February marked a significant milestone for the Macedon Ranges community in celebrating the third anniversary of its highly successful four-bin system.
As one of the first councils in Victoria to introduce four bins, the shire has made great strides in waste management, with more than 43,000 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill since its implementation thanks to the tireless efforts of residents in properly sorting their waste.
This impressive achievement boasts a significant emissions reduction – around 126,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent to generating power for all the homes across the shire for a year.
Mayor Annette Death said the Macedon Ranges now boasts one of the highest diversion rates of waste from landfill in Victoria, at 74 per cent. This was achieved by diverting close to 29,000 tonnes of FOGO, around 5,500 tonnes of glass and around 8,500 tonnes of recycling.
"I'm proud of what our community is achieving in this priority area and its positive impact on the environment," she said.
"It shows how passionate our residents are about reducing their carbon footprint and that every little bit counts when managing waste – I encourage everyone to keep up the great work."
The waste management and resource recovery momentum continues through Council's updated 'Let's get sorted' campaign and Sustainability Victoria's 'Small acts, big impact' campaign.
Council's Director Assets and Operations, Shane Walden, said the purpose of the revitalised campaign is to acknowledge the community's efforts and encourage residents to commit to a recycle rate of 80 per cent diversion from landfill.
"To inspire residents in achieving this target, Council has provided a downloadable 'Let's get sorted' guide on their website. Additionally we will deliver a handy 'how-to' information pack to households in the shire with a kerbside service," he said.
In addition to the 'Let's Get Sorted' campaign, there are other activities people can get involved in, such as:
- Hanging Rock Reserve single-use plastics art competition – aimed at school-aged and preschool-aged children, participants create their unique artwork using upcycled, recycled or single-use plastics. Winners will have their artwork displayed at the Hanging Rock Reserve Discovery Centre. The competition closes on 6 April.
- Reusable Nappy Workshops – six workshops aimed at supporting the community in reducing nappy waste to landfill.
- Romsey soft plastics kerbside recycling trial – The survey is now open for Romsey residents and to date, more than 3,000 bags of soft plastics have been collected and diverted from landfill.
Download a copy of Council's 'Let's Get Sorted' guide or for information about other initiatives, visit Reducing your waste
