Having dealt with rates (to some extent) and roads in recent posts, I thought I’d round out council’s three ‘R’s with a few words on rubbish. It’s a bit of a dirty subject in several ways, not least because of the costs involved.
Most readers will be aware that new waste transfer stations are under construction at both the current Bungendore and Macs Reef Road tip sites. The works that are currently under way in both locations are plain to see. Both facilities are due to come into service on 4 December 2014. At this time, the associated landfill areas will be closed, and Palerang Council’s waste management model will change, most significantly in that residents will be charged at the gate of the new facilities to dispose of rubbish.
At this point it is important to note that the disposal of recyclable items, primarily paper, plastics and glass, will continue to be free, as an incentive for residents to separate as much of these materials from their general waste stream as possible.
Further, the regional waste transfer stations, like the Macs Reef Road facility, will be limited in the range of materials that can be deposited. Many items, such as tyres, white goods, scrap metal and dead animals, will not be accepted at the regional centres, and will need to be taken to the Bungendore facility. The regional facilities will, however, accept smaller recyclable items like batteries and waste oil, along with the traditional recyclable waste streams of paper, plastics and glass. Full details, of what will and will not be accepted at the various facilities, will be circulated by Council as we transition to the new processing model.
It has been recognised from the outset that the imposition of gate fees is controversial. One view is that the user should pay, the other that this will simply lead to illegal dumping. Either way, council has an obligation to discourage the production of waste, and charging on the basis of ‘usage’ is the most obvious solution. Even so, the charges that will be levied (around $5 for a 140L bin or $16 for a trailer load of general waste) in no way cover the cost of operating our WTSs, and much of the basic operational cost will still be levied through a general Waste Programs Charge.
Council’s general waste charging system is complicated by the geography of, and also to some extent by the demographic distribution within our shire. The imposition of GST on landfill operations adds another layer of complexity to the charging structure.
Council endeavours to recognise that some areas in the southwest of the shire have more practical access to waste management facilities in the ACT or Queanbeyan, and some charges for residents in these areas are reduced accordingly. All residents, however, pay a Waste Programs Charge that covers the cost of delivering general waste management services such as clean-up programs and the management of illegal dumping. In the relevant areas, this also covers the capital cost of establishing, and the basic cost of operating the new waste transfer facilities.
A recent tax office ruling requiring councils to apply GST to charges associated with landfill operations has resulted in a separate Waste Services Charge. While this increases the complexity of the waste charging system, splitting this component out of the Waste Programs Charge minimises the associated GST increase that is levied on residents. This charge will disappear when our landfills are closed.
Council also provides general waste and recyclables collection services in our towns and some rural residential areas. These services are charged separately as Domestic Waste Charges.
Readers should also note the distinction between rates and charges such as water, sewer and waste charges. They all appear on our rates notices where relevant, but rates are managed quite differently to charges.
Under the new waste management model, general waste will ultimately be transferred from the new facilities to the Woodlawn Bioreactor, near Tarago. While recyclables are currently transferred to the Mugga Lane facility in the ACT, alternative options that provide a better return to council are under investigation.
Details of the Palerang Council Waste Management Strategy and the new Macs Reef Road WTS are available on the WCA website.