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Exclusive: A Melbourne suburb is in turmoil over a contentious proposal by the local council to reduce red bin collection frequency from weekly to bi-weekly starting next year.
Merri-bek City Council, located just 5 kilometers from Melbourne’s CBD, is implementing changes to its curbside waste collection service. The aim is to lower expenses for residents while also decreasing the volume of waste sent to landfills.
The most significant adjustment is scheduled for July 2027, when the council intends to shift rubbish collection to a bi-weekly schedule.
The council has already tested this bi-weekly collection system in areas such as Hadfield, Brunswick, and Brunswick West. Feedback from the trial, as reported to nine.com.au, has been varied.
“For some residents, the transition has been challenging, whereas others have adapted without issue,” a spokesperson from Merri-bek City Council stated.
“Some have found the change challenging, while others have adjusted quickly,” a Merri-bek City Council spokesperson said.
“Despite the mixed views, most households did manage to make the change.”
The amount of waste sent to landfill was reduced by nearly 20 per cent in the six-month trial, or about three kilos per household each fortnight.
It also saved the council money.
If rolled out council-wide, the swap from weekly to fortnightly collections could save Merri-bek City Council more than $1 million based on the trial a spokesperson said.
They did not say how much ratepayers specifically would save.
Merri-bek City Council is due to make a final decision about the proposed change in June.
If it confirms the change, Merri-bek residents will be given new, bigger red bins (up to 240 litres) to cope with an extra week of rubbish.
“Different waste charges apply for different-sized bins. Smaller bins have a lower waste charge than larger bins,” the spokesperson said.
Concessions would be available to households with extra waste needs, like those with multiple children in nappies.
More than 20 Victorian councils have already moved to fortnightly rubbish collections.
Some locals welcome the plan for a more waste-conscious Merri-bek.
Andrea Bunting has lived in the area for 33 years and hopes fortnightly collections will encourage more locals to use their green bins for food waste.
“Our society needs to reduce waste going to landfill,” she told nine.com.au.
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Bunting lives in a block of six flats with communal bins and said everyone will need to work together to make fortnightly collections work.
She understands why some locals are apprehensive, especially families that need to dispose of lots of dirty nappies.
“I hope council is working with these households to ensure the change goes smoothly,” she said.
Other residents told nine.com.au they rarely fill their red bins all the way and wouldn’t mind fortnightly collections if it means lower council rates.
But they seem to be in the minority.
One resident from a fortnightly collection trial suburb who spoke to nine.com.au on the condition of anonymity called it a “nightmare”.
They said that bins start to smell very quickly, even in a two-person household that composts and recycles.
“We ended up putting all our waste in council or street bins for the first week, and then putting it in our bin the second week before collection,” they said.
Paul, who asked that his surname not be published, has lived in the area for 14 years and is vehemently against fortnightly rubbish collection.
“If the issue is reducing rubbish and redirecting waste, there are better ways to do it,” he told nine.com.au.
“This feels lazy and screams of a reduction in council services.”
Many of his neighbours feel the same way.
Marcus*, who did not want his real name published, said his red bin is full every week and will overflow is collections are reduced to fortnightly.
He doesn’t want his child’s nappies and other household rubbish spilling onto the street, especially when he pays nearly $5000 in yearly council rates.
“If you miss the collection, game over,” he told nine.com.au.
“Good luck over the Christmas period and school holidays.”
Another resident, Suzi Turner, claimed there’s already a waste dumping issue in Merri-Bek and said fortnightly collections would only make it worse.
“The government needs to take decisive action on manufacturers using unnecessary packaging, plastics and other materials that don’t break down,” she told nine.com.au
“There is a widely held view that this is an inevitable change and there is nothing we can do to stop it,” he claimed.
“People will naturally get upset when they feel powerless.”
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