Strategy

• Why is a Waste Management strategy needed?

• Over the next ten years there will be significant population growth and changes to the waste industry.

  Our population is expected to grow by 23% or 25,000 people by 2028. This means more bins on our kerbsides, more trucks on the road and unless we make changes, more waste going to landfill.

  Each year, the average household in Port Phillip produce 552 kg of waste which ends up in landfill. This is the equivalent to 6 baby elephants, and is more waste produced each year than our neighbours. This is 14 per cent higher than the Melbourne metropolitan average.

  The draft Don’t Waste It strategy provides the blueprint for how Council and the community will work together to manage waste and create a more sustainable future for Port Phillip. 

  Council can’t do this alone. We need to work with you, our community, to reduce waste and to maximise recycling.

• What is in the draft strategy?

• Our Waste Management Strategy - Don’t Waste It! – provides a plan for how our City can achieve a sustainable reduction in waste by changing the way we think about waste now, and in the future.

  The way we manage waste today will not serve us well into the future. This strategy responds to both the challenges and opportunities presented by our rapidly growing City and the significant changes taking place in the waste industry.

  ·  Managing the now: this strategy sets clear priorities and targets for the first four years – 2018 to 2022. These priorities will be supported by a set of actions with committed funding. We also have defined measures so that we can keep track of how we are achieving our targets.

  ·  Creating the new:  identifying more ambitious potential targets for the longer term, 2022 to 2028, are also part of this strategy. We will investigate, plan and inform ourselves better on the right waste treatment solution for our City in order to create better ways of managing waste in the future.

• What are the targets in the strategy?
• The draft Strategy has four major targets: 
   ·  Increase the current household and council office recycling rate (currently 33%) to 43% by 2022, and to 80% by 2028 
   ·  Maintain above 90% community satisfaction levels for waste services 
   ·  Achieve a 50% food waste diverted from landfill from households and council buildings by 2028 
   ·  Achieve 100% kerbside waste treated to get more value out of our waste prior to landfill by 2028
• How was the draft developed?

• Community consultation was undertaken throughout the development of the Council Plan 2017-2027 regarding waste management, including specific waste workshops with the community.

  This draft also included consultation with our neighbouring councils and state government agencies including the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

• If you have a draft strategy why are you engaging now?

• The draft strategy is out for consultation, we will be checking the priorities and actions with the community. We are also seeking feedback on the best way we can implement the strategy including testing areas of interest for education campaigns.

  Feedback from this engagement will help determine the new targets for waste management, including recycling rates, which may be incorporated into the final strategy due to be presented at a Council Meeting in September 2018.

Recycling

• How is the recycling industry changing?

• The recycling industry is facing export restrictions, meaning more than ever we need to ‘clean up’ our waste, get it in the right bin and find new ways to process it locally.

  There are changes we can all make to what we buy and how we recycle that will have a significant impact on waste reduction now, whilst we investigate the best long-term solution for our city.

  If we come together as a community we have a chance of exceeding our recycling target of 80% diversion from land fill, and protecting and enhancing our local environment.

  In the draft Don’t Waste It! Strategy Council has proposed to work with the community to maximise our reuse and recycling over the next four years.  Please complete the survey to tell us the best way for us to work with you: https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au.

• There have been recent reports of waste contractors not managing recycling correctly. How is recycling managed in Port Phillip?
• The City of Port Phillip uses Four Seasons as our contractors.  We have confirmed that no recyclable materials have been sent to landfill, and we have not had any collection service interruptions as a result of changes to the recycling industry earlier this year.
• Is recycling an issue in Port Phillip?
• Our population is growing, and higher density living is becoming more common. Our current waste collection and treatment methods need to change to meet the needs of this higher density living. Without these changes we will be unable to reach our new recycling targets. 

Waste

• Why is waste an issue in Port Phillip?

• Each year, the average household in Port Phillip produce 552 kg of waste which ends up in landfill. This is the equivalent to 6 baby elephants, and is more waste produced each year than our neighbours. This is 14 per cent higher than the Melbourne metropolitan average.

  As our population grows, so does our waste. We send more to landfill than our neighbours, and over the next few decades some landfills near us will close. Waste isn’t going away, and needs to be managed smarter in the near future. 

• Will what I do have any an impact on these statistics?

• There are changes we can all make to what we buy and how we recycle that will have a significant impact on waste reduction now, whilst we investigate the best long-term solution for our city.

  If we come together as a community we have a chance of exceeding our recycling target of 80% diversion from land fill, and protecting and enhancing our local environment.

• Are there any benefits for me?
• The average household throws away over $2,200 worth of food every year which makes up 35 per cent of all waste.  What would you do with an extra $2,200?
• Is there a fee for waste services?

• We currently don’t have a separate charge for waste services like most Councils do, but with the increasing growth in population and waste we will need to find a new way to pay for service and infrastructure improvements in waste management in the future. The draft Don’t Waste It! strategy includes the consideration of a waste charge in the future. 

  This provides an opportunity for us to improve our own waste and recycling industry, and for the City to support smarter, local solutions.

  For more information and to provide feedback please visit https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au to complete the survey.

• Why can’t we get a green bin?

• Green bins only work for separate houses, whereas most of our population live in medium and higher density dwellings (apartments and units).  Everyone needs to be able to participate for change to be meaningful to our waste management targets. 

  Council is investigating waste management holistically, and has compared the trials undertaken by our neighbouring councils. They have also undertaken a cost analysis for implementing a new collection service to houses only. This new service is extremely expensive per household, and adds additional bins on nature-strips, and trucks on the road for collection.

  We can do better.

Long term goals

• What are the plans for advanced waste treatments/technology?

• Investigating advanced waste treatment opportunities is listed as an action in the draft Don’t Waste It! strategy.  

  We are currently seeking feedback on the draft strategy, including if the community are interested learning more about advanced waste treatment solutions.

  Feedback received from the community will be reviewed before the final strategy is presented at a Council Meeting in September 2018.

• What are some of the options for advanced waste treatments?

• New advanced solutions have been developed that allow the recovery of value from the waste in our kerbside waste bins without needing these extra bins at your home.

  These new technology solutions are called Advanced Waste Treatment options, and can come in three different types:

  •  Biological processes

  •  Advanced sorting solutions, and

  •  Thermal treatment (waste to energy) solutions.

  Note: The strategy includes more information about each of these technology types.

• Why can’t we invest in advanced technology now?

• New technologies that will help us improve the way we manage waste are rapidly evolving. We are prepared to invest in the right solution to prevent waste unnecessarily going to landfill, maximising reuse and recycling and to keep costs down, however these solutions will take time to implement.

Next steps

• What happens next?

• We are seeking feedback on the draft Don’t Waste It! Strategy from 22 June to 30 July 2018.  Council will consider all feedback received in this time, and a revised version of the strategy will be presented at a Council Meeting for endorsement in September 2018.

  Once endorsed, the final Waste Management Strategy will be released and a schedule of programs and events will be provided to the community.

• How can I stay informed about waste management in the City of Port Phillip?

• We will continue to update the website with information as we progress, and encourage you to register to receive email updates via dontwasteit@portphillip.vic.gov.au.