Council decides on pre-booked service for 2024

The City of Cockburn's bulk waste verge collection service can be pre-booked at your convenience come July 2024, following a decision at June's Council meeting.

Bulk waste verge collections currently operate on a scheduled service, with set collection dates throughout the year. Under the pre-booked service, residents can book one hard and one green waste collection when it suits them. Ratepayers will also retain their six trailer passes.

The transition will take two years to complete, so collections will operate on their normal schedule until mid-2024.

Project background

A growing population and increasing waste generation mean the City’s scheduled bulk waste verge collection service is at capacity.

The service was reviewed to ensure future operations continue to meet community needs, while remaining sustainable, cost-effective and aligned with Western Australia's waste reduction targets.

Thank you for your input

The City last year sought community perspectives on the scheduled and alternative service models. Over 1000 people participated in an online survey, community workshops, Facebook Live event and face-to-face discussions.

Feedback was compiled in a report alongside a detailed assessment of budget, resources, waste recovery information and more. The report was recently presented to the City's Expenditure Review Committee, resulting in a recommendation to adopt a pre-booked service model.

Council considered the report at their June meeting and voted in support of the Committee's recommendation, making the change official.

Thank you for helping to shape this important decision.

More information

• Read the 9 June 2022 Ordinary Council Meeting agenda report on the City of Cockburn website here
• Read about the pre-booked bulk waste verge collection service (to be implemented in July 2024) on the City of Cockburn website here
• Find your current bulk waste verge collection scheduled dates on the City of Cockburn website here
• For any further queries, please contact the City of Cockburn on 08 9411 3444 or [email protected]

Thank you for your input

The City of Cockburn is reviewing the way it collects bulk hard and green waste at verge collection time. A growing population and increasing waste generation mean the City’s scheduled bulk waste verge collection service is at capacity.

The City’s aim is to deliver a cost-effective verge collection service that meets community needs, while working towards Western Australia’s waste reduction targets.

What we did

To gain community insights, the City last year asked for your views on the scheduled bulk waste verge collection service and alternative collection models.

Over 1000 people participated in our online survey, community workshops, Facebook Live pop-up session and face-to-face discussions. Thank you for sharing your views and asking questions.

The feedback received will be considered alongside a range of factors, such as budget and resource requirements, to guide Council’s decision on how we collect bulk waste in the future.

What we heard

• Respondents use and highly value having a bulk waste verge collection service – 71.3% of respondents would consider the current service (scheduled model) in the future.
• Respondents are generally satisfied (80%) with the City’s bulk waste verge collection service and say it is:
  • Easy and convenient
  • Well-organised
  • Generally on-time
• While the service is viewed positively, respondents have experienced the following challenges:
  • Length of time waste is left on the verge before pick-up
  • Untidiness of street
  • Concerns about environmental impacts (lack of resource recovery)
• Respondents feel these challenges can be addressed through:
  • Waste education
  • Residents complying with verge collection rules
  • Individual accountability for reducing verge waste
  • Increased resourcing of the current service
  • More tip passes
  • Exploring alternative verge collection models such as verge valets and skip bins.
• Many respondents would consider (51.9%) or might consider (26.6%) a bookable verge collection service model (instead of scheduled) in the future, and envisage the following opportunities:
  • Ease and convenience
  • Cleaner, tidier streets
  • Reduced waste to landfill
  • Less illegal dumping
• Respondents identified the following challenges and solutions with a bookable verge collection service:
  • Easy and accessible booking process (i.e. consider support, education and various ways of booking)
  • Manage behaviour change (i.e. residents may place their waste out at the same time because they are used to the scheduled model)
  • Manage non-compliant residents (i.e. a sticker system on items booked for collection will support identification of illegally dumped items)
• When it comes to a verge collection service, respondents’ top priorities are:
  • Convenience
  • Environmental impacts and reducing waste to landfill
  • Education and resident compliance
  • Timeliness.

Next steps

City officers have reviewed community feedback and assessed a range of bulk waste verge collection models.

Findings have been compiled into a report for Council. View the report on the City of Cockburn website here. This report will be presented to Council at the June Ordinary Council Meeting:

• Where: Council Chambers, City of Cockburn Administration Building (9 Coleville Crescent, Spearwood)
• When: 7pm, Thursday 9 June 2022
• Watch online: View the Live stream here
• Registrations: Anyone is welcome to attend, however registrations are required and can be made via the City of Cockburn website here.

Meeting outcomes will be documented in the meeting minutes, which will be published on the City of Cockburn website here.