Darebin workers caught sending recycling to the rubbish tip

Residents of a usually eco-friendly municipality were shocked to discover council rubbish contractors cutting corners by mixing recycling with landfill.

Residents in Melbourne’s north have been shocked to discover waste collectors contracted by the local council cutting corners by sending recycling to the tip, instead of carrying out the rubbish collection service ratepayers fork out for.

City of Darebin employees began a protected industrial action partial work ban on May 2, with workers refusing to work on almost all council operations such as street cleaning, litter pick up, park cleaning and more.

The protest comes after more than 200 council employees voted to reject their enterprise agreement offer and take action to demand pay rises, fairer workplace processes around disciplinary procedures and work vacancy options.

Waste collectors have been among the hundreds of employees refusing to work, meaning that the council has used external contractors as the rubbish piles up.

Rubbish is piling up on the streets of the Darebin municipality as the council’s waste collectors are on strike.

Footage obtained by the Australian Services Union (ASU) shows a council-contracted garbage collection company emptying recyclable and non-recyclable waste from separate bins into the same truck.

Reservoir East resident Lisa Reid said the situation was “really alarming”.

“We trust in our waste collection service that it will reduce landfill, promote recycling … If that's not happening who can we trust, how can we trust the council to be doing the right thing?” she said.

“It’s deceiving residents that we are getting a good service and that our waste and resources go where they say they're going … that’s a big problem.”

Northcote resident Tim Holdsworth said many residents sympathised with the council employees undertaking industrial action in the face of rising cost of living, but “punishing the public” was too far.

“Residents are rightly angry that council isn’t fulfilling its primary role, and now it appears years of financial mismanagement mean they can’t pay their staff either,” Mr Holdsworth said.

“Residents have been hit with a hike in rates as well as a new separate waste charge on top of rates.

“Despite this gouging of residents, it seems our recycling is again going to landfill and street bins aren’t being emptied, leading to litter in our parks and waterways causing an environmental disgrace.”

According to the ASU, Darebin Council has resisted requests to improve pay, disciplinary procedures and consultation around work vacancies, absences and workloads.

ASU Vic Tas deputy branch secretary Tash Wark said extended use of contractors and “attacks” on council staff by executive management were part of a continuing campaign to drive down pay and conditions at the City of Darebin.

“The council is refusing to address even non-cost items in our enterprise agreement claims and is holding fast to a low-pay deal for workers,” Ms Wark said.

‘At the same time, it is paying outside contractors to come in and do the jobs of Darebin employees, or rather paying them to do a second-rate job, which is leaving the ratepayers of the city worse off.

‘The City of Darebin managers need to reassess their aggressive and combative attitude to their workers.”

In response to the waste collection issue, a spokesperson for City of Darebin made the following comment.

“There are times when general waste can become mixed with recycling and contaminate it to a level where it cannot be processed as recycling, so it must be collected as general waste.”