A local council in Sydney has won significant praise from its community for introducing an additional recycling collection service during the recent holiday period, with many residents now urging for the initiative to become a permanent fixture.
Festive Gift of Extra Recycling Collections
In a move aimed at tackling the seasonal surge in rubbish, Liverpool City Council announced it would be providing an extra yellow-lid bin collection for households. The service ran from December 29 to January 9, with residents instructed to place all three of their bins out on their usual collection days.
Liverpool Mayor, Ned Mannoun, explained the reasoning behind the decision, highlighting the inevitable increase in waste generated from Christmas celebrations, gifts, and food. The council framed the extra collection as a way to ensure recyclable materials ended up "on the nice list" rather than in landfill.
Public Backing and Calls for Permanent Change
The announcement was met with widespread approval on social media, but it quickly ignited a broader conversation about local waste services. Many residents seized the opportunity to argue that the enhanced recycling schedule should not be a temporary holiday gift but a standard, year-round offering.
"It should be like this all year... if you actually wanted people to recycle, that is," stated one local resident. Others suggested further improvements, such as weekly green-lid garden waste collections and an additional red bin pickup over Christmas specifically for wrapping paper, which often cannot be recycled.
However, the council's description of the service as a "gift" provoked a strong reaction from some, who pointed out that such services are funded through council rates. "You're not 'GIFTING' anything we bloody pay for it," one person commented online.
Council Cites Cost as Barrier to Expansion
This year marked the third consecutive year that Liverpool City Council has provided the additional festive recycling collection, a practice also adopted by other councils like Penrith and Shellharbour. Despite the positive feedback, the council has confirmed the scheme will not continue beyond January.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council indicated that costs prevent the service from being extended permanently. Instead, the authority is encouraging residents to focus on recycling correctly and to make full use of the existing weekly FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) collections via their green-lid bins.
The strong public response underscores a growing community expectation for more frequent and efficient recycling services, setting a potential challenge for local governments balancing service demands with budgetary constraints.
