New rubbish compactor truck for Utopia

A regular rubbish collection service for the Utopia homelands in Central Australia will soon be operating in the remote community following a grant of $150,000 from the Australian Government.

The Government has provided the funding to the Barkly Shire to purchase a rubbish compactor truck and deliver an awareness program on the introduction of wheelie bins for the homelands.

The Shire will operate the rubbish collection service which will provide training and employment for up to four local people.

The Shire has also given a commitment to meet all recurrent costs associated with the compactor truck.

The service will operate weekly, collecting rubbish from the 16 communities that make up the Utopia homelands and relocating the compacted waste to a tip site near Alparra. The truck will be based at Alparra.

For many of the 16 communities, waste control measures have been limited and many have relied on an under-resourced rubbish collection service.

The new compactor truck and associated awareness program will support around 1,200 people who live across the homelands and make a significant improvement to environmental health standards across the region.

The use of wheelie bins and a waste compactor will also bring the homelands in line with Australian waste management standards and the compacting of waste will lengthen the life of the tip.

The Australian Government has worked with the Barkly Shire to ensure this funding complements the waste management program designed by the shire in conjunction with the community.