Private firm offers green alternative – Bendigo Weekly
BENDIGO residents will soon have the option of a 240-litre rubbish bin for their green waste, but it won’t be offered by the local council. Private company Greenaway Bins is expected to launch its service in the coming weeks, offering locals a once-a-fortnight collection service.
The launch will come almost two years after the City of Greater Bendigo council’s own green waste collection service was planned to be introduced.
Concerns over a lack of a buyer for the waste has led to council’s delays, however Greenaway Bins doesn’t seem to have that problem.
Greenaway is a company owned by partners Matthew Thane and Bendigo’s Anthony Jansen. Mr Thane said the service would only be offered to private households.
“We are close to kicking the whole thing off and launching it properly,” he said. “We have done a feasibility study and we have spoken to council about it.” Council City Futures director Stan Liacos confirmed the council was working with the company.
“We are aware of this venture and are generally supportive,” he said. “We are clearly keen to help see an important service such as this provided for Bendigo residents and keen to help establish a Bendigo-based business. “For this venture to work, however, it will need to be commercially viable and we are providing appropriate assistance to help Greenaway Bins potentially achieve this.” Part of the council’s current thinking was revealed last week, with about 26 per cent of the city’s household collection being green waste.
Council Presentation and Assets director Jos Duivenvoorden said on those figures such a plan was not economically feasible for council. “The figures are still showing it is not profitable from our point of view to create a green waste collection across the whole council area,” he said. “Council is not ready to do it at this stage.”
A council-run green waste collection will be one of the issues discussed in a review of its Resource Recovery and Landfill Minimisation Strategy. The results of the review are expected to be announced within the next six weeks. The new planned landfill at Bagshot will also be discussed in the review. “We are still finalising a preliminary review of Bagshot to see whether it is a goer,” Mr Duivenvoorden said.
