Councillors trash organic bin system

Dardanup Shire Council yesterday made the decision not to introduce a three-bin rubbish collection system.

Councillors accepted the recommendation of their waste management committee to reject Waste Authority WA's funding offer for an additional organic bin.

The authority's funding offer was significantly less than what the council had applied for.

Dardanup shire residents will now pay $187 - down from $192 - for combined waste and recycling service in the 2015/16 financial year.

An online survey earlier this year revealed negative public sentiment to the three-bin system, with 70 per cent of residents who completed the survey against an organic bin.

Shire president Mick Bennett believes the council made a good decision because of the impost that the introduction of the organic bin would have on ratepayers.

"The two main reasons that the committee voted against the introduction of the third bin were the cost and the results of the survey," he said.

"There were some councillors on the committee who were supportive of the organic bin but they weren't prepared to fight for it because of the cost to ratepayers."

He said the existing waste management system would remain but the council would consider alternatives.

"We will review our waste strategy in 2016 but we might have to look at more education on recycling for the public in the future, too," he said.

The council last year applied for $690,700 through the State Government's $7.5 million, two-year Better Bins Kerbside Collection Pilot Program to go towards the $804,900 cost of introducing organic wheelie bins in the shire.

Councillors decided in January to delay accepting the authority's offer - of $144,000 and a possible $24,000 at a later date - so public reaction to the three-bin system could be gauged.

If the funding offer was accepted, Dardanup shire ratepayers would have had to pay an extra $113 a household in the first year of operation and $87 a household in the second year.