26 August 2012

But won't anyone think of the trash pak operators cries Simon!

| johnboy
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Last night the Liberals announced they were going to try providing basic municipal services, in the form of a green waste bin, if they’re elected.

This afternoon Simon Corbell has taken the time to explain why this is a bad idea.

You see in the long term absence of the ACT Government doing what councils all over Australia can be bothered doing for their rate payers a cottage industry has sprung up removing people’s garden waste. We wouldn’t want to mess with the trash pak operators by doing a basic job of local government now would we?

Also it’s not the best option, according to Simon and his paid consultants, for reducing greenhouse gases. We’re be pretty sure Zed is completely out of craps to give on the subject of per tonne greenhouse emission pricing.

Simon expresses puzzlement and bewilderment as to why Zed would propose the ACT Government start offering basic municipal services. If Simon wants to retain government he might want to get across this stuff.

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justin heywood6:52 pm 28 Aug 12

colourful sydney racing identity said :

I heard Zed talking about this yesterday, he used words to the effect of “I have been scratching my head wondering why the ACT Government isn’t doing this already’.

That led me to start scratching my head wondering why Zed had not moved, in the Assembly, that this be done? Surely he could have negotiated a plan with the Greens that would have been able to get through.

Too busy?

Too lazy.

…or maybe because he hasn’t been in government?

You know you’re a rusted on True Believer when you can find a way to bash the other team even when it’s your own tribe at fault.

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colourful sydney racing identity said :

I heard Zed talking about this yesterday, he used words to the effect of “I have been scratching my head wondering why the ACT Government isn’t doing this already’.

That led me to start scratching my head wondering why Zed had not moved, in the Assembly, that this be done? Surely he could have negotiated a plan with the Greens that would have been able to get through.

Too busy?

Too lazy.

You say that as if you actually believe the Greens are reasonable and can be negotiated with to achieve outcomes that benefit the bulk of the Canberra population, and not just their own cause.

They have done very little in the last term that would suggest that’s true.

colourful sydney racing identity4:27 pm 28 Aug 12

I heard Zed talking about this yesterday, he used words to the effect of “I have been scratching my head wondering why the ACT Government isn’t doing this already’.

That led me to start scratching my head wondering why Zed had not moved, in the Assembly, that this be done? Surely he could have negotiated a plan with the Greens that would have been able to get through.

Too busy?

Too lazy.

HenryBG said :

schmeah said :

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice ……

In other words, you’d like me to subsidise your trashpack invoices in future..

I was joking BG. I’m happy to have a trash pak which I pay for, just don’t appreciate childish political opinions on an invoice, I’m otherwise happy to pay.

HenryBG said :

schmeah said :

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice ……

In other words, you’d like me to subsidise your trashpack invoices in future..

Well I guess that would be OK. But if we get a choice as to where your particular rates go I vote that they go to funding gay marriages and needle exchange programs.

HenryBG said :

schmeah said :

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice ……

In other words, you’d like me to subsidise your trashpack invoices in future..

I’d like all roads that are not directly between my house and my workplace to be left to nature, please. I don’t use 98% of the roads in Canberra – why should I have to pay?

HenryBG said :

schmeah said :

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice ……

In other words, you’d like me to subsidise your trashpack invoices in future..

Yes, thanks, that would be grand.

But seriously … are you really suggesting that ACTGovCo should only provide services that *everyone* uses? Or just the ones that you want?

The idea is so witless I’m tempted to call “troll”.

schmeah said :

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice ……

In other words, you’d like me to subsidise your trashpack invoices in future..

I have still got the green waste bin in the back yard from when this was tried several years ago. it was a failure then, why will it not be a failure this time?

I’d rather have a green waste bin provided, only because my last trash-pack invoice came with a free rant about the Carbon Tax, written with occasional block lettering and !!!!!! exclamation markings !!!!!, like a pre-schooler. Seriously, I pay for a service not an incoherent political opinion.

As far as Zed and big Vick go, useless .. the green waste bin policy has been floating around rank-and-file meetings of the ALP and the Greens for at least 3 years, neither of them can come up with their own ideas and they think Canberrans are just idiots.

So, Zed’s promising us
more government
higher rates bills.

And there I was thinking I might actually vote Liberal this election. Forget it, Zed.

People who have green waste can take it to the tip. Or they can pay to have it taken for them.
I don’t want my rates to go up even more in order to pay for frivolous services that I don’t need and will not use.

What a load of rubbish.

I don’t mind the part of the policy about providing a green waste bin, but the $10 million grant part is lunacy. There is no shortage of current processing capacity for green waste in Canberra (there is actually spare capacity most years). The issue is that Corkhills have the capacity, no one else does, and it could get tricky going to market with only one, up-and-running infrastructure option. Which leads you to the prospect of possibly having to give a company $10 million to duplicate the site and plant Corkhills already have.

There is not getting around the fact that, compared to the current self-haul + trash packs system, going to a green waste bin is more expensive to government and therefore the rates base. You would be putting rates up to provide a third bin. But, personally, I’d be prepared to pay more, partly because once you have a third bin, the marginal cost of moving to integrated collection of food waste and green waste is much lower.

Felix the Cat said :

As a former trashpack picker-upperer I can tell you not many others will miss the damn heavy, smelly and messy trashpacks full of rotting garden waste.

Except that, without garden waste, there’s hardly a market for trash paks. Seems an odd thing to complain about.

We moved from a rental property in Jerrabomberra back in Feb this year to our own home in the ACT. We were quite shocked to learn that there is no green waste pick up or bulk waste pick up in the ACT. In Jerra you just rang the council and organised the pickup and it did not cost anything.

I know some councils have designated pickup dates during the year which is also substantially better than no pickups as in the ACT.

JessP said :

Every other council in Australia can do this. Would be nice to think that we could have this in Canberra given the exorbitant amount of rates we pay and the the lack of services we receive.

They also manage to have Hard rubbish collections. Here, how is someone without a car going to get their toxic waste to the tip, other than just putting it in the bin?

Every other council in Australia can do this. Would be nice to think that we could have this in Canberra given the exorbitant amount of rates we pay and the the lack of services we receive.

I live in Macgregor said :

Yes, I’m working hard to ensure Katy Gallagher’s ACT Labor team is re-elected!

The Liberals seem to be doing the same.

Felix the Cat3:53 pm 26 Aug 12

As a former trashpack picker-upperer I can tell you not many others will miss the damn heavy, smelly and messy trashpacks full of rotting garden waste.

I live in Macgregor3:23 pm 26 Aug 12

Ok, I’m no expert on waste but an expert report suggests the Seselja Liberals policy on green waste will probably end up recycling about the same amount of material (currently running at 90% which is much more than most local governments around Australia are able to achieve) BUT cost 10 times as much?!!

So this is the Liberal’s waste policy which we waited so many years for?

Yeah, I’d really rather not have Vicki Dunne or Zed Seselja running environmental or treasury policy in the ACT.

Yes, I’m working hard to ensure Katy Gallagher’s ACT Labor team is re-elected!

Oops, I almost want to vote Liberal! Frankly I would pay to have a green waste bin for stuff I can’t compost (but not a great hessian bag) which would keep ‘she who must be obeyed’ happy. I would also support an opt in system so we homebodies would not disadvantage the million dollar apartmentarians. But why a new processing facility? Just contract out the collection and dump the stuff at the Parkwood processor.

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