Tip-free days for the Lismore area, where residents recently faced long queues, delays and frustration , are no more, replaced instead by an electronic voucher system entitling residents to three free tip visits each year.
A Lismore City Council spokesperson said all owner/occupiers or tenants in the Lismore local government area will be eligible for the vouchers, and each visit entitles a person to dispose of one trailer load of waste.
Residents will need to apply online or phone council’s customer contact centre to obtain a voucher. A new online booking system is currently being developed, with plans to launch on 1 August.
‘It was clear to us that the tip-free days were no longer working as intended,’ council’s commercial services coordinator Kevin Trustum said.
‘Traffic was hard to manage, people had to endure long delays and it was becoming very difficult for our staff to sort the volume of material,’ Mr Trustum said.
‘In order to recover as many materials as possible and reduce landfill, a steady stream of materials throughout the year is much better for us than a huge load all on one day.
‘This system will be more convenient for local residents as they can drop-off waste on days that suit their lifestyle or coincide with life events, such as moving house.
‘It was high time we got rid of tip-free days and switched to a convenient and easy system that caters for everyone.
‘In past years, council has provided one free tip voucher annually to all ratepayers and held four tip-free days each year. The take up of vouchers was around 50 per cent.
‘Vouchers will no longer be sent to ratepayers and will instead be allocated per dwelling. This recognises that not only ratepayers live in Lismore and that every resident should be entitled to free tip visits.
‘This ensures there is equity for all residents across the local government area,’ Mr Trustum said.
The change to the new voucher system was approved in the 2016/17 budget and will cost council $12,000 more per year.
Residents will be notified once the voucher booking system is launched and applications are open.
Lismore City Council also offers two courtesy trailers that residents can borrow to transport their waste, which can be booked anytime on 1300 87 83 87.
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