Sydney and Melbourne building laneways to be tidied

The proposed waste hopper storage for the laneways beside the Sydney and Melbourne buildings. Photo: Supplied by the ACT Government.

80 waste hoppers that are spread out across the two laneways beside the Sydney and Melbourne Buildings can be an eyesore and are taking up unnecessary space, but that is about to change with the ACT Government planning to reduce the waste hoppers and to remove them from public view.

City Renewal Authority CEO Malcolm Snow said that the proposed project will provide a lot of underutilised space, while also making the public experience in the laneways much more enjoyable.

The new waste enclosures require the cooperation of the Sydney and Melbourne building businesses, who will be working with ACTSmart to set up a new shared waste system.

A new waste collection contract that covers both buildings will be paid for by the businesses and initially managed by the ACT Government.

Mr Snow said the four new enclosures would make the laneways more attractive options for activation and temporary events and will remove a major obstacle in the Sydney and Melbourne Building laneways.

“One of the main obstacles to using these laneways has been the large number of bins that dominate the space,” Mr Snow said.

“There are currently more than 80 waste hoppers spread out across the two laneways. Reducing those to about a dozen and removing them from public view will make available a lot of underutilised space, while also making the public experience in the laneways much more enjoyable.”

“This project will help make the use of these laneways by the Sydney and Melbourne Building businesses a much more attractive possibility. The laneways will be great locations for events and activities that encourage people to experience these historic buildings from a new perspective.”

Pending development approval, the construction of the new enclosures is expected to be completed later this year, with the new waste enclosures expected to cost about $400,000.

What do you think of the proposed plan to clean up the laneways around the Sydney and Melbourne buildings? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.