Local councillors couldn’t reach an agreement to approve the construction of a landfill wash bay last Wednesday night until they were given more information.
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The public and private contractors using Victoria Street Tip’s compactor trailer slab to wash vehicles has compelled council’s planning, environment and strategic planning director Craig Filmer to propose and recommend a user-pays wash bay be built at the facility.
While the project hasn’t fully been costed - nor is included in this year’s capital works budget - it’s estimated to cost $30,000.
Mr Filmer said people were utilising the hose, installed to clean the fines and build up under the compactor, to wash out trailers, horse floats, utes, skips, trucks and, in some cases, the outside of their vehicles.
But last December council found the amount of water, waste and leachate on the concrete slab was impacting the health and safety of staff and the contracted landfill’s haulage truck driver.
Works were completed on drainage and extending the concrete slab to improve the site’s safety but Mr Filmer said addressing drainage issues didn’t reduce the risk of the public being in close proximity to the compactor.
“We’re going to build something that’s not required,” Councillor Tony Wallace said at their April 20 meeting.
He reminded his fellow councillors there was a truck wash at the Young Saleyards - which has been a hot topic for council in recent years - and would be useful in the future.
“[We should] create one and not doing this twice...it needs to be investigated,” he said.
Councillors Brian Mullany, John Walker, Allan Miller and Sandy Freudenstein agreed, with suggestions that council should look into how big a wash bay was really needed at the facility and one bay for all to use may be the best option.
“With the expansion of sport fields I don’t envisage the wash bay being in Lachlan Street forever,” Cr Sandy Freudenstein said.
“Move it to Victoria Street so two parties can use it.”
Mr Filmer told the meeting there was a will to do more for their contractors and that they should be able to use something should they get tainted vehicles.
“We thought we’d have it three quarters right and not just a slab and a hose,” he said.
“Lachlan Street has a connection to the sewer, the one in Victoria Street may only be used for waste trucks.”
He said it wasn’t desirable to have trucks travelling through town or too far with “dribbly garbage”.
Cr Stuart Freudenstein believed providing a wash bay at the landfill was the best resolution.
“The truck wash was required in Lachlan Street (at the saleyards) for stock transport,” he said.
“The way I read this report, the need is there and the one in Lachlan Street has a need too.”
Cr Ben Cooper was concerned about keeping services local and said moving the washing off site could be problematic.
The proposal went to a vote with councillors Brian Ingram and Stuart Freudenstein being the only two in favour of going ahead to build the wash bay.
The remaining six voted against the recommendation, with Cr Cooper moving for a more detailed report on the matter first be brought back to them.
