Households waste collection fees to outstrip inflation as Sydney councils eye increases up to 34 per cent from July

More pain is on the way for financially stressed Sydney households as the cost of household domestic waste charges are set to rise in some areas by more than 30 per cent.

The cost of having household bins collected is set to surge in suburbs across greater Sydney as a growing list of local councils plan major increases in their bin collection fees.

Council budget documents have revealed more pain is on the way for financially stressed households as the cost of household domestic waste charges are set to rise in some areas by more than 30 per cent from the start of the new financial year in July.

Campbelltown Council – home to more than 150,000 people – is planning one of the biggest increases in NSW with household domestic waste charges due to rise by 34.1 per cent – or $156 – from the current charge of $458 to $614 per annum.

The domestic waste charges are paid in addition to the general rates bill and are meant to recover costs related to kerbside collections.

According to the council, the increase is a result of a new contract for waste disposal and “reflects current market rates’’.

Domestic waste management charges are on the rise across Sydney.

Other councils planning big increases from July include Georges River which wants a 19.96% per cent increase for standard waste management charges – rising from $511 to $613 – a $102 increase.

Hornsby Council is meanwhile planning an 8 per cent increase – an increase the council says is required to meet rising contractual and disposal services costs.

In Mosman, an 8 per cent has been approved by local councillors – meaning households will pay $750 to have a standard 120 litre bin collected.

Standard collection charges will rise by up to 34 per cent in some council areas.

Penrith Council is planning increases between 6.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent, depending on the type and size of the household bin.

Hills Shire residents will have to budget for an extra $73 increase with standard fees rising to $573.

In Lane Cove, the domestic waste charge for average households is planned to increase from $498 to $560.90.

Collection fees are paid on top of general household rate bills.

Standard waste charges will also increase by 5 per cent in Waverley, 4.8 per cent in Canada Bay, 4.5 per cent in Ryde and 4 per cent in Randwick.

The increase by some councils has raised concerns over the financial impact on households already feeling the strain of cost of living, mortgage and inflation pressures.

Bill Crews from the Exodus Foundation which runs an outreach food support service in Campbelltown area said the increase could not come at a worse time.

Differing fees typically apply to the size and type of collection service by local councils.

“We provide 1600 meals every day all around Sydney and since the pandemic the demand for the service has quadrupled,” he said.

“Lots of households who never needed help in the past are now turning to support services. There’s an increased need in every area.”

The planned increases come after the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) this year gave councils the ability to “vary” their domestic waste annual charges without any specific pricing cap in place.

Darriea Turley, mayor of Broken Hill and president of Local Government NSW.

Darriea Turley, president of Local Government NSW, rejected suggestions that bin fees are being used by councils as a way of raising extra revenue or circumventing caps on general council rate increases which were this year set by IPART at 4.5 per cent.

“For many councils the costs of providing waste collection services have gone up – prices are rising for wages, petrol, and the council’s are having to cover it,” she said.

“The cost of living pressures people are feeling at home are also being felt by councils.”

Not all councils are planning to hike their fees above inflation, with Canterbury-Bankstown proposing a 2.5 per cent increase from July.

Northern Beaches and Cumberland Councils will each ask residents to fork out an extra $31 for standard waste fees while Inner West residents will pay an additional $28.

Fairfield Council is bucking the trend – planning a decrease in collection fees of 1.5 per cent which the council says is “in recognition of the cost-of-living pressures faced by our community”.

A Campbelltown Council spokesman said the increase in collection fees was also a result of increased tipping facility gate fees, as well as annual increases to the Environment Protection Authority Waste Levy – a fee charged by the NSW Government on the disposal of waste to landfill.

“We acknowledge that this increase may place additional pressure on some households, and we have a range of financial assistance initiatives in place to support residents who need it,” Campbelltown Council director of city services Ben Hoyle said.

Ms Turley said the rising costs of waste collection fees come as councils are dealing with industry-wide waste collection challenges including lack of processing infrastructure, a shortage of readily accessible waste collection sites, and financial outlays for expanding to organic food waste collection services.