Tonight, Monash Council will debate whether to slug ratepayers an extra $329 a year

At tonight's Monash Council meeting, councillors will face a tough choice: ratchet up rates for waste collection and processing by an extra $329 a year and risk voter backlash, or ignore staff warnings of serious budget shortfalls.

With council bleeding $26 million this financial year on waste collection and processing, staff have written a report urging councillors to approve an increase in waste charges from $65 a year to $394.

💰Proposed payment: Councillors will vote on endorsing a Waste Service Charge to come into effect in the 2026/27 budget - the last of Victoria’s 79 councils to do so.

✅ Endorsement likely: Monash councillor and Audit and Risk Committee member, Geoff Lake, said approving the $394 charge is “the only responsible thing” to do.

“What we're doing tonight is falling into line with the rest of the sector,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “I’m going to support it and I expect it will be strongly supported tonight.”

💲Past process: As part of its 2025/26 rates, Monash imposed a $65 service charge per property. This will raise about $5.6 million, $26 million short of the $31.6 million required to pay for waste services.

Lake said diverting money from general revenue towards waste-related costs has meant “less money available to do things like build playgrounds [and] fix footpaths”.

🗑️ Rubbish responses: Public consultation ran from June 24 to September 1, via notices to 86,285 ratepayers, a phone survey of 400 people and 85 submissions on Shape Monash.

Concerns were raised about how some in the community would afford increased costs, while it was suggested charging by weight would be fairer for those who produce less waste.

🟣 Purple bin pushback: State legislation requires all councils to introduce a purple-lidded glass bin by July 1, 2027.

For Monash, this means purchasing 54,000 bins and adding a collection service – raising costs by a further $68 per property.

Lake said the demand to justify a bin for glass was “just not clear” and that Monash Council was one of 31 councils seeking a delay to the rollout.