Ongoing labour shortages linked to the COVID pandemic are leaving their mark on Orange City Council’s annual bulky waste collection which starts next Monday 31 January.
Orange Mayor Cr Jason Hamling said there may be delays for residents to when the bulky waste is collected.
READY: Disused furniture and mattresses are starting to appear on verges on the western side of Orange ahead of the annual bulky waste collection which starts Monday (31 January). Collections on the eastern side of town won’t begin for another fortnight.
“JR Richards will be doing the best they can but it may take longer than expected to collect the bulky waste this year,” Cr Hamling said.
“The important thing is to remember that once it’s collected, please don’t put out any more waste.”
Originally, Council was asking residents to sort their bulky waste into three piles so that materials such as mattresses and e-waste could be collected separately by three separate trucks. Because of a driver shortage, all the bulky waste, except for fridges, will now be collected at the one time by a single truck. Bulky waste will now be sorted at the Ophir Road Resource Recovery Centre.
“If anything, that’s going to make it simpler for residents and avoid confusion over whether the collection has happened or not. Once your bulky waste collection has happened, please don’t put any more waste out on the footpath,’ Cr Hamling said.
“If you’re putting out a defunct fridge, we’re aiming to collect those separately so that the equipment containing refrigerant gas won’t be further damaged by the collection.”
The bulky waste collection begins next Monday and will happen gradually over the coming weeks.
Residents west of Anson Street should make sure they put out their bulky waste by Sunday 30 January.
Residents east of Anson Street should make sure they put out their bulky waste by Sunday 13 February.
