Disgruntled Brimbank resident Chris O’Neill has started a petition calling for better alternatives for residents after the council cancelled its bundled green-waste collection.
Mr O’Neill said the council had handled the situation poorly, not properly informing residents of the changes or other options.
“I don’t think they should be cancelling core services without consulting the community,” he said.
Star Weekly recently reported that Mr O’Neill had made numerous bids to the council for answers but was unhappy with their response.
Brimbank scrapped its bundled green-waste collection service this year after a decline in usage. A third of residents used the bundled collection service before it was cancelled, while 50 per cent opted for kerbside green-waste collection.
The council had been offering its bundled green waste collection service since 1997 and said its cessation would save about $350,000 annually.
Infrastructure and environment director Paul Younis said the savings would be absorbed into the council’s budget for other services, such as playground maintenance, community facilities and streetscapes.
“Council acknowledges those residents who utilised the annual bundled green-waste collection will be disappointed in the change,” Mr Younis said.
But he said residents had been told about the changes to green-waste collection in this year’s waste calendar, which was distributed to all Brimbank households in February.
The council is offering an “at call” bundled-waste collection service through a contractor at a rate of $65 for up to four cubic metres. Otherwise, residents can pay for an optional kerbside green-waste bin. They can also, for a fee, take their green waste to recycling depot The Green Centre at Keilor Park.
Mr Neill’s petition is at www.change.org/p/brimbank-city-council-review-of-green-waste
Ashley Alasagas
