By Jessica Anstice
A group of residents are unhappy with the way the council’s new hard rubbish collection system operates.
Cardinia Shire Council moved to a bookable hard waste collection service, replacing its previous twice-yearly set dates collections.
Pakenham resident Samantha Crawford-Green said she prefers the old hard rubbish collection system for a number of reasons and hopes to see it return.
“There are a few reasons behind why I think it’s a good idea,” she said.
“It’s picked up in a timely fashion as at the moment I’ve seen many piles outside for weeks – not sure if others aren’t aware or they’re just hoping someone will take it.
“It acts as a reminder to clean up for those of us with busy lifestyles as it then turns into ‘oh I must do that”.”
Ms Crawford-Green believes that reinstating the traditional hard rubbish service would be a great idea for those who like to collect second hand items.
“It’s a great idea for those that like to recycle old goods, rebuild them or use items that are of no use to anyone else,” she added.
“I was lucky enough to see a screen safety door brand new on someone’s pile and asked if I could take it. I can’t imagine how many others do things like this.
“In some way it made me actually communicate with my neighbour, which is not a bad thing.”
Another Pakenham resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, had a different take on why the council may have changed the way it collects hard rubbish.
The woman said she had previously worked in the waste industry and believes it may have been changed as a “cost saving practice” by the council.
“A lot of people won’t know to book or know how to book in a collection,” she explained.
“People often who would have seen rubbish be put out along their street would have known it was time for hard rubbish to go out – they won’t see that now.
“Also, the size of the amount of rubbish you can put out is limited. We used to put out quite a large amount, that won’t be allowed now.”
In her experience, she said waste management contracts are based on the amount of weight that is collected.“The less weight, the smaller amount of money the council needs to pay companies who take on these contracts,” she added.
“It’s easy to see it is a ploy by the council to save money.”
A Cardinia Shire Councils spokesperson said its hard rubbish service has the same number of collections each year and the same allowed size limits per collection, two cubic metres.
“The service also accepts more materials, such as car tyres,” the spokesperson said.
“The bookable service is in line with council’s Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy, developed in consultation with the community, to provide flexible and responsive hard waste service for residents.”
