Ian Peters (Letters, BT 20th November) should not be too concerned about the Araluen waste situation – Council has not yet made a decision. When I moved the Staff Recommendation at Council’s September Meeting, I removed the words that would have implemented the trial, and the amended Staff Recommendation was passed unanimously. My reason was that the purpose of having a further consultative meeting (which I am sorry I was unable to attend), would be undermined by making the decision first – cart before horse.
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To commence the trial will presumably require a further Resolution of Council, and personally I will want to hear feedback from the public meeting. Even if Council does implement a six-month trial of wheelie bins, it will just be a trial. It will be reviewed, and if it is too unpopular or otherwise not working, it may not be continued.
The big difference for Council between a wheelie bin service and a transfer station is that the users pay for the wheelie bin collection, but the whole shire pays for the transfer stations. User fees seem unlikely to cover any more than a fraction of the running costs of the transfer stations (never mind the establishment costs).
But other considerations such as aesthetics, convenience and popularity are factors we need to take into account before making a final decision. As a resident of the first community to have a transfer station, where the base fee has been tripled since it opened, I have a keen interest in the equity of their operation.
Peter Marshall
Captains Flat
