Moreland Council stands by hard rubbish scavenging ban

MORELAND Council is still refusing to let scavengers pick through hard rubbish, despite admitting most items go straight to the tip.

Moreland Council is standing by its ban on hard rubbish scavengers. Picture: Supplied

MORELAND Council is still refusing to let scavengers pick through hard rubbish, despite admitting most items go straight to the tip.

The council recently surveyed residents asking if they wanted to keep annual hard rubbish collections, switch to an on-call service or start a combination of the two.

RELATED: Moreland Council considering on-call service for hard rubbish

Leader has since received dozens of comments, with almost all in favour of keeping annual collections.

Hard rubbish collections are popular for scavenging, which is outlawed under Moreland local laws.

Posters on the Hard Rubbish Melbourne Facebook page said annual collections were preferable.

“It really makes me happy to see the things I put out disappear and find new homes,” Karis Sim posted.

“It feels like giving back to the community, and I know it’s not going to landfill.”

Jo Connellan said she hoped the collections remained annual as “so much more gets recycled, and it’s a like a festival”.

Council’s director of city infrastructure Grant Thorne said almost 1000 people responded to the survey and a report would be presented in March.

He said scrap metal, TVs, computers and mattresses put out for hard rubbish were recycled, but everything else was taken to landfill.

Mr Thorne said people who wanted to take non-recyclable items from others’ hard rubbish piles should ask the owners’ permission first.

“When these (recyclable) items are taken from hard waste piles through scavenging, the cost to collect hard waste increases for Moreland ratepayers,” Mr Thorne said.

“Another issue with scavenging is that hard waste piles are often left in a mess, which creates an unsafe environment for the Moreland community and those contracted to collect hard waste.”

But Brunswick’s Johnny Marzella, a long-time scavenger, said asking permission was not always possible.

“I believe it’s an education process,” Mr Marzella said.

“Respect people and the rubbish.”