Waste collection update

Published on 08 March 2024

Pyrenees Shire Council has assured residents it is working to get waste collection schedules back on track after they were delayed due to road closures during the Bayindeen fire emergency.

CEO Jim Nolan said the Council understands the community’s frustration at the delay of several waste collections over the past two weeks and thanked everyone for their understanding.

Collections were disrupted in the south-east of the Shire where the fire was most active, in turn impacting collections in northern and central parts of the Shire. Collections still cannot happen in some areas around Raglan until the Incident Control Centre allows access.

However, Mr Nolan said the Council is working very closely with its contactor to get all collection schedules back on track.

“There are several complicating factors in rescheduling waste collections – our contractor has other commitments they need to honour so it becomes complex to slot extra pick-ups into their already busy schedule.

“We know residents are also frustrated with the lack of notice of some of the rescheduled collections and we apologise for this. This is due to last-minute ability for the contractor to schedule extra collections for us.”

Extra general waste collections started this week and residents in impacted areas should leave their bins out until they are collected.

If residents in missed areas have excess general waste or recycling, skip bins are still available at the Raglan Hall and on Evans Street, Amphitheatre.

Mr Nolan said even in light of emergency situations, Council is still bound by the terms of the contracts with waste management businesses.

“Any variations to these contracts need to be negotiated between Council and the contractor including any additional service cost.” he said.

“Waste collection services are very carefully managed with technology helping contractors manage the collection schedule with GPS tracking, camera technology and volume management to be able to deliver the most efficient service.

“There are a lot of factors that need to be considered when scheduling or rescheduling waste collections, and we hope the community can understand the complexities of the situation.”

Residents whose bins have been missed in regular collections at any time are encouraged to phone Council on 1300 797 363. 

If you are impacted by the fire you can call Council to register for support –call 1300 797 363 or visit our website at www.pyrenees.vic.gov.au/fireupdate.

While the threat is reduced there are still days of elevated fire danger ahead. Residents should stay informed about the evolving situation by regularly checking www.emergency.vic.gov.au, calling the Emergency Hotline on 1800 226 226.