DIRECTORATE:
Planning and Environment
SECTION:
Environmental (Waste) Management
POLICY:
Municipal Waste Service and Charge
RESPONSIBLE OFFICER:
Manager Strategy and Advocacy
DATE ADOPTED BY COUNCIL:
16th April 2013
REVIEW DATE:
July 2016
POLICY OBJECTIVE
This policy relates to the levels of municipal waste service provided by the Council and the fees and
charges that apply.
The objective is to ensure that the waste charge is applied by the Council in an equitable and
transparent manner.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Council’s Community Local Law, its financial reserve
policy for waste management and any relevant future municipal waste service policies such as
municipal waste services to multiunit developments and non-residential properties including
commercial, industrial and community, cultural and recreational properties.
BACKGROUND
The Waste Service
The Council’s municipal waste service consists of 120 Litre garbage bin collected weekly, a 240 Litre
recycling bin collected fortnightly and a 120 or 240 Litre garden waste bin collected fortnightly and an
“at call” hard waste service available once per financial year to a property.
Bins provided by the Council are the Council’s property and must be left at the property it was issued
to. The Council replaces lost or stolen bins and undertakes bin repairs that were provided by the
Council. The Council’s Community Local Law and Waste Service publications establish the
requirements for the use of the Council’s municipal waste service.
Additional services are available upon request and comprise extra garbage, recycling or garden waste
bins at an additional annual fee. Additional hard waste collections are not available.
The Waste Charge
Municipal waste services are charged for in the annual Rates Assessment as a “Waste Charge”.
There are four variations to the base municipal waste service as follows:




Waste Charge (A) - A 120 Litre weekly garbage, 240 Litre fortnightly recycling and 240 Litre
fortnightly garden waste service
Waste Charge (B) - A 120 Litre weekly garbage, 240 Litre fortnightly recycling and 120 Litre
fortnightly garden waste service
Waste Charge (C) - A 120 Litre weekly garbage, 240 Litre fortnightly recycling and fortnightly
garden waste service from a private garden waste bin
Waste Charge (D) - A 120 Litre weekly garbage and 240 Litre fortnightly recycling service only
Hard waste services are available to properties that pay Waste Charges A, B, C and D.
Historically, if a property owner has not elected services applicable to Waste Charge A, B or C, the
base level Waste Charge D was applied to all developed rateable properties regardless of use.
Policy: Municipal Waste Service and Charge
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Garden waste services are via application from the property owner and Waste Charges are declared
on these forms. Property owners may request a change of garden waste bin or cancel a garden waste
service throughout the year and adjustments are made accordingly in the Rates Assessment.
Private garden waste bins are the responsibility of the owner/occupier. The Council will not repair or
replace private garden waste bins.
Additional waste services are available upon application and subject to additional fees (Additional
Service fees). These services are as follows:




