Alpine Shire Council waste and recycling management
Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:37): (1571) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Local Government, and the action I seek is for the minister to investigate the validity of the Alpine shire’s waste disposal charge on properties not eligible for kerbside collection. Constituents from the Alpine shire have reached out to me with concerns over the shire’s unfair waste removal charge. Out-of-town residents, who are not eligible for kerbside collection, are being charged the same amount of $281 as those who reside in the townships. These residents are forced to find their own means of disposing of their household rubbish, generally at extra cost. Some have hired skip bins and others take a weekly trip to the local refuse centre, yet they are still charged the same fee as those who can simply wheel their bins out to the kerb once a week. In a letter sent to residents in May of 2023 the Alpine Shire Council justified this charge by saying:
The general waste charge is charged to all properties in the Alpine Shire, even if the property does not have access to kerbside bin services. This is because all ratepayers benefit from public waste collection, operation of transfer stations and waste education services.
It hardly seems fair that rural residents are being financially disadvantaged by this charge when they receive minimal benefit from it. Minister, the action I seek is for you to investigate the validity of the Alpine shire’s waste disposal charge on properties not eligible for kerbside collection.