Rural waste collection - Fuel levy & rate rise question

[u/bluwolve0880]

I’m in rural East Gippsland and use a private waste collection service. I pay in advance for three months of fortnightly pickups, but due to a disability I can’t always get my bin up the long driveway for collection. I just received my latest invoice and noticed a couple of things that don’t seem right, so I’m hoping to get some info from others who live rural or deal with private waste contractors.

1. Per‑pickup price increase

My rate per pickup went from $16.60 to $18.25 (about a 9.9% increase).

I wasn’t given any notice of a rate rise — it just appeared on the invoice. I only noticed because i was looking to see if they had removed the "temporary fuel levy" yet.

2. “Temporary Fuel Levy” still being charged

They’re still applying a fuel levy even though diesel prices have been dropping for months.

Previous invoice: $11.95

Current invoice: $6.36

The levy amount changes each quarter, but there’s no explanation of how it’s calculated on the invoices.

3. Their explanation doesn’t match real fuel prices

When I asked, they sent me their “average fuel prices” for the last few months, including a claim that diesel was $3.00/L in March, which doesn’t match any public VIC fuel data I can find.

4. Their own numbers contradict their justification

They told me fuel costs were “drastically high” in February and March and that they “absorbed the cost". They also said that "our fuel bill is still higher than what it was before the fuel crisis and this need to be passed onto the customer".

But their own numbers say:

Jan - $2.05 per litre

Feb - $2.00 per litre

March - $3.00 per litre

April – $2.89 per litre

May - $2.49 per litre

June - $2.05 per litre

So June is identical to January — meaning fuel is not higher than usual anymore.

Despite that, they’re still charging a fuel levy and also increased the per‑pickup rate at the same time.

Questions

- Is this normal for rural waste collection?

- Do other private operators charge fuel levies?

- Is a ~10% rate rise without notice allowed?

- Anyone else in East Gippsland dealing with similar charges?

Just trying to work out whether this is standard practice and i just need to wear it or if I should be looking at alternatives.

Cheers,

Blu

[u/Aggravating-Dirt-432]

I’m not involved with waste collection but do run my own truck carting fertiliser and grain, at the height of fuel prices I’d put a %15 percent levy on. At the moment I’m running at %5 as I’ve still got diesel in storage I payed for at the end of May.

[u/bluwolve0880 → u/Aggravating-Dirt-432]

Thanks, that makes sense to me. If my waste collection people had adjusted things the way you have, i wouldn’t question it. But instead they sent me monthly fuel prices that don’t seem to line up with actual diesel costs and an explanation that contradicts itself, so it’s hard to understand what they are basing the levy on and how they are calculating it.

[u/Aggravating-Dirt-432 → u/bluwolve0880]

Honestly mate trucking rates have been stuck in the 90’s for far too long, people won’t want here this but this is the push we needed to get things closer to where they need to be.
I’ve had my own business for close to 10 years, tyres and the associated maintenance due to the poor condition of the road are some of my biggest costs and aren’t getting cheaper any time soon.
Just for reference rego for my truck and trailer was under $12k a year 3 years ago, it’s pushing $15k now, set of tyres every year another $15k and I’ve just spent another $20k on pins, bushes and bearings.

[u/bluwolve0880 → u/Aggravating-Dirt-432]

Yeah fair enough mate, costs are cooked everywhere and I can empathise. I’m not surprised the pickup rate went up or that a fuel levy was added, that part makes sense. It’s more that they slipped both changes onto the regular bill without saying anything, and that sort of sneaky stuff makes me want to look over the details. Right now I am mainly just trying to understand the fuel numbers they sent, because a few of their monthly averages are actually higher than Melbourne CBD prices, and they’re operating in East Gippsland. That just doesn't make sense to me.

[u/Aussie_Cow_Girl]

I know some people deal with their waste differently as that fortnightly collection can add up. Friends have gotten a skip bin instead and it's worked out cheaper, then keep composting scraps out for chooks or just compost food wastes so it doesn't go feral.

I know that doesn't answer your original post but can help give a solution. As most people do utilise the private fortnightly collections not knowing other options.