Are you still lugging soggy and smelly items and dumping them at Dunmore tip?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The city's state MP Anna Watson wants to hear from you - but it's unlikely Shellharbour City Council will bow to pressure to further waive tip fees for the flood recovery effort.
Ms Watson's on a mission to convince Shellharbour council to provide a free, one-off kerbside rubbish collection across the entire local government area.
The April 6 deluge hit western parts of Shellharbour region significantly and Ms Watson is keen for the council to follow Wollongong's lead.
"Many residents of the Shellharbour LGA suffered damage to household items and furnishings," she said.
Not only was expecting people to do their own tip runs a stretch too far, Ms Watson said, it's also an additional cost.
"It is also grossly unfair that people who are unable to load a car and drive to the tip have to hire a skip bin or pay someone to remove their rain and flood-damaged items.
She's called on Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer to "show leadership and compassion and give residents impacted by the recent storm and floods a free kerbside clean-up."
A council spokesperson confirmed Cr Homer will speak to the topic at tonight's council meeting on Tuesday, April 23.
"Shellharbour City Council removed waste fees for our community to help as they recovered and cleaned up from the rain event," they said.
Between Sunday, April 7 and April 22, the Dunmore tip received 119 tonnes of mixed waste and vegetation from 516 "transactions", the spokesperson said. And all without a fee being paid.
Last week, following ongoing reduced demand for flood impacted waste disposal from private land, the council decided to end the fee-free period for flood-affected waste.
Asking ratepayers to pay for an LGA-wide free kerbside waste pick-up has the potential to be a large cost impost to the community, the spokesperson said.
Ms Watson has created a petition. You can sign it here.
