Council to consider reinstating verge side rubbish collection service in Geraldton

Verge side rubbish collections could be making a comeback in Geraldton, with council to consider a proposal to reinstate the service as part of its budget deliberations.

The City of Greater Geraldton ran a bulk waste collection service up until the 2014-25 financial year, with the program discontinued in a bid to reduce costs, keep rates increases low and prevent the streetscape from becoming untidy for one month every year.

The service was replaced by a skip bin program for residents, which proved expensive to operate and saw residents waiting for months to access the bins due to high demand.

As part of a community survey undertaken in August 2020, 93 per cent of respondents said waste issues should be a priority for the City and there was strong support for the return of the annual verge side collections.

The cost to run the program in 2022-23 is estimated at $325,000, with the City executive suggesting the service run once every two years.

But City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said he would be recommending waste collections be conducted every year to provide the maximum benefit to residents.

Council will vote on the proposal at next week’s meeting.