August 14, 2023 • 7 mins
We're talking all things hard waste on our waste education podcast. You'll hear all about our new hard waste collection service, how it works, the benefits and how to book a collection. Learn more about hard waste in Kingston.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The City of Kingston proudly acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land,
and we pay our respect to their Elders, past and present and emerging.
We'd like to thank Westall Library for providing us with an acoustically treated space and quality equipment to record the Trash Talk podcast.
The studio is free for the Kingston community to use and available for bookings.
(00:27):
Welcome to Trash Talk,
the world's trashiest podcast where we sort through your waste and recycling.
Hello,
everybody and welcome to the Trash Talk podcast.
(00:49):
My name is Chloe.
I'm the waste education officer at the city of Kingston and with me here today is Tim,
team leader of waste management.
Hi,
Tim,
how are you doing?
Hi,
Chloe.
Thanks for having me in and I'm excited to talk about hard waste.
Brilliant.
Today,
we're gonna be discussing,
as you say,
our new hard waste service,
how it works, the benefits and how to book a collection.
First off.
Can you tell us what hard waste is,
(01:10):
what items are accepted within the hard waste collection?
So hard waste are items that you can't put in your normal kerbside bins usually because they're too large.
So things like furniture,
appliances,
packaging and some of the unsafe items that can't be disposed to landfills such as e waste.
And we have a community question here asking whether large sized carpets are accepted.
(01:33):
So carpets are generally accepted,
there are size and weight limits because the items have to be picked up by people and it's best to look at the FAQs on the website.
Ok.
So how does this differ from the annual collection we offered previously?
So the new service provides two complimentary booked collections per year and that replaces the annual collection where residents would put all of their hard waste out in September and October each year,
(01:59):
the new service still allows for additional collections for a fee.
And so why the change,
what are the benefits of this new service?
We did receive a lot of feedback that the service wasn't very flexible and this new service gives residents access to a free collection year-round rather than waiting for that September/October period.
(02:20):
And we found during a community consultation exercise in 2022 that three-quarters of residents preferred the new model.
So if residents have access to two free collections per year,
we're also hoping to see a decrease in dumped rubbish.
Ok.
Brilliant.
So we're responding to those resident enquiries.
I have another community question and this is a very valid question which I'm sure a lot of people have on their minds is anything salvaged from the hard rubbish collection um or does it all go to landfill?
(02:48):
So there's definitely recycling and one of the primary items that's recycled are metal.
So they're all separated,
things like white goods and steel from around the house.
Also,
mattresses,
mattresses are all recycled right down into their base components.
E waste is another big one that we're seeing more of.
So the priority is to recycle as much as we can and that actually saves everybody money who is eligible for the new hardware service.
(03:16):
So households with a council-provided kerbside bin collection service,
they're eligible for the hardware service.
Apartment buildings with owners,
corporations usually have their own waste service.
And in this case,
we encourage residents to contact the owners' corporation.
Great,
thanks Tim.
So how does the booking process work for residents wanting to book a hard waste collection?
(03:37):
So residents can contact the Council by booking online by phone or in person at our Cheltenham office.
Once a collection is booked,
items will be collected on their next bin day.
For example,
you might book your collection on a Monday afternoon.
If your bins are emptied on a Thursday,
your items will be collected that Thursday.
We recommend putting your items on the Nature Strip after your book and no later than the night before your collection day.
(04:02):
And it's important to note that it is a different contractor and hard waste is not being collected by the same truck as your normal household bins.
Ok.
So what items are not accepted as hard waste and how should people dispose of those items instead?
So things such as tires,
gas bottles,
soil and any building materials are not considered hard waste.
(04:23):
We do have an A to Z on our website which will assist people in finding disposal locations for those items.
Yes,
we have a whole range of things on the A to Z guide,
which will be a great source for people to refer to for any I think tricky items when it comes to hard rubbish.
All right.
So how are hard waste collections,
a sustainable option for residents?
Obviously,
we've mentioned that we're avoiding some landfill options with our larger items.
