Suburbs hardest hit by Friday's storm will receive extra household green waste collection to help with ongoing clean up efforts across the territory.
ACT City Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the government will provide additional green waste bin collection on Saturday, December 16, for the following suburbs:
- Amaroo
- Charnwood
- Downer
- Dunlop
- Evatt
- Giralang
- Kaleen
- Ngunnawal
- Nicholls
- Palmerston
Residents are asked to have their bin ready on the kerb by 5am Saturday.
Ms Cheyne said the government will also soon also make free green waste skip bins available in public places for the most-affected suburbs.
"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," Ms Cheyne said.
"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."
Ms Cheyne said the government will also be taking additional measures to help vulnerable and elderly people affected by the storm as well as those who have additional green waste collection needs.
Temporary green waste skip bins will be available from Thursday with specific locations to be advertised on frequently visited ACT government websites, she said.
Clean up from Friday's storm has continued across the capital, with the government's City Services team receiving more than 1000 requests for help with trees and other jobs.
"The highest priority for the clean-up is to make immediate hazards on public land safe," 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."
Ms Cheyne said work is expected to continue "for some time" and the government will be providing weekly updates on its website and social media until major recovery operations have finished.
"While resources have been bolstered with grateful assistance from trained chainsaw operators within the ACT Parks and Conservation Service and an extra four contracted crews, we expect the clean-up to continue well into the New Year as we shift our focus to non-urgent jobs," the government said.
Anyone who believes a skip bin is needed in their local area within an impacted suburb can call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
Green waste can also be dropped off for free at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre and Canberra Sand and Gravel on Parkwood Road.
