Communication and education around long-term waste issues have become a priority after councillors were inundated with emails and phone calls from residents angry about plans to close a number of waste transfer stations including Bemboka, Merimbula, Candelo, Cobargo and Wallagoot.
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At the council meeting on August 26, council's director of assets and operations, Anthony McMahon recognised the need to better explain to the community the recommendations on how waste services should be changed into the future.
"Everyone has been inundated with emails and phone calls about lack of consultation and communication particularly about the closure of Cobargo waste transfer site," Cr Liz Seckold said.
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Cr Russell Fitzpatrick said he had been stopped by four people in Pambula regarding the closure of the Merimbula site, only that morning.
But Mr McMahon said staff did not have a mandate to consult with the community and that was something that had to come from councillors.
"We pre-empted that the community was not going to be happy about these changes," he said.
The closures form part of a longer term plan to reduce waste costs, increase recycling and slow the rate of landfill at the central waste facility.
"There are multiple layers to why we need to change - environmental, economic and financial. If we keep putting things in the hole in the ground that is our central waste facility, we're going to run out of landfill space and, when we get to that point, the full financial impacts will be large," Mr McMahon said.
In the meantime the transfer station at Bemboka will be reopened - but just for the short-term. The station was closed after the fires and skips put in place but the cost of the skips at $59,000 a year far outweighs the cost of running the transfer station at $25,000 a year.
However the plan is to have only Bermagui, the central waste facility and Eden open in the longer term but to slow down the rate at which they are filled.
With the central waste facility filling quicker than anticipated council - and the community - face some tough decisions.
Joley Vidau from the waste department said that there was a maximum of 14 years left at the central waste facility providing there were not more disasters that required space for waste.
With an estimated 10 year turnaround for more landfill space this means planning on opening up more space at the existing facility should start soon.
"While the central waste facility site is large there are limitations and development consents become more and more difficult," Ms Vidau said.
