Waste management strategy released

Bega Valley Shire Council has released a new blueprint for managing waste over the next 10 years.

Reducing waste that goes into landfill, exploring circular economy opportunities and expanding Council infrastructure for recycling are among recommendations in the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy (2018-2028) ‘Recycling the Future’.

Introducing the Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection service on October 29 is also a recommendation of the Strategy.

Waste and Recycling Manager Toby Browne said ‘Recycling the Future’ was the culmination of a 12-month collaboration between Council and a community-based Waste Strategic Working Group.

‘Recycling the Future’ delivers the community’s vision as outlined in Council’s Community Strategic Plan:

Greater investment in innovative waste management technologies and processes; a focus on public litter; greater recycling; and harnessing the benefits of local waste transformation.

“The way individual regions manage their waste has global implications and Council needs to be proactive in tackling waste issues,” Mr Browne said.

“During the past decade Council has undertaken significant improvements to the standard of our waste facilities and services but a simple ‘take, make, use and dump’ approach is not sustainable.

“This Strategy identifies opportunities to better use waste resources locally and divert more waste from landfill.

“One of the initiatives that Council has adopted from this Strategy is collecting food waste from households that currently have a garden organics service and making it into high quality compost at the Merimbula Waste and Recycling depot.

“This new service, FOGO, is just one of many opportunities the Strategy identifies for communities to participate in better use of our waste resources,” Mr Browne said.

A summary report of the new Strategy is on public exhibition until September 14, 2018 and is available to download on Council’s website.

Photograph: Council’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy (2018-2028) will provide the blueprint for managing waste over the next decade.