Page 648 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 1990
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Other submissions were received in relation to big wheelie bins. There was an article on the inquiry in one of the local free papers and, as a result of that, many people rang the committee office to give their opinions on what they wanted. I think 16 people rang, with 15 in favour and one against. I point out that that is fairly consistent with comments that I have heard from various constituents in relation to whether they want big bins.
A number of arguments for big bins were given to the committee, and a number were given against them. There are some inconsistencies in those arguments, which one can see when one goes through them. The main reasons given for replacing the current system and introducing big bins included: small bins cause traffic hazards, especially when they are placed close to driveways; they can be unnecessarily messy to local amenities; big bins reduce the demands by householders for access to tips; householders would be provided with a means to dispose of bulky refuse and garden rubbish; the design of the bins also prevents dogs knocking them down; the current small bins are also easily blown around the windy streets of Canberra, especially if one has plastic bins, creating a driving hazard; the big wheelie bins would make it easier for elderly people, especially those who are only partially mobile, to wheel out their bins rather than to lift and carry out the small bins, as they do now; the task of the garbage collector would be safer and much less objectionable; tin lids easily become distorted, which makes it hard to keep the contents of the small bin intact; the big bin has health and environmental benefits, in that all waste is securely contained and less prone to infestation and attack; weekly collection means only one, not two, early morning disturbances to residents; collections of unused bulky household items would no longer be necessary, and the need for backyard burning would be removed.
Arguments against big bins included: big bins only reinforce the belief that all waste is disposable and not worth recycling; the old and the infirm and those with physical disabilities would have difficulty using them, especially wheeling them up and down steep blocks. So we have two conflicting views there in the pros and cons. People are encouraged to put more out for garbage, leading to a wastage in resources and increasing the cost of maintaining landfill; big bins would discourage users from recycling and separating glass; the big bin is ugly; after a few days in the sun, if garbage is sitting in there, it could become malodorous; there are large capital costs involved in equipping a one-person, big bin collection system; time taken to empty a bin using an automated arm is longer than that taken to empty the small bins manually; the current system is quick, efficient and provides employment for a larger number of people; not all householders use the volume that could be contained in a big bin, and leverage of the bin to a rolling position would be difficult for short people, thus discriminating
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