YOU’VE WHEELIE BIN HIT

Local councils jacking up fees to cover costs of global rubbish changes Golden Plains’ $60 bin fee rise & Geelong, Surf Coast, Queenscliff also on the up

RESIDENTS across a raft of local councils face being slugged with increased bin fees as a result of China changing its policy on importing Australian recycling.

The sprawling Golden Plains Shire has proposed a waste charge rise of almost one third, which would be an additional $60 slug per household.

Queenscliff’s rubbish charges are set to hike by 11.5 per cent while the Surf Coast has proposed raising its waste charge 8 per cent.

Not counting the cost of its new hard rubbish service, households in the Geelong council area will be hit with a waste increase of more than $30.

It comes as Mayor Bruce Harwood has said the rubbish issue is one of the city’s greatest challenges and Golden Plains Mayor Helena Kirby has said the situation was not within council’s control.

The State Government has delivered a $13 million package to help councils with the recycling crisis.

Cr Harwood has called for the Andrews Government to spend the half-billion dollars collected from council waste levies on finding a solution to the rubbish problem.

GEELONG region ratepayers face waste costs soaring up to an extra 31 per cent, as the financial fallout from the Chinese recycling ban is revealed.

Councils have been forced to jack up waste charges in the wake of the ban, which plunged Australia’s recycling industry into disarray earlier this year.

The largest in the region — a whopping 31 per cent rise — has been proposed by the sprawling Golden Plains Shire.

Golden Plains mayor Helena Kirby said the impact of the Chinese ban would see local households hit with an additional $60 cost.

“(We) have worked tirelessly with our suppliers and the State Government to ensure the impact on residents is as low as possible, but the overall situation is not within council’s control,” Cr Kirby said.

“We recognise and respect that this will concern some residents and want to reassure you that we are taking every possible action to minimise the effect.”

China has decided to restrict the importation of contaminated paper, cardboard and plastics.

The policy mostly impacts kerbside collections, as household recyclables are usually onsold in a mixed form.

The State Government has delivered a $13 million package to help councils address the drop-off in income, but that funding runs out at the end of June.

It has forced councils to pass on the costs to ratepayers in their respective draft 2018-19 budgets.

Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood has labelled the issue one of the council’s “greatest challenges”.

City of Greater Geelong ratepayers face a 14 per cent rise in their waste service charge — a rise of $38.85.

That includes a $6.80 fee to trial a hard waste collection from next April.

In neighbouring Queenscliff, the council is moving to a fixed charge for kerbside waste as it prepares for costs to soar by 19.5 per cent in 2018-19.

Mayor Susan Salter said the borough’s total waste management charges were budgeted to increase by 11.5 per cent overall.

“The local government sector expects to see the withdrawal of rebate payments to councils, which will be replaced by gate fees for recycl- able material sorting,” she said.

The Surf Coast Shire has proposed to increase its waste service charge by 8 per cent.

In Colac Otway, the council is set to usher in a minimal fee rise, which could increase on the back of a full review of its waste charges.

“At this point in time the proposed increases do not rep- resent a full cost recovery,” the council states.

Mayor Joe McCracken said the council wanted to find savings of $500,000 annually through a wider review of its services.

“These operational savings combined with our proposed rates, charges and kerbside collection fees will remove much of the financial risk associated with the recycling uncertainty we are facing,” he said.

The proposed budget hits come as the local government sector calls for help in dealing with the China ban fallout.

The City of Greater Geelong has called for the State Government to spend $500 million collected from council waste levies on finding a sustainable solution to the recycling crisis.

Victorian Local Governance Association CEO Kathryn Arndt wants all tiers of government to work together on the issue.

“While the Federal and State governments are busy blaming each other, local governments are left to deal with this issue with limited resources to meet community expectations,” she said.

“This delays any real progress towards the identification and implementation of sustainable waste management solutions.”

“We recognise and respect that this will concern some residents and want to reassure you that we are taking every possible action to minimise the effect.”

GOLDEN PLAINS MAYOR HELENA KIRBY