Save Our Recycling

City of Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has called on the NSW Government to reinvest the entire $727 million it collects from its waste levy each year in waste management and recycling.

"In 2017-18, Canterbury-Bankstown paid the Government more than $16 million in waste levy fees and received $360,000 back – just 2.2 per cent," Mayor Asfour said.

"Traditionally, NSW has exported around 50 per cent of its recycling for processing to a number of countries, including China and Malaysia. But those countries are now restricting what they accept, meaning we need a new plan and fast.

"We have a solution that will go a long way to helping. The Government needs to reinvest 100 per cent of the money it collects from the waste levy each year, so our state can collect, process and reuse recyclable material right here."

Mayor Asfour’s calls support Local Government NSW’s (LGNSW) Save Our Recycling campaign.

"More than 10,000 of our residents told us, as part of the development of our City’s 10-year visionary strategy, CBCity 2028, they want Canterbury-Bankstown to be clean, green and sustainable," he said.

"We run and support a number of great waste reduction initiatives, like our Wheelie Good Compost and Mulch and phasing out single-use plastics from Council facilities and events – but local councils don’t control everything.

"This is one key area we need the NSW Government to step up and commit to making a positive change for our residents."

LGNSW President Linda Scott encouraged residents to have their say on the matter by completing an online survey, at cb.city/saveourrecycling

"Residents are asked a series of questions on their attitudes towards recycling, their individual recycling behaviours and their knowledge of NSW’s current recycling system," she said.

"The results will help enhance our calls on the Government to come up with a practical, long-term solution to waste management."

Of the $727 million collected by the NSW Government through its Waste Levy in 2017-18, $300 million was paid by local councils, with only 18 per cent returned to them to invest in the implementation of waste and recycling programs for their communities.