Don’t ‘waste’ the opportunity to complete Campaspe Shire Council’s WickED (Waste in Campaspe – Know, Educate, Do) survey for your chance to win a range of prizes.
General Manager Community Mr Keith Oberin said the data and information gathered through the annual survey is a central component of Council’s waste education program.
“The survey will provide valuable information on residents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to waste and recycling practices in Campaspe,” Mr Oberin said.
“The survey results will help guide the direction of the WickED program including the information and activities developed for the next 12 months.”
WickED informs and educates, shaping positive attitude and behaviour change in waste education, and the survey provides insight into the impact the program is having on the community.
The survey seeks feedback on the use of Council’s eight resource recovery centres, kerbside collection, illegal dumping and what goes in what bin. It provides consistent data to help with identifying waste education priorities as well as the planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of the program year on year.
“It is pleasing to note that over time, results from the previous surveys have shown a considerable shift in residents’ attitudes and behaviour towards waste reduction and the health of the environment,” Mr Oberin said.
In the last eight years there has been a positive shift towards environmentally friendly behaviours including:
- 97% of respondents use their own bags when shopping (up from 67% in 2017)
- 60% of respondents recycle even if it requires extra effort
- 83% respondents use the resource recovery centres (the ‘tip’) to dispose of unwanted materials.
- 85% of respondents are sorting their loads before taking to resource recovery centres (which assists in items being recovered/recycled, quicker to unload and cost less).
- More than 68% of properties in the shire who are eligible to have a green bin now have one, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, but,
- There is still some uncertainty about what items can be taken to a resource recovery centre for free.
Not only will completing the survey help improve waste and environment educational opportunities for the community, respondents can also win prizes, including an apple iPad, raised garden bed and vouchers for local businesses.
“I encourage everyone to take part in the survey to assist Council in improving waste education in the community and improving the condition of our natural environment,” Mr Oberin said.
The WickED survey is open to all Campaspe Shire residents, groups, businesses, and schools, and can accessed via Council’s website under the ‘Open for comment’ section. The online survey closes Monday, 31 May.