Additional Garbage (E) – an extra weekly garbage collection service from a 120 litre bin
Additional Recycle (F) - an extra fortnightly recycling collection service from a 240 litre bin
Additional Green Waste (G) - an extra fortnightly garden waste collection service from a 240 litre
bin
Additional Green Waste (H) - an extra fortnightly garden waste collection service from a privately
owned garden waste bin
Property owners may apply for an additional municipal waste service. Property owners may also apply
to cancel an additional waste service throughout the year and adjustments are made accordingly in
the Rates Assessment.
Exemptions to Additional Service fees are available for residents with medical conditions that generate
additional waste and/or recyclables. Concessions are based on advice from a medical practitioner or
hospital that alternative disposal or recycling facilities are not available and where the type of waste
being disposed of in the Council’s waste service is appropriate.
The Waste Charge is set each financial year having consideration for the direct management,
organisational overheads and direct service costs and the Council’s Waste and Litter Management
Plan and initiatives and waste and litter behavioural change projects.
Services to non-residential properties
The service introduced in 2004, was primarily for residential properties. The Council’s Waste and Litter
Management Plan 2012-2017 identifies that the Council’s standard level of municipal waste service is
limiting and often not appropriate to all non-residential property owners’ or occupiers’ needs.
Approximately 35 per cent of non-residential properties do not use the Council’s waste service as it
does not accommodate their needs and therefore they have opted for private waste services.
Approximately 22 per cent have a combination of municipal and private waste services.
With respect to commercial and industrial properties historically they have paid a Waste Charge and
have access to the municipal waste service. The Council aims to accommodate requests for municipal
waste services from ratepayers of these commercial and industrial properties for residential type waste
and quantities.
The two major aged care communities, in The Village in Paas Place, Williamstown and Port Phillip
retirement village in Stewart Avenue, Altona have aged accommodation that is rated individually and
therefore are entitled to individual municipal waste services for each aged care home. In 2004 Port
Phillip retirement village chose to share 132 recycling bins amongst the 162 dwellings. The Village too
shares approximately 100 recycling bins across 234 dwellings.
Other aged care facilities, such as in Mason Street, Newport are rated as one property and therefore
entitled to one municipal waste service comprising one garbage bin collected weekly and one
recycling bin collected fortnightly. The Mason Street aged care facility use a private service.
Other non-residential properties, such as churches, community centres, kindergartens, aged and child
care centres, sporting clubs and schools, who used the service prior to 2004 continue to have a need
or have requested a service since this time.
Where access to recycling bins is feasible, and if requested by a sporting club or school, the Council
will provide kerbside recycling services to these properties in the interests of improving community
recycling and reducing waste to landfill.
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Schools do not receive the Council’s garbage service as their needs are greater than what the
municipal waste service can provide. Also excess 120 Litre garbage bins would have negative amenity
impact when placed out for collection.
Sporting clubs also do not receive the Council’s garbage service as the Council’s litter collection
services provide garbage collection services to these properties. The Council’s litter collection service
does not provide recycling services. Often sporting clubs share facilities and will share the municipal
recycling service. Sporting clubs that hire or lease agreements with the Council will determine the
Waste Services to the clubs and reserves.
Churches are non-rateable however, if they use the municipal waste service the Waste Charge is
applied.
Community services operating from a Council facility have lease agreements with the Council. These
are reviewed from time to time to include conditions on the use of the Council’s waste service.
Hard waste collection services are accessible to non-residential properties that pay a Waste Charge
for residential type hard waste and quantities, described in the Council’s publications.
Multiunit developments
With respect multiunit developments there has been an increase of predominantly residential type but
often mixed use purposes, within the municipality.
The Council encourages the use of the Council’s service and has input into the design and operation
at planning stages. It is also developing policies and guidelines for waste services to multiunit
developments in consultation with other Councils and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group.
Often the Council cannot service multiunit developments with its standard service due lack of storage,
limited access for the collection vehicle, limited kerbside collection space for a large number of bins
and restricted collection frequencies.
Developers most often propose private services acknowledging in planning applications that the
development must still pay the Waste Charge applicable to each rateable property.
It is clear that most of the newer multiunit developments do not use the municipal waste service, and
at the time of developing this policy, the number of these types of properties were small. Therefore this
policy establishes a Waste Charge for multiunit developments.
The Council could continue encouraging more private waste contractors to service a variety of
properties. However, this comes with a variety of other potential problems requiring examination prior
to the Council establishing a position.
A number of smaller sized flats and units have since 2004 shared a recycling bin rather than having
excess larger bins on site and most would have individual garbage bins. Waste Charges A, B C or D
will apply (depending on the choice made by the ratepayer or body corporate) regardless of the shared
recycling bin arrangements.
Further research
Further research is required and is recommended in the Waste and Litter Management Plan 20122017 as follows:

investigating alternative municipal waste services for commercial properties and a waste
charge scheme specific to this service (recommendation 10.2)

investigating alternative municipal waste services for multiunit developments and a waste
charge scheme specific to this service (recommendation 10.3)

