principals.

 Owner composts garden waste           Not all garden waste can readily be                Not allowed
 on site.                              composted e.g. sticks, palm fronds, dead
                                       branches, pest weeds, seed pods etc.
                                       These can be disposed of in the garden
                                       waste recycling bin.

 Owner prefers to take garden          Self-haul by the owner is not the most             Not allowed
 waste to the landfill by self-haul.   sustainable solution for residents due to
                                       transport costs, fuel, increasing traffic at the
                                       landfill and delays at the weighbridge. The
                                       costs of the garden waste collection service
                                       is a much more sustainable solution and
                                       guarantees the waste will not be placed into
                                       the general waste bin.

 Land area is so small the owner       This is an area for consideration. About 200       For discussion
 has no lawn or garden.                properties in the garden waste service area
                                       are under 400 sq. metres and would not
                                       have a substantial garden area. There are
                                       approximately 166 premises that are
                                       between 401 and 500 square metres in
                                       area. However, some of these owners must
                                       maintain the footpath and trim any trees.
                                       Exemption of these properties would mean
                                       that raw fruit and vegetable waste would go
                                       to landfill if they do not compost their waste.
                                       If they have no garden they would have little
                                       use for compost on site.




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