Brian and Riley Irvin fear for the future of their family business which has run for 22 years. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A Griffith family business says council’s decision to increase its waste disposal rate by 32 per cent in one hit could cripple its operation, hurt every resident in town and lead to more illegal dumping.
Brian Irvin and his son Riley, who run MIA Quikskips and MIA Quik Waste, got the shock of their lives when they dropped off rubbish at the Tharbogang tip on 1 July and were hit with a $276-a-tonne fee. The previous day, the fee was just $209.
“This is going to cost us an extra $20,000 a month,” Brian said.
“It could wipe out our local Griffith waste businesses; the out-of-town multinationals will take over. They can dispose their waste in Leeton at a cost of just $156 a tonne. I don’t understand why Griffith needs to charge so much more than Leeton and Wagga for commercial general waste disposal.”
Riley said council did not inform them of what was coming. He is now scrambling to change invoices and explain to customers why they will have to lift their prices.
“We’ve been in business in Griffith for 22 years and everything we earn goes back into the community. And this is how they treat us?” Brian said.
Griffith councillors approved the increase at a June meeting, voting for it along with a suite of other rates and charges. However, there was nothing in the 132-page council agenda paper that detailed the 32 per cent hike for businesses disposing of waste at the tip.
Council claims the fee increase was included in the draft 2026/27 Operational Plan and Revenue Policy, tabled at an April meeting – but Region can find no reference to a 32 per cent increase for commercial general waste disposal in that document.
Councillor Scott Groat said some councillors did not realise what they they were originally voting for. He said it was a “rubbish decision” and moved a motion at a meeting this week to reduce the increase from 32 per cent to a more affordable 5 per cent.
He said he also couldn’t understand why Griffith’s tip charged so much more than Wagga and Leeton.
“I’m flat out to get $200 a tonne for wheat. Why is our tip charging $276 a tonne to dump waste?” he said.
Councillors Mark Dal Bon, Anne Napoli and Christine Stead supported his motion, but it was opposed by councillors Tony O’Grady, Shari Blumer, Jenny Ellis and Doug Curran. The vote was tied 4-all, and Mayor Doug Curran used his casting vote to oppose the motion.
Brian said high prices could lead to more illegal dumping in Griffith. Photo: Supplied.
Cr O’Grady defended the 32 per cent increase, saying council needed to fund a $15 million project to expand its landfill capacity at Tharbogang.
He said the alternative would be to get rid of free tip weekends, close the art gallery or lift kerbside bin collection rates.
“Then the ratepayers will have to wear this,” he said.
Cr Dal Bon refuted this.
“The ratepayers are going to pay anyway; businesses will pass on costs to ratepayers.”
While the 32 per cent increase only applied to commercial enterprises, Riley Irvin agreed that every resident would be impacted.
“A single mum who doesn’t have a trailer uses our skips – she’ll have to pay more,” he said.
Brian said: “Waste is a by-product of our community and everything that runs within it. A 32 per cent spike in domestic tipping charges impacts everybody.”
Region asked Griffith Council if it believed the 32 per cent increase was “fair and reasonable”.
“Yes,” a spokesperson said.
“The fee in question is calculated on the basis of providing the service and building a reserve for future investment to meet the growth of our city. Council recognises that any increase is unwelcome for businesses managing their own cost pressures, and encourages businesses to separate recyclable and recoverable material, which attracts lower charges.”
A spokesperson provided further justification for the decision: “Council has committed $15 million to construct new landfill space at Tharbogang and to rehabilitate existing space. Licensed landfills must comply with approval conditions imposed by NSW State Government’s Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure consents and are held to strict environmental standards. The new landfill is expected to service Griffith for the next 40- to 50-plus years and is a long-term investment. Council’s general fee-setting principle is that users of a service should meet the cost of that service, unless there is a statutory cap on the charge or a clear public interest in subsidising it from general rates. Setting this fee below cost would mean all ratepayers, including residents, subsidising commercial waste disposal.”
Brian said the huge cost of waste disposal in Griffith would lead to more illegal dumping by those who could no longer afford skips.
“Make it too expensive to do the right thing and some people will do the wrong thing,” he said.
The Irvins have urged councillors to reconsider their decision to ensure Griffith family businesses are not priced out of their own local market.
