Council is proposing some minor changes to the operating hours of its rural waste management facilities in Barraba, Manilla, Bendemeer, Somerton, Duri, Kootingal, Dungowan, and Nundle.
Environmental regulations and site safety requirements are ever increasing across the waste industry meaning the staffing requirements and costs of managing regional waste facilities are increasing. To manage these costs, Council has already made significant changes to the operations of its rural waste management facilities including the conversion from landfill to small vehicle transfer stations at several sites.
A recent review of the rural waste management facilities’ operating costs identified that a change in operating hours, that minimally impact users, could also be a significant cost saver in addition to redistributing resource hours to those sites that require more opening hours. As result the proposed opening hours are all aligned to annual waste tonnages facilities receive. The proposed changes will save Council over $220,000 if endorsed, and each site will continue to be accessible on one weekday and either a Saturday or Sunday.
| Site | Current Operating Hours | Proposed Operating Hours |
| Barraba | Monday – 9am to 12pm Thursday – 1pm to 4pm Friday – 9am to 12pm Saturday – 9am to 12pm Sunday – 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm | Monday – 8:30am to 11:30am Friday – 8:30am to 11:30am Saturday – 8:30am to 11:30am Sunday – 1pm to 4pm |
| Bendemeer | Wednesday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 1pm to 4pm | Wednesday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 8:30am to 11:30am |
| Dungowan | Wednesday – 9am to 12pm Sunday – 1pm to 4pm | Wednesday – 8:30am to 11:30am Sunday – 1pm to 4pm |
| Duri | Wednesday – 9am to 12pm Sunday – 1pm to 4pm | Wednesday – 8:30am to 11:30am Sunday – 1pm to 4pm |
| Kootingal | Tuesday – 9am to 12pm Friday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 1pm to 4pm | Tuesday – 8:30am to 11:30am Friday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 1pm to 4pm |
| Manilla | Wednesday – 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm Friday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 1pm to 4pm | Wednesday – 8:30am to 11:30am Friday – 1pm to 4pm Saturday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 8:30am to 11:30am |
| Nundle | Wednesday – 1pm to 4pm Thursday – 9am to 12pm Sunday – 9am to 12pm | Wednesday – 1pm to 4pm Thursday – 8:30am to 11:30am Saturday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 8:30am to 11:30am |
| Somerton | Thursday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 9am to 12pm | Thursday – 1pm to 4pm Sunday – 8:30am to 11:30am |
The benefits of the proposed opening hours are as follows:
- Balanced levels of service across the region;
- Less pressure on staff rostering for the weekends;
- Decreased additional labour and plant expenditure;
- Reduced labour-hire;
- Improvement in environmental and safety attributes to TRC;
- Increased community interaction between TRC staff and the community.
- TRC resources can be scheduled to those sites that receive higher waste tonnages
- Increased level of services for Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Kootingal in regards additional household hazardous waste material acceptance.
The objective is to ensure that the rural waste management facility network can be adequately resourced, are financially sustainable, and both safe and efficient, now and into the future.
