Maitland Council will debate tonight on whether or not to introduce a new on-call bulk waste collection service for residents.
It is the seventh time bulk collection has been a subject of council discussions since 2009, with proposals scrapped in the past.
The independents are pushing to introduce the scheme, which would see residents call up to book their collection rather than using a tip voucher and transporting waste themselves.
However, a report prepared for the councillors recommends they not adopt the service, largely due to the costs involved.
Independent Councillor Philip Penfold believes the on-call service is a responsible fiscal choice.
"We obviously have to take into account the financial implications of the decision," he said, "but an on-call service is more economical [than a scheduled, suburb-wide collection].
"I don't think everyone in Maitland has this need, many people have trailers and big cars," he said, "but many don't, and we need to make sure those people are catered for..."
Mr Penfold is optimistic the issue will be resolved tonight.
"We have a new Council - six new councillors - and I've had a lot of interest from some of these new members," he said.
"I know that my team of independent councillors are all in support, and we're looking for three others."
He said he is hopeful they can achieve the numbers and bring Maitland up to speed with its Newcastle counterpart.
