Lord Mayor Sally Capp has wasted no time getting onto the front foot to tackle waste management issues in the CBD.
On June 5, the council issued a two-page “discussion paper” called Improving Waste Collection in the Central City and is looking for feedback.
Responses can be made via: web: participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/wasteresource-strategy; phone: 9658 9658; and email: [email protected]
The paper says some options for improving waste management in the central city are:
Extending the shared garbage compactor and recycling hub program to cover the whole central city area, allowing all businesses to use a shared service rather than needing their own bin;
Further restricting bin storage and collection from public spaces;
Controlling waste collection through a waste permit system. This could include placing conditions such as restricted collection times, electric or noise-reduced vehicles or service quality. Alternatively, the number of permits could be restricted, with a competitive tender process used to allocate permits:
Providing an expanded ratepayer service with more collections or larger bins, enabling more businesses to use this service; and
Using charging schemes such as user-pays or weight-based systems or introducing incentives for businesses to improve their waste management.
The paper also asked “what if?” and posed the following suggestions:
The city was divided into zones, with only a limited number of collection companies operating in each zone;
Shared garbage compactors and recycling hubs were provided across the whole city;
No bins were allowed to be stored or collected from streets or laneways;
Waste trucks were electric vehicles; and
City of Melbourne provided a waste service for all businesses.