Waste Management Strategy 2015–2020:
Background Document
December 2014
Author:
Helen Millicer
Reviewer:
David Rako
Acknowledgements
Appreciation for their contribution to this project go to:
Representatives at Wheelie Waste, Sustainability Victoria, Loddon-Mallee Regional Waste and
Resource Recovery Management Group, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Hume City Council,
Whittlesea City Council, City of Yarra, City of Greater Bendigo and Mt Alexander Shire Council.
Disclaimer
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually
correct, One Planet Consulting and Macedon Ranges Shire Council give no warranty regarding its
accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability for any particular purpose and to the extent permitted
by law, does not accept liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the
content of this publication. This publication is provided on the basis that all persons accessing it
undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.
1
CONTENTS
1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1
2
SUMMARY OF PAST WASTE STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE FOR MACEDON RANGES
SHIRE .............................................................................................................................................. 2
3
BENCHMARKING WITH OTHER COUNCILS ................................................................................ 5
4
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON WASTE STRATEGY ..................................................................... 9
5
6
4.1
PESTEL analysis .................................................................................................................... 9
4.2
Strategic framework .............................................................................................................. 11
DETAILED ACTION PLAN 2015-2020 .......................................................................................... 16
5.1
Gather useful data and maintain information systems .......................................................... 16
5.2
Track local and external trends and forecast implications .................................................... 18
5.3
Provide leadership through example and procurement ........................................................ 19
5.4
Provide cost effective services .............................................................................................. 20
5.5
Encourage and promote resource efficiency and productivity .............................................. 29
5.6
Inform, promote and engage the community on the costs and benefits of actions .............. 33
5.7
Support innovative programs and communications that target difficult or environmentally
potent waste streams ............................................................................................................ 35
5.8
Provide consistent and effective public place infrastructure and systems ............................ 37
5.9
Summary of Actions .............................................................................................................. 40
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 46
1
INTRODUCTION
The Macedon Ranges Waste Management Strategy 2015-2020 has been developed to
guide Council and the community towards a future of less waste. It outlines key actions for
improving waste management – to reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfill, and to
increase the volume of material resources recovered for re-use and recycling.
This Background Document supports the directions and recommendations of the strategy,
by providing information on findings from the research undertaken in development of the
strategy.
The development of the Macedon Ranges Waste Management Strategy 2015-2020 drew on
existing data obtained from Council and other sources, now represented in this Background
Document. Where anomalies were identified in data, either it was not used, or was used
with caution and qualifications. The most reliable benchmark data is the 2013 report by
Sustainability Victoria (SV), Victorian Local Government Annual Survey, 2010-11. Reference
is also made to the 2011 report by Calder Regional Waste Management Group (CRWMG),
Waste Composition Report, 2013.
To inform the development of recommendations presented in the Macedon Ranges Waste
Management Strategy 2015-2020, a review of Council waste activities and performance was
undertaken, alongside a scan of work in other councils, and a review of external factors
impacting on waste management. 21 recommendations were developed and matched to 3
objectives, reflecting goals of the Council Plan:
-
Deliver affordable, efficient, productive and coordinated waste and resource reuse
systems
Empower and involve the community in reducing waste and litter and increasing reuse
and recovery
Protect the amenity of townships and landscapes for current and future generations
through clean and litter free spaces
It should be noted that although recommendations are presented according to objectives in
this background document, the adopted Macedon Ranges Waste Management Strategy
2015-2020 presents the recommendations according to implementation timeframes.
1
2
SUMMARY OF PAST WASTE STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE
FOR MACEDON RANGES SHIRE
MRSC has produced a number of Waste Strategies (2000 and 2007) that have contributed
to Council making important changes to its waste and recycling assets, services and
programs. The most significant changes in the last 15 years have been:





Closure of all three landfills within the Shire (Kyneton, Lancefield and Bullengarook)
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Pollution Abatement Notices (PANs) being
issued for all three landfills, necessitating remedial action and investment (detailed in
section 6.4.5)
Closure of Recycling Depots at Daraweit Guim, Malmsbury and Tylden (late 2011)
Standardisation of operations at all three Transfer Stations (Kyneton, Woodend,
Romsey)
Commencement of residential recyclables and garden organics kerbside collection
from major townships.
The 2007 Waste Management Strategy adopted on 22 August 2007 contained nine key
recommendations, most of which have been adopted, as outlined in Table 1 below.
Key Recommendation (as written in the 2007 Strategy)
Action since 2007 Strategy
Landfill Closure and Regional Disposal Options
1.
That Council continue to rehabilitate, maintain and monitor
the Kyneton, Bullengarook and Lancefield closed landfills
consistent with statutory obligations
Council has received 3 Pollution
Abatement Notices (PANs) for the
three landfills. Council is
conducting monitoring works as
required by EPA Victoria.
Remedial works at Kyneton are to
be completed by 1 July 2015.
2.
That Council through the Calder and Metropolitan
Regional Waste Management Groups develop long term
agreements with the City of Hume for disposal of waste
from Macedon Ranges Shire
No formal agreement negotiated.
Currently paying market rate for
disposal.
Resource Recovery Facilities
3.
That Council agrees to maintain and operate the
Woodend Resource Recovery Facility consistent with
statutory obligations
Council has made investments in
the improved site layout and
operations at Woodend.
2
4.
That Council agrees not to pursue an additional Resource
Recovery Facility for the southern district at this stage but
retains the Council owned industrial land located off
Newry Drive with a view to obtaining a more suitable site
in the future
Council has not pursued any
additional facility beyond its
existing three transfer stations.
Extensions to Collection Areas
5.
That the kerbside collection area be extended subject to:
a) Preliminary discussions with the collection contractor
to identify areas which can be economically serviced.
b) A survey of residents in identified areas in
accordance with Council policy.
c) Negotiations with the current contractor, Cleanaway,
to determine a contract rate for areas identified for
collection.
d) A report to Council to approve any variation to the
contract rate and to declare extensions to the
garbage district.
6.
Notwithstanding the above, that at least two years prior to
the expiry of the new kerbside waste and recycling
collection contract, Council will review the area serviced
with a view to extending the area to the whole of the Shire.
Kerbside services have been
extended by Council. New waste
and recycling kerbside collections
contracts commenced in January
2010 with Wheelie Waste and this
extended to garden organics in
October 2011.
To be considered within the
preparation of the 2015-2020
Waste Management Strategy.
Additional Kerbside Services
7.
Hard Waste.
That Council decides not to proceed with a hard rubbish
collection service at this stage due to OH&S and public
liability issues and costs.
8.
Clothing and other Recycling.
a) That the results of trials being carried out for a
collection of clothing and other recyclables materials
be considered by Council in future deliberations.
b) That a charity bin(s) be placed in one of the transfer
stations as a trial to assess whether this would be a
more effective way of capturing this part of the waste
stream.
Council has not proceeded with a
hard rubbish collection service.
Residents are able to deliver to
the Sunbury or Mt Alexander
landfills, or to any of three Council
transfer stations.
Council has not proceeded with
trials of charity bins at transfer
stations for clothing collections.
There are approximately a dozen
charity bins in the Shire.
Council has expanded and
standardised bin collections at all
transfer stations to include
batteries, waste lube oil,
mattresses, and a number of
other materials/products.
3
9.
Green Waste
a) That Council investigates options for, and the viability
of, introducing a green waste service, both as part of
the new kerbside contract in 2011 and as an
additional service within the terms of the current
contract.
b) That proposals being currently considered by the City
of Bendigo for green waste collection and treatment
be considered by Council in future deliberations.
Council investigated options and
in 2011 commenced a fortnightly
green waste kerbside collection
service in township areas. This
will have inevitably cut the
quantity of garden waste to landfill
and associated costs.
Table 1 Key Recommendations from 2007 Waste Management Strategy and actions to date
4
3
BENCHMARKING WITH OTHER COUNCILS
One of the largest contributing factors to the quantity and composition of waste and recycling
entering the council collection system is its location and economy. Highly urbanised
communities such as Hume have higher quantities in the council system than do peri-urban/
agricultural areas such as Mornington Peninsula or Macedon Ranges (Figure 1).
Since its survey data was presented to Sustainability Victoria in 2010-11 to inform the graph
in Figure 1 below, MRSC has introduced garden organics kerbside collection. This will have
resulted in some of the weight moving from the general waste (GW) to the recycling system.
However, Mornington Peninsula has both a garden organics kerbside and drop-off service,
and higher quantities in its recyclable collection. Most notably it has smaller overall waste
generation from households than MRSC, largely due to its smaller bin (80 litres) and long
standing education program, particularly targeting schools and groups.
1000.00
900.00
800.00
700.00
600.00
500.00
400.00
300.00
200.00
100.00
0.00
Macedon
Ranges
Hume
Bendigo Whittlesea
Kerbside GW /hshold kg/a
Mt
Moorabool Mornington Victoria
Alexander
Shire
Pen Shire
Shire
Kerbside recyclables /hshold kg/a
Figure 1 Comparison of kerbside collection quantities (kg) per household, 2010-11
3.1 Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (2013 population 152,260,
budget $143M)
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council attributes its low landfill costs and quantities to 10 years
of ‘training to recycle’. Over 10 years ago Council replaced the 240 litre general waste bins
with 80 litre bins and education programs. While there were concerns about going to smaller
bins, it was clear that the aim was to reduce waste and costs of landfill. At the same time
Council introduced recycling bins. Residents can choose a 120litre bin at greater cost,
paying $3.25 per extra litre ($130 extra).
Council owns the three transfer stations and contracts out the operations and these have
been dramatically improved since diversion targets and incentives were included in the
tenders and contracts. These targets continue to climb each year and incentives are paid out
as a percentage of avoided landfill fees. The contractor is investing capital and resources
into improved resource recovery. Council also has three smaller satellite sites that operate
on weekends from which material is transported for improved sorting at the transfer stations.
5
For many years Council had a dedicated waste/recycling education officer successfully
engaging with schools, community and business groups (many now have their own recycling
programs). This position has disappeared due to amalgamations of the regional waste
management groups and so Council is considering and negotiating options.
All festivals and events in the region must submit a waste and recycling plan to Council’s
Recreation Department.
Council’s next big moves are a new strategy, and it is expanding the range of products
included in the recycling bin. Effective from 1 July 2014 residents can include: hard plastics
(Tupperware, plates, toys), metals (pots and pans). All this goes to the SKM processing
facility in Coolaroo.
3.2 City of Whittlesea (2013 population 179,260, budget $168M)
The City of Whittlesea has constraints in that there are no landfill sites and no transfer
stations where materials can be sorted in the municipality. The priorities in council’s new
strategy are:




