August 17 - 23, 2014: Issue 176
TOO GOOD TO WASTE: NEW REGIONAL WASTE AVOIDANCE AND RESOURCE RECOVERY STRATEGY OPEN FOR COMMUNITY COMMENT
TOO GOOD TO WASTE: NEW REGIONAL WASTE AVOIDANCE AND RESOURCE RECOVERY STRATEGY OPEN FOR COMMUNITY COMMENT
15 August 2014
The Hon. Rob Stokes MP Minister for the Environment and Member for Pittwater together with Cr Jacqueline Townsend SHOROC President and Mayor of Pittwater released Too Good to Waste the draft overarching waste strategy for Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah councils for community comment on Friday 15 August at Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre’s recycling facility in Terrey Hills.
Developed by the four SHOROC councils, Too Good to Waste details the combination of community-based and infrastructure solutions for the region to work towards the ambitious goal of diverting 75% of waste from landfill. It signals a shift from waste being a burden to being a resource and looks ahead to 2021 to avoid, reuse, recycle and recover our valuable resources.
“I congratulate SHOROC and its member councils on the Too Good to Waste draft strategy,” Mr Stokes said.
“This strategy will help reduce landfill and encourage recycling, in support of the NSW Government’s goal of diverting 75 per cent of waste from landfill by 2021.”
SHOROC President Cr Jacqueline Townsend said councils continually face the challenge of managing waste in a sustainable way. With a forecast of a 24% increase in the amount of household waste needing to be collected, recycled or disposed by 2021, this challenge will continue.
“Each year the four SHOROC councils collect about 117,000 tonnes of waste from 109,000 households, the equivalent to 11,700 garbage trucks. This draft strategy outlines how the four SHOROC councils are working together to improve waste avoidance and resource recovery practices and bring together projects that are better delivered in partnership.
“The draft strategy has two key planks – the first is to provide sustainable infrastructure solutions to maximise resource recovery from the waste we create and minimise what goes to landfill. The second plank is to help our community to do their part to produce less waste, increase recycling, deal with problem wastes and reduce littering and illegal dumping.
“It’s our future and it’s simply too good to waste,” Mayor Townsend said.
The community is invited to have their say on the draft strategy via a quick online survey, email admin@shoroc.com or call (02) 9905 0095.
The Strategy development has been supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority with funding from the waste levy.
See Too Good to Waste draft here: http://questionpro.com/t/AK7b7ZRMIz (PDF - 857kb)
The Strategy development has been supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority with funding from the waste levy.
SHOROC waste fast facts:
• Every year councils collect 117,000 tonnes of waste from 109,00 households
• 59,000 tonnes ends up in landfill
• 23,000 tonnes of garden waste becomes garden products
• 19,000 tonnes of paper is recycled saving 250,000 trees
• 16,000 tonnes of plastic glass and metal is recycled into new products
• Every year each household throws away 20% of the food they buy
• Every year each household throws away 22% of garbage that could be recycled
• Our household waste is forecast to increase by 24% by 2021
• Currently we recycle 54% of our waste – the target is 70% by 2021
• Our garbage bins have 40% food scraps which if recycled could make 900,500 bags of compost a year
• If we could stop 50,000 tonnes going to landfill each year we could eliminate greenhouse gases by 60,000 tonnes – the equivalent to taking 15,500 cars off the road.
