A welcome announcement from the Department of the Interior was reported on this day in 1968, as many Canberrans were tired of being woken up by the sound of clattering rubbish, and finding garbage spilled on their nature strips.
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At the time, garbage collection took place overnight rather than during the day, generating complaints about the noise and mess.
A new scheme was set to be put in place, The Canberra Times reported, which would ensure garbage removal took place starting from 6am and finishing at 2pm.
The contract was awarded to Waste Transfer Pty Ltd of Sydney, at the cost of $2597 a week. A spokesperson for the department said the contractor would be responsible for any complaints of unsatisfactory service, as well as any "unwarranted damage" to bins.
"Over the years there have been persistent complaints about the noise of the garbage collection," the spokesperson said.
"Most of this has been directed at the noise of the machines and the inevitable clatter created by putting bins back on the ground and the banging of bins against trucks."
Another advantage of this new scheme, the spokesperson noted, was that the collections would happen during broad daylight - thus householders, or anyone particularly enthusiastic about garbage collection, would be able to "observe the activities of garbagemen during daylight hours".
What a thrill.
