The issue boiled to the surface at a recent Goulburn Mulwaree Council hosted outreach meeting.

Amid the country hospitality extended to visiting councillors, residents had a few things on their mind.

One man said he visited Marulan waste depot with a few pieces of timber decking and general waste, only to be charged $20 extra for the timber disposal. It came on top of the $85 he paid for a rural waste card, entitling him to 52 trips to the tip annually to dispose of household rubbish. Residents also receive one yearly bulk disposal with the card.

The man was also unhappy that the council was charging $40 to dispose of mattress.

“People are arcing up because they have that rural waste card but are still getting charged extra,” another resident, Greg Callander.

Others argued that residents didn’t use their full 52-trip entitlement but didn’t receive a refund. Moreover, Marulan waste management centre hours had been cut to four days a week.

But the council’s utilities director, Grant Moller said Goulburn residents didn’t always put out a full bin weekly, yet paid a set annual fee. He pointed out the reduced tip hours were necessary to enable the council to meet EPA licence requirements. A staff member did most of this on the day the centre was closed.

“The reality is we are only just as a community understanding the true cost of waste,” he said.

“If you want to compare prices, go ahead, but you will soon come back to us...If we are to be good stewards of the environment, we have to put a cost on it and if you have to pay $20 to dispose of your wood, that’s the reality.” 

A proposed $135 rural waste card replacement fee is also upsetting locals. The council decided at its November 15 meeting to publicly exhibit this proposal and a plan to only replace one card per property. It will be adopted if no objections are received.

“That’s outrageous,” one man said of the cost

“Why should be pay if the card (accidentally) goes through the washing machine? Give us a breakdown of that cost.”

Mr Moller replied that the rural residential waste service was cross subsidised to the tune of $200,000 annually. Previously, the council didn’t replace lost or damaged rural waste cards but it received about 50 requests annually to do so. This would reap $2500 a year.

Some at the meeting argued they already paid high rates and expected little besides road maintenance.

On that topic, general manager Warwick Bennett said he was fully aware the roads were “not in good condition,” following several extreme weather events. The council has estimated $1.8 million damage across the council area.

“We want the RMS and State Government to pay for that and we’re in the final throes of negotiations with them. In the next three to six months we hope to see contractors out here repairing roads…We are trying to speed it up but we have to work to their timetable,” he said.

Mr Bennett said he was aware roads were taking heavier traffic and the council allocated $1m a year for widening. But he maintained the trucks were travelling legally. Resident Ros Beveridge disputed this, saying she passed trucks illegally travelling through the village every day.

The meeting also discussed weed and roadside vegetation control and the community strategic plan.