Council garbage trucks causing millions of dollars damage
MILLIONS of dollars worth of damage is being caused by council garbage trucks that regularly bring down overhead wires, drop bins on cars and bump into property.
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COUNCIL garbage trucks are causing millions of dollars damage to residents’ property across Melbourne every year.
Truck drivers are regularly clipping car side mirrors and bumper bars, bringing down overhead wires, dropping bins on cars, and bumping into fences, walls and garages.
An investigation into 18 inner-Melbourne councils, using Freedom of Information laws, found a litany of costly accidents across the city.
Many incidents occur as trucks try to negotiate narrow and car-lined inner-city streets, racking up big bills for councils or claims with insurers.
Port Phillip’s insurer had to stump up $49,020 between January 2013 and September 2016 for 39 accidents.
In Brimbank, the damage bill for 27 incidents over a similar period totalled $89,427. In the east, Boroondara council faced claims for about $84,000 for an 18-month period.
Yarra council, which covers the congested streets of Richmond, Fitzroy and Collingwood, was the only council to refuse access to its files because of “trade secrets”.
In the City of Melbourne, remarkably just two minor incidents were reported for all of 2015 and most of 2016.
Councils or contractors either paid for the damage or claimed on insurance, often paying the excess — as much as $5000 — on bigger damage claims such as when trucks hit cars or the sides of houses.
Victorian Waste Management Association executive director Andrew Tytherleigh said Melbourne’s inner-city streets were not designed for heavy, side-lift vehicles.
“It’s hard for drivers to manoeuvre around some of the streets,” he said.
“The rising population density and more cars provide real problems for drivers. You can’t stop people parking on the streets.”
Mr Tytherleigh said that trucks were not getting bigger as many people thought. Rather, smaller vehicles were often used to get into underground carparks and smaller spaces.
THE WHOLE HOUSE SHOOK
PRUE Dale was asleep early one Monday morning last September when a rubbish truck thumped into the side of her Albert Park home.
“The whole house just shook,’’ she said. “It was unbelievable. It was a thud and a half.’’
Ms Dale donned her dressing gown and ran out into the street to survey the damage.
The subsequent crack in the brickwork, damaged power lines. cracked fascia and a dislodged downpipe told the story.
A truck had tried to negotiate the narrow lane down the side of the house and rumbled into the corner of the single-storey brick home, leaving an estimated $30,000 repair bill that is still being negotiated six months later by Ms Dale’s insurance company and the council contractor Four Seasons.
With developments popping up in alleyways, Ms Dale knows the problems too well.
Before the big bang, trucks had cut across and chopped up the corner of her nature strip. After contacting the council a bollard was put in and parking was banned in the side alley on Mondays, collection day.
Port Phillip mayor Bernadene Voss said the council and its collection contractors responded to, investigated and resolved as soon as possible all reports of property damage.
Ms Dale’s case was dealt with quickly.
“Council staff met with the property owner within days of the incident report; to inspect the damage caused by the contractor, and discuss a solution with the property owner to minimise the chances of an incident occurring again,’’ Cr Voss said.
The council has asked the contractor to expedite the claims process, she said.
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE MORNING
A SELECTION of damage from thousands of recorded incidents across Melbourne
Forster St, Williamstown: A truck hydraulic hose broke, spraying hydraulic fluid over the bonnet of a car
Empress Ave, Kingsville: Bin slipped off a truck grab arm, falling on to a bonnet of a car
Regent St, Reservoir: Disposed car radio that was in a bin fell out as it was being collected, tipping on to and smashing the windscreen of a car
Karrakatta St, Black Rock: Truck knocked side mirror off the same Mercedes van TWICE in two weeks.
Wright St, Essendon (pictured): brick front fence claimed to have been knocked over THREE times by council rubbish truck
Huntingdale Rd, Oakleigh: Debris flying from rear of moving truck dented car behind.