Reduce contamination of recycling
Reduce recyclables in the waste stream
Work with commercial businesses to trial recycling
Move away from voucher system for landfill to pre-booked hard waste collection
service.
Council has been conducting an annual audit of 200 household waste and recycling bins for
several years to assess contents and contamination trends. A more direct action is that a
contractor walks the streets doing inspection of residential bins prior to pick up (on rotation of
areas). They apply stickers and do visits to rectify behaviour. Estimated cost around $30,000
but it repays in reduction of contamination, improved recycling behaviour and higher rebate.
Council is very happy with the current garden organics system as there is a very low
contamination rate (1%), because the service is optional and user pays (45% = 30,000
households) rather than compulsory for all households. This means participants are keen
and more inclined to use the service correctly. The current fee is $65, rising with CPI to $7475. Council also offers a prebooked bundled service. All organics gets made into certified
compost.
While council has public place recycling bins, contamination rates are too high in some
areas, and in these areas all contents go to landfill. Council will be ramping up public
signage and education.
3.3 City of Greater Bendigo (2013 population 105,332, budget
$155.9M)
The City of Bendigo’s very recent Waste & Resource Management Strategy (early 2014)
sets ambitious numeric targets for reduction of waste to landfill and increased diversion.
They have two landfills, and the Eaglehawk facility is nearing capacity (5-7yrs). Their
priorities are:
6


Commence an organics collection once they are confident that it is appropriately
treated
Determine the feasibility of an advanced recovery facility for Eaglehawk site.
Currently Bendigo transports 50% of its waste to the Patho site near Echuca at a reasonable
price and deposits the other 50% into its own landfill.
Council is happy with successful social enterprise contractor at Eaglehawk TipShop. ‘Future
Employment Opportunities’ has also won tenders to set up similar ventures in Portland and
Hamilton. Council intends to maintain services in-house rather than engaging external
contractors (with exception for Elwaste for recycling). A motivation is to preserve local
employment and investment.
3.4 Hume City Council (2013 population 183,263, budget $186M)
Hume City Council’s current Waste Strategy concludes in 2016. In terms of kerbside
collections, waste bins are 80 litre and 140 litre, with an incentive rebate of $16 paid to move
to the smaller bin. Garden organics kerbside collection is an optional user pays system
offering two sized bins (140 litre bin = $96.50 and 240 litre bin = $113) fruit and vegetables
are accepted. Hume also offers all households two free prebooked hard waste collections or
one tip trip voucher.
There are two council landfills and recycling centres in Sunbury and Cambellfield and a
private landfill at Bulla. Council manages the gatehouse and weighbridge, and private
operators manage the sites.
A private contractor has been running a successful TipShop at the Sunbury site for 18 years
with around 30,000 visitors p/a, including from MRSC especially Gisborne. There is
generally a 4 week turn around on items such as bikes. They handle timber, tools, furniture,
toys, books, magazines and more.
These buildings and circulation area for sorting materials has been recently expanded by
Council with $150,000 grant from Sustainability Victoria.
Hume also accepts free of charge:



household chemicals
paint (up to 20 litre)
white goods.
3.5 Mt Alexander Shire Council (2013 population 17,994, budget
$30.5M)
Mt Alexander Shire Council’s 5 year Waste Strategy concludes in 2015.
Council only provides waste and recycling kerbside collections, no organics kerbside
collection. A move to lower waste to landfill was the introduction of 80 litre bins for kerbside
waste collection in place of the standard 140 litre bins in 2011-12. Some 30% properties
have made the move and pay ~$100 less on waste rates. More people are making the
switch with each rate notice.
7
Council also offers a discount on worm farms and compost bins to encourage lower
quantities of food in the waste bin. This appears to be popular.
Mt Alexander has its own landfill in Castlemaine with a weighbridge and transfer station for
sorting and distribution, and a second transfer station in Maldon. In addition to the items
received by MRSC at its transfer stations, Mt Alexander receives all plastics 1-7, white
goods, timber and building rubble.
8
4
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON WASTE STRATEGY
4.1 PESTEL analysis
There are a number of external influences acting upon MRSC’s current and future waste and
recycling operations. These have been grouped using the PESTEL analysis headings
(political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal).
4.1.1 Political
The policy push for market cost recovery extends to increases in landfill fees, monitoring
and open reporting of quantities, contamination and performance. There has been an
increase in the funds retained by the Victorian government from landfill levies resulting in a
drop in the number and size of grants available to local councils and communities for
individual, discrete projects.
Within Victoria the State Government has strengthened the role of the regulator, EPA
Victoria to be clearer on regulations and enforce compliance. Sustainability Victoria has
increased its focus on cost effective market recovery of materials, and investigations into
material flows as a means to support efficiency and waste reduction, particularly in
commercial and industrial sectors such as manufacturing, and in regards to organics (food
and garden material). There will continue to be support for recycling infrastructure for local
councils, attention on major waste streams like organics.
Federal and state waste and resource recovery policies are raising the standards around
the waste and recovery sectors, such as introducing market mechanisms such as Product
Stewardship programs (targets, levies and rules) upon manufacturers/importers to recover
products at ‘end of life’1.
Increased diversion through voluntary schemes will grow. Industry, local governments
and communities will increasingly pursue and support initiatives that lower landfill costs and
‘waste’ through diversion and better sorting of materials.
4.1.2 Economic
The Australian economy will change shape with a slowing mining sector, particularly coal
exports, increased international investment in food production and land. With increased
global demand for commodities and product, price of goods and fuel will increase in
Australia. The trend toward lower average wages in real terms will continue and provide
motivation for people to keep products longer and recover more product/materials.
This will provide greater incentive for recovery of product and materials through improved
separation (at source i.e. at home and at Transfer Stations), repair (Men’s sheds), resale
(Tip Shop) and sorting (at recycling facilities i.e. VISY).
Higher cost of fuel will impact economic activity, and the economics of transport of waste,
and may contribute to increases in illegal dumping.
1
Australian Government, Dept of Environment, 2014, Product list and notices
9
Climate change will hit regional rural areas hard with another extended drought and hotter
weather, and possibly more flooding events. This will impact the agricultural productivity and
economic activity within regions. This will dint consumer confidence and economic activity.
Federal, state and local councils will make greater investments in protecting and repairing
infrastructure and communities, minimising risks and costs of bushfire, heat waves and
floods.
4.1.3 Social
Growing population will impact upon quantities of waste and recycling, provision of
services and education programs in the municipality. This plus an aging population and early
retirement may mean more people are running micro-businesses from home and in the
region.
Fashion trends may continue to encompass retro clothing and furniture, with interest in
improved separation of product through charity stores or ‘Tip Shops’.
The resurgence of community social cohesion activities such as the Men’s Sheds and
community markets may provide a social/employment aspect to Council’s collection services
and transfer stations.
4.1.4 Technological
Continuing rapid adoption of new technologies, such as electronic goods, TVs, mobile
phones generates greater quantities of still working products from homes and workplaces
across MRSC.
The rise of innovations such as 3D printing may enable the repair of more products.
Council may consider expanding and integrating its collection system with other
organisations and businesses across the municipality to improve economies of scale,
collection, retrieval, repair and reuse or transport to a central location.
Increasing number of companies will be shifting out of carbon intensive fuels with vehicle
fleets moving across to electric, hybrid and low emission fuels. Council may include this as a
requirement in future council contracts.
4.1.5 Environmental
The impacts of climate change will lead to increased quantities of material entering the
waste stream as rubbish after fires, floods or other extreme weather events. A challenge for
councils will be dealing with large quantities during and after emergencies, and the costs. It
will also extend to increased focus upon possible contamination of water supply and
combustion of landfill. There may also be growing interest in improving the productivity and
resilience of land through soil improvement via composting and organic soil conditioner.
Life cycle analysis of the real environmental cost of materials and products will become
increasingly commonplace, as purchasing policies and procurement tenders by companies
10
such as Coles and local governments require suppliers to measure and report their
environmental footprint. This will extend to increasing scrutiny of the real cost of resources,
in terms of all steps in the production and disposal supply chain.
There may be growing community and business expectation for lowering emissions from
waste collection and landfill. This may extend to a push to measure, monitor and flare
methane from landfills and organic treatment systems.
4.1.6 Legislation/regulations
State and federal legislation and regulations around pollution, contamination, landfill and
waste might be streamlined, but are not likely to be diminished. There will be an increased
array of materials and products collected through formal and informal product stewardship
arrangements.
The approach to carbon emissions will eventually settle with an increasing shift away from
carbon based energy sources to low emission or zero emission sources. This will be partly
driven by government policy and legislation, business and community action and pressure,
investment and cost. Groups such as 350.org that are mobilising communities around the
world to divest from carbon-intensive businesses and sectors will grow in influence. This will
result in changes to the business case and reputation of carbon-intensive activities.
There may be renewed calls for revised EPA regulations enabling easier reuse of materials
and products, subject to streamlined processing, measurement and monitoring. This would
assist reduce the quantity of material going to landfill through greater recovery and reuse.
4.2 Strategic framework
This section outlines relevant external policies and legislation that impact upon current and
future waste and recycling activities within the Shire.
4.2.1 Calder Regional Waste Management Group (replaced by Loddon-Mallee
Waste and Resource Recovery Group)
Prior to 1 August 2014, MRSC was one of three member Councils of the Calder Regional
Waste Management Group (CRWMG); the other two member Councils being Mount
Alexander Shire Council and the City of Greater Bendigo.
Due to recent reforms to the structure of the regional waste management groups (RWMG)
by the Victorian Government through a legislative bill, the CRWMG amalgamated with
Central Murray RWMG and the Mildura RWMG to form the Loddon Mallee Waste and
Resource Recovery Group from 1 August 2014. The new LMWRRG is made up of the
following eight municipalities: MRSC, Mount Alexander Shire Council, City of Greater
Bendigo, Loddon Shire Council, Buloke Shire Council, Gannawarra Shire Council, Swan Hill
Rural City Council and Mildura Rural City Council.
The intent is that the new groups are able to allocate more resources to on-the-ground
delivery than they were previously able to do. Some responsibilities are being moved from
11
local government to the regional groups, giving them an increased role in facilitating joint
procurement of infrastructure and resource recovery services. The planning role has also
been broadened to include all material streams, including commercial and industrial and
construction and demolition.
One of the first requirements of the new LMWRRG will be the appointment of staff and
formation of a strategic plan for the LMWRRG. This will be high level and take into account
the diverse needs, circumstances and capacity of LMWRRG to service the needs of the
eight member Councils. This is likely to cover issues such as education materials, joint
studies and tenders for services, review of infrastructure and planning.
In terms of purpose and outcomes, in recent years the current CRWMG has investigated
joint initiatives. In 2010 CRWMG coordinated a study into the composition of kerbside
general waste collection bins of the three member councils. These findings lead to MRSC
deciding to introduce garden organics kerbside collection in 2011. More recently the
CRWMG undertook preliminary investigations into garden organics treatment in windrows
and joint kerbside collection contracts for all three member municipalities. However, this was
not of interest to Bendigo given they run their waste and recycling in-house.
4.2.2 Victorian Government waste policy: Getting Full Value
In April 2013 the Victoria State Government released Getting Full Value: The Victorian
Waste and Resource Recovery Policy (Getting Full Value). Getting Full Value provides a 30
year vision for waste and resource recovery across Victoria with actions to provide guidance
over the next 10 years.
The goals and strategic direction include:



