CMB Waste

CMB Waste is here to analyse and provide information for like groups, friends, associates and relatives in connection with overcharging for the bulk waste collection provided by the City of Moreton Bay.
We consider that Council has been wrongly over-assessing and overcharging for waste collection services provided to Ratepayers who own Units in multiple dwelling properties where waste refuse is collected from bulk bins.

What We Found at Our Building

Our building has 60 Lots comprised of 2 and 3 bedroom units. In all their Planning Policy Documents, the City of Moreton Bay require Developers plan for each unit to generate 120Litres of general waste each week. The service provided to our Building collects 9900L per week. This is based upon three 1100L bins each collected 3 times a week and equates to 165L per Lot per Week (9900L / 60[lots]).

Each of the Lots in our building is assessed and charged for the collection of 240L per week.

The waste charge is for 240L per week but the waste capacity collected is only 165L per Lot per week. Simple mathematics shows that we are being overcharged by 45.45%.
Charged for 240L but only serviced with a 165L collection. We feel a refund is in order.
Unit Owners are being treated as a Cash-Cow to disproportionately fund Council.

What is happening in your Building/Strata Lots?

Time to do some sums appropriate to where you live.
– How many bulk bins does your site have?
– How often are the bins collected?
– Calculate the Total Volume Collected (Bins * Times-a-week)
– Divide the Calculated Volume by the number of Lots at your site.
– Is the result < 240L Y/N
– If Y, then you too are being over-assessed and overcharged.

To assist you in determining if your building is being over-assessed and overcharged, we provide an Excel spreadsheet to show the result. Head over to our Tools Page to download the calculator.

Time to take some action:-
1: Lodge a formal Governance Complaint with Council. It may be a waste of energy as it will achieve the same negative response others have received from Council – see our Downloads page for a copy of a response you will receive. They have a Complaint form you can download from their website, or grab a copy from our Tools Page.
2: Have your Body Corporate write to the Council demanding a Review and Refunds
3: Make a claim at the ACCC Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in Canberra
4: If City of Moreton Bay continues to push back and ignores our complaints it may be time for a Class Action.

In Australia it is not kosher to charge for one inflated level of service whilst knowingly supplying a lower level of service.

If you have a negative response back from Council and find it unclear, take a look at our Oranges Analogy.

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