Green waste’s heavyweights

By Lia Bichel
AN ENDEAVOUR Hills man said he was frustrated with the Casey Council after his green waste bin was declared “too heavy” for pick up.
Adrian Kelaart said he was surprised to find council workers had failed to pick up his green waste bin, which was quarter filled with grass clippings.
“I called the council to tell them my bin wasn’t emptied but I was told it was too heavy. The limit is 80 kilograms. So I weighed the bin and it was only 50 kilograms,” Mr Kelaart said.
“I pay my rates, I expect a service.”
Mr Kelaart said he had experienced a similar situation in the past.
“Last time they didn’t empty the bin I rang the council and they told me it the contents were too wet,” he said.
“I asked if they wanted me to dry (the grass clippings)”
But Casey council maintains bins are only not collected if they are over 80 kilograms or the bin contents have jammed.
“The collection trucks have hydraulic scales on the arm and they are unable to collect bins over this weight.
“The scales are calibrated regularly to ensure their accuracy,” City of Casey Manager Waste Management Michael Jansen said.
“One possibility is that the bin contents may have actually jammed where the bin has been lifted, and only some, or, on rare occasions, none, of the contents have been released into the truck.
“A bin can jam because the material has been squashed down and created a vacuum making it difficult to empty.
“It can also be caused by material, particularly grass clippings, sweating in the bin and the extra moisture causes it to compact.”
Mr Jansen said there were several things residents could do to assist in the collection of their garden waste bin
He said residents should not overfill or place unacceptable items the bin, they should not jam material down in the bin and they should loosen the bin’s contents before placing it out for collection, especially if the contents have been in the bin for a couple of weeks.
“If disposing of lawn clippings, either let them dry out a little before placing in the bin to reduce moisture content or leave the lid open on the bin to assist evaporation,” he said.
Additional garden waste bins are available for $56 per year or garden waste can be placed out for the twice yearly Hard and Green Waste collection.