‘Junk your Junk in January’ divided councillors at November’s ordinary council meeting after the notice of motion was first moved by Cr Fern Summer to consider complimentary tip days in the month of January.
The new comes a month after Shepparton's Paul Shaw submitted a question at October's ordinary council meeting asking them to consider introducing a kerbside hard rubbish collection.
He was told by chief executive Peter Harriott the idea was not part of the council's future planning.
“This is simply a goodwill incentive to encourage first visits to the waste transfer station because research show suggests that people who go once are far more likely go throughout the year,” Cr Summer said.
“Our core values are popularly described as roads, rates and rubbish, so it is important.”
“Everyone should have the opportunity to have a clean house and start the year with a clean mindset and move forward.”
Cr Summer said the initiative was an important one to help remove cost barriers and mitigate rubbish dumping across the municipality.
“The people keep telling us they want better waste services,” she said.
“It will look awfully Scrooge-ish to knock this back before Christmas.”
Cr Dennis Patterson and Cr Bruce Giovanetti did not agree with the motion, sharing their concerns about the cost to ratepayers.
“We were told it’s cheaper to pick up the rubbish around the town area than what it is to have hard rubbish collection,” Cr Giovanetti said.
Cr Kim O’Keeffe, Cr Les Oroszvary and Cr Shelley Sutton said they supported the initiative, which would take place for an unconfirmed period of time in January.
“I’d like to know the ways we can make this happen, not why we shouldn’t make it happen,” Cr Oroszvary said.
“In order for people who live in this community to like living here, the community must be clean and must be maintained and from my perspective that’s not happening to a necessary standard.”
The notice of motion was passed by a small margin by Cr O’Keeffe, Cr Oroszvary, Cr Sutton, Cr Dinny Adem and Cr Summer.
After the meeting Mayor Seema Abdullah said council officers would look into how the ‘Junk your Junk in January’ initiative could be implemented.
“We want to send less and less material to landfill because it’s not an environmentally friendly outcome and it has financial implications as well,” she said.
“Council officers will be looking into the time frame and the considerations moving forward.”