It’s been a long time since we threw all our rubbish in the one bin and sent it to the local tip.  Now food waste is set to join the long list of items that should never have ended up in landfill. 

Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre, which processes garbage from the Northern Beaches area, already recycles more than 70% of waste. That includes glass, plastic, paper, aluminium cans, car batteries, televisions, computers, vegetation and wood waste, as well as waste concrete, asphalt, bricks and roof tiles. But it isn’t enough. 
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​Our region only has one landfill site for waste that can’t be recycled.  That’s at Belrose and, after 51 years of operation, the site is full. That means that after November, the Council will be forced to truck waste to a landfill site in western Sydney instead. It’s expensive and it’s not a sustainable way of dealing with our rubbish. As well food waste in landfill breaks down to release greenhouse gases, including not only carbon dioxide, but methane, which is even worse. 

Now there’s a plan to take Northern Beaches recycling to the next level.

In two years time, householders will be required to separate out food scraps and throw them in the green lid bins, along with other garden waste. This one step will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by almost half.

Kimbriki is not yet able to handle putrescible (food-containing) waste, but that will change when a major new recycling and waste processing facility opens at the site in 2019 or 20. Food and vegetation waste will then be turned into compost, which will be available for sale.

For residents, the number of different bins will decrease from four to three, as follows;

The general waste red-lid bins, which will be collected fortnightly for houses, and weekly for unit blocks. 
The mixed recycling bins, for paper, glass and plastic combined, which will be collected fortnightly for houses, and weekly for unit blocks.
The mixed food and vegetation green-lid bins which will be collected weekly. Residents will also be given a free kitchen tidy bin and cornstarch bags to store food waste before putting it in the outside bin. 

“This is a sensible plan that was put together by Mosman Council and the three former Northern Beaches councils, which jointly own Kimbriki”, former Manly Councillor Candy Bingham said.

"The Northern Beaches council is on board now as well, and has called for tenders.

“We need to look to the future - we just have to reduce landfill waste. Kimbriki’s advanced new waste technology will do that and at the same time  take hundreds of trucks off our local streets.

“It will cost each household about $2 extra per week, which is a great investment.”

While community support for recycling is strong there are concerns such as, how to stop food waste from smelling, and what to do with nappies. 

For these issues and more information generally go to
kimbriki.com.au/content/about-us/regional-waste-solution

​For the past 21 years Narelle Simpson has trained swimmers at Manly’s Boy Charlton Swim Centre. 

The popular swim coach has also trained elite swimmers in Australia’s Olympic, Paralympic and World championship teams. She has spent years coaching Northern Beaches lifesavers, triathletes, water polo champions and marathon swimmers, including James Pittar the first blind swimmer to cross the English Channel. 

But none of that made any difference to Manly Council.

The council did not renew Ms Simpson's contract or offer her any ongoing role in the new-look swim centre, which will open its doors in July after a massive $25 M indoor facility addition.   Council plans to run the Learn to Swim programs in the new facility.

The situation is so bad that dozens of Ms Simpson’s ’squaddies’  came to Manly Council's 4th April meeting to express their frustration and rage. They were there thanks to a motion by Cllr Cathy Griffin that the Council formally recognise Ms Simpson’s huge contribution to the community over the past two decades.

Even that had been bungled with the council sending a letter of thanks along with a notice telling Ms Simpson her contract would not be renewed.

 “Narelle is a huge asset to this area,”  swim squad member and lawyer Mark Houston told councillors.
“Her achievements as a swim coach are outstanding. If she goes a whole bunch of people will have nowhere to go to train - triathletes, open water and pool swimmers. It’s Narelle that makes the difference - they follow her.  We don’t even know if she can hire lane space after the new centre opens on the first of July.”

Rows of fit-looking, young swimmers agreed, with many vowing to boycott the new swim centre unless their coach was treated with respect. 

Good for Manly Councillor Candy Bingham said the Council’s plan to manage the new swim centre itself has created a nightmare for  contractors.
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“It’s totally unacceptable that, with less than three months to go, existing contractors don’t know if they can continue to hire lanes” she said.  "No one - not even the councillors - have seen any business plans on how the new centre will operate."

And while the business plan, and the new centre manager remain elusive, there is some comfort at least for Ms Simpson and her swimmers.

A motion by Cllr Hugh Burns that all existing squads and their coaches be guaranteed at least 12 months’ access to swim lanes after July 1st, was passed.

Ms Simpson will also receive a more fitting letter of commendation and thanks.

“Operational plans for the new centre still remain a mystery with councillors being kept in the dark, despite repeated requests for information ,” Cllr Bingham said.  "it's just not acceptable".

Breaking News: Update  The $15m upgrade of Manly 'Boy Charlton' Swim Centre has now been approved  by the Joint Regional Planning Panel  (18/12/13) who previously raised concerns about the traffic & parking plans for the Centre.

Some conditions have been applied to address the traffic and parking issues raised including the provision of a footpath on the northern side of the road.  Many locals are still concerned that the road is too busy to accommodate the angle parking proposed. (See video demonstration above).

The  traffic report indicated  that  an average of 1012 vehicles currently use Kenneth Road. Many of these are school buses and commercial vehicles, which, with  the width of the road at 13m is simply not wide enough to provide safe 30 degree angle parking on the southern side and parallel parking on the northern side . We believe that the proposed provision of traffic calming and reduced speed limit to 50km will only agitate, not solve, the issue.

