Page 2370 - Week 08 - Thursday, 7 June 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND URBAN SERVICES
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION
Household Waste Disposal
QUESTION NO. 159
Mrs Grassby - asked the Minister for Finance and Urban Services:
(1) Does the Minister agree that residents of Ainslie, Hackett and Downer who previously used the Ainslie Transfer Station to dispose of household garbage and garden waste now have to travel to Belconnen tip to dispose of this refuse.
(2) Does the Minister agree that the Belconnen tip requires a round trip of approximately 40 kilometres extra for residents of Ainslie, Hackett and Downer than for a trip to the Ainslie Transfer Station.
(3) Would the Minister agree that if 500 trips per week were made to the Ainslie Transfer Station and these trips now have to be made to the Belconnen tip, ACT residents are now required to travel in excess of one million kilometres extra per annum to dispose of their rubbish.
(4) How can the minister justify this extra use of fuel in light of the Governments alleged support for a reduction in greenhouse gases.
Mr Duby - the answer to the Members question is as follows:
Residents who previously used the Ainslie Transfer Station have a number of choices to dispose of household garbage and garden waste.
For accepted household garbage they can utilise their entitlement for disposal through the twice weekly domestic service provided by the Government. Waste in excess of this entitlement and garden waste can be delivered to Mugga Lane or Belconnen tips either by the resident or by arrangement with the various commercial operators providing such a service.
The round trip distance for Ainslie, Hackett and Downer residents to Belconnen tip would depend on the residents location within the suburbs. It is not valid to make assumptions based on the use of Ainslie Transfer Station about the likely frequency of tip visits that individuals will make. It is also inappropriate to refer to round trip distances of 40km, as a distance such as this would be an extreme situation - it overlooks other residents of these suburbs who live-closer to Belconnen tip and also overlooks distances previously travelled to Ainslie Transfer Station.
Because of these factors, it is not possible to assess the likely net effect of householders changed patterns of tip usage. The matter of greenhouse gases has much broader concerns than trips to the tip and involves, amongst other things, general attitudes towards conservation held by motorists, other road users, and the community generally.
2370
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .