Council adopts Waste Plan with focus on environment

“We know that City of Wanneroo residents care for our environment and want to protect it for current and future generations,” said Mayor Tracey Roberts.

“We have listened to our community and set stringent targets on waste reduction beyond those recommended for local governments.

“The Waste Plan aligns the City with the State Government’s strategy for waste reduction, waste recovery and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment by 2030.

“In 2019/20, the City reduced its per capita waste by approximately 10 percent compared to 2018/19, six years in advance of the State Government’s initial 2025 target date. This is a fantastic result and community feedback tells us that residents want to do more to reduce landfill.

“The new Waste Plan outlines the actions the City will take over the next five years, including the rollout of our three bins kerbside collection system, continued waste education programs and investigating potential new community drop-off facilities.

“For perspective, the City currently provides waste and recycling kerbside collection services to approximately 73,500 households, each of which disposes of an average of one tonne of waste each year.

“With the City’s population set to increase by 1.6 per cent each year until 2025, it’s not difficult to understand the need to act now for an environmentally sustainable and healthy future.

“This Waste Plan takes into consideration the impact of population expansion on our environment and, as we grow, will guide the City’s efficient and sustainable waste management for the next five years,” she said.

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) reviewed the draft Waste Plan and congratulated the City on its comprehensive research and a strategy that clearly articulated the current and future waste management priorities.

The Waste Plan was open for community feedback in October and November 2020, with the online engagement portal receiving 265 page views from 126 different residents.

The City’s final Waste Plan, as endorsed by Council, will be submitted to DWER by 31 March 2021. 

Fast Facts

The table below outlines the City’s ambitious waste reduction targets, which exceed those set for local governments.