City of Greater Shepparton councillors voted to defer the service delivery at the October council meeting, citing a need for more information.
In 2025, council announced it would introduce a twice-yearly hard waste service in the 2026-27 financial year, but this was delayed until 2027-28 after the tendering process failed to secure a competitive contract.
The service will now be delayed from the start of the 2027-28 financial year until after an additional report is presented to council in September 2027.
The new report will cover cost validation, fuel price impacts, illegal dumping evidence, service equity and resource recovery centre operations.
Mayor Geoff Akers said the decision was about ensuring the service was financially responsible and delivered genuine value.
“Fuel is at an absolute premium price at the moment,” Cr Akers said.
“Council has not ruled out introducing a hard waste service in the future, but we want to make sure we get it right.”
At the October council meeting, councillors were presented with six different service options, ranging from no service through to a full flexible hard waste collection model.
All options would have required an increase to household waste charges, with estimated costs ranging from around $31 to $61 per property per year, depending on the service level selected.
“One of the key findings from the report is that there is no cost-neutral option,” Cr Akers said, referring to the October 2026 report.
“Any hard waste service would need to be funded through household waste charges, and council has a responsibility to ensure those costs are justified.”
During the council meeting, multiple councillors expressed the feeling that they were ‘back to square one’ but understood the need for appropriate research before implementing the service.
“Our focus is on making a well-informed decision based on evidence, costs and community needs rather than rushing into a service that may not deliver the outcomes residents expect,” Cr Akers said.
The report also highlighted service equity considerations, with around 93 per cent of properties potentially able to access kerbside collections, while around seven per cent of rural and remote properties would require alternative arrangements such as tip vouchers.
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