Gympie council to slash some of its 500 public bins

Residents will be encouraged to adopt a ‘carry in, carry out’ approach and take their waste home where possible as part of a new policy it hopes will strike a balance between public bin numbers and the cost to keep them running

Gympie council could cut some of its 500 public bins across the region under a new policy it hopes will better balance cost and service levels. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY

The number of public bins across the region could be slashed under a new Gympie Regional Council policy it hopes will curb ongoing costs without hurting service levels.

Under the newly proposed Public Waste and Recycling Bins Policy, to be brought before councillors at Wednesday’s meeting, the council will review its service with an eye to “minimising” the number of waste and recycling bins while keeping“adequate level of service to the community”.

The council currently manages about 500 bins across the region.

If accepted the policy would lay down guidelines to help it balance the “significant resources and budget” without damaging the service.

Key parts of the policy include the council endorsing a “carry in, carry out” principle for people to take their rubbish home “wherever possible and practical”, the removal of underused public bins, and prohibiting businesses and homeowners from disposing of their commercial and domestic waste.

The report does not say how much the council spends servicing the bins each year; however in the 2019-20 financial year the entire waste service (including kerbside collection) cost $8.7 million.

The latest round of environment and community grants, a restructuring of councillors’ portfolios and the monthly review of the council’s financial position are other items on the agenda for the meeting, which starts at 9.30am.

It will be livestreamed by the council as public access is still restricted due to State COVID rules.