Support the Save Our Recycling campaign

We are asking the Blue Mountains community to take part in a landmark recycling survey and support calls for the NSW Government to come up with a practical, long-term solution to waste management in NSW. 

Blue Mountains residents are committed to recycling. Together, we have reduced the amount of waste going to landfill significantly in recent years. However, until recently, the NSW recycling system relied heavily on overseas processors. 

These markets are now winding back the amount of recycling they will accept. That’s why we urgently need a statewide approach to collect, process and reuse recyclable material in NSW. 

Blue Mountains City Council is participating in the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) ‘Save Our Recycling’ campaign, which calls for the reinvestment of 100% of the Waste Levy collected each year by the NSW Government in waste minimisation, recycling and resource recovery.

The NSW Government already collects hundreds of millions of dollars through its Waste Levy every single year. You pay this levy through your Domestic Waste Charge and through gate fees at Councils Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facilities. 

The NSW Government only reinvests a small proportion of this in waste and recycling.

In 2016-17, the NSW Government collected $726 million from local government, community, businesses and industry via the Waste Levy, but only committed to use $72 million - or 10% - through its ‘Waste Less Recycle More’ initiative on waste minimisation and recycling in 2017-18.

At a local government level, just 18% of the $300 million collected from the local government sector each year is reinvested in recycling and waste management.

The reinvestment of the Waste Levy to support waste and resource recovery infrastructure, develop markets and innovative solutions, and undertake other initiatives to encourage reuse and recycling also offers wide-ranging benefits to our communities right across NSW.

There is the potential for economic growth, new infrastructure, new technology and new jobs, particularly in our regional areas.