BIN drivers are striking for a third week in a row, and will see more suburbs, this time in Canberra’s south, inner south, inner north and north affected. 

The bin disruption is due to ongoing protected industrial action by drivers employed by the collection contractor, Suez.

The third week of strikes will see collections moved by two days for parts of Tuggeranong and Woden, while parts of Gungahlin and Belconnen, as well as parts of the inner south and inner north, will not get their bins picked up at all.

For households that have a Tuesday waste and/or recycling collection in Tuggeranong and Woden, will have their bins collected two days later, on Thursday, November 19. A city services directorate spokeswoman advises these residents to leave their bin/s on the kerb for collection.

For Gungahlin and Belconnen households with a Wednesday or Thursday waste and/or recycling collection scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, this pick-up will not be collected, nor will it be caught up.

The suburbs that will miss waste, red bin, collections includes Amaroo, Bonner, Crace, Forde, Jacka, Moncrieff, Ngunnawal, Palmerston and Taylor, while Casey, Charnwood, Dunlop (north of Ginninderra Drive), Evatt (north of Clancy Street), Flynn, Fraser, Hall, Melba, Nicholls and Spence will miss out on waste and recycling (yellow bin) pick-up.

Other parts of Belconnen with a Thursday collection date, as well as parts of the inner north, will also miss next week’s collection, including Aranda, Belconnen, Bruce, Evatt (south of Clancy Street), Florey, Giralang, Kaleen, Lawson, Lyneham (north of Ginninderra Drive), McKellar, and Page, which will miss both waste and recycling collections. Residents of Cook, Dunlop (south of Ginninderra Drive), Hawker, Higgins, Holt, Latham, Macgregor, Macquarie, Scullin, Strathnairn and Weetangera, will miss their waste collections.

Following the announcement of another week of strikes, the Canberra Liberals has criticised the ACT government for its inability to ensure that these basic services are provided. 

Shadow minister for city services Nicole Lawder also pointed out that it’s the southside that continues to suffer from a lack of government services. 

“Basic government service standards continue to fall and of course, it’s mostly the southside that once again suffers the consequences,” she says. 

“Many Canberrans are already suffering with cost of living pressures under this government’s expensive rates regime. The least the government can do is ensure that these basic services are provided.

“Not everyone is physically able to drop off their garbage, nor does everyone have a vehicle to do so and it is disappointing that the government hasn’t made alternative options for these residents.”

However, a Transport Canberra and City Services spokesman says the dispute is between the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the household waste collection contractor SUEZ. 

“The ACT Government is seeking to minimise the impact to residents by ensuring that the same group of suburbs does not miss a collection two weeks in a row, even when the industrial action occurs on the same day for two weeks running,” he says.

“The ACT government has provided a substitute service by establishing a number of ‘drop-off’ stations where household waste can be dropped off for no charge.”

For Canberrans who are able to drop off their garbage (there’s a three-bag maximum), the city services directorate say red bin, waste, drop off, is available at:

• Flynn – George Simpson Park, off Sanderson Close (9am-6pm)
• West Belconnen – West Belconnen Resource Management Centre, off Parkwood Road (9am-6pm)
• Nicholls – next to Hu Guo Bao En Temple, near the intersection of Kelleway Avenue and Anne Clark Avenue (9am-6pm)
• McKellar – McKellar Oval, off Bennetts Close (9am-6pm)
• Giralang – Giralang AFL Oval, off Tucana Street (9am-6pm)
• Mitchell – Mitchell Resource Management Centre, Flemington Road (7.30am-5pm)

The directorate says larger waste bags can be disposed of at Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre in Symonston and the Mitchell Resource Management Centre between 7.30am and 5pm.

Recyclable materials can continue to be dropped off for free at the ACT government recycling drop off centres.

Good news! There’s no bin disruptions this week