Upper Lachlan Shire Council suspends green bin collections due to fuel crisis
Consensus Summary
The Upper Lachlan Shire Council in New South Wales has suspended green bin collections starting April 27, 2026, to conserve fuel for essential services like red bin collection and road grading. The decision follows a narrow council vote and comes amid ongoing fuel supply uncertainty, with Mayor Paul Culhane citing a two-week diesel reserve. Residents, including elderly individuals and local businesses like Crookwell Nursery, will now have to transport their green waste to council waste centres for free disposal. Concerns have been raised about the impact on elderly residents and the potential for increased waste in red bins. The council will review the suspension regularly and resume the service once fuel conditions stabilize. Local government bodies and the NSW Environment Protection Authority are monitoring the situation, with calls for state government support to offset fuel cost pressures.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Upper Lachlan Shire Council will stop green bin collections from Monday, April 27, 2026, to save fuel for essential services like road grading and red bin collection.
- The council covers an area with a population of just over 8,500 residents, including Crookwell, Laggan, and Taralga.
- Residents will be able to drop off green waste at the tip for free during the suspension.
- Mayor Paul Culhane stated the council has only a two-week diesel reserve and emphasized the need to prioritize essential services like red bin collection and road grading.
- The council picks up about 1,000 green bins per month, compared to 8,000 red bin collections.
- The decision was made after a narrow council vote on April 16, 2026, with Mayor Paul Culhane casting the deciding vote.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Crookwell resident Anne Cummins expressed community upset, stating residents pay for green waste but received no refund.
- Owner of Crookwell Nursery, Courtney Haywood Whipp, estimated her business generates at least one green bin of waste weekly and will need to rethink disposal methods, potentially burning or composting waste.
- Councillor Terry Yalouris and Councillor Peirce were concerned about the decision triggering panic buying or community sentiment that the council assumed it knew better.
- Deputy Mayor Rob Cameron OAM stated he would have preferred multiple options over a single motion to remove green bin services.
- LGNSW and Dubbo Mayor Josh Black called on the state government to reinvest part of the $900 million waste levy to offset fuel costs and protect services.
- The NSW Environment Protection Authority is reviewing the stateās waste levy, and Environment Minister Penny Sharpeās office stated the government is monitoring fuel disruption impacts on local government.
- The council has six waste centres dotted around the LGA, which covers an area just under two-thirds the size of Greater Sydney.
- Councillor Susan Reynolds questioned whether ratepayers would be paying lower rates for the paused service, noting no additional charge was placed on ratepayers when green bins were first introduced.
- Councillor Terry Yalouris suggested reducing frequency rather than pausing the service entirely, stating it would be harder to reintroduce a service after removing it.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states the council has a population of 'just over 8,500 residents,' while NEWSCOMAU states the population is '9,000 residents.'
- ABC mentions the council covers 'an area with a population of just over 8,500 residents, and includes Crookwell, Laggan, and Taralga,' while NEWSCOMAU does not explicitly list these towns in the same context.
Source Articles
No more green bin pick-ups for some residents amid fuel uncertainty
The Upper Lachlan Shire Council says it cannot afford to be caught off-guard if a diesel shipment does not arrive, and must reserve fuel for essential services like road grading or red bin collections.
Councilās shock fuel crisis bin move
A council in regional NSW has taken the extraordinary step of ending scheduled bin collection for about 9,000 people in a bid to keep fuel supplies secure.