21 march 2018 - Media release
Campaspe Shire Council last night adopted The Case for Waste – Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy 2018 – 23.
Mayor, Cr Adrian Weston said the strategy provides guidance and direction to council and informs the community and its partners on approaches in responding to current and emerging issues in waste and resource recovery.
“Council is committed to educating and informing the community on methods in diverting recoverable materials from landfill,” Cr Weston said.
The strategy has been developed in line with the Goulburn Valley Waste and Recovery Implementation Plan to ensure alignment with regional and state themes that include:
- Maximising the diversion of recoverable materials from landfills
- Supporting increased resource recovery
- Achieving quantities for reprocessing
- Managing waste and material streams
- Maximising economic outcomes, providing cost effective service delivery and reducing community, environmental and public health impacts.
The strategy defines 11 principals that guide the implementation and management of waste and resource recovery service, which are:
- Resource recovery is prioritised where it is economically viable and where it improves community, environment and public health outcomes.
- The delivery of services and use of infrastructure will align with council’s “Waste, Recycling and Garden Organics” guidelines.
- Council is committed to education through the Waste and Environment Behaviour Change Program.
- Successful waste minimisation and diversion can only truly be maximised through effective partnerships. Council will partner where mutually beneficial outcomes can be achieved.
- Council will advocate on behalf of the community on waste and resource recovery issues.
- Council seeks to be a leader in waste management and resource recovery through current best practice approaches and infrastructure.
- Social and environmental compliance are key drivers for action and change. Council commits to being compliant at all times.
- Council will prioritise the uptake of services, programs and behaviours that align with the waste hierarchy through incentives where appropriate rather than through enforcement approaches.
- Council will maximise its ability to access grants and meet infrastructure and program needs through the use of a waste reserve which will receive an annual allocation of funds to be determined through the budget process.
- The collection of data to support decision making is valued and prioritised. Decisions are made based on facts and data.
- Where approaches fall outside these principles staff will seek direction from council in all cases.
“Waste management is an essential service and the strategy focuses on key themes which include kerbside services, infrastructure, community education, illegal dumping and resource recovery,” Cr Weston said.
The success of the strategy will be measured against five key criteria: the reduction of household waste, the increase in diversion of recyclable materials from landfill and through the resource recovery centres, the reduction in contaminated kerbside recycling and the evaluation of actions delivered within the annual action plan.
From the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy, the Waste, Recycling and Garden Organics Guidelines was created to document the rules by which waste, recycling and garden organics services provided by council are managed. These guidelines were also adopted at last night’s council meeting and detail why a particular rule has been developed to address an issue.
“First adopted in 2014, the guidelines assist with the delivery of waste services across the community and provide staff with the formal support to work with the community around issues as they arise,” Cr Weston said.
The guidelines are regarded as a useful reference for other divisions of council in particular, the Customer Contact Team when dealing with the public.
A copy of the Building the Case for Waste – Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy is available on council’s website.