6 October 2006

REVOLVE UP FOR TENDER?

| chuck
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I noticed a story on Win TV on Wednesday night that mentioned that the tender for the Revolve operations at Mugga tip was up for grabs. I was actually just wondering what people thought of this process? It seems odd to me that the ACT Government feels that is has the right to tender out a not for personal profit business that has been running At Mugga tip for 18 years, in that time it has employed hundreds of local people and resold or recycled more material than I care to imagine, to add insult to injury the Government of the time never even wanted it to start in the first place. It took almost seven years of lobbying and negotiations before Revolve was even able to open its gates. Surely the ‘waste’ that is generated by the Canberra community is still really the property of Canberra people? Why would we want this to be given away to a multi-national company or at best a private company from interstate?

How do you tender 18 years of good will, public education and reputation?

[ED – The CT also had a piece on this yesterday]

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AUSSIE JUNK MUGGA LANE IS NOW OPEN ALL WELCOME

revolve has closed down

what are the actual rules for this tender?
I don’t understand why the govt suddenly wants to put it out to tender after 18 years? what has changed?

Yes I agree some of the sales staff at revolve do sometimes go a bit crazy, but in their defence they dont get it for free, as sadly workers that dont get paid a pretty hard to find.

Revolve pays huge rent just for the shed, then there are obvious expenses like Wages, super, workers comp and other insurances as well as normal running costs.

As far as aussie junk goes, It is owned by a fellow from wagga, they are contracted to theiss and not the ACT government, they pay no Rent or any other fees for what they do. Its a total cash business with no receipts ever being isssued and they seem to be accountable to no one? Mosts of their workers are on way less than award wages. I know of people who have worked for $50 cash in hand for a 10 hour day! They are much pickier about what they take and a lot of their business is based online so locals shoppers dont even get a sniff at the good stuff. The way I see it is atleast revolve employs local people and is a local business.

Does yer EP have a name yet Thumper? (Like AD, I was initially very confused).

Does anyone know if you can still dump your recyclables (cardboard, glass etc) at the old belco tip?

humans can game any system.

They might have goodwill with some people, but not with me. Years ago I had a good look through revolve, only to be amazed at the prices being asked for the crap they had scavenged from the tip for free. As an example, they were trying to sell second hand sheets of gyprock in odd sizes (offcuts I guess), for more than the sheets cost originally! They wouldn’t even negotiate the price! After that I haven’t bothered going back.

I have taken advantage of their services though. They often won’t accept stuff youo drop off to them (for free), instead making you pay to get into the tip then dump your second hand (but still useable) couch, computer or whatever. The trick is to go into the tip between 7.30am and 8.00am on a Saturday. The tip is open but revolve is not. I generally just unload whatever I was going to give them (not real rubbish, but actual recyclable goods/material) in front of their gate and then piss off, all for free.

Screw revolve, if they got their shit together people might support them. At present they have a giant shed of stuff no-one will buy.

/end_bitter_and_twisted_rant

they closed the revolve at belco tip a few years ago,and opened that bizarre ‘recycling centre’ at mitchell that makes you sort all your rubbbish and then transports it away somewhere.

they also opened ‘aussie junk’ at mitchell, which is a privately owned and run for profit operation. the prices there are sometimes better than revolve in mugga lane.

maybe they coudl let koomarri take it over…

Absent Diane10:08 am 06 Oct 06

I read this a revolver up for tender and in my unwell state confused the hell out of me.

I would have thought it’s private industry’s job to get the best possible return.

Government’s supposed to be involved when the short term “best possible return” for a single entity doesn’t actually give the best results to everyone.

Yeah, they need the money for the dragway!

Well it is the Gubbmint’s job to get the best possible return.

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