develop clearer policy and guidelines to demonstrate the Council’s needs to developers
(recommendation 10.3)
Policy: Municipal Waste Service and Charge
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Until such time as new municipal waste services are investigated, policy and guidelines, developed
approved by the Council and implemented, the following policy and principles apply to municipal waste
services and waste charges. This policy identifies how the Waste Charge is calculated and applied to
types of properties and the level of service to each type of property.
POLICY AND PRINCIPLES
1. The Waste Charge is a charge for the collection and disposal or processing of municipal
garbage, recycling, garden waste and hard waste and Waste and Litter Management Plan
projects including waste and litter related behavioural change programs. The Waste Charge
applies to all rateable properties that use the Waste Service. The Waste Charge applies to
non rateable properties that are permitted to use the Waste Service. Allowances for rateable
and non-rateable properties are described below:
Property
type
Rates
Status
Garbage
service
allowances
Recycling
service
allowances
Garden
waste
service
allowances
Hard waste
service
allowances
Waste
Charge
Additional
Service fees
Residential
Rateable
1
1
By
application
1
Yes
By application
Commercial
and industrial
Rateable
1
1
By
application
1
Yes
By application
Other
rateable
properties
such as
private
childcare,
kindergartens,
aged and
health care
centres
Rateable
1
1
By
application
1
Yes
By application
School
Nonrateable
0
3
1
0
No
Yes if a
school uses
the municipal
waste service
and exceeds
the allowance
Community
Centre
Nonrateable Council
2
2
1
1
No
A lease
agreement
will determine
the waste
service
allowances
before
charges apply
Community
Centre (not
for profit)
NonRateable
2
2
1
1
No
Yes if a
community
centre uses
the municipal
waste service
and exceeds
the allowance
Church
Nonrateable
1
1
By
application
1
Yes if a
church uses
the Council’s
waste service
By application
Sporting Club
(recreational
reserve)
Nonrateable Council
0
2
0
1
No
Hire or lease
agreements
will determine
the waste
Policy: Municipal Waste Service and Charge
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Property
type
Rates
Status
Garbage
service
allowances
Recycling
service
allowances
Garden
waste
service
allowances
Hard waste
service
allowances
Waste
Charge
Additional
Service fees
service
allowances
before
charges apply
Kindergarten
Nonrateable
2
2
1
1
No
Yes if a
kindergarten
uses the
municipal
waste service
and exceeds
the allowance
Kindergarten
Nonrateable Council
2
2
1
1
No
A lease
agreement
will determine
the waste
service
allowances
before
charges apply
Child care
centres
Nonrateable Council
2
2
1
1
No
A lease
agreement
will determine
the waste
service
allowances
before
charges apply
Child care
centres
Nonrateable
2
2
1
1
No
Yes if a
centre uses
the municipal
waste service
and exceeds
the allowance
Other nonrateable
properties
Nonrateable
1
1
By
application
1
Yes if a nonrateable
property uses
the Council’s
waste service
By application
2. Properties including multiunit developments and non-residential are not charged the Waste
Charge or Additional Service fees where there is evidence that a municipal waste services is
not provided by the Council in any form. Evidence includes a planning permit, the Council’s
bin audit records or inspection by the Council or its representative. Where evidence is not
available a Waste Charge or Additional Service fees will apply.
PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES
1. Budget and rating strategy determinations shall read “The Waste Charge is a charge for the
collection and disposal or processing of municipal garbage, recycling, garden waste and hard
waste, Waste and Litter Management Plan projects and waste and litter related behavioural
change programs”
2. The Waste Charge will be determined by applying the following:



Household Garbage : 100 per cent of annual budget
Recycling collection: 100 per cent of annual budget
Garden Waste Collection: 100 per cent of annual budget
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





Hard Waste Collection: 100 per cent of annual budget
Waste and Litter Management Plan and projects: 100 per cent of annual budget
Clean Up Australia Day activities: 100 per cent of annual budget
Waste Wise Events: 100 per cent of annual budget
Direct Management: 100 per cent of Waste and Environmental Services salaries and unit
administration annual budget, 25 per cent of the Manager Strategy and Advocacy annual
budgeted salary and 9 per cent of the Director Planning and Environment annual
budgeted salary
Organisational overheads: 6.67 per cent of the Rates Department’s annual budget and
11.22 per cent of Customer Service expenses
The Council’s Finance department will establish the Waste Charge each financial year using
the Waste Charge Calculator. Annual expenditure budgets will be determined by Strategy and
Advocacy.
3. When more revenue from the Waste Charge in any one financial year is accumulated that is
more than required to cover the cost of the municipal waste service, the Waste and Litter
Management Plan activities and waste and litter related behavioural change programs in that
same year, these funds will be deposited into the Waste Management Financial Reserve.
4. The Council will not apply the Waste Charge to multiunit developments or non-residential
properties where there is evidence that they are not provided any level of municipal waste
services by the Council. Evidence will be a planning permit and/or substantiated by the
Council or its representative. This will apply from the commencement of the financial year
following a Council resolution on this policy. Where evidence is not available a Waste Charge
or Additional Service fees will apply. Where there is a mix of uses of private and the Council’s
waste collection services within one development the body corporate will be charged for the
number and types of service provided for through the Additional Service Fee. For example
where there are no garbage services but six recycling services, six Additional Bin Fees will
apply to the body corporate. The Council’s Environmental Management department will advise
the Rates department where this is the case.
5. The Council will undertake an audit every four years to determine non-residential properties
with or without a municipal waste service, review lease agreements and apply the Waste
Charge accordingly.
6. Exemptions to Additional Service fees are given subject to there being an application in
writing, support from a medical practitioner or hospital that alternative disposal or recycling
facilities are not available and the application approved by the Manager Strategy and
Advocacy or his/her nominee. Where approved, the entire Additional Service fee is waived.
7. Additional garbage, recycling and garden waste services will be through application to the
Council from the property owner. Property owners may cancel an additional waste service
throughout the year and adjustments are made accordingly in the Rates Assessment. This will
be via completion of the Council’s Additional Waste Collection Service Form.
8. Garden Waste services will be through application from the property owner. Property owners
may apply alter the size of garden waste bins or cancel a garden waste service throughout the
year and adjustments are made accordingly in the Rates Assessment. This will be via
completion of the Council’s Green Waste Order Form.
9. The Council will review this policy in four years or if new legislation is introduced.
Policy: Municipal Waste Service and Charge
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