Wellington Shire Council is urging property owners to start preparing for the upcoming summer bushfire season, with No Fee Green Waste disposal at landfills and transfer stations during the month of November.
Inspections of about 17,000 private properties across the Shire will begin from 3 November, aimed at ensuring compliance with bushfire hazard reduction rules ahead of the 2021/22 Fire Danger Period.
Properties must be prepared before the annual inspections take place and maintained for the entire Fire Danger Period.
Council will issue the owner of any property identified as posing a potential fire risk to life or property with a Fire Prevention Notice, with instructions to clean up.
Penalties of $1,817 can apply for failure to comply with these notices.
To assist residents with property clean-up, Council is offering No Fee Green Waste disposal at facilities in Kilmany, Maffra, Loch Sport, Seaspray, Heyfield, Stratford and Yarram during November.
Wellington Shire Council Mayor Garry Stephens urged residents to start preparing their properties and take advantage of the service.
“While we traditionally offered this service with extended hours at our facilities over Melbourne Cup weekend, we introduced No Fee Green Waste for the month of November a couple of years ago to give people extra opportunities to prepare for the bushfire season,” Cr Stephens said.
“It would be great to see people again make the most of this opportunity to clean up and ensure their properties are bushfire-ready.”
Residents should reduce fire hazards by slashing grass, bracken or weeds, especially around buildings and fences.
Undergrowth, fallen branches, garden refuse and tree cuttings should be removed, while tree branches and shrubs should also be pruned.
No Fee Green Waste will not apply to commercial operators, truck loads or loads bigger than a caged tandem trailer.
Tree stumps and logs bigger than 30 centimetres in diameter cannot be accepted.
