WASTE management is changing.
The old model which relied on landfill as the primary method of waste disposal is on its way out, replaced by a new model which aims to avoid the production of waste in the first place or reduce, reuse, recycle and recover waste when it cannot be avoided.
Waste collection is one of the main roles of councils, but it has become more complex.
People are now more environmentally aware and realise an effort needs to be made to keep the planet sustainable.
To that end, the state government has set a target to divert more waste from landfill and for South Australians to be recycling 70 per cent of their household waste by 2015.
Councils are being forced to close dumps and create transfer stations as well as provide more options for sorting rubbish including green waste and recyclables.
However, collecting waste is not cheap for councils and they must cover their costs via rates revenue.
Council is now being told it should pick up rubbish from collection points more than two kilometres from a property at no charge.
This isn’t feasible.
On the other hand, residents should not have to pay the same rates as their counterparts living in towns when they have to trek their bins kilometres down the road to be collected.
At least District Council of Yorke Peninsula residents get their rubbish collected.
This isn’t the case in all councils and District Council of Barunga West ratepayers must take their rubbish to the main road (which can be a lot further than two kilometres) or to the dump.
Whilst they don’t have to pay dump fees, it still costs them in time and petrol and they don’t get any reduction in their rates.
The Environment Protection Authority want to see an end to private dumping, i.e. farmers disposing of waste in pits or holes in the ground, but there needs to be manageable alternatives.
The tiered system could work but is still going to result in less revenue for councils which they will have to make up somewhere, probably by putting up rates for everyone.
Amie Brokenshire, Editor