Thread: Love or hate councils

Don't apologise, Heather. It's been nearly six years now since Jan passed and I still can't get her name off things.

hi heather,

I hate councils as they are just mini govt with all councillors being members of major political parties.

My most recent alternative info I've heard points to abolishment of councils and countys put in their place , with all members being SELECTED by the people , not elected as is current procedure, with no political party members involved.

Everyone should your own research on countys and see how they operate.....it is very interesting. We the people, one country, one flag.

I was planning to have a go at councils today, so I'll use your thread if I may.

Yarra Ranges.... For years we have had three waste collections. One small garbage bin, collected weekly, one recycling bin, and one optional green waste bin. The latter are collected on alternate fortnights. Seem reasonable. The garbage bin is half the size of the other two. ( Side note, I live alone and never fill my bin, so my neighbours with many children fight each other over my spare space )
OK, now we are being migrated to a new FOGO system. This means that kitchen scraps can be placed in the green waste bin, which will now be collected weekly. So the garbage bin moves to a fortnightly collection.... Dunno what my neighbours will do

Ok, this all may seem fine to some, but I seriously doubt it will work for large families. BUT, this next bit.... so that we can collect our kitchen scraps council has ordered, paid for and delivered a small, oblong lidded bucket. What this cost I dunno, but I won't use it here and it can go straight into my OKA as a waste bin. Ok. However, the bins all are a uniform olive green colour. the green and recycling bins have different colour lids to differentiate them. As the garbage bin is half the size no differentiation was previously necessary. It is now, it seems, so council has had a few blokes in trucks driving around putting new, red lids on the garbage bins..... At the last census there were 61,570 dwellings in the Yarra Ranges area, which covers 2,447 km squared. So, at least 61,570 red lids added, and 61,570 olive green lids to be... well, who knows? Oh, and 61,570 lidded buckets, rolls of compostable bags, info packs and 61,570 x2 letters in the mail.
No bloody wonder the rates went up.

Down here in Tassie, we have had 3 bins (garbage,fogo, recycle) for around 3-4 years now.
It works quite well down here,at least where I am.
The larger households have 2 waste bins as they are pretty small so I would presume they get charged XX$$$ xtra per year.
Seems to work pretty well down here.

DG

Originally Posted by disco gazza

The larger households have 2 waste bins as they are pretty small so I would presume they get charged XX$$$ xtra per year.

That's it, of course. I used to pay extra just to have a green bin. But it doesn't explain the monumental waste of time and resources to change the lids on all those garbage bins.

You all live in a different world to me. I have no garbage service, in fact I get no services whatever from the council and have no direct access to any roads maintained by them. But I still pay a couple of thousand a year rates. Including a garbage service levy. There used to be a "waste transfer station" only about 7km away that I could take garbage or recycling to any time, even though it is in the adjoining council area. It was closed a few years ago after it and the next council over were amalgamated. There is now a "waste transfer station" about 25km away that is open for a couple of hours two days a week.

Last time I wrote to my council it took over six months to get a useless reply, and I only got that after applying pressure via the state ombudsman. So don't talk to me about the local council!

Originally Posted by JDNSW

So don't talk to me about the local council!

I wouldn't, John, but my rates are about three times yours

Hi,
I put the next door (widow, sole occupant) rubbish in mine and return her bin to her house on most collections.
If we have a clean out or similar I put our excess in hers with out any worry.
It does save the contractor an extra lift most weeks.
Cheers