The bin service is open to Michelago residents. Photo: Belinda Hayes.
A Monaro bin service is reopening after a nearly six-month closure, but residents say concerns remain.
The Bank of Bins facilities are managed by Snowy Monaro Regional Council (SMRC). Residents can apply for access to their nearest facility, which lets them deposit waste and recycling in the bins.
In January the Michelago facility was closed indefinitely after reports of alleged vandalism and threats, but council has announced it will reopen.
A spokesperson said there would be no changes to service delivery.
“Patrons are asked to be courteous and mindful of neighbouring homes in the area, and to please limit noise and disturbance as much as possible when accessing the Michelago Bank of Bins,” the council spokesperson said.
Following the change to access codes, member households should receive their new code in a letter from SMRC. Should a household not receive a letter by Friday (13 June), they are asked to contact the council.
Michelago business owner Belinda Hayes said her local Bank of Bins was plagued with people using it outside of recommended hours, leading to noise concerns and an extra amount of waste.
“The message from council is to be respectful of the surrounding houses and to be mindful of the opening hours,” she said.
“If you make it inaccessible out of hours, that would be the only way to solve it [their concerns].”
During the closure, repairs – such as replacing roller doors and lights, and making sure the shed was structurally sound – were also carried out.
Following the closure, SMRC launched a weekly collection service near the Michelago sportsgrounds.
According to council it was used by 60 to 80 residents each Saturday, with an average of 1.3 tonnes of waste and half a tonne of recycling collected.
SMRC has also said the weekly service will continue until 21 June.
“It will be sad to see it go – it was definitely utilised by a lot of people,” Ms Hayes said of the replacement service.
“It was actually quite a social occasion … [people would] have a conversation, pop into the store for a coffee or a bacon-and-egg roll afterwards, which was nice.”
However, Ms Hayes said changing passcodes might not fix community concerns.
She raised using swipe cards, rather than the current system of a code, which she alleged some people shared.
“At the moment, with the code, anyone can use it whenever they want to … there is still that ability for people to use it outside of hours because [they have] that code.”
Nevertheless, Ms Hayes said she was excited to hear of the reopening.
“Council had a tough decision – they’re never going to make everyone happy,” she said.
“It’s good news for me and my family … I know it will not be as welcomed by some others.”
The Michelago Bank of Bins will reopen on Friday (13 June), while the Saturday waste and recycling service will continue for another week (until Saturday 21 June).