Assist Victorians to reduce waste generation and achieve financial savings through
efficient resource use
Facilitate strong markets for recovered resources
Reduce illegal dumping and littering.
MRSC will be impacted by this policy as it provides key strategic vision for resource recovery
across Victoria, direction on levies, fees, grants and priority areas for government action.
A particular focus is upon organic material given the high proportion found in general waste
and going to landfill. A number of studies have been recently undertaken by Sustainability
Victoria into different organic streams, the sources and options for diversion. This includes
food, timber and garden organics. It is possible that a number of recent studies undertaken
by SV and others around organic streams will become publicly available in the next year.
12
4.2.3 Draft Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infras tructure Plan 20132043 Victoria, September 2013: Sustainability Victoria
In September 2013 Sustainability Victoria released its Draft Statewide Waste and Resource
Recovery Infrastructure Plan 2013-2043 Victoria (SWRRIP). This is a partner document to
the state policy (above).
The purpose of the SWRRIP is to provide a detailed picture of the current waste and
resource recovery sites across Victoria. Via a consultation process the SWRRIP has also
identified current and future gaps for infrastructure such as landfills and transfer stations in
what it calls a ‘hub and spoke’ approach to streamline efficiencies and costs.
For MRSC the final SWRRIP will highlight future resource recovery and disposal
infrastructure planned for Victoria over the next 30 years.
4.2.4 2013 Consultation Draft: Metropolitan Waste & Resource Recovery
Strategic Plan
In October 2013 the (former) Metropolitan Waste Management Group released the 2013
Consultation Draft: Metropolitan Waste & Resource Recovery Strategic Plan (Plan). The
Plan supports the SWRRIP and provides a road map for delivery of waste and resource
recovery services for metropolitan Melbourne.
When released the final Plan will also provide a range a market based actions and solutions
to secure infrastructure investment in both waste disposal and resource recovery.
While MRSC is located outside the boundary of metropolitan Melbourne, the Plan will have a
significant impact on MRSC as all general waste, comingled kerbside material and
recyclables collected from the three transfer stations are sent to facilities located in
metropolitan Melbourne.
4.2.5 Federal Government National Waste Policy
The National Waste Policy was finalised in 2009 and agreed to by all Australian environment
ministers. The Policy provides direction for Australia’s waste management and resource
recovery direction to 20202. The aims of the Policy are to:




avoid the generation of waste, reduce the amount of waste (including hazardous
waste) for disposal
manage waste as a resource
ensure that waste treatment, disposal, recovery and re-use is undertaken in a safe,
scientific and environmentally sound manner
contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy conservation and
production, water efficiency and the productivity of the land.
4.2.6 Product stewardship programs and National Act (2011).
2
Australian Government, Dept of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2013, Fact Sheet
13
‘Product stewardship’ is a term used globally covering programs created to manage the
impacts of specific products and materials, such as computers, and to stop them from
entering landfills. It acknowledges that those companies and people involved in producing,
selling, using and disposing of products have a shared responsibility.
There have been a host of voluntary programs operating for some time, some which now are
covered by the 2011 Australian Product Stewardship Act3. Programs for these items follow
the Act:


Ewaste (computers, TVs, printers) (2012)
Tyres (2014)
There are recovery targets, rules, penalties and funds managed for recovery of these items
at ‘end of life’. Other similar programs for consideration/formation in the next few years
cover:





Mercury containing lamps
Air conditioners and refrigerators with small gas charges
Architectural and decorative paint
Hand held batteries (<2kg in weight)
Packaging (consumer and beverage packaging).
Simultaneously there are voluntary schemes, some which have been operating for some
time, and there are more in the pipeline. MRSC collects a number of these items through its
transfer stations:




Mobilemuster (mobile phones)
DrumMuster (chemical containers)
Printer cartridges
Lube oil.
4.2.7 Carbon emission policies and programs
The Federal Government repealed certain elements of the Clean Energy Futures Act,
specifically the carbon price, and is negotiating with other parties that have control of the
Senate options for the future.
At the time of writing this Draft Strategy, the Government remains committed to introducing
their Direct Action program, however all parties in the Senate have stated they will reject it,
have alternatives (an internationally linked carbon trading scheme) or might negotiate to
retain other programs for renewables. It remains an area of uncertainty.
In terms of relevance to MRSC the repeal of the carbon price has meant that large landfill
owners/operators are currently renegotiating their contracts and prices removing any carbon
price (which previously reflected the cost of ongoing fugitive emissions).
3
Australian Government, Dept of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2014, Product
Stewardship
14
While there are fugitive emissions from the three closed landfills within MRSC however,
Council was not, and is not required to pay for these emissions. Council could consider the
cost/benefit of installing flaring equipment or other treatment systems to cut emissions.
From the information currently available on Direct Action, it appears that the Federal
Government’s Direct Action program will not entail measures that will provide direction or
incentive through a price or other mechanisms for improved waste reduction or recycling by
comparatively small councils such as MRSC.
The main premise of Direct Action is that entities apply to the government for grant funds to
deliver lowest cost carbon abatement. It is not likely that MSRC has waste and recycling
projects of sufficient scale and abatement potential that would meet the criteria for such
funds.
15
5
DETAILED ACTION PLAN 2015-2020
OBJECTIVE 1.
Deliver affordable, efficient, productive and coordinated waste and resource
reuse systems
5.1
Gather useful data and maintain information systems
In order to effectively plan and gain maximum return on initiatives around waste, recycling
and reuse services, Councils require good data.
While MRSC operates waste and recycling assets and services for the local community, the
shortage of reliable data makes it difficult to calculate and gauge the real cost and benefit of
waste and resources management and the effectiveness of actions undertaken for different
materials.
For example, a breakdown of figures for waste at landfill in 2012-13 financial year shows that
7,481 tonnes was generated from kerbside collections and 3,168 tonnes generated from
transfer station operations, in total 10,649 tonnes from Council collections. This equates to
244.7kg per person in 2012-13. According to SV’s Annual Survey, 2013, the Victorian
average in 2010-11 was 197kg per person4.
50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2011/12
Population
Total waste to landfill (t)
2012/13
Kerbside recycling (t)
2013/14
Kerbside organics (t)
Figure 2 MRSC population, waste and kerbside recycling and organics quantities
The figures for recycling within MRSC are fairly reliable showing a recycling rate of 95kg per
person in 2010-11 rising to 105.6kg in 2012-13. According to SV’s Annual Survey, 2013, the
Victorian average in 2010-11 was around 112kg of recyclables per person.
If these figures are correct, they show that MRSC is performing below average for both
waste to landfill and recycling. In respect to waste generation, MRSC is on a per person
4
Sustainability Victoria, 2013, Victorian Local Government Annual Survey, 2010-11, p.5
16
basis about 18% higher, while in the area of recycling MRSC is about 17% lower than the
average across Victoria.
A key priority over the next few years is for council to collect reliable and consistent data sets
on waste, including costs and weights, volumes and composition from both in-house and
contractor services for:




Waste from kerbside and transfer stations
Recycling from kerbside and transfer stations
Street sweeping and public bins
Litter and illegal roadside dumping.
Recommendation 1. Establish data and information systems


