Victorian residents are fearing stinky streets from bins being left on the kerb after two regional councils suspended garbage collection.
Castlemaine resident Paul Smith's brimming bin remained on the street all day on Wednesday and he doesn't know when it will be collected as Australia deals with China's clampdown on recyclables.
Mr Smith's Mount Alexander council and the neighbouring Macedon Ranges shire announced on Wednesday all kerbside collections including general, recycling and garden waste were suspended.
"I did not know, nobody knows," the resident of more than 20 years said after hearing of the cancelled service.
"I was thinking maybe they may take it tomorrow. What are they going to do?"
His wife Ann said the council's decision to suspend waste collection "was outrageous".
"What are they going to do, leave the waste there for a week? It is going to be very stinky," Mrs Smith said.
Jodie, who did not want her surname published, said she learned via Macedon Ranges' Facebook page the shire would not be collecting rubbish.
"It is pretty slack. What are they going to do and are we going to get compensation?" the Romsey resident said.
"The notification was no good. There should have been a plan B. They'd known this was coming."
The state government in February announced plans for an emergency $13 million funding package to councils to help to cope with rising processing fees, as China cracked down on recyclable waste imports.
While residents remain in the dark about when the garbo might next visit, Macedon Ranges has told its service provider, Wheelie Waste, to return to work by 9am Thursday.
The council said the contractor failed to consult or give notice before its service cancellation.
"We've had meetings with a number of the 22 councils that the (contractors) represent, and some have agreed to pay the difference to them this financial year and some haven't," Wheelie Waste spokesman David Rako told 3AW.
"Unfortunately, the cost difference and the lost cost just can't be borne further by some of the collection companies."
Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio urged parties "to resolve this immediately to restore services".
But Wheelie Waste told councils its action was in protest of the state government's lack of detail regarding the rebate.
"(The government) asked us 'please keep doing the collections, don't send anything to landfill'," Mr Rako said.
"We've done that, but we've come now to our breaking point where we just can't keep making those losses."
Both councils have told residents to continue putting their bins out for collection.
Macedon Ranges council will consider introducing alternative collection plans if Wheelie Waste don't resume kerbside pick ups on Thursday.
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