Changes could be on the way to who picks up your rubbish and how much it costs.

Galong waste facility may be one of just six sites to be ‘closed quickly’ if Hilltops Councillors vote that way at Wednesday’s Council meeting. Also quick to go, or needing redeployment into other roles will be the small team of local drivers at Hilltops Council, who are based in Harden and who pick up our red, green and yellow bins, as Council moves to privatise its kerbside waste collection by tendering the entire Hilltops network. Currently only Young and Boorowa are picked up privately.

If the closure goes ahead residents of Galong would also be expected to travel to Boorowa or Harden to dispose of their waste with the closure of their tip.

The recommendation states that Council receive and note the report and that Council Go out to tender for kerbside collection of general waste, green waste and recycling across all kerbside collection areas of Hilltops, with options for: i. Collection of food organics and garden organics (FOGO) by 2030; ii. Expanded kerbside collection to all Residential zoned land with minimum lot size not exceeding 2ha in the Hilltops Local Environmental Plan 2022; iii. Expanded kerbside collection to all residential properties zoned RU5 Village in the Hilltops Local Environmental Plan 2022; iv. Expanded kerbside collection along transport routes between town and village kerbside collection areas; (c) Place plans to close, consolidate and modify waste facilities on public exhibition for a minimum of 28 days including: i. Closing the waste facilities at Bribbaree, Galong, Koorawatha, Milvale, Monteagle, and Murringo to customers by 1 July 2024 at the latest, with current users of those facilities directed to use their next nearest facility; ii. Consolidating five facilities into two in the north-east (Frogmore, Hovells Creek and Reids Flat) and south-east (Rugby and Rye Park) of the local government area iii. Changing the materials accepted and access arrangements for waste facilities as described in this report; and (d) A further report be brought back to Council after the public exhibition on the plans to close, consolidate and modify waste facilities.

Council is relying on data from a community consultation process undertake between February and May this year.

The report states, “During consultation, the community indicated that fees and services should be harmonised across the Hilltops Local Government Area (LGA), replacing the three systems inherited from the former Boorowa, Harden, and Young Shire Councils. This included rural residents from the former Boorowa LGA noting they have paid significantly higher rural waste management charges than the former Harden and Young LGAs.”

Does this now mean residents of Young and Boorowa will pay more in a harmonisation process so that Boorowa residents pay less?

It is worth noting that the business paper states, “Kerbside collections occur under contracts that will expire in November 2024. The cost of these collections will vary depending on market conditions at the time of the tender being awarded, as well as the services requested by Council including which properties would receive a kerbside collection service.”

Costs could in all regard go down, however with recent inflation figures over the last 24 months soaring, it’s more likely this means the cost could be further inflated.

According to Council their transfer stations are making a loss and significant changes are needed in how they fund the facilities.

The report states, “Following the feedback received during consultation, changes to waste facilities are being considered in line with the following principles: Three tiers of service would be provided at waste facilities in each area: (1) Village facilities (Jugiong, North West, North, North East and South East) would open with an electronic key 24 hours a day. They would have security including fencing, CCTV with number plate recognition and periodic inspections by Council staff. They would accept general waste, green waste, and recycling into skip bins.

(2) Rural facilities (North West, North, North East and South East) would be open two to three half-days per week including one half weekend day. They would be staffed during opening times to supervise waste disposal as they would accept wastes such as DrumMuster containers, steel, oil, and tyres which pose a greater risk of contamination or fire.

(3) Town facilities (Boorowa, Harden, and Young Victoria) would be open when staffed, at least three days a week including at least one day on the weekend. These facilities would provide all disposal and recycling options, including those provided at village and rural facilities, although some commercial loads may be directed to Victoria Street or the regional Bald Hill landfill if there is not enough capacity at other sites.”

A number of sites have also been identified around Asbestos at several sites which the EPA is aware of. More on that issue in next week’s Times.