Commercial bins on Market Lane are a hazard, Council says.
Northern Beaches Council has proposed a waste facility to deal with ‘unsightly’ commercial bins in Market Lane, Manly.
Many businesses in Market Lane place commercial bins outside their shopfronts, as they lack storage space for rubbish.
Council says this is ‘unsightly’ and ‘a hazard’ and has proposed creating a locked area for commercial bins in the adjoining Whistler Street Carpark. Owners would pay a yearly fee of $585 to access the facility, with the proposal to be reviewed after a 12-month trial.
The laneway has grown in popularity over the years, and now houses bars and cafes in addition to the retail shops of years past. This has created more need for a waste solution, Chantelle Hoare, executive officer of the Manly Business Chamber, says.
“The majority of businesses didn’t have a garbage floor plan in their existing space,” Ms Hoare told Peninsula Living.
“We needed to provide an option (as) we want to support them and make it a lovely space to sit and eat.”
Currently, businesses organise their own collection with a rubbish contractor, which means several different pick-ups on different days from the lane, including during the day. The Chamber hopes the initiative will make it cheaper for businesses, with one contractor doing a single collection.
Market Lane Cafe has signed up to the initiative. Owner Vik Joshi told Peninsula Living that initially he thought the fee was a lot – and may be prohibitive for some businesses. However, the facility should make a difference, he says.
“The combined effort will be cheaper for us and much cleaner.”
Council has been working with the Chamber and local businesses to come up with a solution since December 2021.
The initiative would not be compulsory, but Council says that any business that does not sign up will have to store their bins onsite.
Public comment on the fee closed 29 January, and a report will be prepared for Council.