Councillor update from Cr Kieran Simpson (Deputy Mayor) for June/July 2026

Every year the budget process gives Councillors the opportunity to look at what's working, what is not, and where ratepayer dollars can be better spent. In the draft budget, a couple of waste management proposals stand out as genuinely good news for residents.

First, the purple glass bin. Council has decided to defer its rollout, and as Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee I believe it is the right decision.

The glass bin was locked in before the Container Deposit Scheme started. Since the CDS launched, it has been a remarkable success, diverting tonnes of containers — glass in particular — away from rubbish and co-mingled recycling bins. Residents have embraced it enthusiastically and the data speaks for itself.

The results from councils that have already rolled out the purple bin tell the story: very few households are actually putting it out. And when they do, the bins are rarely full. That means trucks are doing full rounds to collect bins that are largely empty — burning diesel at a cost, both financially and environmentally. With diesel prices where they are, and likely to remain, this is not a situation that improves in the short-medium term.

Council is part of a coalition that believes the smarter path forward is to invest in expanding the Container Deposit Scheme rather than duplicating infrastructure that is, by the evidence, already underperforming in other areas.

The second piece of good news flows from the first. Because the budgeted cost of waste and recycling services for the coming financial year is less than what was budgeted in the previous year, there will be a reduction in the waste service charge. The waste service charge continues to reflect the real cost of providing these services, and the charges are not used for any other purpose. That is fiscally responsible governance.

These may seem like small details in a large budget document. But they reflect the kind of evidence-based decision-making that I committed to deliver and I hope the State Government agrees to, at the least, make the  glass bin optional.

If I can assist in any way, feel free to contact me via email, phone, or Facebook @crkieransimpson