Alarm over figures for Manly Council's proposed new car park is behind a call for a fresh study into the $40 million  project. 

Good For Manly councillor Candy Bingham will ask Council to commission  a new "revenue generating" forecast by financial services company KPMG at its next meeting on December 2, 2013.

This time the brief will be to use actual car park usage figures, including 75 per cent usage of free car spaces, as drivers take advantage of Manly's "two hours free parking" rule.

Cr Bingham said previous KPMG modelling had used the figure of 50 per cent use of free car parking, although the council's own surveys show free use actually accounts for 75 per cent of visits.

Cr Bingham is not alone in her concerns about the car park, which is part of the council's $80 million Manly2015 project. The Manly Chamber of Commerce, all the independent Manly councillors and Manly's precincts (residents' groups) are opposed to the plan in its current form.

Recently, four of Manly's respected long-term property owners  also queried the viability of the oval car park.

Apart from worries over Manly 2015's financial viability, stakeholders are upset at the lack of public consultation on the plan and concerned that the car park will be moved further away from the CBD.

But Manly Council says the plan will bring Manly's lane ways back to life and remove traffic from CBD streets. It aims to create a "heart" for Manly based around a new library in Market Place, as well as demolishing the Whistler St car park and building a new 800-space car park under Manly oval.

Good for Manly fully supports the activation of laneways and creating a 'heart' for Manly in Whistler Street however we believe this can be done by revitalisation of existing infrastructure, rather than major redevelopment.

See related Manly Daily article at http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/iphone/homepage.aspx#_article06cf8f9b-6153-40ef-8f8d-e2ac8a159ef5

It is supposed to be a pleasant plaza with the library at its core (attracting some 35,000 visitors a month) and a variety of shops and cafes spreading out into the laneway.

Instead it has became the home to 41 garbage bins, permanently stored at the back of the shops, including 16 bins belonging to the recently refurshied New Ivanhoe Hotel - it's a disgrace.

The rules are that shop-owners either have a garbage room or are required to keep their bins on their premises, except when a collection is due. 

In addition, each morning  this so-called pedestrian-shared zone becomes ''dodge the garbage trucks'.  With three commercial contractors AND the Council truck collecting rubbish typically at  9 - 10am most mornings.

A motion moved by Clr Candy Bingham was passed at the April Council meeting that a Management Plan would be created to address the issue.

Do you visit this area? What do you think?  See Good for Manly's vision for this area here.

Should Nos 34 & 36 Stuart Street on Little Manly Beach be sold?  Frankly, I don’t know but I'm certainly not in support of this rash and rushed decision which was passed on Monday night (11/2/13) by the Liberal majority.

As a Councillor I have not been given any alternative options; I haven’t seen the plans for the park that Council commissioned for this land less than 6 months ago;  I have no idea what the land would be worth once it was carved up into even smaller parcels; I don’t know what other assets Council has that could be sold to meet any shortfall; I don’t know how much Council has raised in Section 94 Contributions specially for this Little Manly area.

…… in fact as a Councillor I’ve been given absolutely no information to support this sale.  Where is the due process in this matter?  Why isn’t Council following proper procedures?

No’s 34 and 36 Stuart Street were purchased for the express purpose of one day being incorporated into a new community park, and they have been reserved for ‘Open Space’ for approximately 50 years.

The message that ‘rates will go up and Council can’t afford this plan’ is misleading.  Council has many assets on its books which could be classified ‘surplus to requirements’ – why aren’t we investigating the option of selling another asset rather than foreshore land. Where is the due process in making this decision?

The Mayor, Jean Hay, has decided these properties will be sold to pay off the debt of Council's purchase of No. 40 Stuart Street which is the land closest to the existing reserve. Where is the open and transparent process in this decision?  Where is the community consultation? What are our other options?  Why are we selling such a valuable asset to justify the purchase of another?  It just doesn't make sense.

First it was due to  identity theft now the Mayor’s claim that Council is unable to publish Development Application information on its website due to “the Copyright Act in relation to architectural plans and similar documents” (Mayoral Column Manly Daily 30/6/12) continues the farce.  Speak to any local architect, as I have done, and they will tell you it’s simply not a concern for them.  

In this Saturday's paper the Council listed Development Applications that had been lodged as well as those that had been approved. But don't waste your time going to the website as instructed because despite having to agree that you understand there may be copyright issued, THERE IS STILL NOTHING ON THE SITE! Just the words - document not available.  Want to know what has been approved?  Forget it!
 
The Office of the Information Commissioner ruled on 11th April that Manly Council was breaching the Act by not providing open, transparent information on its website in relation to development applications. Who are they serving by not having this information easily accessible?

Sorry to rant but this is really getting beyond a joke.  Here's an example:  106 Darley Road (Spring Cove Development) which is a major subdivision as part of St Patrick's Estate originally approved in 2004 comprising 17 residential buildings, 5 townhouses, 15 apartments.  The developer wants to make changes to the original DA.  Nothing's on the website (expect headings with 'No Document Available' listed again and again ... but that's OK.  Fill out the two page form, lodge it with the Council and once you are granted permission, which could take up to three weeks, you can go to the Council Chambers, during office hours, and view the DA.  That's this Council's idea of access to public information, which by law, should be easily accessible.

It's time for a change of Council!