Lismore residents will benefit from a more reliable, safer and more efficient waste collection service as Council continues the roll-out of its new state-of-the-art kerbside collection fleet.
Trucks will begin to hit the streets from today, as part of a new fleet funded through a $5 million NSW government grant secured following Council's comprehensive review of its waste operations.
Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg said the new fleet formed part of council's work to improve the financial sustainability and reliability of one of its most important core services.
"Council's review identified that we needed to find a better and more sustainable way to deliver the service."
"Working with our staff the United Services Union and the NSW Government we found a solution and now we are seeing that solution reap benefits for our community."
With one truck already on the road, the new fleet is delivering faster and more efficient bin lifts, reduced maintenance costs, lower emissions and enhanced safety through features such as fire suppression systems and work-zone monitoring.
The trucks are also fitted with WasteTrack technology, a gamechanger for waste reduction efforts, that provides real-time data on pick-ups, missed services, driver behaviour and optimisation of daily collection runs.
"WasteTrack provides valuable insights into the type of waste being collected and identifies contaminated waste streams allowing us to better understand community needs and to deliver targeted education to help improve recycling outcomes and reduce contamination," Mayor Krieg said.
Waste collection is one of Council's most important services, with teams collecting approximately 45,000 bins across the LGA every fortnight.
"Delivering a service of this scale requires us to be as efficient and effective as possible. This new fleet will help us achieve that, while also achieving significant operational savings over the long term," he said.
The fleet won't just be efficient, it will also be eye-catching with local, place-based imagery celebrating Lismore's renowned environment.
Director of Water, Waste and Open Spaces Matt Potter said the new trucks also feature waste education messaging to support council's focus on waste reduction and encourage the community to do their part to reduce waste, reuse resources and recover valuable materials.
"The messaging focuses on some of our biggest residual waste challenges in Lismore including keeping food scraps out of landfill by using the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bins, the importance of sorting at the source and never binning a battery," Mr Potter said.
"By working together, we can increase our current 58% resource recovery, towards the state 2030 target of 80% and extend the life of our landfill."
In 2024, the United Services Union, NSW Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig, State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin, Lismore City Council's Mayor and Councillors, and the community worked together to successfully advocate for funding for the new fleet.
State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said the Minns Labor Government's $5-million investment in a high-tech kerbside collection fleet was about finding clever waste solutions and safeguarding local jobs.
"The roll-out of eight distinctively branded trucks by the end of October will herald in a more efficient service for ratepayers and residents of Lismore City Local Government Area," Ms Saffin said.
"I worked closely with my colleague Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig and United Services Union General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM to achieve this win-win outcome and to see it operational is fantastic."
The NSW Government proudly funded a one-off $5 million grant, recognising the need for additional financial support to help Lismore recover and rebuild following the devastating 2022 floods.
United Services Union General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM acknowledged the Minns State Government: "This investment by the NSW Government will deliver state-of-the-art waste collection facilities for Lismore residents ensuring a reliable and modern waste service."
"It's a great example of what can be achieved when we work together to deliver better outcomes for this community," Mayor Kreig said.
Council anticipates all eight trucks will be in service by the end of October.
