This is not a reference to that occasional blogger "Bin Hire", but to the odd Kiwi rubbish removal system.
We live in Silverstream, a pleasant, slightly upmarket area between Upper Hutt (UH) and Stokes Valley in Lower Hutt. I pay rates to the UH council, to the amount of $566 every two months.
This is not an inconsiderable amount, and for this money, I expect to get a reasonable service.
Ha.
OK, UH has a reasonable library service, some decent gyms and swimming pools, and some very nice parks and walks. But I have to pay again for council-authorised bin bags if I want my rubbish removed, and I have to of course, dump the rubbish at the road side for collection.
In the UK, my rates were very similar. The council there provided three large wheelie bins, one for household rubbish, one for recyclables and one for organic garden waste. The bins were emptied every week and the cost to me? nothing. It was all included in the rates. As was completely free education for my kids in primary and secondary, a great library service, fully professional fire brigade, good policing levels and all the other services you would expect in a civilized country. Everything was delivered without an extra charge.
As the rates are very similar, why the hell doesn't the Kiwi councils manage to do the same?
I actually now find it cheaper to use a private service which costs me $140 per year for a wheely bin plus weekly emptying. This works out to about the same as if we were buying the council authorised bin bags, and we can stuff all sorts of waste into the big bin.
I suspect that the Kiwi councils are spending too much on all the loony-lefty-greenie causes. You know the ones. With names like: "The Maori Lesbian Coalition for Artistic Expression Through Public Defecation "
or
"Gay Horse Fanciers and Flower Arrangers Supporting the Freedom Fighters of the Taliban".
The loons.
Plus of course the large dinners on the council credit cards.
Abandon the loons.
Support the schools
Make rubbish collection more efficient and totally free.
There's an idea. We could chain the loons to the rubbish cart, get them to work for a change and reduce my rates.