(04:47):
But are there steps that residents can take before booking a hard waste collection?
Yeah,
look,
definitely.
And our motto is always 'reduce, reuse and recycle'.
So, reduce the consumption,
try not to buy the things that you might be disposing of or thinking about how you are going to dispose of it when you're finished with
it is really important.
All the items that we collect in hard waste are retrieved and taken to transfer stations of various sorts.
(05:12):
So it's not like they're automatically going to landfill.
We try to minimize that as much as possible.
So in terms of what can be recycled or what is considered sustainable things like mattresses,
timber,
furniture,
e waste and white goods are all definitely recycled where we have mixed materials where there's plastic or glass mixed in with timber or metal.
(05:35):
They're very difficult to recycle and a lot of that will end up in landfill in terms of minimizing the disposal of items.
We always promote,
reduce reuse and recycle.
Think about donating items or selling items.
But what we really don't want is people just putting them on the nature Strip because nobody will know that it's there and you can't just wish it away.
(05:58):
We're really trying to avoid that um dumped rubbish um situation as well,
aren't we?
Ok.
We have another community question here asking whether we share the bookings with other residents so that people can go and collect items for use themselves before Council pick up for the waste services.
No,
we don't share the bookings and that's for privacy reasons.
That's also trying to keep the pile neat and tidy and knowing exactly what's out there for our waste contractor.
(06:24):
Thanks Tim.
Last one.
Where can people go to find more information on this new hard waste service?
So the Council website at Kingston.vic.,gov.au has a lot of resources.
There's explainer videos,
further details and even FAQs.
Great.
Thank you very much for coming and talking on the Trash Talk podcast.
Tim,
thank you for having me in Chloe.
(06:49):
This episode is brought to you by bins the app you've been waiting for.
Have you ever woken to the sounds of a garbage truck outside and realized you forgot to put your bins out.
Avoid the mad morning dash in your dressing gown and download bins here for all your waste and recycling needs.
Binston will send you a notification the night before your bin day.
Let you know which bins to put out and help you work out what items go in,
(07:12):
which bin download Binston today via the App Store or the Google Play Store.
The City of Kingston proudly acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land,
and we pay our respect to their Elders, past and present and emerging.
We'd like to thank Westall Library for providing us with an acoustically treated space and quality equipment to record the Trash Talk podcast.
The studio is free for the Kingston community to use and available for bookings.
(00:27):
Welcome to Trash Talk,
the world's trashiest podcast where we sort through your waste and recycling.
Hello,
everybody and welcome to the Trash Talk podcast.
(00:49):
My name is Chloe.
I'm the waste education officer at the city of Kingston and with me here today is Tim,
team leader of waste management.
Hi,
Tim,
how are you doing?
Hi,
Chloe.
Thanks for having me in and I'm excited to talk about hard waste.
Brilliant.
Today,
we're gonna be discussing,
as you say,
our new hard waste service,
how it works, the benefits and how to book a collection.
First off.
Can you tell us what hard waste is,
(01:10):
what items are accepted within the hard waste collection?
So hard waste are items that you can't put in your normal kerbside bins usually because they're too large.
So things like furniture,
appliances,
packaging and some of the unsafe items that can't be disposed to landfills such as e waste.
And we have a community question here asking whether large sized carpets are accepted.
(01:33):
So carpets are generally accepted,
there are size and weight limits because the items have to be picked up by people and it's best to look at the FAQs on the website.
Ok.
So how does this differ from the annual collection we offered previously?
So the new service provides two complimentary booked collections per year and that replaces the annual collection where residents would put all of their hard waste out in September and October each year,
(01:59):
the new service still allows for additional collections for a fee.
And so why the change,
what are the benefits of this new service?
We did receive a lot of feedback that the service wasn't very flexible and this new service gives residents access to a free collection year-round rather than waiting for that September/October period.
(02:20):
And we found during a community consultation exercise in 2022 that three-quarters of residents preferred the new model.
So if residents have access to two free collections per year,
we're also hoping to see a decrease in dumped rubbish.
