Residents mess up waste scheme

By Shaun Inguanzo
GREATER Dandenong’s new at-call hard waste collection service is suffering the unfortunate fate predicted earlier this year by another municipality.
In May this year Cardinia Shire Council’s Port Ward councillor Doug Hamilton told Star his city scrapped the at-call service after residents dumped waste on nature strips without calling the council.
This week City of Greater Dandenong mayor Peter Brown said Greater Dandenong was suffering a similar fate.
“The new at-call system allows residents’ hard waste to be collected once a year after they have made a booking, but already we are finding people are putting out hard rubbish without making a booking because their neighbours are,” he said.
Cr Hamilton gave an eery prediction of the dilemma after Cardinia scrapped its system for a tip voucher system this year.
In May he said: “Imagine there are two people living next door to one another. Joe does the right thing and rings the shire, books in his collection and puts his waste out. But Bill down the road sees the rubbish and thinks we are doing a pickup, so he puts his waste out and it is not booked in.
“Contractors will not pick it up unless it is booked in, so it just sits there.”
Springvale North Ward councillor Alan Gordon identified the problem at last Monday’s council meeting and urged council to remind residents that they had to call for a hard waste collection.
Cr Brown said council had sent out notices with rates that outlined how the system worked.
To book a hard waste pick up phone WM Waste Management Services on 9721 1915.