Financial relief welcome but councils need more support
August 13, 2019
Colac Otway Shire Infrastructure and Leisure Services General Manager Tony McGann has welcomed the State Government’s decision to provide immediate financial relief to Councils affected by SKM’s closure.
“We are very pleased to receive this financial support but this is an average of $200,000 per council and many councils will need five times more than this to address their extra costs,” Mr McGann said.
“Councils are not responsible for the market failure and the State Government has $500 million from the landfill levy, which is a tax on every bin that our ratepayers put out on the kerb.
“We are urging the State Government to spend this on a long-term solution and provide further financial support for councils while that solution is implemented.
“The government’s commitment to overhaul Victoria’s Recycling System is good news but it will require a significantly greater investment.
“Colac Otway has been fortunate that our contractor Wheelie Waste has been able to find us an alternative recycler which has resulted in recyclable material from kerbside collections continuing to be recycled.
“Whilst it has cost more to dispose of recyclables than it had been, it’s still been cheaper than sending our recyclables to landfill and better for the environment.
“Other councils have not had the option to continue recycling and it’s costing them a huge amount of their ratepayers’ money to send recyclables to landfill,” Mr McGann said.
“The State Government’s announcement is a positive start but it’s not going to be enough.”
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