Stanhope St, Camberwell: Truck collection arms were left extended, damaging parked car
Fairfield: Truck driver reversed into a car at the traffic lights, causing $4200 damage
Apex Ave, Hampton: Bin dropped on to car, smashing windscreen and denting bonnet
Coburg North: Truck ran into the back of car, causing more than $27,000 damage
Aberdeen St, Aberfeldie: Truck snapped off a tree limb, causing $4700 damage to a car
Cnr of Belmore and Page sts, Balwyn: Hydraulic hose broke, spraying oil on to and into car
Sydenham Rd, Sydenham: Brick pillar of retirement home fence knocked over.
Corner of Ballarat Rd and Cairnlea Dve, Cairnlea: Fully laden truck rear-ended a car at the traffic lights, prompting Brimbank Council to pay $5000 excess for insurance claim.
Opal Court, Bentleigh East: Overhead cables struck at same property THREE separate times, leaving low hanging wires hanging in the front yard.
COUNCIL BY COUNCIL BREAKDOWN
THE HERALD SUN contacted 18 inner-city councils, under Freedom of Information laws, seeking details on property damage caused by rubbish trucks.
This is a summary of their replies. Only the City of Yarra refused to supply any information.
BAYSIDE
41 claims of damage, either by resident complaint or contractor’s report, including:
Karrakatta St, Black Rock: Truck knocked side mirror off the same Mercedes van TWICE in two weeks.
Corner of Apex Ave and Bluff Rd, Hampton: Bin dropped on to car, smashing windscreen and denting bonnet.
Cluden St, Brighton East: Bin dropped on to boot of Subaru Forester
At least six claims were unproven
B ANYULE
37 reports in 20 months. Including:
Damage to vehicles in: Abbotsford Grove, Ivanhoe; Hawker St, Ivanhoe; Macleod Parade, Macleod and Glengala Court, Greensborough.
BOROONDARA
Council paid out about $84,000 for 30 claims between January 2015 and June 2016 — an average of about $4667 a month. Eleven claims were denied.
Many payouts were for damage caused by drivers not retracting the grab arms that pick up bins.
The council referred any damage caused by recycling trucks to its contractor Four Seasons.
BRIMBANK
A total of 27 incidents between January 2013 and September 2016 cost ratepayers $89,427.
In one incident, a fully laden truck rear-ended a car at the traffic lights at the corner of
Corner of Ballarat Rd and Cairnlea Dve, Cairnlea. Council paid $5000 excess for insurance claim.
Council paid $6367 when a truck hit a car at a roundabout on Talintyre Rd, Sunshine West.
DAREBIN
32 motor vehicle reports were filed between January 2015 and September 2016. Two cases were not the fault of the driver.
In Regent St, Reservoir, a disposed car radio that was in a bin fell out as it was being collected, tipping on to and smashing the windscreen of a car
A bin slipped off the grab arm, dropping on to a car, smashing the rear windscreen, in Flinders St, Thornbury.
A truck clipped a Honda Accord in Monash St, Reservoir, causing a $3619 repair bill.
A truck rear-ended a white van on High St, Thomastown, leading to a $4269 repair bill and the driver being referred to a training program.
GLEN EIRA
Total of 125 incidents between January 2013 and September 2016. No damage costs revealed.
Among the incidents, a truck clipped a tree on Helenslea Rd, Caulfield North, causing a branch to fall on to a vehicle. Driver door unable to be opened.
In August 2014, a garbage collector brought down overhead wires on Opal Court, Bentleigh East, leaving low hanging wires hanging in her front yard. Resident claimed driver ignored her and that is was the THIRD time it had happened.
HOBSONS BAY
42 reports of damage between January 2013 and September 2016.
Power lines were brought down on Everingham Rd, Altona Meadows, prompting the council to call emergency services.
Hydraulic fluid sprayed on to cars in two separate incidents — in Forster St, Williamstown and in Ararat St, Altona North.
The rear of a garbage truck cut a power line in half on Charles St, Williamstown.
KINGSTON
Total of 52 incidents involving garbage trucks reported by contractor Cleanaway between January 2015 and September 2016. No costs were revealed.
The reports include:
A car rear windscreen in Clyde Bank Rd, Edithvale, was smashed when a bin was lowered onto it after collection.
A driver emptying bins in Quail Close, Chelsea Heights, reversed into the side of a parked car.
