ACT NoWaste has issued a discussion paper on waste management options for the Territory aimed at improving waste management practices.
Under the proposals, Canberrans will be able to recycle their food and organic waste by putting it into kerbside bins.
Minister for Transport and City Services, Meegan Fitzharris announced the proposal, saying the Waste Feasibility Study presented a roadmap for tackling waste and improving waste management practices in the ACT.
She said its recommendations had been carefully developed over the past two years.
“They could take the ACT’s resource recovery rate from the current level of around 70 per cent to a nation-leading 87 per cent, with the potential to divert 170,000 tonnes of waste from landfill,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“The study calls for a renewed community and industry commitment to waste avoidance measures, particularly in reducing food waste and improving recycling practices.”
She said this was more important than ever now that China was becoming stricter about the kinds of waste it would accept.
“The study makes 18 wideranging recommendations including improvements to data collection, regulation, and product stewardship schemes,” Ms Fitzharris said.
She said it recommended ACT NoWaste develop a waste-to-energy policy that seeks to address community concerns, provides certainty to industry, and establishes a framework for assessing future proposals.
The discussion paper is open for submissions for a six-week period during which ACT NoWaste will conduct information sessions for the community, on 30 May at the Griffin Centre (5.30 pm) and for industry the following day at the same venue (8 am).
The 36-page discussion paper can be accessed at this PS News link.