Require waste and recycling teams and contractors to provide recent data, and
going forward, to establish and maintain meaningful data sets in electronic form
for council’s analysis, covering: quantities, costs, rebates, destination,
composition, levels of contamination, bin lifts, frequency and capacity of bins
upon collection.
In preparation of tender specifications for future contract services, consider
engaging contractors that use GPS tracking and weighing systems on lifting arms
of trucks to obtain certified data on quantities collected within council contracts.
The intended use of this data needs to be determined, and the contractors
engaged accordingly.
Unfortunately, few contractors (unless required within the terms of the contract) collect data
on three key aspects of waste management: composition, contamination and volume of bins
upon collection. It is therefore commonplace for Councils to conduct annual or biannual
audits, and pre and post project audits to measure effectiveness of initiatives and consider
corrective modifications.
It is important that audits are comprehensive on these three aspects of waste management
as this informs such activities and investments as education programs and changes to
frequency of bin collection and size.
Recommendation 2. Conduct targeted and representative audits to obtain baseline
data on volume and composition of household and public place bins


Conduct targeted and representative audits of waste, recycling and green bins
from kerbside collections.
Conduct an audit of public place waste litter bins in different townships and public
locations to assess quantity, composition and volume capacity of bins with a view
to potential introduction of public place recycling in future years.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. There are likely to be valuable ‘waste’
streams within the municipality that are currently under-utilised. It is possible that some of
these will be outside of council’s collection system and that combined may be more costeffective for the benefit of all.
For example, Council’s contactors currently transport garden material from the green
organics bin to Camperdown Composting (a round trip of approximately 400km). This
existing arrangement works well and the material is treated to become quality compost,
however, it appears there may be major untapped opportunities for a composting facility
within the Shire given the high quality and consistent organic material streams arising locally.
17
This is from farms, food processing facilities, abattoir, stock sales yards, wood lots and
sawmills. Likewise there are other valuable material streams such as cardboard, plastics,
paper, and textiles that could be reused or recycled within the region.
One example of how this material may be mapped is provided by Mount Alexander Shire
Council, who is currently embarking upon a waste audit and resource mapping exercise
within its community entitled the ‘Waste Less’ project. It may be possible for MRSC to tap
into this project and share data to help identify smart local reuse and recycling options.
Recommendation 3. Survey local organisations and trader groups to identify
resource use options to support increased reuse of valuable materials


Survey major local organisations and trader groups in the municipality to identify
waste, recycling and reuse opportunities.
Use this information to consider business cases and potential market activity for
appropriate activities or to facilitate business- to- business exchange.
5.2 Track local and external trends and forecast implications
Many councils are grappling with identical problems to those experienced at MRSC (such as
rising quantities to landfill and high rates of contamination in recycling bins), and are trialing
different approaches to improve waste, recycling, reuse, contracts, education and
communications. State and federal governments also undertake major assessments into
improvements and problem trends in waste, recycling and reuse.5
Council will gain from linking into networks where such robust and comprehensive data and
information is shared. This includes attending conferences and memberships to relevant
peak industry groups such as Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA). Being
on the fringe of Metropolitan Melbourne, MRSC can tap into both the information networks
for both the regional and the metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Groups. Council
should engage with these groups by publishing and sharing its audits and reports,
presenting at events and discussing needs and opportunities. Council can also meet with the
Board and senior staff, and seek to have input into the Strategic Plans and projects for these
organisations.
Council needs to recognise that many studies are retrospective and forecast scenarios
typically around ‘business as usual’, seldom considering scenarios involving factors such as
changing fuel prices or scarcity of materials. In conducting any business case analysis
around waste and recycling in the future, and in the next waste management strategy, it is
important that Council assesses the impacts of such major factors upon services, prices,
risks and options.
Recommendation 4. Track trends and forecast implications of factors such as
chancing fuel and resource prices for waste systems and council’s own operations

Participate and share information through networks such as the Metropolitan and
the Loddon Mallee Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Groups.
5
Sustainability Victoria, 2013, Draft Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan,
p.62
18


Participate in relevant conferences and expert seminars to hear of recent
initiatives in other councils and agencies.
Track the trends within council’s own data on waste and recycling quantities,
costs and forecast a number of scenarios with key factors.
5.3 Provide leadership through example and procurement
5.3.1 Leadership through Council’s own operations
Council has an opportunity to be a leader within the municipality in reducing its own waste to
landfill, increasing recycling and reuse of materials and products. This may also provide an
opportunity to reduce its own costs and increase the rebate paid for recyclables. Council will
then be able to promote such benefits to other organisations within the Shire.
Currently all Council facilities are serviced by both general waste and recycling services.
Consistent with the residential kerbside service, Wheelie Waste collect 240 litre bins from
libraries and maternal and child health centres. Larger premises such as the Council offices,
leisure centres and a public pool are serviced by 3m3 front lift bins by a another contractor.
Council does not have data on whether its bins are at capacity or otherwise when collected,
the composition of waste or recycling, or the levels of contamination.
There may be opportunity to rationalise some of the contract services to reduce costs, and to
provide incentives for actions that result in lower waste to landfill, lower emissions and
higher recycling rates. Other actions can be cost effective, like improving signage within
these facilities and next to bin systems to ensure staff and visitors correctly separate into
bins, and to reinforce good habits.
Council also has the capacity to adopt and model good systems with staff, visitors and
cleaners. With the current reformation of its internal Green Team, there is the opportunity to
introduce targets for teams across the organisation, increase re-use and recycling, and offer
team rewards. Another key action is to ensure cleaners at council facilities correctly handle
waste and recycling. One common and significant error is placing bin liners in recycling bins
which results in the bag and recyclable contents being discarded at the sorting facility and
sent to landfill. Such items must be loose for recycling and not bagged.
Council can also consider introducing annual reporting on a few measures into its Annual
Report to demonstrate its commitment to improving waste behaviour.6
Recommendation 5. Demonstrate leadership in waste management and resource
recovery through Council’s operations and contracts, and report on performance



Set a target for Council to be a leader in waste, recycling and reuse within the
municipality. Integrate targets and actions into departmental teams, performance
measures and council reporting, including its Annual Report.
Gather data sets on council performance from existing contractors and ensure
electronic data provision is a requirement in future contracts.
Publish and share data and trends with council staff and visitors to show action
and impact.
6
Encycle Consulting, 2013, Study into commercial and industrial waste and recycling in Australia by
industry division, Australian Government.
19

Ensure council cleaners practice correct separation, handling and disposal of
materials into bins and if necessary support training.
5.3.2 Council’s procurement power
Council also has the capacity to show leadership, plan for the future and benefit from
exercising its buying power. It can do this in a number of ways, including:



Reviewing its Procurement Policy and exploring a new direction towards more
sustainable procurement such as products with a high proportion of recycled content
for office supplies including paper, parks and gardens supplies including signs and
benches, construction supplies including cement, plaster board and flooring.
Promoting one of the discretionary criteria in evaluation of tenders, concerning
whether the Tenderer is able to offer an environmental advantage with products and
works that are (a) environmentally sound in manufacture and disposal, (b) recyclable,
(c) energy efficient and (d) have a long life cycle with minimal maintenance and
repair. An initial focus would be to employ the criteria when considering tenders for
major areas of expenditure.
Requiring improved performance on carbon emissions and fuel efficiency from its
waste collection contractor from, for example, the use of hybrid electric and fuel
trucks.
Recommendation 6. Enhance Council’s procurement policy and power



Promote more sustainable procurement such as products with a high proportion
of recycled content.
Encourage Officers to actively use the discretionary procurement criteria of
“environmental advantage” in which products and works that are:
a) environmentally sound in manufacture and disposal
b) recyclable
c) energy efficient
d) with a long life cycle with minimal maintenance and repair,
to attract a higher score than products and works without these characteristics.
Require better reporting and improved performance on carbon emissions and fuel
efficiency from its waste and recycling collection contractors the next time tenders
are invited for the waste and recycling contracts.
5.4 Provide cost effective services
5.4.1 Staff and contractor performance
Council’s waste and recycling services and sites are managed by a combination of council
staff and contractors. It was beyond the scope and capacity of this project and available data
to make recommendations on changes to allocations between staff and contractors on the
basis of cost or performance, however good examples are available in other Councils.
Irrespective of whether staff or contractors, Council should establish performance targets
and incentives to ensure cost effective and increasingly efficient services are provided.
20
Both Council staff and contractors are an essential part of Council’s service delivery, and as
such they both should reflect the values and priorities of Council.
It is important that staff performance targets and contract tender specifications reflect
Council’s objectives and goals for the period of this Strategy to 2020. Without the
cooperation of Council staff and contractors, Council and the community will not be able to
shift from current trends of increased waste to landfill, increased costs for disposal and
negative environmental impacts.
Service
Provider
Education programs
Council
Street cleaning
Council
Roadside litter and dumping collection
Council
Roadside litter, dumping and hazardous land management fines and
enforcement
Council
Transfer stations operations
Council
Recycling and waste collections from Transfer stations
Contractors
Street and park litter bins collection
Contractors
Recycling and waste collections from Council facilities
Contractors
Residential kerbside bin collections
Contractors
Landfill management (closed sites)
Council
Landfill capital upgrades and monitoring
Contractors
Table 2 Current providers of services in Macedon Ranges Shire
For example, the City of Whittlesea requires their contractor to do periodic visual inspections
of residential kerbside bins to identify and exclude contaminated bins from collection. The
contractor walks, inspects and applies stickers to contaminated bins, and following a report
to Council repeat offenders receive a letter from Council and finally a visit to explain and help
rectify behaviour. Whittlesea believes the cost is repaid through a reduction in
contamination, higher rebates, and improved recycling behaviour overall.
21
Likewise, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has recently entered into a new recycling
contract which has expanded the range of items accepted in recycling, including hard
plastics (Tupperware, plates, toys) and metals (pots and pans). This will help lower volumes
of waste to landfill and associated costs, and help improve performance.
Recommendation 7. Guide staff and contractor performance