A letterbox was damaged when a bin fell on it during collection in Lauren St, Dingley.
A truck pulled power cables from a house in Bourke St, Mentone.
A truck travelling along Abbotss Rd, South Dandenong, hit a stationery vehicle. emergency servcies were called. No injuries.
A car was damaged by a grab arm as the truck drove between two vehicles on Franklin Ave, Chelsea.
MANNINGHAM
Council supplied just four monthly reports, from July to September 2016. Previous reports were not supplied by the contractor.
Of those supplied, eight incidents were reported as possibly being the fault of the contractor Solo Resource Recovery. No costs were given.
In one incident, the gates at a property in Alexandra Rd, Warrandyte, had to be repaired after a truck reversed into them.
MARIBYRNONG
A total 28 claims of garbage truck damage between May 2015 and September 2016. Four claims were denied, six were in the hands of the insurers while another 18 were paid out.
In Empress Ave, Kingsville, a bn slipped off a truck grab arm, falling on to a bonnet of a car.
A truck swiped two cars on Canterbury St, Yarraville.
A truck reversed into a car in Ovens St, Yarraville, with contractor Remondis paying the repair bill on more than $6100.
MELBOURNE
Just two property damage incidents were reported between January 2015 and September 2016 — a wall damaged by a reversing vehicle and a wall scraped by a truck turning out of a lane in the CBD. No other details were supplied.
MONASH
The council’s contractor Solo Resource Recovery reported 52 incidents of damage and five claims against garbage trucks between January 2015 and December 2016. These include:
Debris flying from rear of moving truck near Huntingdale and Dandenong rds, Oakleigh, dented a car behind.
Truck pulled down telephone and Foxtel cables at a home in Cambridge Drive, Glen Waverley.
Resident claimed a truck damaged her caravan during rubbish collection on Sampson Drive, Mt Waverley.
Motorist reported a truck on Clyde St, Oakleigh, hit the front bumper bar “as though the mechanical hand has pierced through it’’.
MOONEE VALLEY
Reports of 26 incidents of damage between July 2013 and September 2016.
Including:
Low brick front fence in Wright St, Essendon: claimed to have been knocked over three times by council rubbish truck.
Truck snapped off a tree limb in Aberdeen St, Aberfeldie, causing $4700 damage to car.
Claim that the arm of a garbage truck dragged a car bumper under the vehicle in Unley Grove, Ascot Vale. Branches were also ripped off a tree in same street.
Report of $5259 damage caused to parked car in Young St, Moonee Ponds.
MORELAND
31 incidents lodged with council between February 2013 and July 2016, causing damaged totalling $228,000, including:
A truck hit a stationary object causing $14,000 damage in Gowanbrae.
Another truck hit a vehicle in Coburg North, leaving a $27,000 repair bill.
PORT PHILLIP
Between February 2013 and August 2016, 39 incidents were logged involving the council’s garbage, recycling, dumped rubbish and hard-waste collection contractor Four Seasons. The total repair cost, paid by the contractors’ insurers, was $49,000.
Damage to property included:
A truck struck a resident’s car in Neville St, Middle Park, ripping off the bumper bar, lights and front grille.
A white Subaru was hit by a rubbish truck in Centenary Drive, Port Melbourne, damaging the bumper bar.
A truck hit an Isuzu van leaving two gouges and breaking seals in Thomson St, South Melbourne.
STONNINGTON
121 reports of damage claims logged at the council between February 2013 and September 2016.
Cases include:
Truck hit a tree in Stanley St, Malvern East, causing a branch to fall on to a car bonnet.
A truck hit a car travelling in the other direction on Perth St, Prahran, because “d**khead wouldn’t pull over, one of us had to move, hit side of car.”
An automatic gate closed on a the rear of truck while entering Avenue Apartments on Chapel St, South Yarra.
A truck knocked over a fire hydrant causing it to burst, while reversing in McIlwrick St Prahran.
WHITEHORSE
Nine reports on the council’s complaints database were reported between August 2014 and April 2016. Most of the residents’ claims were denied by the council or its contractors JJ Richards.
YARRA
No information supplied because of “trade secrets”
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