Meeting papers

Innovation and Technological                              Community Engagement                                     “Give residents the opportunity to recycle
Advancements                                              and Participation                                        everything. There are best practices abroad, towns
                                                                                                                   that recycle everything they use. That is the model
Waste management practices are constantly evolving        Noosa residents are an active and engaged                I think we should strive to achieve. Council should
as new technologies and innovations emerge. A             community, evidenced by the number of business           lead by providing the opportunities. Residents should
                                                                                                                   follow by doing their part: recycle whatever they use.
key driver of the Waste Plan is for Noosa Council to      and community organisations working towards
                                                                                                                   Two principles should be followed:
investigate the feasibility of innovative solutions for   sustainability goals of reduced emissions and
waste collection, treatment, and recycling. The Plan      waste avoidance, reuse, and recycling. The Noosa         1.   Recycling should be easy, easy access, well
is intentionally designed as a five-year Plan (rather     community is a major voice in the push for waste              organised.
than 10 years) as it’s anticipated that within the next   minimisation.                                            2.   Everyone (including business) pays for their own
five years there will be technological advancements                                                                     waste disposal. This creates an incentive to
in waste management that are likely to improve            The “Your Say” waste survey responses indicated               actually reduce waste.
operational efficiency and environmental outcomes.        strong support from the community for Council to
This includes infrastructure improvements such as         implement solutions which aim to divert as much          In the end, we can talk about recycling all we want
                                                                                                                   (and we should), but reducing our waste is the only
the new Sunshine Coast state-of-the-art Materials         waste from landfill as possible.
                                                                                                                   sustainable solution.”
Recovery Facility that is due to be completed by the
end of 2023. The facility will be equipped with the       This is nothing new - the implementation of the garden   - Waste Survey Respondent
latest technology sorting equipment to allow more         waste bin collection services introduced in 2017 was a
types of products to be recycled.                         recommendation of the Noosa community waste jury.

                                                          Business and community waste reduction initiatives,
                                                          recycling programs, and sustainable practices
Environmental Stewardship                                 continue to drive support for innovative waste
                                                          management solutions in Noosa.
In 2007, Noosa Shire was awarded UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve status, which recognised the
community priority of managing environmental
sustainability in balance with community needs. A
key ethic driving the Waste Plan is stewardship -
actively taking actions to conserve and protect the
environment for the benefit of current and future
generations.




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