Introduce measurement, targets and reporting into Council waste and recycling
services tenders and contracts.
Integrate objectives, goals and cooperative arrangements that provide support
and incentive for continuous improvement in cost effective service delivery.
5.4.2 Kerbside collection systems
Council currently offers three kerbside collection systems for households (general waste,
comingled recycling and garden organics) and receives a rebate for the comingled
recyclable collection.
Bin Size
Currently MRSC is increasing the size of waste bins from 120 litres to 140 litres when the
most common waste bin size amongst Victorian Councils is 120 litres (50 of 79 councils use
120 litre bins) and the statewide trend is to downsize bins. By contrast, in both Mornington
Peninsula and Mt Alexander Shire Councils, the 80 litre bin is the default bin size and
residents have strong incentive in pricing structures to use the smaller bin rather than 120 or
360 litre bins.
The recent trend in increased quantities and costs of waste to landfill within MRSC (evident
in Figure ) is likely to be partly due to the shift to the larger bin.
Eleven years of statewide data shows ‘as the bin size increases, the corresponding
household yield increases’. SV’s Annual Survey, 2013 goes on to say:
‘Smaller bins, such as the preferred 80 L bin produced on average 426 kg of garbage
per household per year, compared to the 240 L bin which yielded 590 kg per
household. This represents 164 kg (38%) more garbage generated annually by a 240
L bin compared to the 80 L bin.’ 7
600
Household yield (kg)
500
400
300
200
100
0
80L
120L
140L
240L
Garbage bin system
Figure 3 Waste yield by collection system, Victoria 2010-11
7
Sustainability Victoria, 2013, Victorian Local Government Annual Survey, 2010-11, p.24
22
In aiming to reduce the volume of waste generated at the household level and then being
sent to landfill, Council needs to determine the feasibility of introducing smaller bin sizes.
The open landscape and windy conditions of the region present problems with smaller bins
being more vulnerable to being blown over, indicating that an alternative option, like retaining
the existing bin sizes but collecting on a fortnightly basis, may be a more appropriate means
to encourage better waste management at the household level. The collection could remain
weekly for 3 or 4 months over summer to avoid potential problems with odor, and in special
circumstances, a second bin could be provided. A fortnightly collection would provide the
added benefit of reduced operational costs and reduced greenhouse emissions from
transport.
Recommendation 8. Investigate the business case for different service options to
encourage reduction of waste at the household level:
a) Potential introduction of 80 litre bins for general waste, retaining the current
weekly collection cycle
b) Potential introduction of a fortnightly collection schedule for general waste,
retaining the existing 120 and 140 litre bins.
Council may consider:
 Costs, benefits and means of introducing 80 litre bins, possibly through a
progressive roll out of 80 litre bins with a sunset for all larger bins by 2020, or a
faster changeover.
 Costs, benefits and means of converting to a fortnightly collection for general
waste, possibly timed with collection of recycling materials
 A proportional cost structure that will provide clear and strong incentive for
residents to choose the smallest bin or less frequent collection
 A requirement that the contractor seek out bins made with recycled plastic
content and that all discarded bins are recycled.
Waste bin contents
In 2011 the CRWMG commissioned an audit of 200 residential kerbside general waste bins
in each three member municipalities (Macedon, Bendigo and Mt Alexander)8. This audit is
the only recent data on any of the three kerbside collections in the Shire. The audit
measured both the weight and composition of general waste bin contents focusing upon
recyclables in the waste bin; it did not assess capacity of the bins (% full) or do a breakdown
of ‘other waste’.
8
Calder Regional Waste Management Group, 2011, Garbage Audits
23
Figure 4 Composition of domestic kerbside general waste collection for MRSC (% by weight)
The audit found that the average weight of general waste in the region was 10.54kg per
household, while in MRSC the average weight was 13.28kg per household (higher by
2.74kg). Recyclables incorrectly placed in the waste bin instead of the comingled recycling
bin included aluminium and steel cans, glass, paper and cardboard. Together with garden
organics, this accounted for 13.6% composition by weight.
While this is a reduction from the previous year’s audit of 20.1%, it illustrates that nearly
1.5kg in each MRSC general waste bin was put in the wrong bin as it would be accepted
under the terms of the recycling collection agreement. With the introduction of kerbside
garden organics collection in late 2011, the proportions will have changed. However,
observations by contractors indicate that the average household is still disposing of valuable
recyclable material to landfill, incurring landfill costs and a loss from the recycling rebate.
‘Other waste’ in the general waste bin that could be accommodated in an expanded
recycling contract or deposited at the transfer stations for proper disposal, recycling or reuse
included:





electrical items and wires = toasters, telephones, mobile phone charges, cables,
extension leads
organics = garden material, food, clothing, hats, bags, timber
containers = oil containers
medical items = sharp containers and syringes
metals = tow ball, meat grinder, fans.
There are significant opportunities for households to reduce the quantity and cost of material
disposed to landfill by placing items in the correct bin or dropping off material at a transfer
station.
It is unfortunate that at 86.4%, this ‘other waste’ stream was not further assessed. Typically,
organics can be as high as 40% by weight, even amongst Councils with garden recycling
bins (for more detail refer to Section 6.4.4)
Recycling bins
24
Furthermore, with regard to comingled recycling, the available data suggests that MRSC
receives a lower rebate payment than many other councils. Recycling rebates paid to
councils vary according to the value of the material within the collection. Specifically this
means that a high rebate is paid for delivery of a high percentage of valuable materials
(cardboard, metals, and certain plastics) with a low rate of contamination of material that
cannot be processed by the recycling facility (food scraps, garden material, soft plastics).
The price is generally fixed at the time of the contract and also takes account of local and
global demand and commodity prices for raw and recyclable materials.
Year
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
Contamination rate (%)
Metro
Non-metro
10.5
5.9
6.5
6.8
5.8
9.5
8.3
9.8
9.9
11.5
11.1
11.9
9.4
11.5
9.8
11.8
8.0
10.8
6.9
8.8
8.2
8.4
State
9.5
6.6
6.7
8.7
10.3
11.3
10.0
10.3
8.8
7.5
8.3
Table 3 Kerbside recyclables contamination rate, Victoria 2000-01 to 2010-11
MRSC currently has no data on the composition of either its kerbside recycling or garden
organics collections, and therefore is unsure of its contamination rate and value of the
collection. However, Council’s collection contractor, Wheelie Waste suggests that
contamination is higher in MRSC recycling collection (~10%) than other municipalities they
service, and hence a lower rebate price is paid than the average. They observe that priority
areas for improvement are Gisborne and Kyneton.
Recommendation 9 Utilise baseline audit data and conduct regular audits of kerbside
and public place bin contents to inform and update contract services and education
campaigns




That Council use the outcomes from Recommendation 2 to inform kerbside
collection specifications and contracts to ensure services contribute to reducing
waste to landfill and increasing recycling.
That through bin audits, Council verifies areas of high levels of contamination for
the purposes of conducting and targeting education and/or notification
campaigns.
That audits assess composition by weight and per cent, calculating food, garden
organics, types of plastics, etc.
That Council use this information in negotiations for an expansion in the list of
items in the next recycling contract and more effective inspection and notification
system for households.
5.4.3 Transfer stations
MRSC currently owns and operates three transfer stations located at Woodend, Kyneton
and Romsey. There are consistent services, prices and arrangements at each site.
25
The transfer stations are a valuable asset for MRSC as they are an efficient clearing house
between members of the public and specialist material recyclers. The transfer stations
enable members of the community to drop off items for recycling rather than dispose as
general waste to landfill. As the list of items banned from landfill grows and
product/materials become more valuable, these transfer stations will become increasingly
important to Council and the community.
Council charges a fee for dropping off certain items. Depending upon the item’s value or
whether there is an industry levy in place, Council also receives a rebate for some items
from collection companies. In the case of lube oil for example, there is a national levy
supporting collection, and so this material is collected free of charge and then professionally
cleaned for reuse by industry. Another example is plastic chemical containers, funded under
the DrumMUSTER program able to be dropped off for free.
These sites are also important as an alternative to hard rubbish street pick up collections
that tend to be provided by many urban and peri-urban councils, such as Hume and
Whittlesea. Hard rubbish street collections are an expensive service and possibly contribute
to litter and dumping (for more detail refer to Section 5.8.3).
In terms of operating capacity, there is a reasonable buffer zone of approximately 500m from
sensitive uses such as residential properties at Kyneton and Romsey transfer stations.
However, there are residential premises within 50m of the Woodend transfer station,
meaning noise and some activities need to be limited on the site.
All sites could accommodate some expansion in the number of items collected with more
bays or bins without requiring additional staff resources. For more information refer to
Section 5.7.
In 2009-10 Council discontinued on-selling items that had been deposited at transfer stations
and landfills, with only professional contractors collecting specific items from sites. This
resulted in a 50% drop in gate revenue, and possibly an increase in the quantity of material
sent to landfill and therefore a possibly higher cost to council. It is appropriate to reconsider
the current policies and practices behind the transfer stations in the context of full financial
cost, resource recovery and local productivity.
In terms of operations of existing transfer stations there is significant room for improvement
in data collection. As a priority Council must introduce a system that records the quantity of
specific items received from the public and collected by contractors, particularly high cost,
problematic or valuable items such as mattresses and fridges, lube oil and car batteries.
All contractors should be providing a record of quantities collected and frequency. This will
enable Council to correlate quantities with service costs and rebates for recycling, and
determine the fair charges for these services. Any new recording system has to be
accompanied by training and monitoring for staff and contractors. In addition, Council
should shift to electronic record keeping and trend tracking.
Recommendation 10. Maintain data and information systems to enable better
management and analysis of data regarding waste streams at transfer stations, and
from kerbside and public place collections
26


