The original motion was moved by Councillor
Weldon, seconded by Councillor Jarrett.
It is resolved that:
(A) Council
note:
(i)
on 11 April 2022 Councillor Gannon moved a
Notice of Motion:
(a)
that something
urgently must be done to improve waste collection services in Potts Point and
the Kings Cross locality; and
(a)
the
Chief Executive Officer be requested to report to Council via the CEO Update of
immediate options for consideration to alleviate the current waste situation in
the Potts Point area;
(ii)
on 26 May 2022, an article by Michael Koziol
“Out of Control Big Stink as Bins Overflow in Central Sydney”, published in the
Sydney Morning Herald reported that:
(a)
Council
is under growing pressure to fix an “out of control” waste problem in Central
Sydney;
(b)
community
Facebook pages were overflowing with irate residents demanding urgent action;
(c)
Deputy
Lord Mayor Scully stated that an investigation was underway by Council staff
and urged people to be patient;
(d)
Councillor
Scott received complaints people about unsatisfactory waste collection services
from across the City of Sydney and Councillor Gannon stated that he
“constantly” received complaints from residents and “the situation is
definitely not getting better”; and
(e)
a
community member Dominic Cudmore suggested “a delegation of residents should
visit Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman and seek an intervention”;
(iii) many
businesses and residents are concerned about delays and “no shows” by waste
collection services. A number of Councillors, including myself, have received
representations from those concerned and photographs showing overflowing
rubbish bins and piles of waste rotting in the streets across the City of
Sydney Local Government Area;
(iv) the CEO
Update provided on 31 May 2022 in response to Councillor Gannon’s Notion of
Motion advised that:
(a)
Covid
was accompanied by an increase in domestic waste and dumped rubbish across the
city;
(b)
the
dissipation of Covid coincided with a relatively high turnover in the local
population, requiring the education of new residents about the City’s waste
requirements and services;
(c)
the
City’s cleansing team and rangers conduct daily street cleansing inspections of
Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay; and
(d)
the
City has adopted a number of actions to immediately address concerns in Potts
Point, Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay, and across the Local Government Area;
and
(i)
the
City of Sydney is committed to addressing the serious concerns of the community
about waste issues in our Local Government Area; and
(B) the Chief
Executive Officer be requested to:
(i)
report back to Council via the CEO Update on
the progress and expected dates of completion of the proposed actions to manage
waste in Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay as listed in the 31 May
2022 CEO Update;
(ii)
meet with the City’s waste collection
contractors to identify and implement immediate steps to improve waste
management across the City of Sydney, with the meeting to take place prior to
the next Council meeting and agreed steps be reported to Council via the CEO
Update; and
(iii) report to
Council via the CEO Update on the incidence and location of vermin infestations
in the City of Sydney and other serious risks to public health resulting from
the current garbage collection crisis.
The amended
motion was carried unanimously.
X086653