Chris Hankin has become increasingly frustrated with restrictions since moving to Thurgoona from Darwin in May, launching a campaign last week to have red bins picked up weekly.

“Pushing an environmentally-friendly agenda is fine, but it has to be balanced with what community standards of health and safety require as well,” he said.

“Had council let everyone have a standard-sized rubbish bin the same as the yellow bin, people might be able to get by.

“But that doesn’t take away from issues of rotting nappies, biomedical products and ladies’ sanitary items.

“It seems to be anti-community friendly and almost a punishment if you want to do the right thing – which we do as a family – and get rid of rubbish the right way.”

In December, Albury councillor Darren Cameron floated an unsuccessful motion for red bins to be picked up every week from households where there is a child under the age of two years or a household member has a condition requiring regular disposal of medical waste.

Mr Hankin suggested a similar amendment, where households could register for increased collection.

“A retired couple could probably do fine with fortnightly collection,” he said.

“A sticker system – as they do for the authorised larger-sized bin that we have – could be used for households requiring weekly collection.

“There’s a black market on social media for tip vouchers, so there’s obviously a demand to get rid of rubbish.

“Vehicles are constantly stopping at the construction site skip bin across the road and this morning I noticed down the street the yellow bin was overflowing.”

These bursting bins belonged to five young people house-sharing to juggle study fees and the cost of living.

Charles Sturt University student Sally Lynch, 20, said even after doing the right thing, there was always too much waste.

“When you have four or five adults living in a house and it’s only being emptied fortnightly, there’s just too much rubbish for the current collection system,” she said.

“We put everything we can into the green bin and we try to minimalise what goes in our rubbish as much as possible – why we have so much recycling.

“We’re forced to find public bins or take the rubbish to our parents’ house.”

Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said council was open to hearing residents’ ideas for improvements to the waste system.

“In the majority of cases, the bin collection system is working fine – in the minority it doesn’t, it seems to always be a difficult composition,” Cr Mack said.

“There’s enough flexibility in the system with options to get bigger bins and weekly collection … it’s not financially onerous.”

Cr Mack welcomed feedback on the process.

“The system itself can be tinkered with for sure, and it’s something that is an ongoing process,” he said.

“If people have ideas about what we can improve on, we are here to listen.”

Mr Hankin believed sustainability targets could be met without “bludgeoning" residents into it.

“I just want council to see reason and perhaps look at what other councils across NSW and Victoria are doing,” he said.

“At the very least, the council is there to represent people and their interests and it appears to me people are angry about this.”

To sign Mr Hankin’s petition, go to www.change.org/p/susan-ley-weekly-emptying-of-red-rubbish-bins-in-albury-nsw.