The council wants to reduce the costs it faces when processing the shire’s rubbish.

An average of three skips of rubbish head to Wagga each week and council’s engineering director Will Barton wants to see that drop.

Council will bring in a new compacter to ensure each skip carries more waste.

“We’re confident we would achieve two to three times the mass in a skip heading to Wagga,” Mr Barton said.

“We’re setting out to achieve improvements in a service we’ve provided for 100 years.”

An organic waste trial which ran in 2011 is set to return, potentially next year. It will add an extra $50 each year to the cost of rates if it is rolled out – roughly two-thirds of the cost council faces.

“The goal is to sell the compost to residents and use it in council works – we’ll work with the EPA to develop a processing plan,” he said.

It’s all aimed to improve council’s operation ahead of closing the landfill and preparing a surplus to pay for it.

Erinvale farmer Justin Cooper said the council needed to be more efficient and cost increases were part of that sacrifice.

The five per cent increase in transfer station fees equates to $5, something Mr Cooper said he would have no problem paying.

“My theory would be, we have to pay for it one way or another, they have to pick up as many efficiencies as they can and we’ve got to move with the times,” he said. “I would rather they make the changes to be more efficient before there’s a threat to council’s independence.”

He welcomed the council’s drive to use more recycling.

“Recycling is a great idea, these sort of things are a feel-good thing and it’s good when you can reuse the waste and not bring in artificial fertiliser.”