A new trial waste service is set to boost the COVID-19 recovery of central Geelong restaurants and businesses by cleaning up laneways, according to owners.
“I think this project has been really good for me,” said restaurateur Jamie Yang, one of 30 business owners participating in the 12-month trial.
“The rubbish bins have been reduced in the laneways and it’s less smelly.
“It looks so clean and tidy.”
Ms Yang and her husband Michael own a chicken restaurant and a Japanese Izakaya (snack) bar in the central Geelong laneways precinct.
Previously, bins out in the laneways created an unsightly and smelly distraction from the cosmopolitan vibe of the area, she said.
The bins also got in the way of tourists and diners taking photos of the precinct’s various colourful murals, Ms Yang said.
But now Geelong council is trialling two communal compactors, one for waste and another for recycling, in Shorts Place.
Council endorsed the trial in August 2019 in a bid to decrease waste collection truck movements and “visible” bins in the “iconic” laneways.
Ms Yang and her employees now take rubbish from her eateries, currently serving takeaway only, to the compactors at the end each shift.
She described the system as very clean, convenient and efficient.
The initiative would be even more beneficial post-pandemic by helping to make the laneways more inviting as crowds returned, she said.
Barber shop owner Ricky Alamarah also signed up to the trial, after previously using a private waste collector due to council’s service already being at full capacity, he said.
“It’s much easier, we don’t have to store the rubbish at the shop while we’re waiting for it to get picked up.”
He reckoned the initiative would “definitely” boost the COVID-19 recovery of local businesses.
“The look of it is better,” he said.
“The better the street looks, the more people will be happy to spend their time here and do their shopping or get their service done.”
Council waste management chair Ron Nelson said he looked forward to seeing the initiative’s effectiveness over the next 12 months.
“When restrictions ease and visitors are allowed to visit the area, the changes will help create a more pleasant environment within our iconic laneways.”
