Macedon Ranges Council confident waste collection won’t be affected

A MACEDON Ranges waste and recycling crisis looks to have been averted despite contractor Wheelie Waste deciding to pull the plug on operations this Friday.

A MACEDON Ranges waste and recycling crisis looks to have been averted despite contractor Wheelie Waste deciding to pull the plug on operations this Friday.

Its decision late last week came a day after the council publicly confirmed it was awarding its next waste and recycling contract to Four Seasons Waste.

The Leader understands interim measures have been put into place and bins will be collected from Monday.

Macedon Ranges assets and operations director Dale Thornton said the council collected about 30,000 bins each week and “we are hopeful there’d be little to no disruption to the current service”.

Wheelie Waste’s move comes almost two months after it made a snap decision to not collect bins in the Macedon Ranges and Mt Alexander shires for one day. Its protest came amid wrangling over State Government assistance after sudden spikes in recycling costs.

Macedon Ranges chief executive Margot Stork said under the terms of its current contract, Wheelie Waste was required to continue its service until the end of September.

The council “was considering all its options in the light of Wheelie Waste’s decision”, she said.

“In the meantime, council is working with the new contractor to ensure services can begin when required. The new contractor is a very experienced operator and the council has confidence Four Seasons will deliver the kerbside collection services to a high standard.”

Four Seasons Waste services Bendigo, Port Phillip and Yarra councils.

It has been a frenetic few months for the council as the repercussions of China’s decision not to take Australian recyclables affect local governments.

The council’s draft budget outlined increased waste charges of $49 for the upcoming financial year.

Council representatives will urge for reform and assistance of the recycling industry at the National General Assembly for Local Government in Canberra next month.

Hepburn Council has also written to the shire about its interest in forming a regionally-owned waste corporation, an initiative the council plans to investigate further.

Federal Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg on Friday directed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Australian Renewable Energy Agency to prioritise waste to energy incineration projects that burn residual waste to generate electricity.

Mounting recycling deposits are forming across the country in the wake of the Chinese decision.