By Aneeka Simonis
RAPID residential development is being blamed for expensive and sluggish waste collection by Cardinia Shire Council.
More bins were missed during kerbside collection in Cardinia shire in 2015-16 than in similar councils, and ratepayers were slugged with $24 more in waste pick-up fees per bin.
It costs Cardinia shire households $120 per bin in kerbside collection fees each year, compared with several similar interface councils including Casey which charge an average of $95 per bin.
Service standards also slipped.
Uncollected bin rates, at 10 per 10,000 in Cardinia shire, was more than doubled the average recorded in Victorian councils in 2015-16.
The council also received 190 calls per 1,000 households requesting their bins be collected, which was close to double the number that other councils received.
New developments were blamed for the bad report.
“The number of missed collections has gone up in response to rapid growth and the need to continually amend waste collection routes,” a statement read.
Collection costs for kerbside recyclables at $22 per bin was slightly lower in Cardinia shire than in other interface councils.
Cardinia shire – a growth council – received 1860 residential building approvals during the financial year, up 25 per cent on approvals received in the previous year.
The annual performance report was published by the State Government on the Know Your Council website which aims to give residents more information about how their local council is performing.
It found just 2 per cent of council decisions were made behind closed doors, far less than the 11.57 per cent average recorded by other Victorian councils.
Community satisfaction with council’s decisions were on par with the average rate recorded statewide.
