HARD rubbish will again be picked up from Cardinia roadsides in a council backflip that happy residents say won’t go to waste.

Less than 12 months after the hard rubbish collection was binned because it made nature strips look messy, council has responded to pressure to reinstate the service.

Plans were announced last week for a twice-yearly hard and bundled green waste kerbside service.

The move replaces the short-lived tip voucher system and fulfills a shire pledge to review the situation.

Councillors said the decision responded to feeling in the community.

Residents from Pakenham, Beaconsfield and Gembrook last year signed petitions calling for roadside collections to be returned.

Louise Sullivan, who organised the Beaconsfield petition, welcomed the turnaround.

“It’s fantastic news, I’m really pleased,” she said.

“It just shows that people power works. People around here will be very happy with that.”

Council’s decision will come at a cost, with the new service to add about another $6 per year onto residents’ garbage charge.

But Cr Brett Owen said he believed it was the right way to go. He hoped it would help combat an increasing problem of illegal rubbish dumping across the shire.

Cr Bill Ronald said the decision was an example of the council listening to the community.

“We said last year we would review the system after 12 months. Council has honoured its commitment to its community.

“Previous councils would have said ‘This is the service, like it or lump it, you’ll get used to it.’ This council is responsive,” Cr Ronald said.

The decision to introduce the tip voucher system was said at the time to be a simpler and more efficient way to dispose of old whitegoods and other hard rubbish.

But residents had protested, particularly people who were incapable of carting hard waste to the tip.

Cr Pearson acknowledged the tip voucher system had not been appreciated.

“We’ve had more complaints about it than comments for it,” he said.

The bi-annual collection will see rubbish collected in October-January and again in May-August.

Cr Owen said there would be an education program to ensure residents did the right thing.

“We don’t want rubbish left on kerbsides for weeks and weeks.

“That was one of the negatives of the previous system,” he said.

Mrs Sullivan thanked residents who signed her petition.



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