Introduce an improved system to record the quantity of specific items deposited
at all Transfer Stations to enable correlation between costs, income and
quantities of specific items.
Investigate the feasibility of using electronic weighing devices to obtain data on
collected waste
5.4.4 Organic materials
It is likely that there is a considerable quantity of organic material entering the waste stream
within the Shire, however, much of it is unmeasured and unknown.
Currently around 9,850 households pay a nominal fee to receive a kerbside garden organics
bin collection service. In 2013-14 this diverted 3,100 tonnes from landfill to Camperdown
Compost for processing into compost for use on dairy farms in that region.
Council also receives between 132 to 218 tonnes of garden organic material at the transfer
stations at no charge where it is mulched and made available for community and Council.
The mulch is not treated to compost requirements under Australian Standard (AS 4454), but
is suitable to use as soil conditioner and mulch. At many times of the year, the volume of
mulch is greater than the demand.
While this imbalance may be addressed by re-introduction of a drop off fee, it should be
noted that this risks an increase in dumping on roadsides or burning on properties, thereby
shifting the problem.
There are opportunities to improve the handling and storage of the material at Kyneton and
Romsey transfer stations as has recently been done at Woodend with hardstand and
containment corrals. In any case, the material should be periodically cleared to prevent
sludge and leachate forming at the bottom of the pile.
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
Quantity (kg)
Figure 5 Green organic recycling from three Transfer Stations, MRSC
Consideration should be given to residual material being added to the loads transported to
Camperdown to be processed into compost. Another option may be to process the residual
material with manure waste from the sale yards and possibly leaves collected from streets and
parks to produce a soil conditioner or fertiliser. This type of treatment would need to be
investigated, possibly at a regional scale through the new Loddon-Mallee Regional Waste and
Resource Recovery Group.
Other known organics within the Shire include:
27




Household kitchen food scraps
Food arising from hospitals, food premises and schools
Organic material from the Kyneton Abattoir, stock sale yards, sawmills and timber
manufacturers
Agricultural sectors including: dry land farming, wineries, orchards, stables and
horticulture.
Given the general concern about high volumes of organic waste across Victoria, Council
may want to undertake investigations into alternative options for managing organics into the
future, either as an individual council, through the newly formed Loddon-Mallee Regional
Waste and Resource Recovery Group, or through initiatives of Sustainability Victoria.
Within its existing arrangement Council may want to negotiate a shift for food to be included
in the current green bin. This may enable changes to the frequency of both general waste
and green bin collections. Such a change would require clear and coordinated
communications, education and inspections, particularly in the early stages to support the
shift for households and ensure low contamination by plastics, textiles and metals. A number
of other Councils have and are making this shift across Australia, however, all are grappling
with significant contamination issues (e.g. Hunter Valley in NSW, Nillumbik in Victoria).
Irrespective of any moves to integrate food into the garden organics household bin, an
effective way to cut the quantity of food disposed to landfill is to support household
composting.
Both Mornington Peninsula and Mt Alexander Shire Councils provide low cost compost bins
and worm farms to their residents. This can result in the removal of most food from waste
bins per week. The provision of compost bins and worm farms needs to be accompanied
with education programs, like practical workshops which have proven to be popular in many
councils. This is a comparatively cost effective initiative that delivers waste reduction
outcomes and more sustainable practices in the home.
Recommendation 11. Address options for improving management of organic waste





That Council investigates the potential costs and benefits of changing the current
household kerbside garden green organics collection to accept food.
That Council survey key businesses and community sectors to ascertain the
magnitude, destinations and current income, costs and emissions associated with
current handling of organic materials.
That Council continues to work collaboratively with Sustainability Victoria and
regional waste management groups regarding management of all organic waste
and associated services.
That Council improve containment facilities for receipt and mulching of green
organics at transfer stations, and introduce a process for periodic removal of
remnant material.
That Council provide residents with access to discounted compost bins and worm
farms, and encourages and promotes and partners with organisations that run
workshops on composting, worms and healthy soil.
5.4.5 Managing landfills and ongoing environmental impacts
28
Council has three closed landfill sites all which require ongoing monitoring and budget
allocations to manage leachate (environmentally hazardous fluids seeping from the ground),
and to manage greenhouse gas emissions (mostly methane) as there is currently no flaring
at the sites. These costs are a consequence of earlier waste management and disposal
practices. The cost of managing closed landfill sites is ultimately a cost to the community,
and needs to be avoided or at least reduced through improved waste behaviour and
management practices.
By law Council must maintain and control environmental pollution from these sites. Each is
currently the subject of a number of Pollution Abatement Notices (PAN) from Environment
Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria, and the Kyneton Landfill also currently has a ‘Failure to
Comply’ notice. Together these cover groundwater monitoring, undertaking works to draw
down leachate, preventing flow into neighbouring waterways, sewer infrastructure and
landfill cap assessments.
Council has to comply with these requirements by investing funds into these works, likely to
entail an initial cost of over $2.5M, and then continue investing in ongoing maintenance and
monitoring.
Recommendation 12. Manage landfills and associated environmental impacts

Plan and undertake works as required by EPA to address the environmental
impact of waste contained within the three closed landfills within the Shire, and
clearly communicate the work and costs to the community.
5.5 Encourage and promote resource efficiency a nd productivity
The Victorian Waste and Resources Recovery Policy Getting Full Value states one of its
goals as: “Facilitate strong markets for recovered resources”9.
It observes that historically the planning around waste “has largely been driven by the push
to divert waste from landfills. This ‘push’ has not always been matched by a consumer ‘pull’
or industry demand. Strong demand for all recovered materials and the products made from
them is fundamental to the successful recovery of materials. It is also the most efficient way
of diverting waste from landfills.”
In Macedon Ranges Shire there are three resource recovery systems (transfer stations) in
operation, and there is potential for further diversion and market pull through each one. Each
one also works for different audiences and with different materials, including:
1. Council contracted collections of comingled recyclables, green organics and
specialist items (from kerbside and transfer stations)
2. Individual organisations engaging contractors for standard comingled collection
(schools, hospitals for bin pick up)
3. Individual organisations selling or exchanging materials of value (business to
business - such as the abattoir selling skins and bones for use in other products like
fertiliser).
9
Victorian Government, 2013, Getting Full Value, p.29
29
Almost without exception, the better the separation of items at source, the lower the
contamination of waste streams and the higher the price paid for the recovered materials.
For example, car repair shops that separate their metals, plastics and glass by type will be
paid a higher price for each material type than if they do limited separation into comingled
recycling collections, or none at all.
Numerous case studies show that organisations that separate materials after use are able to
identify quality control issues, wasteful processes and designs, and therefore can respond to
opportunities to increase productivity and profitability. Such good waste practices can also
lead to business-to-business exchanges for provision of materials, and it is likely that such
exchanges occur locally.
Recommendation 13. Encourage and promote resource efficiency across the
business sector

Co-host sessions with SV, industry groups and local trader groups on resource
efficiency, including waste and recycling.
5.5.1 Encourage market pull for resource reuse
In addition to surveying organisations in the municipality on waste and recycling, Council can
gather and facilitate information sharing on potential demand for materials, and promote
market pull for reuse and reprocessing of materials. Effective methods may be via an annual
forum on business development and efficiency, waste, recycling and reuse that is open to all
organisations, possibly in partnership with organisations like Sustainability Victoria and local
trader groups, and possibly showcasing good examples of best practices by local businesses.
This sharing of information will inevitably lead to exchange of resources, improved profitability,
reduced costs and less waste. It may also contribute to stronger employment and investment.
Council can also integrate issues concerning market pull for material recycling and reuse
into its communications to residents and businesses, highlighting the importance of recycling
and buying it back. For example recycled paper appears in products like toilet paper, paper
towels and insulation. Unless consumers buy it back it goes offshore or to landfill. Likewise
plastics become benches, posts, picture frames and bottles.
Council should investigate the requirements and benefits of becoming a member of ECOBuy to further develop and enhance resource recovery in relation to procurement practices
for goods and services. This will enable council to demonstrate leadership and promote
similar practices to local businesses and the community.
Recommendation 14. Encourage market pull for resource reuse and efficiency

Encourage and promote market pull for reuse and reprocessing of materials
through council procurement practices and through communications and forums
with residents and businesses.
5.5.2 Recycle Shop options
As mentioned in Section 5.4.3, Council ceased selling items from its transfer stations in
2009-10. There were a number of issues that led to this decision including the number of
staff required to manage and supervise materials, separation, risks and site maintenance.
30
However it is timely to reconsider the operation of these three facilities and assess the scope
for further ‘valuable’ items to be separated for reuse.
Currently Council has specialist collection services at its transfer stations for a number of
readily identifiable items such as sump oil, car batteries and IT equipment. There are
nevertheless many items that still go to landfill that could possibly be delivered and diverted
for reuse, repair or recycling, particularly finished goods such as indoor and outdoor
furniture, bikes, tools, books, crockery, etc.
Table 5 sets out the options available to Council and considerations.
1
2
3
4
5
Options
Considerations
Council continue to
operate transfer
stations as currently
Council seek other
operators wanting
specific material
streams that could be
reasonably separated
and collected on an
ongoing basis
Council make items
available free of
charge
Low operation cost, no change to quantity going to landfill or
back into the economy
Council resume sale
of items such as
furniture, machines
etc to the public
This requires staff time to supervise, select, separate, tidy
and then dispose of unsold items.
Liability for damage is increased when items are sold, so
clear statements on liability would be required.
This requires an area to be set aside for objects to be stored,
viewed and accessed. It increases the number of cash
transactions.
Council enters into an
arrangement with a
service provider to
run a Recycle Shop
on site or elsewhere
This requires contract management and clear delineation of
responsibilities, costs and income.
An area needs to be set aside on site for the operation and
access.
It provides potential for Council to utilise skilled operators
and generate new employment opportunities with the
Council.
Investigation of new and expanding opportunities such as
collection of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), hand held
batteries, plasterboard, etc is warranted
Council’s website and signage at transfer stations should
also encourage interested parties to contact Council to
discuss ongoing exchange of materials.
This requires staff time to supervise, select, separate, tidy
and then dispose of unsold items.
Liability for damage is reduced when items are donated
rather than sold.
This requires an area to be set aside for objects to be stored,
viewed and accessed.
Table 4 Options available for Recycle Shops at Transfer Stations
31
There are a number of experienced operators running successful recycling shops at landfill
and transfer station facilities in Victoria. One example is Future Employment Opportunities
that operates the recycle shop in Eaglehawk, near Bendigo. The City of Hume has
contracted Grab A Load to sort, fix and sell stock out of stores located on land at the
entrance to the Sunbury landfill and the old Hume Landfill which has now become a transfer
station. While another community enterprise Outlook Environmental has set up retail outlets
at transfer stations at Reservoir, Hampton Park and Mornington.
All of the above are social enterprises that have a positive relationship with the relevant
Council, utilise Council sites and employ local people.
Another social enterprise which operates slightly differently is Green Collect which collects
from organisations and transfer stations and redistributes through their retail outlets in
Yarraville and Dandenong and directly to over 150 charities in their network, for example
women’s refuges. Detailed confidential information is not available on costs, profits, risks,
terms of operation and quantities sold that did not go to landfill.
There may be economic, employment, social and environmental benefits from Council
entering into such an Option 5 arrangement. In terms of suitable sites for such an operation,
while the Woodend transfer station receives larger quantities, it might be that the Kyneton
site is best located due to size and proximity to the town.
There are a number of recommended steps to investigating and undertaking such a venture.
1. Visit sites and businesses at Sunbury, Eaglehawk and Yarraville to ascertain basic
requirements and suitability for use of council sites for collection and/or sale.
2. Depending upon requirements, invite organisations to lodge an Expression of Interest
or advertise a Tender to gain confidential, costed and professional responses.
Recommendation 15. Investigate the feasibility of establishing a recycle shop at
transfer station(s), or a similar operation elsewhere

