Last week I attended a 2-day waste expo in Melbourne. Personally, I find the area of waste and waste management to be a very fascinating subject. You may not be aware that our waste charges are not covered by the state governments rate cap? If the cost of waste goes up, so do the charges on our rates notice.
At the expo, there were many different displays and vendors, but it was the panels and guest speakers that got my attention. Hearing from waste collectors and landfill/transfer station operators, contamination is a major concern and cost for the industry, which is passed onto all of us in the community.
The better we get at making sure our waste is sorted appropriately, the easier (and cheaper) it is for the companies that process our waste. We also maximise materials recovery and reduce landfill.
I understand that one person – or even a few people – won’t make much difference, but as a community, we have great potential to improve how we do things. We are a community that likes to support our own, and did you know that our waste collection is done by a local company?
By us getting better at sorting our waste, we are also helping a local business. How good is that! I am sure that we can collectively get better and make better choices which help our environment, our businesses and our own hip pocket.
If you have any great ways of making sure your waste is well managed, I’d love to hear about it.
Cr Wayne Sproull
