Friday night’s storm tore the trees and power lines down for spite, and did its best to vex the lake. As of Monday, the ACT State Emergency Service (ACTESA) had received nearly 1,000 requests for assistance.

As part of clean-up efforts, the ACT Government will increase household green waste collections and make free green waste skip bins publicly available for severely impacted suburbs.

Additional green waste bin collections will take place this Saturday, 16 December, for the suburbs that were hardest hit.

“The extra collection will allow households with an already full bin, as well as households that don’t have a scheduled green waste collection for another week or so, to clear the green waste from their property and enable any further clean-up,” Tara Cheyne, the new Minister for City Services, said.

This additional green waste bin collection is based on government data, requests for assistance, and the path of the storm.

The additional collection will take place in Amaroo; Charnwood; Downer; Dunlop; Evatt; Giralang; Kaleen; Ngunnawal; Nicholls; and Palmerston.

Residents should put their bin on the kerb ready for collection by 5am on Saturday morning.

Greens bins are only for garden organics, such as leaves, grass clippings, and branches 45 cm long and with a diameter of 10 cm. The lid needs to be able to close; and the bin cannot weigh more than 50 kg.

Otherwise, the community can drop off green waste for free in:

• Symonston – Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre, Mugga Lane
• Belconnen – Canberra Sand and Gravel, Parkwood Road.

Temporary green waste skip bins will be available from Thursday 14 December. Specific locations will be advised online shortly, in a clear banner on the ACT Government’s most visited websites.

“Some residents in impacted suburbs may be unable to travel to the drop‑off locations, or not fall within a suburb that will have an additional green waste bin collection,” Ms Cheyne said. 

“While I encourage the community to support their neighbours, friends and family members who may need assistance, I recognise the severe impact of the storm and the size of branches and trees that have been and are being affected and attended to, including privately – and that an additional green bin collection, while welcomed in some situations, may not be the most useful in others.

“Many persons are vulnerable, living alone, elderly or have mobility issues. For this reason, we have prioritised the consideration of additional measures for people to dispose of green waste where the additional collection may not be occurring; where residents have much larger green waste to dispose of; or where they may not be eligible or able to make use of these specific options.”

The government will determine where smaller skip bins may be added for green waste collection.

“While we have worked hard with the information we have to hand to target the areas of most need, we recognise the limitations of our data in this evolving situation,” Ms Cheyne said. “The approach we have taken allows us to be flexible and respond to those most in need.”

Residents of impacted suburbs who feel their area needs a skip bin can call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

The ACT Government will monitor these sites. Illegal dumping will be fined.

“Given this is an additional service at a very busy time, that many communities have been affected, and that contamination of these bins creates significant work for everyone, my Christmas wish is that Canberrans engage with these services for the reason they are intended,” Ms Cheyne said. 

Clean-up phasing

Clean-up crews from Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS), the Emergency Services Agency (ESA), and the ACT State Emergency Service (SES) have worked tirelessly to clear damage, fallen trees and debris, and to make roads and paths safe, Ms Cheyne said.

“I am so grateful for their tireless efforts on a busy weekend, and then in a week so close to Christmas, when many of us – including these teams – have been preparing to spend some down time with their families and friends.

“The feedback from the community is that their actions and engagement have been first-rate, and I extend my sincere gratitude to them and their families.

“Many Canberrans are faced with the same or similar clean-up task on their private properties, and we want to provide support to those significantly impacted to make the clean-up process a bit easier.

“Now that most of the storm impacted areas have been made safe, we’ll be working rapidly to support Canberrans who may have large amounts of material on private property and surrounds.”

The City Services team has received more than 1,000 requests, some involving multiple trees or sites. More are expected over the coming days. Clean-up crews will work hard to triage and respond to those requests.

The clean-up from the storm will continue well into the New Year, Ms Cheyne expects.

“The highest priority for the clean-up is to make immediate hazards on public land safe [before the Christmas period],” Ms Cheyne said. 

“If a job already looks like it has been attended to, but there are a few steps remaining, this means City Services are aware, have responded, and will be back as soon as they can to take the next steps, where needed. City Services has not abandoned the job, and any remaining debris or stumps will remain on notice as a job that needs to be completed, lessening the need for it to be reported again or followed up.”

Fallen or damaged trees will be removed in stages. First, the bulk of the tree will be removed, then the stump. Ms Cheyne expects that much of the first, and this next, stage will take place in late January, “as our teams return from their much-deserved leave,” Ms Cheyne said.

The ACT Government will provide weekly updates on the storm clean-up until the major recovery operations are complete, via the ACT Government’s webpage and social media.

These will be accessible through banners on the most-used ACT Government websites. The updates will include the framework to approaching recovery efforts and what can be expected when, in addition to weekly updates.

• If you see a tree fallen on powerlines, call @EvoenergyACT on 131 093. If there are powerlines down, don’t approach them, and keep at least eight metres away.
• If there’s a tree down on private land, the landowner is responsible for its removal. Please don’t move the tree or branches to the nature strip.
• If you see a tree down on public land, you can log a ticket using www.act.gov.au/fixmystreet.
• If you see a tree that is unsafe or damaging property, call ACTSES on 132 500.
• Be storm ready! Stay up to date with @ACTESA and take the time to prepare or update your emergency survival plan at https://esa.act.gov.au/be-emergency-ready.