The Case Against Four Bin System

The Andrews Government’s announced statewide move to four colour-coded rubbish bins is a waste of time, money and space.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio is conscripting every citizen to become an unpaid rubbish sorter.

Many Victorians just don’t have the room to store yet another bin.

Those Victorians with small townhouses and
one-car garages hardly have enough space to store their existing bins.

Adding an extra one will increase costs to ratepayers by an extra 25 per cent, which means higher rates.

If the aim of this policy is environmental, then that’s an additional diesel garbage truck polluting the neighbourhood every
week.

The median value of a square metre of land in Melbourne is more than $1100. The cost of storing an extra bin will waste $253 worth of land per household, on average — even more in the inner city.

Ms D’Ambrosio said the government was making waste collection an essential service.

But with council rates soaring to record highs, all it is doing is foisting this “essential” responsibility on ratepayers.

A new Dynata poll commissioned by the IPA and released last week found 66 per cent of Australians think local councils should stick to roads, rates and rubbish.

Only 10 per cent disagree. Yet apparently councils can’t even do rubbish properly.