New kerbside collection service for Hepburn Shire

Published on 22 April 2021

At this week's meeting, Council approved a move to a new kerbside collection provider.

SUEZ Recycling & Recovery was the successful tenderer for the service based on a public tender and selection criteria that included cost, service delivery, safety and sustainability.

Mayor, Cr Lesley Hewitt, said that Council was excited to be working with the new service provider and residents can expect a smooth transition when the service commences from 1 July.

“Our Environment and Waste team will be working closely with SUEZ on collection maps and data so that the transition can be as seamless as possible,” said Cr Hewitt. “We are expecting a significant improvement in service delivery. SUEZ has unique technology, including cameras situated around the truck, that allows them to log bins that are not presented for collection and overweight bins. It can also audit contamination of recycling live with cameras in the hopper of the truck,” said Cr Hewitt.

SUEZ will deliver the following services from 1 July 2021:

• Residual waste and recycling kerbside collection
• Public litter and recycling bin collection
• Residual waste and recycling transport
• Residual waste disposal
• Special events bin collection, transport and disposal
• Recycling processing

Recycling will be processed onsite by Cleanaway in Coolaroo (in western Melbourne) and landfill waste will continue to go to a Smythesdale landfill site (near Ballarat). Organics collected through the Clunes trial will also continue to be taken to Creswick Transfer Station to be composted on site.

Waste is an important item in the proposed Budget 2021-22, dealt with at the April Council meeting.

“One of our biggest challenges this year is managing the costs of waste, which have risen significantly over the past year due to the change in kerbside collection contract rates and a 20% increase in the volume of waste produced,” said Cr Hewitt.

For those with a kerbside collection service, the waste charge will increase to $479 per year.

“We realise this is a substantial increase, but it is a necessary adjustment to meet the rising costs of waste management, the under-recovery of waste costs for 2020-2021, global recycling challenges and the compulsory State Government landfill levy,” said Cr Hewitt.

“Creating an efficient and cost-effective waste management service is a priority for Council and we will develop a five-year waste strategy later this year.” The strategy will involve detailed community consultation, which will begin in the second half of 2021.