Council to trial new Mildura Landfill opening hours

Published on 27 June 2017

Mildura Rural City Councillors this month gave the green light to trial changes to Mildura Landfill opening hours.

Under a 12-month trial starting from 1 August, the Mildura Landfill will open an hour later each day and close 45 minutes earlier each weekday.

The changes are designed to reduce operating costs while tailoring opening hours to users’ needs and follow a comprehensive review of Council’s Waste Services last year.

Councillor for Environmental Sustainability Anthony Cirillo said the changes will have a minimal impact on landfill users, bring Council into line with many other municipalities and save about $55,000 each year.

“As part of this review, we compared Mildura Landfill opening hours to 12 other facilities, including Bendigo, Shepparton and Hamilton, and found that the Mildura Landfill was open for longer than all but one of these areas,” Cr Cirillo said.

“We also examined when residents were using the landfill and found that only three per cent of landfill users visited the site during the first hour of the day, and only six per cent used it during the last 45 minutes of the day during the week.

“We’ve used this data to determine the trial opening hours for the coming 12 months.”

The changes mean that from 1 August, the Mildura Landfill will open at 8am (currently 7am) and close at 4pm (currently 4.45pm) on weekdays. On weekends and public holidays, the landfill will open from 9am (currently 8am).

Cr Cirillo said the 12-month trial would allow Council to determine if the new opening hours increased efficiency at the landfill while meeting the needs of landfill users.

“We’re seeking to find the balance between making sure the landfill is operating as efficiently as possible while ensuring Mildura residents can access the landfill when they need to,” he said.

“During this period we’ll be seeking feedback from landfill users to gauge the impact of these changes to opening hours.

“At the end of the 12-month trial, we’ll use this feedback to determine if these changes are permanent.”

Media enquiries 
Ben Piscioneri
p) (03) 5018 8689 
e) ben.piscioneri@mildura.vic.gov.au