Please note: this is an archived news article release

This article was published on Thursday, 28 July, 2016. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

User pays fees implemented for Resource Recovery Centre

Council has implemented a user pays system for waste disposal at the Resource Recovery Centres in Shepparton, Ardmona and Murchison so that only those that use the service pay for it. Previously the service was subsidised so that all ratepayers contributed whether or not they used the service.

Greater Shepparton City Council Director Infrastructure, Steve Bowmaker said the user pay system is much fairer particularly for those who would rarely take waste to the Centres.

“Council's Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy, adopted in 2013 foreshadowed a full user pays system at Council Resource Recovery Centres,” said Mr Bowmaker.

“The cost associated with treating green waste material includes mulching, transporting to a composting centre and converting into compost. The Council is now passing on these costs to the user,” Mr Bowmaker said. "Residents now have an additional green waste bin for the disposal of organic matter and we strongly encourage people to make use of this service."

“Residents taking their material to the Resource Recovery Centres will now be paying an unsubsidised charge, which means that residents who do not utilise these Centres are no longer subsidising the ones that do.”

Mr Bowmaker said the Strategy considered a hard waste collection service and free tipping vouchers but Council determined that these do not encourage reduction of landfill waste.

“Free tipping vouchers have sent the wrong message about reducing waste to landfill. The illusion of ‘free’ waste disposal discourages the minimisation of waste and recycling measures,” Mr Bowmaker said.

“We want to encourage people to carefully consider what they are disposing of and ensure they utilise the current systems to minimise expensive landfill use.”

A user pays green organic collection service, introduced in November 2015, is now widely available across the municipality in all urban areas. This service helps reduce the need for residents to deposit green waste at the centres.

CLICK HERE for more information on your local Resource Recovery Centre.