Transportation costs for waste disposal are the most expensive part of your annual waste disposal costs. Along with that comes the noisy clanking of garbage trucks dumping the contents of the garbage bins into their truck’s garbage container and the mess around garbage bins on the street that never seems to stay picked plus the wear and tear on the streets. There are already some intriguing solutions being used in South Korea (by 1.3 million people), in Barcelona and in Wembley, England.
On September 29, 2011 Sydney town council got together with sustainability director, Chris Derksema to continue planning and setting a course of action for the 2030 Sustainability plan. The people living in the locations above have underground waste disposal collection which is a system of pipes lying underground to receive and move garbage that is deposited through a vacuum system from above ground.
Mr. Derksema has been negotiating with the developers of the urban renewal project at Green Square and reported they are willing to work with the city to design the new buildings to accommodate the garbage removal system. By using trenches and other underground structures that are already in place makes for good budget savings. A feasibility study is being carried out on the cost benefits.
An underground project in Auburn seems a long way off but that brings us to the subject of the waste collection charges which were announced at the Auburn city council meeting on June 15, 2011. The charge rates started July 1 and will last until June 2012.
There are three main options for domestic waste management charge (kerbside pickup). Domestic Waste Management Charge -Option 1. $338.52 per year for 120 litre garbage bin and fortnightly 240 litre bin recycling service. Domestic Waste Management Charge – Option 2. $371.45 per year for a weekly pick up of 140 litre garbage bin, fortnightly 240 litre bin recycling service and fortnightly 240 litre bin greenwaste service. Domestic Waste Management Charge – Option 3. $121.04 per year for weekly service of 240 litre garbage bin, fortnightly 240 litre bin recycling service and fortnightly 240 litre bin greenwaste service.
This will bring much needed revenue for Auburn. According to the 2006 Australian Census Auburn has 29,968 residents. Total families amounted to 6,961 which coincides well with the 6, 606 number of occupied private dwellings under the category of Household Composition for purposes of computing an approximate projection of income for the garbage disposal charges.
If one third of the 6006 family private dwellings each choose one of the three options then the income to the city would amount to the following. 2,002 homes taking Option 1 amounts to $677,717.04 per year. 2,002 homes taking Option 2 amounts to $242,322.08 per year. 2,002 homes taking Option 3 amounts to $242322.08 per year.
The total is $962,361.20 from the three options each with 2002 customers for the year. This money will cover the expenses of disposing household waste and make the operation self-sustainable. The city must charge a reasonable amount for the service in order to cover the costs of providing the service because the council must set a separate rate specifically for the domestic waste management services. The service charges include garbage pick-up, clean-up and recycling services.
The underground waste disposal may be a hopeful sign for change not only due to garbage truck noise and charges. One of Sydney’s Waste Recovery Station was located in Auburn after a quick passage of legislation by then Labor Premier Bob Carr although the community had mounted long and loud opposition to the transfer station. The recovery station is located at Auburn Old Hill Link, Homebush Bay. The hours are 4:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed Saturday and Sunday.
Vacuum chutes and underground garbage disposal for the whole country sounds good about now.
References
2006 Census QuickStats. Auburn (Postal Area 2144) Quick Stats by Location, Australian Bureau of Statistics. 20 Oct. 2008 Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
Director’s Report, business and Finance Department. To the Ordinary Meeting of Council. June 15, 2011. Auburn City Council. <http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au/Govern1/CouncilMeetings/Business%20Papers%202011/Revised%20Report%20-%20Item%20155-11%20-%20Making%20of%20Rates%20and%20Fixing%20of%20Charges%20for%202011-2012.pdf>
Harris, Sarah. 14 Jan. 2004. “Carr gives go ahead to waste dump in Sydney’s west.” Green Left.
14 Jan.2004. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/30702>
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting . City Council Meeting Notes for June 15, 2011. Auburn City Council <http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au/Govern1/CouncilMeetings/Business%20Papers%202011/Minutes%20of%20the%20Council%20Meeting%20-%2015%20June%202011.pdf>
Moore, Matthew. 19 Sept. 2011. Northern Argus. www.northernargus.com.au. n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/goodbye-garbage-trucks-hello-underground-disposal-20110918-1kg6d.html
