Susie O’Brien: fortnightly bin collection won’t save environment

It’s absurd this council wants parents living in the hottest parts of Victoria to go back to using cloth nappies for the sake of a rebate.

It’s absurd to suggest the parents of Victoria, especially those living in the hottest part of our state, go back to the dark ages and use cloth nappies again, writes Susie O’Brien.

“Gee, I wish I could go back to using cloth nappies again. It’s so great scraping off poo and having pails of disgusting soaking nappies everywhere,” SAID NO PARENT EVER.

So why does one Victorian council think a “cloth nappy rebate” is the answer to the fortnightly collection woes of its residents?

Mildura Rural City Council is copping significant backlash over its move to collect general waste bins only once every two weeks.

Green organic waste bins will be collected every week, but they don’t allow nappies – along with lots of other things that become unhygienic after two weeks of sitting in a bin in the sun. Nappies will only be collected in the smaller general waste bins once a fortnight.

It’s led councillor Helen Healy to suggest a “cloth nappy rebate”.

Cloth nappies won’t fix the bin problem in Mildura, writes Susie O’Brien.

Councillor Healy is listed on the council’s website as having “73 first cousins”, so you’d think she might have changed a nappy or 2000.

It’s absurd to suggest the parents of Victoria — especially those living in the hottest part of our state — go back to the dark ages and use cloth nappies again.

My own council of Boroondara moved to this bin system around a year ago.

For our family of five — and at times seven — it’s been a nightmare.

Despite our best efforts to sort waste and do the right thing, we’re left with an overflowing general rubbish bin and a green bin with hardly anything in it.

The small benchtop bin designed to collect food scraps quickly becomes smelly and disgusting.

It’s a system that doesn’t suit anyone but the councils, who pay less tip fees.

With no guarantee that the recycling is even getting recycled, it seems a massive impost on households.

Like most people, I support increased recycling rates and a reduction of rubbish going into landfill, but the fortnightly bin collection doesn’t lead to either of those things.

It’s just a way for councils to provide a lesser service but still charge us the same.

It also enables them to trump their green credentials at the expense of the convenience and of residents.