Tie down your bins, windy weather not over just yet

Tie down your bins – the wild winds aren’t leaving just yet, with authorities warning Geelong residents to prepare.

A trampoline found a new home on Cox Rd in Corio. Picture: Facebook

The windy weather is not over yet, with the State Emergency Service (SES) telling Geelong residents to ready themselves – and their bins.

BOM information officer Morgan Pumpa said while Geelong weather had settled compared to the violent cold fronts seen on August 28 and September 2, more cold fronts were expected on Thursday and again Sunday, brining strong winds.

Extensive bin collection delays thanks to record-breaking winds left Greater Geelong and Surf Coast residents picking up rubbish reportedly strewn across streets.

One frustrated St Leonards ratepayer, who did not want to be named, said her entire street had been left “a mess” after strong winds knocked bins over.

“We had broken glass from bottles in the gutter and rubbish all over the street,” she said.

“The wind just kept blowing the garbage and recycling bins over, but rather than maybe come and collect the bins the council waited an extra day.

“It was ridiculous.”

The extreme weather event left thousands of Geelong and the Surf Coast residents without power on Monday downing trees, closing schools and damaging infrastructure, as destructive winds hit gusts of more than 100km p/h across the day.

City of Greater Geelong executive director city infrastructure James Stirton said for safety reasons, the council’s provider was unable to collect bins on Monday due to the extreme weather conditions.

“As they work to catch up, it is possible that there will be delays to collections for the rest of the week, with some bins collected the day after their scheduled day,” he said.

“Residents whose bins are not collected on the scheduled day this week are asked to leave them out and they will be collected the following day.”

He said this week’s collections would be complete by Saturday and would hopefully return to normal next week, subject to weather, with updates to be posted online.

“Unfortunately, given more extreme weather is forecast, there is a possibility of further delays if it is unsafe for our provider to collect bins on any given day,” he said.

Damage in Leopold after the wild weather. Picture: Cam Ward

Surf Coast Shire acting general manager placemaking and environment Dee Gomes said kerbside collections were back on schedule, after delays due to Monday’s damaging weather.

She said the shire encouraged community members to help waste truck drivers and each other by collecting spilt rubbish from toppled bins.

“This will keep litter from scattering into our waterways and ocean, and help the drivers get through their routes as quickly as they can,” she said.

From Tuesday August 28 to Wednesday September 4, SES units in Greater Geelong and the Otways received more than 800 call outs, with 260 due to wind damage and more than 500 due to trees down.

SES regional duty officer Jo Kegg warned people to prepare for more by tying down loose objects including outdoor furniture.

“Especially trampolines – we often see trampolines parked elsewhere,” she said.

Mr Stirton said rubbish on public land could be reported at 5272 5272.

Originally published as Tie down your bins, windy weather not over just yet