Yarra refuses to collect rubbish and tells residents to drop off cardboard waste themselves

Greens-run Yarra Council still won’t collect its residents’ recyclable rubbish weekly – instead ratepayers are being told to drop off any cardboard waste themselves.

Angry residents from the City of Yarra are unhappy the council ignored their please to have recycling collected more regularly. Picture: Supplied.

Greens-run Yarra Council has refused to listen to residents’ pleas to have their recycling rubbish collected weekly – instead ratepayers are being told to drive to a depot and drop off their cardboard waste.

A push to reverse a move to fortnightly recycling collections was dismissed at a fiery online meeting of the inner-city council, with waste management boss Joe Agostino at one stage telling residents to have a “new relationship with your bin’’.

Ratepayers struggling with overflowing bins are angry at being told to drive to the Burnley depot to dispose of their cardboard – as long as they flatten any boxes.

Yarra council had previously told residents to get to know their neighbours – by giving them your excess rubbish.

Frustrated residents said yellow-lid bins were overflowing so people were putting recycling into general waste bins, excess rubbish was a safety hazard and that driving to the Burnley depot simply created more emissions.

Yarra residents are fed up at recycling rubbish piling up in their streets. Picture: David Geraghty

A petition of more than 2300 Yarra residents was also presented to the council but the motion was rejected by seven to two.

Petition organiser Adam Promnitz said residents were being ignored and most ratepayers simply wanted their rubbish picked up weekly.

“How about you guys just listen to us?’’ he said.

Cr Stephen Jolly, who put the weekly bin motion, said the discontent in the community was massive.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,’’ he said.

“Going to fortnightly recycling was like one step forward, two steps back.’’

The community once again were completely ignored with council staff and councillors telling us how great they are at listening while simultaneously ignoring the problem in front of their eyes that everyone can see.

The Emperor has new clothes! https://t.co/FLBqsinX6g

— Yarra Residents Collective (@yarraresidents) March 2, 2021

Greens mayor Gabrielle de Vietri said the new cardboard recycling drop-off in Burnley was opened in response to community feedback and need, and that about 5 cubic metres of recyclable cardboard a day had been dropped off already.

“The new service is being delivered to our community at no extra cost, as collections from the drop-off point are being done as part of our existing kerbside service using the same trucks,’’ Cr de Vietri said.

Households were being offered larger bins but many inner-city residents said they did not have room.

A separate, glass bin was also provided as part of the changes which started on November 20.

Not good enough @YarraCouncil & @GabrielledeVie
We DEMMAND our weekly recycling bin pick up back.
We didn't ask for another recycling station.
Just do your job and actually look after your rate payers. pic.twitter.com/DyCaULR1RD

— SaveOurStreets (@StreetsSave) March 2, 2021

Earlier in the meeting Cr de Vietri cut back ratepayers’ verbal submissions to the meeting from five minutes to three, a move which prompted Cr Jolly to counter: “You don’t have the right to do that. You’re not Stalin.’’

@IanRoyall