2015-12-08 Infrastructure & Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                             8 DECEMBER 2015


Waste & Environmental Health
8                        SUMMARY OF WASTE AUDIT
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                              Acting Manager Waste and Environmental Health, Ian Florence
                                    Community Services Department

Index                               ECM/ Waste Management/ Waste Contract - Collection

Attachments                         Nil


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Acting Manager of Waste and Environmental Health to the
Infrastructure & Services Committee Meeting dated 8 December 2015 providing a summary of the
outcomes of the waste audit conducted in October 2015.


REPORT

1.                       Background

During four days in October 2015, officers from Council’s Waste Management Services Section
conducted an audit on the contents of municipal garbage bins. The purpose of the exercise was
to give a snapshot of residential waste practices in Noosa and involved 100 general waste bins,
100 recycling bins and 75 garden waste bins. Bins were collected from randomly selected streets
in pre-selected geographical areas ensuring a spread across the Noosa Shire. To minimise
disruption and ensure an accurate measurement the bins were collected on the usual bin collection
day.

The objectives of the audit were to assess:
a)                       The quality of domestic kerbside recycling and main sources of contamination;
b)                       The average amount and type of recyclables incorrectly going into general waste bins;
c)                       The approximate amount of green waste currently collected in residual bins and going to
                         landfill; and
d)                       The amount and type of contamination in green waste bins.

The findings of the audit were then to be used to inform Council’s waste communication strategy
so that relevant messages could be communicated to maximise recycling efficiency.

2.                       Summary of Findings

Recycle Bins (yellow lids)
                       The average weight of recyclables in each recycle bin was 12kg.
                       In general the recyclable material in the bins was well sorted, very clean with minimal
                         contamination.
                       The largest weight of recyclable material in the bins was paper/cardboard (45%) followed by
                         glass (42%), plastics (6.3%), can/tins (4.5%).          The remaining percentage being
                         contamination.

                                                                                                     Page 42 of 50