Corangamite Shire Council will write to the State Government calling for an immediate re-think and a halt to the increase in the State Government's Municipal and Industrial Waste Levy for the 2025-2026 financial year.
Speaking at the Special Council Meeting to adopt the 2025-2026 Budget on Monday, Councillor Jamie Vogels said the levy will increase by almost 30% next financial giving a total increase of 60% over the last five years.
"This will mean the increase in waste fees at Corangamite Regional Landfill and Council transfer stations next financial year will be 7-11% above CPI," Cr Vogels said.
"Given cost of living, cost of production and drought pressures, it's another blow to people in our community who are already battling," Cr Vogels said.
"This year Council will pay around $3.5 M into the State Government's Municipal and Industrial Waste Levy Trust which is worth $601 million in the State Government's 2025-2026 Budget.
"That's up from $493.4 million in 2024-2025, so the Government is sitting on more than half a billion in cash that should be coming back to the regions.
"Only a portion comes back to us through the Sustainability Fund while the rest goes to the city or bleeds off into the EPA or other services.
"This is just another example of Council being forced to act as a tax collector for the State Government.
"In 2023-2024 we got $33,000 towards the kerbside glass recycling bin roll-out, $10,000 towards upgrading our transfer stations to collect glass for recycling and $18,000 for an organics processing feasibility study.
"That's a meagre $61,000 when our levy fee was $240,000 paid into the State Government coffers that year.
Corangamite Regional Landfill at Naroghid accepts waste from Warrnambool, and Moyne, Colac-Otway and Southern Grampians shires, as well as private operators. The levy must be paid on all waste received at a landfill.
"The Sustainability Fund is a Trust designed to support waste management, recycling and sustainability, not to accumulate excess every year to prop up the State Budget," Cr Vogels said.
"The implications of the increase go beyond just increasing fees for waste collection companies.
"Council transfer station and landfill base fees increase only by CPI of 3% to cover costs of providing the service, but the levy increase means overall fees will increase by around 10-14%.
"For rural areas, the municipal levy increases from $66.30 to $84.78/tonnes and industrial waste increases from $116.76 to $149.33 per tonne
"In the 2025-2026 financial year a level tandem trailer of municipal waste will pay over $20 in levy which is a $4.50 increase from last year," Cr Vogels said.
"Households will pay around $25 per year in levy for kerbside waste collection, about $7 more than last year.
"At a time when people are battling with a cost-of-living crisis, lost income due to drought, and the outrageous Emergency Services Volunteer Fund levy, this is just another slap in the face for regional Victorians, and we call on the State Government to rethink."
