Vote ‘yes’ to tidy towns – president
A KERBSIDE rubbish collection service in Venus Bay would result in a tidier coastline, a peak business body believes.
The members of the Beach and River Business Association are calling on ratepayers in Venus Bay to support the introduction of a kerbside service.
South Gippsland Shire Council has issued about 1800 surveys to ratepayers, asking for their views about the possible introduction of a service. Surveys are due back to council by this Friday.
The association posted a letter to Venus Bay ratepayers, particularly absentee ratepayers, saying a collection service would reduce street rubbish and dumping in public places, as well as help elderly people unable to access the Venus Bay transfer station.
The town is one of few in Victoria without a kerbside service, and residents and holiday-makers have to take their rubbish to the transfer station.
Association president Stuart Donaldson said as the transfer station is open for limited hours, some holiday-makers dump their rubbish in public and private bins in Tarwin Lower on the way home, leaving bins overflowing. Others dispose of rubbish in bushland, polluting the environment.
“This is not the sort of place where the wind does not blow, so it ends up everywhere; in the river and in the dunes. It’s a constant problem,” Mr Donaldson said.
“Some bins overflow twice a day. There are bins at the shops at Venus Bay, the boat ramps and in Tarwin Lower opposite the general store and across the road from us, and the rubbish just ends up all over the road.
“Elderly people find it physically difficult to cart their rubbish to the transfer station.”
He believes Tarwin Lower and Venus Bay must be “healthy and clean places to visit”, but with bins overflowing at the entrance to – and in the middle of – both towns, a poor image is conveyed to visitors.
“A lot of the properties in Venus Bay are rented to holiday-makers and they would be less concerned about it because they are only here for a week or so,” Mr Donaldson said.
“It’s hard to remember a time when there was not a lot of rubbish. Even last week, I brought our bin in on Monday morning and it even had someone’s rubbish in it and was lying down.”
The association believes most permanent Venus Bay residents are in favour of a service, but many absentee owners are not.
“There have been concerns from absentees about bins being left out for weeks at a time and being a sign that there is nobody about, but the local community is keen on forming a monitoring group that would help put the bins away in their own roads and a local gardening firm has offered to clean up,” Mr Donaldson said.
Not everybody is in favour of the proposal, including Beverley Walker of Venus Bay.
“There are about 1500 weekenders in Venus Bay and I’m worried about having to pick their bins up. There would be bins rolling over and rubbish blowing around all over the place. Can you imagine that?” she said.
The council survey asks ratepayers if they would support a kerbside garbage and recycling collection service, and if so, whether they wanted a full year service at a cost of about $205, a six month service from November to April for $130 or a three month service from December to February for about $80.
An extra weekly recycling service from Christmas Day until the end of January would cost up to $30 extra a year.
The survey also asks whether transfer station opening hours at Venus Bay and Walkerville suit their needs.
Mayor Cr Warren Raabe said some people mistakenly believed council would close the Venus Bay transfer station if a collection service was introduced.
“Council is quite excited about the prospect of the service. There is a real opportunity for the people that live there and would like there to be a rubbish service,” he said.
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