Waste education and landfill diversion key to new Strategy
Reduce waste, recycle more is one of the messages from Council's Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2021-2026
At today's Ordinary Meeting, Council adopted an updated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2021-2026 and its key theme is waste reduction through enhanced resource recovery, and education.
Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said during the consultation in the drafting of this Strategy community members overwhelmingly supported a focus on waste avoidance, reuse and resource recovery, community education and infrastructure.
"This document echoes and reinforces the sentiments shared in feedback sessions that we need to make reducing waste easier and more appealing for our community through the waste services we offer," he said.
"We will be building on our waste awareness and education initiatives and be looking to partner with businesses leading in this space.
"Council aims to manage waste efficiently, cost effectively and in an environmentally responsible manner in line with the ambitious targets set by the Queensland Government to become a zero-waste society, where waste is avoided, reused and recycled to the greatest possible extent.
"The Scenic Rim's progression towards 'zero avoidable waste to landfill' is supported at all levels of planning and is included in the Corporate Plan Scenic Rim 2026, also endorsed by Council today.
"The Scenic Rim has an enviable environmental record in waste management, with audit results showing that our kerbside mixed recyclables collection continues to have a low contamination rate, enabling a high percentage of plastic, paper, glass and metals to be reprocessed, reused or recycled.
"We will measure our progress over the next five years towards strategic outcomes including minimising how much waste is generated by Council activities, maximising region-wide access to containers for change and discouraging disposal to landfill," Cr Christensen said.
"In 2019-20, we processed 31,645 tonnes of waste at our landfill, including waste from our seven waste facilities. This Strategy includes clear targets, actions and priorities for how to increase recycling and resource recovery to bring our community’s waste to landfill down steadily.
"Success will rely on a collaborative effort from Council, businesses and residents, and we will be talking more about how we can work together to keep the Scenic Rim spectacular."
A copy of the Scenic Rim Regional Council Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2021-2026 is available for download from our website.