ZERO WASTE GOAL FOR MELBOURNE CITY
Achievement	Target Date	Description	Progress	Further Information

ACHIEVEMENT: The City of Melbourne sets a zero waste goal and makes tangible progress in waste reduction as a means of moving towards that goal.

TARGET DATE: June 2003 for adoption and action on the strategy. 2010 for the achievement of zero net waste in the City of Melbourne.

PROGRESS: Achieved.

DESCRIPTION: Melbourne City Council's Waste Wise Plan 2002-2005 establishes a forward plan for Council's Waste Management Services. A copy is available as a PDF download by clicking on the title: (688 Kb pdf document). Initiatives in the Plan are designed to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and ensure that Council has the right services and systems to support continued waste reduction. The philosophy laid out in the plan is clear and has environmental as well as economic benefits:
· Reduce waste by using less in the first instance
· Reuse items to help lower the consumption of resources
· Recycle materials to minimise waste and improve efficiency.

While I was Chair of the Environment, Community and Cultural Development Committee, I initiated Zero Waste to the City of Melbourne Municipal Strategic Statement as a goal to be achieved by 2010.

Work towards implementing the strategy has been slow. I will provide more detail from a report provided Council on progress during December 2002.

EcoRecycle Victoria, the state government agency responsible for waste planning and promoting the sustainable use of resources, has developed a draft 10-year strategy, Towards Zero Waste: A Materials Efficiency Strategy for Victoria. Copies of the draft strategy released March 2003 are available in word format by clicking on the underlined titles below:

• Towards Zero Waste: A Materials Efficiency Strategy for Victoria - Summary Draft for Consultation (79 Kb word document)

The Victorian Towards Zero Waste Strategy was released for comment by EcoRecycle in March 2003. This strategy looks at waste issues Victoria wide and sets goals for the reduction of solid waste by 15% and the increased recovery rate (ie what’s recycled) of 45% in household solid waste by July 2008 and 65% by July 2013. Darebin’s current collection systems are achieving a kerbside recovery rate of 37%.

Information on Zero Waste activities in New Zealand are available at: http://www.zerowaste.co.nz

The Western Regional Waste Management Group’s October 30, 2002 submission to EcoRecycle Victoria is available as a 308 Kb word download by clicking on the underlined title. I am a director of the Western Regional Waste Management Group. This submission was provided as input to the development of the Solid Waste Strategy and was in response to EcoRecycle Victoria’s Discussion Paper - A Materials Efficient Future for Victoria. The WRWMG supports EcoRecycle in its development of the Solid Waste Strategy and Solid Industrial Waste Management Plan for Victoria. Below is a short introduction to the submission.

The WRWMG sees the need for a clear vision and change in direction so that Victorians break free of the constraints that have positioned Australians and Victorians among the highest in the world per capita in terms of waste to landfill. In this regard the WRWMG supports the goal of Zero Waste to landfill and proposes a shift to Extended Producer Responsibility so that industry accepts lifecycle responsibility for the waste associated with its products. Coupled with these initiatives, and in view of the large proportion of construction and demolition waste disposed to landfill, the WRWMG supports the introduction of a requirement for new developments and their ongoing operation to include a waste minimisation plan as part of the development approval process. Community engagement and education are also seen as crucial to the success of the Solid Waste Strategy.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

19 DECEMBER 2003

MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL COMMITS TO EXPLORING INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT

Melbourne City Council last night voted to include itself in a scoping exercise to market test the value of integrated waste management. It is likely that 5 of the 9 Councils within the Western Regional Waste Management Group will co-operate to seek tenders for waste collection and minimisation in the region. One of the expected benefits of integrated waste collection is the ability to aggregate recyclables and increase the capacity to divert recyclables from land fill.

9 OCTOBER 2003

SPRING CLEAN FOR MELBOURNE RESIDENTS

If you are a City of Melbourne resident, you can take advantage of the free spring clean collection during November. Get into the spirit by taking advantage of the garden and hard waste collection on your Spring Clean Day.

Spring clean your garden: (please note the limit is two cubic metres per household) bundles of vines, creepers, weeds, branches and prunings, leaves and lawn clippings, flowers and tree trunks (no more than 20 cm diameter).

Spring clean your home or student house: (please note the limit is one cubic metre per household): white goods (fridges with the door removed, dishwashers, washing machines) and other electrical goods (hot water service, televisions), furniture and mattresses.

How do I participate? Check the dates below to see the Spring Clean Day in your area. Book your free collection no later than 12 noon on the day before your spring clean day: phone CityWide on 1300 136 234 to arrange where to leave the materials. Place the rubbish neatly outside the front of your home on your booked collection day.

Collection times:
Saturday 8 November: Carlton 3053, Melbourne 3000, Parkville 3052
Saturday 15 November: Kensington 3031, North Melbourne 3051, West Melbourne 3003
Saturday 22 November: East Melbourne 3002, Port Melbourne 3207, Southbank 3006, South Yarra 3141
Please note: car parts, building materials, chemical or hazardous waste cannot be collected - for these items, contact EcoRecycle on 1800 35 32 33 or visit www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au