Ok.
Brilliant.
So we're responding to those resident enquiries.
I have another community question and this is a very valid question which I'm sure a lot of people have on their minds is anything salvaged from the hard rubbish collection um or does it all go to landfill?
(02:48):
So there's definitely recycling and one of the primary items that's recycled are metal.
So they're all separated,
things like white goods and steel from around the house.
Also,
mattresses,
mattresses are all recycled right down into their base components.
E waste is another big one that we're seeing more of.
So the priority is to recycle as much as we can and that actually saves everybody money who is eligible for the new hardware service.
(03:16):
So households with a council-provided kerbside bin collection service,
they're eligible for the hardware service.
Apartment buildings with owners,
corporations usually have their own waste service.
And in this case,
we encourage residents to contact the owners' corporation.
Great,
thanks Tim.
So how does the booking process work for residents wanting to book a hard waste collection?
(03:37):
So residents can contact the Council by booking online by phone or in person at our Cheltenham office.
Once a collection is booked,
items will be collected on their next bin day.
For example,
you might book your collection on a Monday afternoon.
If your bins are emptied on a Thursday,
your items will be collected that Thursday.
We recommend putting your items on the Nature Strip after your book and no later than the night before your collection day.
(04:02):
And it's important to note that it is a different contractor and hard waste is not being collected by the same truck as your normal household bins.
Ok.
So what items are not accepted as hard waste and how should people dispose of those items instead?
So things such as tires,
gas bottles,
soil and any building materials are not considered hard waste.
(04:23):
We do have an A to Z on our website which will assist people in finding disposal locations for those items.
Yes,
we have a whole range of things on the A to Z guide,
which will be a great source for people to refer to for any I think tricky items when it comes to hard rubbish.
All right.
So how are hard waste collections,
a sustainable option for residents?
Obviously,
we've mentioned that we're avoiding some landfill options with our larger items.
(04:47):
But are there steps that residents can take before booking a hard waste collection?
Yeah,
look,
definitely.
And our motto is always 'reduce, reuse and recycle'.
So, reduce the consumption,
try not to buy the things that you might be disposing of or thinking about how you are going to dispose of it when you're finished with
it is really important.
All the items that we collect in hard waste are retrieved and taken to transfer stations of various sorts.
(05:12):
So it's not like they're automatically going to landfill.
We try to minimize that as much as possible.
So in terms of what can be recycled or what is considered sustainable things like mattresses,
timber,
furniture,
e waste and white goods are all definitely recycled where we have mixed materials where there's plastic or glass mixed in with timber or metal.
(05:35):
They're very difficult to recycle and a lot of that will end up in landfill in terms of minimizing the disposal of items.
We always promote,
reduce reuse and recycle.
Think about donating items or selling items.
But what we really don't want is people just putting them on the nature Strip because nobody will know that it's there and you can't just wish it away.
(05:58):
We're really trying to avoid that um dumped rubbish um situation as well,
aren't we?
Ok.
We have another community question here asking whether we share the bookings with other residents so that people can go and collect items for use themselves before Council pick up for the waste services.
No,
we don't share the bookings and that's for privacy reasons.
That's also trying to keep the pile neat and tidy and knowing exactly what's out there for our waste contractor.
(06:24):
Thanks Tim.
Last one.
Where can people go to find more information on this new hard waste service?
So the Council website at Kingston.vic.,gov.au has a lot of resources.
There's explainer videos,
further details and even FAQs.
Great.
Thank you very much for coming and talking on the Trash Talk podcast.
Tim,
thank you for having me in Chloe.
(06:49):
This episode is brought to you by bins the app you've been waiting for.
Have you ever woken to the sounds of a garbage truck outside and realized you forgot to put your bins out.
Avoid the mad morning dash in your dressing gown and download bins here for all your waste and recycling needs.
Binston will send you a notification the night before your bin day.
Let you know which bins to put out and help you work out what items go in,
(07:12):
which bin download Binston today via the App Store or the Google Play Store.
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