Meeting papers

                                                                                                              Waste Plan 2023-2028
Message from
the Mayor
A lot has changed since 2015 when we
adopted our current waste arrangements.
The state has set us more ambitious
recycling targets and new technologies are
emerging to improve recycling and divert
more waste from landfill.
To keep pace with so much change, it’s
important we revamp the way we deal with
waste, not only as an organisation but a
community.                                        Reducing the volume of this organic material




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Thank you for taking the time to provide input    winding up in landfill each year will be a major
to help shape our new waste plan.                 focus for us over the next five years and we’ll




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                                                  need your support to make it happen.
By sharing your thoughts online and through
                                                  This draft plan paves the way for more




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the series of face-to-face community pop-
ups, you’ve helped set our waste priorities for   circular-economy initiatives to create
                                                  economic opportunities from the reuse and




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the next five years.
                                                  recycling of waste.
Your input has helped us understand what’s




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important to you, as well as gauge our            With programs such as the recent Give a
community views on waste management and           Sheet for the Planet® textile recycling day,
recycling.                                        and our investment in a polystyrene thermal
                                                  compaction unit as well as improvements
The plan recognises that while waste              to site operations, we’ve started making
management is a major part of Council’s core      important circular economy in-roads, and
business, minimising the waste we send to         with this draft waste management blueprint
landfill is a shared community responsibility.    guiding the way we’ll continue that journey.
Our landfill sites account for a whopping         At the core of this new waste plan are the
63% of Council's emissions, so reducing the       globally accepted Waste Hierarchy Principles,
amount of material we send to landfill remains    promoted by international bodies such as the
an important focus of our new plan and one        European Union and the United Nations.
that requires whole-of-community support to
                                                  The waste hierarchy prioritises avoidance
achieve.
                                                  of waste in the first place, followed by reuse,
The broad roll-out of the garden waste bin        recycling, use of waste for energy creation,
service in 2017 helped divert a significant       and as a last resort, disposal.
amount of organic waste from landfill, but
                                                  We’re fortunate to have an active and
there is more work to be done.
                                                  engaged community in Noosa, one that
Compostable organic material, such as             supports waste minimisation efforts and
kitchen scraps, thrown into general waste bins    innovative waste management solutions.
accounts for 40% of the material we currently
                                                  Your support will be critical to the success of
send to landfill.
                                                  our new waste plan, which I again thank you
Once there it leads to the release of potent      for helping to develop, and now refine, through
greenhouse gases such as methane.                 your continued input.

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