Councillors have been unable to decide whether to revert to a weekly collection from the present fortnightly service, and nor were they able to decide the future of a proposed organics processing facility at Dunmore.

In the end the councillors effectively voted to do nothing “until further discussions have taken place”.

They would do well to remember the three Rs of local government – rates, roads and rubbish – and put in place an effective strategy that will serve the growing city well into the future.

The Dunmore facility would process food scraps to help cut landfill and allow a weekly garbage collection.

It doesn’t make financial sense to further delay the project. Not only will it be more expensive to develop in the future, but it means any changes in collection would be even further away.

Councillors have a responsibility to ratepayers, as well as those they hope to attract to the city, to make collections as easy as possible.

If Shellharbour is serious about developing as a major residential centre, it cannot continue to delay formulating a sensible and practical waste strategy.