Geoff Helisma A bumper tourist season has passed, but the memory of overflowing rubbish bins remains … and Clarence Valley Council (CVC) has “recognised” that it needs to learn from the experience. Several social media sites over the holiday period featured people complaining and or debating the issue, some of which advocated holding CVC to account. The social media posts and/or citizen reports to CVC have prompted the council to take action, says CVC’s general manager, Ashley Lindsay. “We recognise that we need to address [the problem] and it is part of our considerations and preparations for the 2021/22 budget,” he said. “We need to have a look at how council addresses the influx of people at peak times. “Our service levels, or the current arrangements we have in place, didn’t meet the demand that was there, or the need for more regular clearing of the rubbish bins – that’s something we are looking at in preparing our budget.” Scott Graham posted this image on the Clarence Valley Rate Payers, Residents & Business Owners Facebook page on January 6. “What an eyesore for our beautiful region,” he wrote. “This is what I saw at the car park at Spooky Beach today. “I really struggle [with] why council can’t increase refuse volume and/or collection capacity over holiday periods. “These types of refuse bins are pretty old school. Surely there’s a better way to collect rubbish, if we have to live with people who don’t care about leaving their rubbish behind.”