By Elizabeth Lillis
A GROUP of Garfield residents is upset over how Cardinia Shire Council has introduced a new user pay green waste bin service.
Bins have been delivered to residents who have filled out a council provided form saying that they did not want the service.
Ted and Bev Kennedy, who returned the form to the council declining the service, were surprised to find a bin sitting on their verge.
Mrs Kennedy said she posted the form back to council immediately after it arrived.
Forms were sent with rate notices and ratepayers were asked to nominate if they did not want not be included in the scheme.
Cardinia Shire Council manager of governance and communications Doug Evans said 11,000 of the 240litre bins were being delivered last week and with such a large logistical challenge, some delivery errors were likely to occur.
“If people have received a bin who specifically asked not to, they need to call council so we can arrange for them to be picked up,” he said.
Mrs Kennedy said the delivery mixup had been a nuisance as council had asked her to write to explain the circumstances so arrangements could be made to collect the bin.
“My 80yearold neighbour is in the same position,” she said.
Mrs Kennedy said she assisted her neighbour to return his form so a bin would not be delivered, but he still received one.
“It just seems like a revenueraising exercise,” she said.
Another Garfield Road resident, Hazel Maurice said she did not want the bin but had not received any information about choosing not to have the service.
Mrs Maurice said she had no use for the service and as a pensioner didn’t have a lot of money to pay for the service through until July.
She intends to write to council to state her case.
Mr Evans said anyone who did not want the bin and hadn’t returned the form saying so, could give up the service at the end of the financial year.
“People who do not want the service can write to us and have their individual circumstances considered,” Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans said council had received calls from ratepayers who had opted out of the new service initially who were now requesting a bin.
Bunyip Ward councillor Bill Pearson said the scheme had been introduced to reduce the amount of green waste going into landfill in the shire.
Grass clippings, weeds, small branches, garden prunings, leaves and flowers can be placed in the green bins, which will be collected fortnightly, alternating with the yellowlid recycling service.
Thiess Services, which operates the garbage and recycling services, is the contractor for the green waste bins.