THE City of Ballarat has limited details on how its new green waste collection service will operate, despite receiving $500,00 from the state government to fund the project at the weekend.
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Environment and Climate Change minister Ryan Smith announced on Saturday the funds would be provided to the City of Ballarat to establish the green waste service.
But the council could not answer all questions put forward by The Courier about the new collection service on Monday because it had not yet started a report that would explore how the service would operate.
The City of Ballarat could not reveal on what day of the week the green waste bin would be collected, how often it would be collected or whether residents would have to pay for a bin when the service is expected to begin in mid-2015.
Council chief executive Anthony Schinck said a report detailing the cost, logistics and scheduling of the service would be prepared before the end of the year.
“In developing the report, council will also be utilising the skills of IBM experts through the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant, who will visit later this year to analyse council’s waste management systems,” Mr Schinck said.
“This is a terrific announcement and one that will allow us to develop plans for a green waste collection service as part of our broader waste solutions for the city.”
During his visit to Ballarat on Saturday, Mr Smith said the funding would enable the council to set up the service and cover the costs of the bins.
He also said there had been longstanding calls from residents for green waste collection in Ballarat, similar to services rolled out in other municipalities.
By the middle of next year, it is expected new green bins will be distributed to more than 42,500 households in the City of Ballarat.
Each bin is expected to hold about 70 litres of green waste.
Mr Smith said the City of Ballarat would be responsible for running of the service.
“This announcement makes recycling organic waste even easier for Ballarat households,” he said.
“Diverting waste from landfill is great for the environment and is also good for helping grow the local economy and creating jobs by supporting businesses that provide these
services.”
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au