Investigate and seek out operators that may want specific material streams that
could be reasonably separated and collected on an ongoing basis

Conduct preliminary investigations into the requirements of a Recycling Shop, in
terms of site, space, costs, income, and legal matters.
32
OBJECTIVE 2
Empower and involve the community in reducing waste and litter, and increasing reuse
and recovery
5.6 Inform, promote and engage the community on the costs and
benefits of actions
5.6.1 Present the case for change
Council’s community information on waste and recycling is factual and brief. It is available on
its website, as a fridge calendar, and brochures within the transfer station offices. It takes the
traditional view of waste and recycling, and has no reference to resource recovery for the
purpose of maintaining value for reuse.
Unfortunately these methods and messages are not bringing about sufficient or desired
change in behaviour. While there are other factors such as bin size (see Section 5.4.2) that
influence behaviour, Council must be more proactive in facilitating adoption of good waste
practices if it wants to see a step change in the right direction across the community and in
the average household’s performance in handling waste, recycling materials and valuing
reuse.
Council has capacity to present a more informative and compelling case for change that
resonates with each household. It can also engage across a larger number of sectors within
the community, geographic locations and communication avenues. It has the capacity to
convey the good and the bad, the benefits and the costs with waste, recycling and reuse.
Community engagement and participation are essential if there is going to be any reduction
in the rate of waste to landfill per person and in the costs of services and an increase in
resource productivity.
In building the case for change, a starting point is to compare the costs and quantities of
waste from households in other leading councils such as Mornington Peninsula Shire and
Mount Alexander Shire. The average household in Macedon Ranges Shire is performing
worse than the average home in Victoria on a number of counts. This results in higher costs,
higher emissions, smaller rebate paid for recycling and other negative consequences.
Council could report on the number of household bins rejected due to contamination, and the
cost and time involved in rectifying poor waste behaviour, and then work with residents to
address the problem through coordinated communication and education services.
A good example on changing the message and medium is provided by the Barwon Regional
Waste Management Group (BRWMG). In 2013 BRWMG undertook trials in different
townships using different communication tools and messages (calendars, bin stickers, fridge
magnets). The resulting reduced contamination in one township convinced the BRWMG to
change its communication tools and messages for a more assertive message sticker applied
to the lid of every household bin. The BRWMG website also has extensive information about
33
what, why, consequences etc. The BRWMG also has an active presence at major
community events, in schools and conducting market research in the main street, etc.
5.6.2 Expand the audience and share responsibility
In addition to adjusting its own practices and systems, and to working with residents, Council
needs to work with different community sectors to holistically work towards improved
productivity and efficiency. For example, community groups can include waste, recycling and
reuse issues, problems and opportunities in their meetings and seminars. They can share
the benefits and experiences in improving waste and recycling, and promote practices and
achievements to other community sectors.
Schools, businesses and community groups can establish recycling champions, awards for
innovative reuse of materials and so on. The awards could be sponsored by waste and
recycling contractors, such as Wheelie Waste or Green Waste Recycling.
At all times emphasis should be given to the argument that a consistent approach to waste,
recycling and reuse in all sections of the community will successfully and effectively change
habits, whereas a patchwork approach will cause problems, cost more, take longer and
hinder success.
As part of the newly formed Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Management
Group, Council should advocate for efficient and effective tools and programs with
households, schools, businesses, events and community groups. This might include access
to an education officer, or to programs rewarding good waste behaviour.
Recommendation 16. Inform and engage the community on best practice waste
management




Consider available data and / or options to conduct surveys to better understand
motivators and barriers to good waste practices.
Develop customised materials and education programs for different sectors of the
community, based on findings from Recommendation 23 and Recommendation 95.
Provide reinforcing messages in communications regarding correct waste
management practices and use of waste infrastructure and services
Present an informative and compelling case for change regarding waste
minimisation and recycling in all communications and engagements.
5.6.3 Public venues and agreements
Council manages a number of venues and partnerships with organisations across the
municipality. These range from childcare to ovals, from libraries to senior citizen centres and
town shopping centres. Through these venues and participating groups, Council can and
does influence attitudes, behaviours and investment in waste, recycling and littering. This
influence can be strengthened, particularly prior to any change to services or infrastructure,
such as installation of recycling bins at sporting venues or in townships main streets.
Pride and shared responsibility is invaluable in achieving effective litter prevention, recycling
and waste management systems and new habits. Council will best achieve this through
cooperative relationship with key site users/managers. With such support, Council will be
able to make applications to state and national agencies for funding support for improved
recycling infrastructure.
34
With respect to council venues, Council can also include performance targets or
requirements in formal agreements. For example, agreements with major event operators for
use of grounds at Hanging Rock should specify standards for waste, recycling, disposable
food utensils, clean up of site during and after the event, signage, bin locations and
supervision of food contractors, vendors, etc. Waste Wise Event kits are available online
from NSW EPA10. Council should investigate best practice standards used at other similar
venues and events, and lift the bar on waste and recycling. Some examples are the annual
Taste of Tasmania Festival in Hobart and World Music Festival in Adelaide.
Recommendation 17. Include waste management conditions in venue agreements
and permits for events

Ensure requirements for waste and recycling are included in future agreements
connected with use of Council facilities.
5.7 Support innovative programs and communications that target
difficult or environmentally potent waste streams
In addition to the importance of engaging and facilitating change amongst key audiences
such as households and business, Council should also support innovative programs that
target difficult or environmentally damaging waste streams, while promoting reuse and buyback opportunities.
Enabling the diversion of even more specific items from the waste stream highlights the
importance for all in the community to improve their waste practices. Such a position for
continuous improvement also chips away at self-justifications that it is alright to ‘throw it all in
one bin’.
Items accepted at Transfer Stations for recycling
Pressing Steel
Light globes
Aluminum/Copper & Brass/ Electric
Motors/Insulated Cable/Iron/Stainless
Steel
Computers/Electrical goods
Mattresses
Mobile phones
Refrigerators
Paper/Cardboard
Aluminum Cans
Plastic containers
Glass bottles
Oil containers
10
NSW EPA, 2014, Waste Wise Event online resources
35
Gas bottles
Garden green waste
Car batteries
Tyres - Car
Sump oil
Table 5 Items current accepted at Transfer Stations for recycling
At transfer stations Council already offers households free or low cost drop off of various
items. Council also provides a drop off point at one site for agricultural plastics such as
bailing twine and silage, and for agricultural chemical plastic containers through the
DrumMUSTER program.
Additional items
Reasons for separation and collection
Hand held batteries
Valuable casing and contents that are toxic in landfill and
recyclable
Decorative paints and
tins
Toxic in landfill and recyclable
Expanded polystyrene
Occupies valuable space in landfill and is recyclable
Table 6 Additional items for recovery at Transfer Stations
Additional items can be added to the list, for which recovery systems are becoming
available. Council can explore costs, benefits, collection systems through discussions with
Sustainability Victoria.
Recommendation 18. Expand recovery from transfer stations

That Council investigates and expands the range of products received and
separated at the Transfer Stations to include items problematic for landfill and/or
having reuse value such as decorative paint tins, concrete and bricks from
construction and demolition works
36
OBJECTIVE 3
Protect the amenity of townships and landscapes for current and future generations
through clean and litter free spaces.
5.8 Provide consistent and effective public place infrastructure and
systems
5.8.1 Recycling and butt bins in public open places
Currently all public place bins are for general waste; there are no recycling bins in town
streets or at public open spaces other than at Hanging Rock, and these are highly
contaminated with identical contents to the waste bins. Likewise it appears that there are no
cigarette butt bins in townships.
The capital cost for bin enclosures and installation is around $1,500 for each bin, and then
there is a service cost for collection and annual cleaning. Education campaigns, signage and
audit assessments are around $10,000 - 15,000 for a trial site. Stainless steel butt bins are
expensive and are best selectively placed with the support of the benefiting premises, such
as TAB or hotel.
In the next year or two, council can gain a better understanding of the composition of street
bins and public place bins, to identify the potential for savings from landfill and potential
benefits from recycling. Then if it appears to be viable, Council can introduce public place
recycling bins into its town streets and open spaces, and butt bins (if support is provided by
venue proprietors) in 3 to 5 years, possibly on a trial basis. Recycling bins should only be
introduced if they are housed in bin enclosures that clearly indicate via apertures, colour and
symbols the types of recyclables accepted.
Given experiences in other councils and the generally high rate of contamination of recycling
bins in public places in Victoria, it is recommended that Council undertake this in a planned
way.
1. Council gains data on the quantity, contents and capacity of its current bins, their
locations, frequency of collection and destination of contents.
2. If the contents of the recycling bins at Hanging Rock are so contaminated that it goes
to landfill, Council should discontinue the recycling collection service immediately,
accompanied by signs informing the community that the service has been withdrawn
due to people putting the wrong items in the bins.
3. Determine criteria for selecting trial sites for introducing public place recycling, and
develop specific communications materials to support the trial.
Recommendation 19. Determine the business case for potential introduction of public
place recycling in future years

