Page 3926 - Week 10 - Thursday, 20 September 2018
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The pilot service delivered to Weston Creek and Tuggeranong has also proved very popular with nearly 22,600 households, or 47 per cent, receiving the service, with over 3,350 tonnes of organic garden waste collected. Every bin that rolls out to the kerb is a show of support for the government’s green bin program.
The green bin service is incredibly popular with Canberrans, saving residents time and money and it reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill or going through our waterways. To date the contamination rate of just 0.01 per cent is well below the territory’s target of one per cent, which is an outstanding commitment by Canberra residents to ensure that they put the correct waste in their green bin.
The government is working closely with the green bin contractors, JJ Richards and Sulo Australia, to prepare for the rollout of green bins to the inner north, the inner south, Molonglo and Woden mid-next year and then remaining suburbs. That will ensure the full delivery of our election commitment.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, how did the first week of pickups in Belconnen go?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for her supplementary. Green bins are proving very popular in Belconnen. Around one-third of households, over 12,500, have already registered, including nearly 4,500 concession card holders.
The first round of pickups from Belconnen is now complete and was very successful, with over 3,000 bins and around 40 tonnes of green waste collected in the first week of service. Contamination rates were found to be extremely low there as well, with only six bins out of nearly 200 inspected found to have some minor contamination from items like paper. For the record, my green bin in Kambah has also been inspected and has got the seal of approval.
Registrations continue to rise and it is expected that the take-up rate in Belconnen will reach around 50 per cent in the first 12 months, similar to the rates that we have seen in the pilot areas of Tuggeranong and Weston Creek. Green bins are also proving to be incredibly popular in every region where they are rolled out and the ACT government will continue to provide growing services for Canberra as our city grows.
MR WALL: Minister, why does your government continue to exclude existing green waste collection operators from being part of the government’s green waste collection service?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question and note the incredible popularity of this program for Canberra households. We have been working with some of the current trash pack providers during the transition to this new program. We acknowledge that it is having some effect on those trash pack operators in the ACT. That is why we have been providing support, including a needs assessment of trash pack businesses and their employees, tailored professional business coaching, referral to counselling services, identification of retraining and upskilling opportunities through apprenticeship schemes and other training pathways offered
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