IS002 - Waste Management and Waste Recovery Policy

Infrastructure Services

Policy No.: / IS002 /

IS002 - Waste Management And Waste Recovery Policy

Review Date: / As required
Revision No.: / 001
Policy Manual Version No.: / 001
Adopted by: / Moorabool Shire Council / 20 June 2007

1. Purpose and Scope of the Policy

This policy explains the objectives and general principles of the Moorabool Shire Council in the optimum delivery of waste management services for the community.

Objective

Moorabool Shire Council is committed to working with the community, local business, and industry to provide them with the knowledge, understanding, skills and motivation necessary to minimise waste and litter across the municipality.

Council has identified as a goal the provision of consistent services to the residents of the municipality and the disposal of putrescible waste outside the Moorabool Shire. Council has embraced the concept of user pays philosophy and technology will be pursued to achieve this goal where practicable.

General Principles

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

The waste minimisation hierarchy of reducing, reusing and recycling, minimises resource consumption and the environmental and economic costs associated with resource extraction and harvesting, and the processing, manufacturing, transport and disposal of materials.

The Waste Wise program highlights the benefits of minimising the consumption of natural resources and production of wastes and fosters environmentally conscious actions that people can incorporate in their day to day lives.

The long term goals of the Waste Wise program are to:

• reduce the cost of waste and litter management to councils and the community overall; foster the development of a Waste Wise ethic within the community;
• reduce the wasteful use of resources; reduce the amount of material going into landfill; and reduce the amount of litter produced.

1. Policy

Landfills

Mt Egerton Landfill:

The Mt Egerton Landfill will be rehabilitated and a Transfer Station built on the site in 2006/07. All waste will be transported to a facility outside the Moorabool Shire, following the construction of the Ballan Transfer Station. Residents will be encouraged to separate recyclables and deposit them into the correct area at the Transfer Station. These recyclables will be transported to a recognised recycling facility for reuse. When the landfill is closed, it will need to be maintained in accordance with the EPA approved closure plan.

Ballan Landfill:

The Ballan Landfill has an expected life of only another 12 months and it is proposed to build a Transfer Station at the current site and all waste will be transported to a facility outside the Moorabool Shire. All recyclables will be transported to a recognised recycling facility for reuse. When the landfill is closed, it will need to be maintained in accordance with the EPA approved closure plan.

Kerr's Road Landfill:

This landfill was closed in 2002 and has been rehabilitated. The landfill will be monitored every six months to ensure compliance with the EPA closure plan.

New Tip Hours:

Mt. Egerton Landfill:

Open Saturday and Sunday

12.00noon to 5.00pm

Ballan Landfill:

Open Wednesday to Monday

1.00pm to 5.00pm

(Closed Tuesdays)

Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station:

Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday

10.00am to 4.00pm

Transfer Stations.

Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station

A Transfer Station was built and has been fully operation in Osborne Street, Bacchus Marsh since 2002.

The Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station provides the opportunity for residents to bring self-hauled domestic waste to be sorted and disposed of. No commercially collected garbage (i.e. trucks over 5 tonne) is accepted at the Transfer Station.

All of the waste that is deposited at the Transfer Station is separated into reusable, recyclable, and residual waste categories and is disposed of off-site according to its reuse potential.

Residents are encouraged to cover and secure their loads to prevent littering. Council's Compliance Officers will prosecute any offender/s found to have unsecured loads.

Waste Collection

Waste Management.

The garbage service is performing well and the new recycling service has been embraced by the residents of Moorabool Shire. Also,the Moorabool Shire Council would like to congratulate the community on a significant reduction in the amount of waste being deposited at landfill sites and the Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station. The Council is committed to work with the community to minimise waste and litter across the Moorabool Shire. Working together, we are succeeding.

Greenwaste Collection

Moorabool Shire Council does not have a kerbside greenwaste collection but residents can take their clean greenwaste to Mt.Egerton landfill, Ballan landfill or the Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station and pay half the prescribed fee. Any contaminated greenwaste is charged at full price.

The greenwaste from the Bacchus Marsh Transfer Station is taken to the Ballan landfill and processed by Organic Recyclers Pty Ltd. They also process all the greenwaste that comes into the Ballan landfill.

