One would presume that green waste service costs will increase along with council’s other waste services that is generally well above CPI costs. 

I was one of those persons who purchased a compost bin from council for $65 and returned all waste into my vegetable garden. Is this not the way to go and encourage people into composting in their own backyard rather than collected and turned into compost? 

(1) In your deliberations on providing this service, did you take into account the cost per service for ratepayers? 

(2) In setting a cost per service will it be based on every ratepayer paying for this service? 

(3) Will pensioners be required to accept green waste services, especially single pensioners who now have very little garbage and who appear to be subsidizing other people’s garbage services? 

(4) A lot of residents, especially old people, have contractors mowing lawns and in some cases gardening who remove all green waste as part of the service. Will they be required to accept the new service? 

(5) Will residents/ratepayers have an option to refuse the service? 

(6) Residential units have very little if any green waste. Will they be forced to accept the additional ­service and cost? 

(7)Multi-residential units’ storage space is now ­limited for storage of waste bins. How will they find the extra space for additional bins? 

(8) Will rural property owners who are now receiving a waste service be required to accept this new service? If not, will this increase the costs of service in the urban/residential ratepayers? 

I would ask the Maitland Mercury to invite our elected councillors to respond to the questions. 

- RAY FAIRWEATHER, Tenambit