How would you go with less frequent rubbish collection? Glen Eira council is considering bringing in fortnightly rubbish and weekly green waste collections, after consulting with local residents. (It already has a service to collect kitchen scraps, which are then sent for composting.)

Give your food scraps to the chooks, if you have some. Credit:Edwina Pickles

This is despite comments from the Premier, Daniel Andrews, who said last year that in his opinion fortnightly general waste collections were a "rubbish proposal". He said adamantly: "That idea is a rubbish idea. It is a rubbish idea and it will not be happening under a Labor government, I want to be absolutely clear about that."

Some councils have been doing this already years and those people in rural communities who have never had regular waste collection wonder what the fuss is all about. I can only conclude it feels judgmental for some, perhaps feeling they are being told their lifestyles are wasteful, or they don't care enough, or perhaps worry their quality of life will be impacted negatively. My wish for such thinkers is instead to see as an investment in a cleaner future. "Out of sight, out of mind" just isn't going to work any more.

There is always the inevitable rates whinge with these decisions: people want to pay less if their bins are collected less frequently. And, yes, many councils could improve their efficiency and services, but that is a completely separate issue to rubbish. Money saved from waste services will hopefully flow into other areas of service provision, such as specialised recycling drop-off points for less frequent items.