Domestic Waste/Recycling Collections

Currently Council operates the waste collection on a weekly 120ltr mobile garbage bin (mgb) service in the urban areas of Bacchus Marsh and Ballan and a fortnightly 240ltr mgb service in most rural areas of the Shire.

Both Urban and Rural areas of the Shire have a fortnightly 240ltr mgb recycling service. Both services are working well and are continually monitored.

Council has introduced numerous new areas onto the service including Korweinguboora, Spargo Creek, Morrisons and Balliang. Other areas will be looked at as the need arises.

Council will investigate the areas that are currently optional with a view to making them compulsory. This in turn will reduce the service costs across the Shire and streamline the administration of the services.

Council agrees to provide every resident within the waste/recycling area with a recycling bin free of charge. The recycling bins remain the property of Council and are registered to the property they are issued to. Any replacement bins due to damage, being stolen etc., will be free of charge. Recycling bins will have a green body with a yellow lid in accordance with industry standard.

Waste and Recycling Bins

Residents are required to purchase their own waste bins and can purchase them through Council. Residents are allowed a 120ltr mgb for Urban areas and 240ltr mgb for Rural areas. Waste bins will have a green body with a red lid in accordance with industry standard.

Bins not purchased through Council, will be required to be inspected prior to coming onto the service. If they do not have a red lid on the garbage bin, residents will have to purchase a red lid from Council at a fee set by Council.

Only properties that have a Certificate of Occupancy issued, can come onto the service. (Council does have a few properties that have come onto the service with a self-contained shed or caravan on the property while building, but this is not encouraged due to the theft of bins being high).

Council will replace broken lids, wheels, pins etc., on waste bins free of charge to residents but take no responsibility for waste bins that are over 5 years of age and become brittle. Industry only guarantees mobile bins for a period of 5 years life span.

Council, under Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) guidelines, brought in a policy on 12 May, 2003, that no bins found to be overfull would be emptied and no warning stickers would be issued after the above date. Overfull bins can cause waste/recycling to dislodge and injure pedestrians or damage the garbage/recycling collection vehicles or the Contractor’s staff.

Bins that are too heavy for the mechanical arm to lift will be left uncollected and stickered by the Contractors. Bins that have foreign objects in them i.e. motors, metal wheels etc., will be left uncollected and stickered.

The Contractor will not return to collect bins that are only partly emptied. This only occurs when something in the bin is stopping rubbish coming out, or the rubbish has been squashed down preventing rubbish from coming out.

It is the responsibility of the resident to ensure the bins, both recycling and garbage, are kept in good condition and sanitised.

School, Emergency Services & Community Groups Recycling

Council provides schools, emergency services & community groups with a recycling program and a maximum of 4 recycling bins will be collected fortnightly from any individual school or community group. Council provides the recycling bins to schools, emergency services & community groups and if they choose to withdraw from the service, the bins are returned to Council.

Schools, emergency services & community groups must agree to commit for a minimum period of twelve months. (The rate for school, emergency services & community groups recycling will be adjusted annually in the budget process).

Recreation Reserves and Halls

Council provides a free waste service to Committees of Management for Recreation Reserves and Halls within the municipality. This is funded by the waste management charge and is limited to two 240 litre bin per week. This excludes MaddingleyPark, DarleyPark and Masons Lane Recreational Reserve which are serviced under a separate agreement. Currently a recycling service cannot be provided to recreation reserves.

Cancellation of Non-Compulsory Services

Residents who wish to cancel their non-compulsory service are required to leave Councils recycling bin out for the Contractor to take it away. The garbage/recycling charge will not be taken off the property until the recycling bin has been given back. A letter to residents advising this will be sent after each request for cancellation.

Commercial / Industrial Waste Collection

Council operates a 240 litre commercial waste collection service across the municipality. This service is non-compulsory and businesses can pull out of the service at any time by writing to Council.

The service is user pays i.e. number of bins x number of days collection = $ cost.

There is currently no recycling collection provided for Commercial premises.

1. That the community be advised of the adoption of the policy.

1. That the waste booklet be updated and sent to residents.

1. Review

This policy will be reviewed as required.

1. Attachment

Nil.

1. Revision Dates

Nil.

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