The state government will cover the extra cost that Macedon Ranges council now has to pay to keep its recycling service operating – at least in the short term.
The state government today announced a $13 million package for councils and industry to support the ongoing kerbside collection of household recyclables and waste while they find a solution to the recycling dilemma.
Macedon Ranges council is one of 11 western Victorian councils whose waste collectors rely on recycling company Visy, which has been left without a destination for waste since the Chinese government recently banned the importation of recycled materials.
Macedon Ranges mayor Jennifer Anderson said the state government funding would help the burden of the unbudgeted extra recycling cost.
“This gives us time to work with our contractor to develop a longer-term solution,” she said.
“Without the government’s assistance we would have been forced to use thousands of dollars of ratepayers’ money every week just to keep the kerbside recycling collection going, money that we would have otherwise been able to spend on local works and projects.”
But the state’s assistance will stop on June 30, when councils will be responsible for covering any cost.
Macedon Ranges council said it would work with the industry and the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group to find a longterm to solution to the recycling issue.
