Residents are a step closer to being able to rid their homes of clutter for free with a tender being released this week for an on-demand bulky household item collection service.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the release of the tender was great news for residents who had been calling for a free bulky waste collection for years.
“This free service is a unique way of ridding local homes of large bulky items often difficult to dispose of, while at the same time avoiding unsightly waste being dumped on streets as is the case in other cities,” she said.
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“With this being an ‘on-demand’ service residents will be able to call to arrange a time for unwanted goods to be removed from their home rather than having to put them on the footpath.”
Cr Williams said the tender was targeted at social enterprises that would be able to provide the service at lower cost while at the same time providing employment and training opportunities.
“Locals have been calling for this service for years and I was committed to finding a way to deliver it in a way that wouldn’t result in massive costs for ratepayers,” she said.
“Targeting social enterprises is a unique approach that responds to the needs of residents while at the same time keeping costs down.
“While the tender doesn’t preclude commercial enterprise, we are specifically looking for service providers that can not only collect bulky waste but also help provide training and employment opportunities to the community.”
Cr Williams said the tender also included the establishment of a Community Recycling Workshop where the materials collected through the on-demand bulky waste collection will be received, sorted, repaired and sold or recycled.
“This is a win-win for the city. It means disadvantaged members of our community will get experience fixing up furniture and other items they collect, which the social enterprise can then sell, helping to finance the fantastic service they provide to the Redlands,” she said.
“The tender also includes the opportunity to operate the RecycleWorld facility at Redland Bay where the successful tenderer could generate revenue through the sale of salvaged of quality goods from the mainland waste transfer stations. This adds further opportunities for local social enterprises to generate revenue.”
The service is limited to five items or two cubic metres once a year for collections of furniture, bed frames and mattresses, white goods, bicycles, computers and IT equipment. There a range of unacceptable items that won’t be collected, including general household waste, garden waste, renovation waste or carpet.
The tender closes 22 June.
