FAQs

Yes. Corio Waste Management provides a collection, transportation and material recovery service for source separated recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard, organics, plastics, metals, glass, concrete, bricks, asphalt, building and demolition materials and fully commingled recyclable materials.

Yes. Corio Waste Management provides a collection, transportation, treatment, materials recovery and disposal service. Liquid tanker vehicles with tank capacities from 8,000 to 22,000 L are used for the collection of waste from grease interceptor traps, triple interceptor traps, septic tanks, oil and oil and water emulsions and spills.

Yes. Corio Waste Management provides collection, transportation and stabilisation of hazardous wastes including acids, toxic chemicals, explosives, and other potentially harmful wastes such as low-level radioactive wastes, photographic waste and clinical wastes from medical and research laboratories, mining and petroleum well testing.

Corio Waste Management is an EPA permitted transporter of most categories of prescribed industrial waste. Hook-lift and Taut-liner vehicles are used for the collection of packaged hazardous wastes and coated fluorescents, high pressure mercury vapour (HIDs), high pressure sodium vapour (HIDs), metal halide, ultraviolet, voltaic arc, dichroic and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Many thermal, chemical and biological processes are available to detoxify chemical wastes and options include: chemical stabilisation/fixation, ion exchange, incineration, neutralisation and encapsulation. Packaging materials such as steel drums, tins, plastic drums, pails, stretch-wrap, pallets, cores, trays, rollers, reels and caps are recovered for recycling.

The Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) controls the transportation of asbestos from industrial activities. The transportation of domestic sourced asbestos, unless it is removed by a licensed asbestos removalist, does not fall within EPA's statutory responsibilities. A householder may transport their own asbestos to a licensed landfill for disposal without transport certificates or a permitted vehicle. It is recommended, however, that the practice for handling and packaging asbestos, as detailed here, is applied to domestic activities.

When a commercial contractor (i.e., a licensed asbestos removalist) undertakes the removal of the asbestos from a domestic source, transport certificates and a permitted vehicle are required. Corio Waste Management vehicles that transport industrial or commercially sourced waste asbestos hold an EPA waste transport permit. The permit stipulates the necessary controls for the safe handling, transport and disposal of waste asbestos.

Packaging material must be protected and remain intact during transport and unloading. Any packaging that is damaged must be replaced or repaired prior to disposal. In relation to workplaces, packaging of waste asbestos must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007 and should follow the guidelines set out in the Worksafe Australia Asbestos Code of Practice. In general, the entire article should be double-wrapped with polythene sheets, approximately 200m (0.2 mm) thick, and sealed with adhesive tape. The packaging must then be labelled with the asbestos warning mark.

Selection of the appropriate type and size of bin or equipment is the most important consideration in the design of your waste management system and will depend on a number of factors including the physical and chemical characteristics of the waste, the rate of waste generation at your facility and available access for waste collection vehicles. In general, we suggest the following:

• 80, 140, 240, 360, 660 and 1,100 L bins made from low density polyethylene are suitable locations where low volumes of waste and source separated or fully commingled recyclables are generated and/or locations with limited storage facilities or restricted vehicle access, i.e. multi-storey buildings, retail and commercial business, markets, and sporting and community events.
• .5, 2, 3, and 4.5m3 containers made of low density polyethylene or sheet metal for the collection of commercial waste, some industrial waste and commingled or source separated recyclables where larger quantities of waste are generated and where sufficient space is available to set down the empty container and overhead clearance is available to lift and empty the container.
• For high density waste, e.g., construction debris and sludge, as well as for low-density waste from facilities that generate large quantities of waste, e.g., manufacturing or industrial plants, large hotels and hospitals where large quantities of waste are generated on a regular or incidental basis, open-top containers with capacities from 4 to 40m3 are recommended. In addition, source separation of recyclable materials i.e., soil, concrete, bricks, green-waste, timber etc., can significantly reduce the cost of waste disposal.
• Containers with self-contained compactors (integrated compactors) and containers that are connected to a stationary compactor and filled through them, are suitable for locations generating high volumes, i.e., more than 75m3 of commercial and light industrial waste per week.

Corio Waste Management can provide equipment for the handling and storage of all types of waste including prescribed industrial waste, hazardous waste and liquid waste, but it is important that the appropriate equipment is selected for the types of waste and various waste streams that are generated at your premises.

The bins should not be filled above the top of its walls and should be filled in such a way so as to prevent its contents from spilling during lifting, setting down and whilst in transit and so that the contents of open-top containers can be secured with a tarpaulin. As a general rule, the weight of the waste materials placed in the bin should not exceed 150 kg per cubic meter. Bins must not be loaded beyond their specified capacity. Trucks are prohibited from travelling on public roads in excess of weights specified under the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 1999. Overloaded bins and bins that exceed weight limits pose an unacceptable health and safety risk and will not be collected.

Corio Waste Management will collect your bin if the scheduled collection falls due on a public holiday, with the exception of the Good Friday and Christmas Day Public Holidays.

Yes. You will need to notify Corio Waste Management in writing of your intention to suspend a regular collection. The notification should include the date from which the service is to be suspended and the date that regular collections will resume.

Yes. You can speak to anyone in the organisation when you call, not an automated telephone service. Corio Waste Management also provides 24-hour help-desk support for emergencies and incident response.

Many waste contractors offer services under contract. Before you enter a contract, make sure you understand what you are agreeing to. Do not rush into an agreement you are unsure about. A contract is enforceable by law and some contracts last for many years. Unless you have been unfairly forced into a contract, it may be difficult for you to get out of it without a penalty if you simply change your mind.

Contract terms and conditions set out the rights and responsibilities of each party to the contract. Contracts often use fine print to provide important information to the consumer about the service. The fine print often provides information including: the duration of the contract, indemnity against liability, the total cost of the service over the life of the contract and liquidated damages that may apply if the contract is terminated prior to the natural expiry date of the contract.

The importance of carefully reading and understanding the terms and conditions of a contract before you accept it cannot be understated. If you do not think the contract terms and conditions are reasonable, negotiate with the waste contractor and ask for the terms and conditions to be amended. If you are still unhappy with the contract offered to you, shop around for an arrangement that better suits your needs.

If you have been forced or coerced into a contract, you may have been the target of unconscionable conduct. Unconscionable conduct occurs when a business is unreasonable, bullying, oppressive and lacking good faith. In general, the conduct must be more than just unfair; it must be so harsh or unreasonable that it goes beyond the kind of behaviour acceptable in everyday business.

The Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) contains specific prohibitions against unconscionable conduct directed at consumers. Rather than specifically define what will be unconscionable, the legislation lists factors that the courts may take into account when deciding whether unconscionable conduct has occurred. In consumer transactions, these include:

• whether the business used undue influence, undue pressure or unfair tactics
• whether you were able to understand documentation used
• the relative bargaining strengths of the business and you
• the price and terms on which the goods or services could have been acquired elsewhere
• whether one party required the other to comply with conditions not 'reasonably necessary' to protect their legitimate business interests

Note that unconscionable conduct does not automatically occur because one of these factors exists. Only a court can determine whether unconscionable conduct has occurred and the court may take into account any factors it deems relevant. Consumers and the ACCC can bring civil action in the Federal Court for unconscionable conduct.

Corio Waste Management can provide all or part of its total service offering to Councils and businesses in metropolitan Melbourne, throughout regional Victoria and in the case of consulting services, carbon accounting and Advanced Resource Recovery Technologies, anywhere in Australia.