By Casey Neill
Pop-up drive-through recycling days collected more than 178 tonnes of rubbish and recycling from Greater Dandenong residents.
The council welcomed everything from bicycles to mattresses, prams and electronic goods at Greaves Reserve in Dandenong on Saturday 4 March and the Springvale customer service centre on Saturday 18 March.
Residents could drop off up to 15 items from their car or trailer at the events.
Council engineering services director Julie Reid said nearly 2000 cars attended across the two days, which were offered in additional to the council’s regular hard waste collection service.
She said Springvale was the most popular and did have some long queues, but that staff processed a car every 37 seconds.
Ms Reid said that 53 per cent of the 178 tonnes of items collected were reusable and recyclable.
Whitegoods and metal items were popular with dumpers.
The council received 10 tonnes of e-waste, 11 tonnes of clothing and general household items, 150 mattresses and 220 bikes.
Ms Reid said feedback from residents indicated the drive-through concept was popular and that the council would look for improvements and put forward a budget proposal to run it again.
She said the council did have to dispose of a large amount of rubbish but “it’s better than it being on the streets”.
