The government promised the wheels are in motion but you might not get green-waste bins on your street until at least 2018 – and likely much later.
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The new Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate is one month into a six-month consultation to gauge interest in a 12-month green-waste bin pilot in Weston and Kambah.
The $1.7 million trial, a commitment in the 2016-17 budget, will operate across eight south-side suburbs.
However, kerbside green-bin collection won't expand outside the trial zone until 2018 and Transport and City Services minister Minister Meegan Fitzharris has not set a date for a city-wide roll-out.
"The pilot will be reviewed after 12 months and we hope the next region roll-out will commence in the second half of the 2017-18 financial year," the directorate says.
"Other regions are expected to follow to ensure the scheme is rolled out effectively across the territory."
Ms Fitzharris said so far 3653 Canberrans had registered interest in the green bins scheme via timetotalk.act.gov.au and of them 153 were residents outside the pilot program zone.
"Having this indication of the take-up rate is really great but we need to design the best way to deliver the service," she said.
"I can't give a date but we have said as soon as possible to roll it out to the whole city."
Households in the trial zone areas can opt in and pay a $50 deposit for the third bin, while pensioners and concession-card holders will receive the bin for free.
ACT Labor previously considered creating a third bin service for households but knocked it back when the Canberra Liberals proposed the policy before the 2012 election.
However Ms Fitzharris gave assurances the opt-in scheme was distinct and would deliver a popular service without leading to a spike in rates.
Tom Ballard, of Tom's Trash Packs, has invested 38 years developing his small business into one which has 10 franchises collecting organic waste in the capital region.
He said the protracted roll-out did no favours for the community and he feared existing operators, with concerns about future viability, will leave the industry before the government's scheme takes effect.
"I liken our situation to those who spent $250,000 on a taxi licence years ago and all of a sudden we have Uber," he said.
"Nothing was done then to protect those people's investment in that industry. There is no saving grace for our industry."
He recalls being asked to front news cameras in 2012 when the then municipal services minister was vowing not to encroach on local operators collecting organic waste.
He described the government's recent move to push forward with a green-bin scheme as a "vote-grabbing" backflip.
"It's sort of like 'we will give the north-side people a train and the south-side a green bin," he said.
"The public will see this as something for nothing, they don't see everyone's rates will go up to cover it."
