Bulky waste collection switch planned for Lake Mac
Published on 13 March 2023
Lake Macquarie City Council is poised to switch from a scheduled suburb-wide bulky waste service to a more flexible, bookable system in a bid to clean up streets, reduce landfill and save ratepayers money.
The move, which Council will consider at its meeting on 27 March, would align with bulk waste collection systems already in place across many other local government areas in NSW.
Under the new service, a household’s entitlement to two bulky waste collections per year will stay the same.
Manager Waste Services Paul Collins emphasised the switch was not a reduction in service.
“A bookable service means people have more flexibility to get their bulk waste collected when it’s most convenient to them,” he said.
“That might be when they're moving house, when they’re doing spring cleaning or when their bulky goods no longer work and are beyond repair.”
If the new system is adopted by Council, households will choose either two kerbside collections, two drop-off vouchers to Awaba Waste Management Facility or a combination of both.
“Moving to a bookable service will create tidier streets and neighbourhoods, because it means bulky waste won’t fill the verge of entire suburbs at the same time,” Mr Collins said.
“The waste also won’t stay out on the kerb as long, so there will be less litter after wind and rain.”
Lake Mac produces the sixth-highest amount of bulky waste per household compared to the 42 other local government areas in NSW offering bulky waste services.
“The amount of bulky waste we collect in Lake Mac has increased by 69 per cent in the past 10 years. We’re now collecting over 11,000 tonnes of bulky waste a year. That’s clearly not sustainable over the long term” Mr Collins said.
Illegal dumping on kerbside bulky waste piles has also been a growing problem for Lake Mac.
“Other councils who have made similar transitions tell us that the incidences of illegal dumping generally decrease with the shift to a bookable service,” Mr Collins said.
“And our research shows that the increased flexibility of bookable services empowers people to do the right thing with their bulky waste, and reduces the temptation to transport material around the city to add to other people’s piles.”
“The absence of a published, suburb-wide schedule is also expected to decrease people dumping from outside the LGA”.
Council will continue recycling e-waste, bundled green waste, mattresses and metals from bulky waste collected, and returns from metal recycling will continue to offset the cost of the service for ratepayers.
Mr Collins said Council had consulted with more than 10 other NSW councils that had previously switched to a bookable system.
“We’re incorporating many of the lessons they learned into our proposed bookable system,” he said.
“For example, other Councils told us about the importance of offering the flexibility of both bookable kerbside collections and vouchers to drop off waste at AWMF, since vouchers can be accessed and used straight away.”
“It also reinforced to us the value to the wider community in providing vouchers linked to the actual property, rather than the property owner. That way, people renting can also use the service freely.”
The booking system software will be designed to promote opportunities for residents to redirect or rehome quality bulk waste items that still have life left in them.
The switch to a bookable service is expected to reduce bulky waste operating costs by around $5 million over 10 years after it is introduced.
These savings will be used to slow the increasing costs of waste disposal for our ratepayers.
It is proposed that bookings for the new service will open next February, with the service starting in March 2024.
“Switching to a bookable service is based on extensive research and modelling,” Mr Collins said.
“Everything we have found out from other councils’ experiences and our own tells us that it makes good sense from an operational, financial and customer service point of view.”
Go to lakemac.com.au for more information.