Residents are being encouraged to make their wheelie bins as accessible as possible on collection days, with kerbside bin collection changing to minimise the potential spread of Covid-19.
Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Richard Higgins said that waste collections would continue, but the way some bins are collected will be altered during the Covid-19 situation.
“Our contractor collects thousands of bins every day and we’ve previously been able to grab some wheelie bins by hand if they couldn’t be reached by the automatic arm – such as when cars are parked in front of bins,” Cr Higgins said.
“However, we’re doing everything we can to reduce any possible risk of transmitting Covid-19 and that means we can’t collect bins by hand and bins we can’t reach with the automatic arm will have to be left behind.
“We’re asking our residents to work with us on this and to avoid parking in front of bins on collection days.
“If you’re a resident and know your bin gets parked in front of often, putting your bins at the base of your driveway is a good way to ensure we can reach it.
“For people looking for a park – if you see a wheelie bin on the kerb, please give it plenty of room so we can get to it easily.”
Cr Higgins said he wanted to reassure community members that waste collection would continue in the municipality.
“Rest assured that bins are still being collected, recycling is being processed and green waste is being turned into mulch for farms and community open space,” he said.
Vulnerable residents with special collection agreements – such as having bins collected from a specific area – will not have any changes to their agreements.
Cr Higgins reminded residents to not park in truck turnaround areas, such as the end of courts or truck turnarounds, on collection days.
“Our trucks require a significant amount of space to turn around and navigate some of our narrow streets,” he said.
“These turnarounds give them the ability to easily get through some tight areas – without them, trucks would have to reverse up to one kilometre at slow speed, with reduced visibility and a reverse alarm that no-one wants to hear first thing in the morning.
“If you can avoid it, please don’t park in front of bins or in truck turnarounds.”
For more information about Council services and Covid-19, visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Council/Coronavirus-Updates.