That Council gains data on street and public place bin locations, contents and
destinations, and if the contents of the recycling bins at Hanging Rock is going to
landfill, discontinue the collection immediately.
37

That Council uses the data to plan the introduction of public place recycling in
partnership with the community, initially on a trial basis.
5.8.2 Street litter
MRSC currently owns and operates one street sweeper and one pavement cleaner.
According to Council Operations team these resources are sufficient to maintain services for
the number of streets and pavements requiring cleaning for the foreseeable future.
There appears to be comparatively low levels of litter in townships in the Shire. This can be
confirmed through a review of litter assessment reports produced by Keep Australia
Beautiful. However, importantly, litter is a consequence of bad habits and litter not being
removed. People are more likely to litter in an area that already has litter present. For this
reason, it is important Council maintain good litter collection regimes and also encourage
non-litter behaviour through bin placement, signage and communications.
MRSC is concerned at the proportion of street sweeping that comprises leaves, particularly
from decidious trees during autumn, and is keen to minimise the quantity and cost of street
sweeping material going to landfill. Council is also keen to reduce the amount of litter flowing
into waterways. There is no recommended method to sift out leaves from street sweeping
that also contains cigarette butts, dog or possum droppings, road grit stained with oil or other
chemicals. Nevertheless, there are many examples of systems designed to capture litter,
sediments and nutrients before they enter waterways, such as litter traps in stormwater
drains, reed beds, wetlands, roadside swales and raingardens.
Recommendation 20. Reduce litter and protect the amenity of townships and
landscapes.


During autumn, collect leaves (possibly by using a leaf blower in advance of a
street sweeper to lift and separate leaves) and integrated into green organic
waste mulched at transfer stations.
As part of the education program to be developed under Recommendation 164,
consider development of a litter campaign in townships or problem areas.
5.8.3 Illegal dumping and hard rubbish collections
As with many municipalities across Victoria litter management is an important service.
MRSC has identified this issue and has initiated programs to tackle and reduce litter within
the municipality.
MRSC has identified a number of illegal dumping hot spots within the municipality and in the
2014-15 financial year will be installing closed circuit video monitoring of these hot spots.
Council’s local laws officers respond to illegal rubbish dumping and littering on public land,
and prosecute offenders. This has reduced the level of repeat offenders and high cost to
MRSC and the community and led to a reduction in associated activities such as graffiti.
MRSC currently offers no hard rubbish collections. All residents currently arrange their own
collection and transfer of hard rubbish for re-sale or reuse, or to landfill or transfer stations.
Council does not handle or subsidise collection or disposal either through vouchers
redeemable at landfill, booked pick up collections from the street nature strip, or designated
38
collection days. Those councils that have these systems have endeavoured to wind them
back as they amount to a ratepayer subsidy of a service used by only a few residents.
The kerbside hard rubbish collection systems are expensive due to logistics of truck fleet,
labour and resulting litter collection services that are required to clean up scattered objects.
Hard rubbish appearing on street nature strips (designated days or booked) also has the
effect of signifying permission for dumping at all other times of the year and creating an
expectation that Council will clean it up.
These kerbside services are also expensive due to the fact that quality, valuable products
and materials that would have returned some sales revenue to the collector are invariably
removed or ‘stolen’ before the contracted collector arrives.
Recommendation 21. Continue to manage illegal dumping and disposal of hard
rubbish



Continue to monitor and prosecute people who dump rubbish on roadsides and in
public places, assisted by installation of closed circuit cameras.
Do not introduce a subsidy or hard rubbish collection program. Encourage the
community to deposit valuable items with charity shops or the transfer stations.
Monitor the situation regarding illegal dumping and disposal of hard rubbish.
39
5.9 Summary of Actions
A preliminary analysis of the recommendations was undertaken to test their viability and to inform the prioritisation of actions and timeframe for
implementation presented in the final strategy. The outcomes of the analysis are presented in the table below, showing the relative benefits of
implementing the recommendations, based on experience in other councils. In the table, the individual ratings for each recommendation reflect
the ease of implementation, economic, social and environmental benefits, and are marked out of ten. The criteria are weighted (% in bracket),
and a total rating assigned to each recommendation accordingly. The total rating allows comparison of the overall benefit expected to result
from implementation of recommendations.
The ‘level of confidence’ rating indicates the likelihood of benefits being realised from implementation of recommendation, again marked out of
ten. All ratings were informed by available information available at the time of strategy development and experience in other councils.
It should be noted that the numbering of recommendations in the table reflect the discussion in the above section, presented according to
objectives and associated directions. The recommendations have been re-numbered in the final strategy to reflect the timeframe for
implementation.
Summary of
Actions
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
Objective 1. Deliver affordable, efficient, productive and coordinated waste and resource reuse systems
0 5.1 Gather
useful data and
maintain
information
systems
Recommendation 1. Establish data and
information systems
8
8
8
7
7.9
10
Recommendation 2. Conduct targeted
and representative audits to obtain
baseline data on volume and
composition of household and public
place bins
8
8
9
8
8.25
10
40
Summary of
Actions
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
Recommendation 3. Survey local
organisations and trader groups to
identify resource use options to support
increased reuse of valuable materials
8
8
7
6
7.55
10
5.2. Track local
and external
trends and
forecast
implications
Recommendation 4. Track trends and
forecast implications of factors such as
chancing fuel and resource prices for
waste systems and council’s own
operations
8
8
7
7
7.65
10
5.3. Provide
leadership
through example
and procurement
Recommendation 5. Demonstrate
leadership in waste management and
resource recovery through Council’s
operations and contracts, and report on
performance
9
6
7
6
7.3
8
Recommendation 6. Enhance Council’s
procurement policy and power, through
actively sourcing products and services
that meet criteria for environmental
advantage, particularly in regards to
tenders for major expenditure
8
7
5
7
6.85
9
Recommendation 7. Guide staff and
contractor performance through
introducing targets and reporting
9
8
8
5
8.05
9
41
Summary of
Actions
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
requirements into waste and recycling
services and contracts
5.4. Provide cost
effective services
Recommendation 8. Investigate the
business case for different service options
to encourage reduction of waste at the
household level:
8
8
7
8
7.75
10
Recommendation 9 Utilise baseline
audit data and conduct regular audits of
kerbside and public place bin contents
to inform and update contract services
and education campaigns
9
9
7
6
8.2
9
Recommendation 10. Maintain data
and information systems to enable
better management and analysis of data
regarding waste streams at transfer
stations and from kerbside and public
place collections
5
5
5
5
5
8
a) Potential introduction of 80 litre
bins for general waste, retaining
the current weekly collection
cycle
b) Potential introduction of a
fortnightly collection schedule for
general waste, retaining the
existing 120 and 140 litre bins.
42
Summary of
Actions
5.5. Encourage
and promote
resource
efficiency and
productivity
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
Recommendation 11. Address options
for improving management of organic
waste
6
9
5
4
6.45
8
Recommendation 12. Manage landfills
and associated environmental impacts
to meet regulatory requirements, and
communicate the costs and benefits of
the works to the community.
5
6
4
3
4.85
10
Recommendation 13. Encourage and
promote resource efficiency across the
business sector
5
5
5
5
5
7
Recommendation 14. Encourage
market pull for resource reuse and
efficiency with residents and businesses
5
5
5
5
5
7
Recommendation 15. Investigate the
feasibility of establishing a recycle shop
at transfer station(s), or a similar
operation elsewhere
6
5
6
4
5.5
8
Objective 2. Empower and involve the community in reducing waste and litter, and increasing reuse and recovery
43
Summary of
Actions
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
5.6. Inform,
promote and
engage the
community on the
costs and
benefits of actions
Recommendation 16. Inform and
engage the community on best practice
waste management
7
5
8
8
6.75
8
Recommendation 17. Include waste
management conditions in venue
agreements and permits for events
8
7
8
8
7.7
8
5.7. Support
innovative
programs and
communications
that target difficult
or
environmentally
potent waste
streams
Recommendation 18. Expand recovery
from transfer stations
6
8
8
8
7.3
8
Objective 3. Protect the amenity of townships and landscapes for current and future generations through clean and litter free
spaces.
5.8. Provide
consistent and
effective public
Recommendation 19. Determine the
business case for potential introduction
of public place recycling in future years
4
6
6
6
5.3
8
44
Summary of
Actions
Recommendations
Economic Environmental Social
viability
benefits (30%) benefits
(35%)
(25%)
Ease of
Total
Level of
implement- (100%) confidence
ation (10%)
place
infrastructure and
systems.
Recommendation 20. Reduce litter and
protect the amenity of townships and
landscapes
7
6
5
5
6
8
Recommendation 21. Continue to
manage illegal dumping and disposal of
hard rubbish
8
8
7
8
7.75
9
Table 6 Summary of Actions, Waste Management Strategy, 2015-2020
45
6
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