28 June 2018 |
West Coast Council Mayor Phil Vickers has refuted the claims of West Coast Councillor Matthew Ryan-Sykes that Council was against going plastic free.
“It is regretful that Cr Ryan-Sykes has taken it on himself to make comments in the media and on social media that misrepresent the true situation at Tuesday night’s Council meeting,” Mayor Vickers said.
“Contrary to Cr Ryan-Sykes claims Council is already active in the space and to be honest I think his comments reflect his inexperience.”
Mayor Vickers said the West Coast Council always looked at ways to reduce waste, reuse and recycle where possible.
“For instance, as mentioned at the meeting, Council took a proactive approach in the introduction of iPads for Councillors, which allows us to read the Council agendas online rather than have them printed out,” Mayor Vickers said.
“And while it is not always possible to have reusable or recyclable paper cups and plates at Council organised events due to them being held at different venues, Council officers always do their best to ensure these items are available.
“Council has also been proactive in a number of other measures with a tip shop at Zeehan in the budget and our regular involvement in the Macquarie Harbour clean-up as just two examples.
“Council has also been advocating for a container deposit scheme for Tasmania and a transfer station study is underway, which will help us identify further measures to reduce landfill.”
Mayor Vickers said he hoped in future that Cr Ryan-Sykes brought his concerns to him and/or the other Councillors rather than airing them in the media.
“It is my firm belief that as a Council, we should always be able to be open and honest with each other and ensure that we are acting in the best interests of the community by respecting the decisions made at meetings,” Mayor Vickers said.