City of Kwinana Minutes – SMRC RRRC WCF Odour Issue – 1 July 2009
Refuse Collection and Control
The rubbish charge for this year will be $300 per household, which represents an increase of $66 on last years charge. This cost reflects the cost of providing all waste services within the Town including the participation as a member of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) but is not a Project Participant in the RRR.
Domestic and Recycling Bin Collection Services
The expiry of this service contracts will certainly result in higher costs of collection services as it is more than 5 years since the contract was awarded. The ongoing growth in the number of waste and recycling services and the increase in the replacement of older bins in both areas of service will flow onto the overall service costs.
The growth in the development of improved parks and recreational services is demanding more waste and recycling bins in public areas. The standard of installation along with the collection costs for weekly services is a cost imposition to the service charge.
Bulk Waste Verge Collection Services
The one Bulk Waste and 4 Green Waste Verge collections will be in its final year of the tender and increases due to growth of properties, rate of inflation and increased tonnes collected above threshold levels within the contract have increased the cost.
It is anticipated that the verge collection service costs based on tonnages will continue to increase in both the green and bulk waste services in 2009/2010. This is primarily due to the increase in landfill fees and charges including the significant increase in the State Government Landfill Levies which will now come into effect on 1 January 2010.
The external landfill and other waste processing price increases indirectly encourage residents to utilise Council’s verge collections to avoid paying landfill fees and this cause’s increased tonnage and therefore increased costs of providing the verge collection services.
Council’s level of waste services meets the service requirements of the Government’s Perth Clean Air Policy and the services provide for the maximum recycling and recovery of resources as now required under the Waste Avoidance and Resources Recovery Act 2007. These services are in line with the Town’s Strategic Waste Management Plan adopted by
Council in conjunction with the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council to comply with the Waste Avoidance and Resources Recovery Act 2007
Recycling Resources Recovery Centre (RRRC)
The recent fire at the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) RRRC facility in Canning Vale has destroyed the Recycling Plant only. It will be in excess of 18 months before a similar SMRC Recycling facility can be developed and this will be subject to a strategic evaluation with input by Council representatives.
The fire has caused increased costs for the Town as a Non Participant member. The SMRC is now unable to carry out the recycling process to recover resources for sale into the industrial market with significant loss of revenue which impacts on their costs.
Therefore, a regional tender is being developed by and for 5 member councils without input by the SMRC. It is likely to result in an increase in processing costs for the recovery of resources due to the limited capacity of the 5 Councils being available to the commercial market.
Based on the SMRC 5 member council’s need to recycle almost 565 tonnes per week and the cost of disposal of estimated 30% residual waste from resources recovery process the cost includes the anticipated cost increases for the proposed tender and increase in the Waste levy.
SMRC governance, education and environmental programs are included in the cost increases allocated.
Illegal dumping
The cost of cleaning up illegal dumping has again increased significantly and some of this is attributed to increase in residential development and rising landfill fees and waste levy charges. However, it is considered that the major influence on illegal dumping is the significant price increases driven by the State Government requirements under Waste
Avoidance and Resources Recovery Levy Act 2007 at the landfill facilities. These prices will continue to rise due to government waste standards, policies and the planned annual increases in the landfill levies.
The Waste Avoidance and Resources Recovery Act 2007 is now in effect with transitional provisions relating to the transfer of the health legislation and how it impacts on the Council’s waste services requirements. Amendments will be required to rationalise Council’s Health Local Laws concurrent to the Food Act Local Law amendments during the 2009/2010.
Environmental Levy
This is the second year the Town had an environmental levy, introduced to share the costs associated with rubbish management that are not solely collection costs. Rubbish management includes activities such as litter control, collection of illegally dumped rubbish, installation and maintenance of litter bins in dog exercise areas, around, bus stops, beaches,
public places and sporting grounds.
In past years the service charges, which we have now called an environmental levy, was incorporated solely in the rubbish and recycling charge. Therefore, only those who received rubbish and recycling services by the Town of Kwinana contributed to these other related activities.
Again this year we have included this charge within the rubbish and recycling charges, but in order to keep the increase to the rubbish and recycling charges to a minimum and to share the burden of these associated activities we have continued to levy all properties. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the general public areas waste maintenance services throughout the town.
The benefits of a clean and tidy Town are enjoyed by all property owners and it is only fair that everyone contributes to these associated services.
NOTE:
A full copy of the Budget will also be circulated separately with copies to be made available at the Administration Centre, the Public Library and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
