MOUNT Gambier City Council is likely to expand its hard waste collection trial to cater for demand as residents take up the offer of one free pickup.
The trial forms part of the local government body’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, giving each residential property one service by appointment.
Around 20 staff employed under council’s COVID-19 shortterm employment program are helping to collect and process the waste.
Waste and ReUse manager Mark McMahon said council staff were currently collecting around 12 pickups per day but expected to ramp that up in the coming weeks.
“We started off slowly because we wanted to have everything in place to handle it correctly so we had five pickup appointments per day, but we found we smashed through it quite quickly,” he said.
“This week we extended it to 12 pickups per day and we are still getting through it quite quickly so next week we will do 20 per day.”
Praising the new staff for their enthusiasm and commitment to the role, Mr McMahon said it was great the service could play a role to help stimulate the economy.
“People who have been put off due to the virus were able to be employed as part of the hardwaste pickup and we ended up with some fantastic workers,” he said.
“This is all part of council’s stimulus package and we have employed a bunch of people that are helping out in a wide range of projects around the city.”
Residents have called for a hard waste collection service for many years and Mr McMahon said the early uptake from the community was no surprise.
“We had quite a few people who pre-booked before July 1 and it’s been pretty consistent since the start,” Mr McMahon said.
“It’s no surprise because it is an important service for people who may not have access to the transfer station and cannot necessarily dispose of it in other ways.”
According to Mr McMahon, the old adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has also been on display during the first nine days.
“There have been people who are going around and scavenging stuff to take home and reuse, which we do not have a problem with, that’s all part of it,” he said.
“The main objective of this service is the materials are going to the right place – they are not necessarily just going to landfill.”
Mr McMahon encouraged the community to access their one pickup during the six-month trial, as the future of the service beyond December will be a decision for elected members.
“We are trying to make sure everyone has a chance to take advantage of the service and if things go well then maybe it will get extended,” he said.
“We will present to council the results of the trial in terms of what it costs to provide this service once it is over and they will decide whether it’s something they want to continue in the future.”
