Page 649 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 1990
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against women, the infirm and elderly people. A number of pros and cons were put to the committee.
It was also shown in the evidence put before the committee that where big bins have been introduced they have been widely accepted. Certainly people in New South Wales, to whom I spoke, who were very much against big bins when they were introduced by various councils invariably ended up in favour of the big bin system after it was trialled and after they got used to it. It is interesting to note that in 1985 the previous ACT House of Assembly recommended the introduction of a local waste collection system using the 240-litre bins in conjunction with automated collection trucks.
The committee also refuted claims that old or frail people would be disadvantaged by the big bins, asserting that the bins, being on wheels, are designed for maximum ease. In any event, the committee believed that if elderly or frail people have trouble handling a big bin, they would certainly be unable to carry out the current 55-litre bins.
A lot of consideration was given to the use of small big bins, the 120-litre wheelie bin. Various submissions indicated that these bins could be used and that households could be issued with crates for paper, glass and cans; recyclables and garbage could be collected weekly. The total volume of both the 120-litre bins combined with three or four crates, as advocated by certain persons who gave submissions to the committee, would almost equal the total maximum volume now set for weekly household collection, and that was 340 litres. Compared with the current system which allows householders a disposal capacity of 340 litres, the 120-litre bin would mean a decrease of 280 per cent in the maximum disposal capacity. Evidence before the committee indicated that, on average, householders leave out 2.2 55-litre bins per week, using 140 litres of disposal capacity. That is a bit of a problem with the idea of a 120-litre bin. The 140 litres is greater than 120 litres, and it would mean two collections a week.
The 1987 report on the impact of big bins on recycling by the Australian Environment Council addressed the effect that big bins have on the waste generation rate. It concluded that the introduction of a 240-litre big bin is unlikely to cause an increase in the total quantity of waste generated by households. The Office of City Management also submitted to the committee that if the 120-litre bins were introduced a twice-weekly system would need to be introduced to ensure that enough capacity is available for the increased volume of material, such as prunings.
It is interesting to note that currently 46 per cent of the population of Victoria is serviced by big bins, and they are mostly the 240-litre size. Many councils, waste management firms and government bodies stressed to the committee that before introducing big bins an effective
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