Septic Costs to Residents

Residents with septic tanks will have to have waste processed in the Newcastle area

RESIDENTS will now bear the increased costs of hiring private septic companies from Newcastle to collect and dispose of their waste at a dramatically increased rate, since the Upper Hunter Shire Council closed the local septic facility at the beginning of this month.

Barry McDonald has been forced to hire a company from Rutherford to empty his waste today, which may cost between $800 and $1,300.

Mr McDonald had previously paid Eddie Bridge, owner of Scone Septic Services, $250 to do the same job.

“We have to pay them $140 an hour from the time they leave the Rutherford depot until they get back to the depot,” said Mr McDonald.

“It’s the time they spend on the road that costs all of the money and they were the closest, Raymond Terrace is the next one, which is additional two hours,” he said.

“We were lucky to get them so quickly, but you can see that people will end up with overflowing septics waiting on people to drive up here and next minute they’ll be hit with a fine from Council,”

“There is no reason why people should have to have their septic taken to Rutherford and it will only be a matter of time until Rutherford decide they don’t want to take septic from around the state, what will we do then?

“But they’ve also taken Eddie’s livelihood away from him,” he said.

“Council just need to get on with it and get it fixed, just do it,” said Barry Richards.

An environmental source warned that farmers would simply begin dumping the waste themselves.

“They’ll start doing the old night time soil disposal, it is great fertiliser to throw on a paddock and that’s what will end up happening,” he said.

“It is illegal, but it will happen unless Council provide a realistic alternative,” he said.

SIMPLE SEPTIC SOLUTION

Decision stinks: Eddie Bridge and Jack Smolder discussing Council’s management of septic services

When Council closed the septic waste services they advised Eddie Bridge, owner of Scone Septic Services that it was not worth considering the infrastructure needed to continue to accept septic waste.

However, industry specialists have confirmed septic waste could still be processed at the waste facility with the installation of a receival tank that has some screening and a macerating pump.

The overflow is then directed to a holding tank with aeration to bring it back to aerobic matter, which can then it can be pumped into the existing sewerage system.

While there are many variables between systems, it may cost between $100,000 and $200,000 to install.

Eddie Bridge estimates there are 2,000 septic tanks in the Upper Hunter Shire area.

scone.com.au has sent a series of questions to Council on these latest matters, however we are still awaiting responses to questions which were submitted on Wednesday afternoon.

Related stories:

• Septic Stink, February 25, 2016;
• Septic Leaks, February 26, 2016.