Local Government Leading By Example
The CMRMWG has five member Councils - Buloke Shire Council, Gannawarra Shire Council, Loddon Shire Council, Swan Hill Rural City Council and the Shire of Wakool in NSW.
Each of these Councils is responsible for providing waste management and recycling services to their residents and has made a commitment to the Waste Wise program.
All have developed and adopted a Waste and Litter Education Strategy designed to compliment the regional program, and encourage residents to reduce, reuse and recycle, and prepare annual Action Plans to help achieve the goals and objectives outlined in the strategy.
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Towards Zero Waste Grants 2010
THE CMRWMG is currently working with Buloke, Swan Hill, Gannawarra and Loddon Councils on delivering 3 successful Towards Zero Waste Grants from Sustainability Victoria.
Recycling in the Streets
This project involves Buloke, Gannawarra and Swan Hill Councils with the delivery of a comprehensive public place recycling program in Gannawarra Shire Council and the Swan Hill CBD as well as an improvement to the kerbside recycling program in Buloke Shire.
New Yellow Recycling Bin Lids in Buloke Shire!
Buloke Shire Council is pleased to announce the improvement to the kerbside recycling service with the change from plain green to yellow recycling bin lids August 2010. The CMRWMGhas worked in partnership with the Buloke Shire to ensure all residents were informed of the change.
This change was completed by Wimmera Mallee Waste on normal recycling collection days in a staged process across the shire. Residents were advised by letter of the week when their recycling bin lid was changed to ensure that all bins were out and ready, regardless of being full or empty.
The yellow lid for recycling and red lid for rubbish bins is in line with Best Practice Guidelines and is now standardised with the other councils in the Central Murray region. The change will lead to a reduction in recycling contamination and increase in materials diverted from landfill for the Buloke Shire.
Our mascot, Recycle Annie will mean more to Buloke residents after the change and wants to take the opportunity to encourage everyone to Remember to Recycle Right! click here for more information on Recycle Annie
New Public Place Recycling for Gannawarra Council!
Gannawarra Shire Council has introduced public place recycling into their streets, parks and gardens. This has been an opportunity to build on the well established and successful kerbside recycling program. 20 new permanent recycling bins have been installed into Kerang, Cohuna, Koondrook and Quambatook in popular tourist sites along the Murray River.
More Public Place Recycling around Swan Hill CBD!
Swan Hill Rural City Council has expanded on the successful CBD public place recycling program that has been in operation for 2 years. 15 New permanent recycling bins have been installed in key locations in Campbell St, part of Beveridge St and McCrae St at key litter problem spots.
Recycle Annie wants residents and tourists alike to remember to Recycle Right Away from Home! A significant problem that we continue to face with our street recycling bins is contamination. This includes plastic bags, polystyrene cups, plastic wrappers and food leftovers which all belong in the Rubbish bin, not the Recycle bin.
Recover and Reuse
This project is in 2 parts, in partnership with the Swan Hill Rural City Council and Gannawarra Shire. It will expand the existing Swan Hill Reuse Centre and establish 2 new reuse facilities in the Gannawarra Shire at Kerang and Cohuna Transfer Stations.
The second part of the project will increase the diversion of timber materials that were destined for landfill for reuse by members of the Mens Shed Program.
More information coming soon on the progress of this project.
Greenwaste not going to Waste
Loddon Shire will be purchasing a green waste chipper that will produce a mulch material from greenwaste delivered to transfer stations and landfills in the Shire. This mulch will be used in council's parks and gardens to conserve moisture, as well as in the rehabilitation of landfills.
More information on the progress of this project will be coming soon.
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Member Council Achievements in Waste
Buloke Shire Council
In addition to signing a Memorandum of Understanding and adopting a Waste and Litter Education Strategy, Buloke Shire Council used community education as part of their 2000 landfill rationalisation program which saw a number of smaller landfills closed and recycling facilities, restricted hours, and fees, placed on all remaining facilities.
To help ensure a smooth transition process, Council produced a series of newsletters targeting the residential, business, and farming sector, and also produced stories and advertisements for inclusion in local media.
In addition, Council provided information and answered community queries through a series of display stands at local agricultural shows (four shows in total), and wrote to, and attended, meetings of Community Forums in each of the towns that make up the Buloke Shire.
Kerbside waste and recycling was introduced over a few years commencing in 2002. The recycling contract expanded its plastic recycling in 2005 to include 1-7. A contamination survey was undertaken in 2007 and campaign was launched to improve recycling rates and to reduce contamination levels.
The Council is an active member of EcoBuy and was certified as a silver level Waste Wise organisation in 2009. They have commenced developing a new Council Waste Management Plan, which will outline future directions for the management of waste and recycling in the Shire.
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Gannawarra Shire Council
The first to sign their Memorandum of Understanding and adopt a Waste and Litter Education Strategy, Gannawarra Shire has undertaken two major community education initiatives as part of their waste management program, as well as maintained regular communication with their residents about the need to be Waste Wise.
The first initiative was in 1999 and accompanied a landfill rationalisation program which saw all landfills within the municipality closed, a new central landfill opened and a series of transfer stations established to meet community needs.
A communications strategy was developed with assistance from the CMRWMG REO to accompany the rationalisations, which saw the launch of a Shire newsletter – Waste Update, which has now become a regular vehicle for Council to communicate their waste management program to the public - a series of presentations to community groups across the Shire, stories and advertisements in local media, and a public closure of the old Kerang landfill and opening of the new best practice Transfer Station and landfill.
Then in 2001, Council implemented a new waste and recycling collection program which included two bins – a 120 litre mobile garbage bin for rubbish collected weekly and a 240 litre mobile garbage bin for recycling collected fortnightly. Again, a comprehensive community education program was developed and implemented with assistance from the CMRWMG REO including further issues of Waste Update and a liftout in local newspapers, community presentations, and displays.
The Council currently holds a silver Waste Wise certificate.
In 2007, they participated in the Remember to Recycle Right Campaign to courage residents to recycle the full plastics code range and have strongly supported local towns to become plastic shopping bag free. They adopted a new Waste Management Plan in 2007, which details a number of new initiatives including investigating options to introduce a green waste collection service.
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Loddon Shire Council
Loddon Shire is a real pioneer in terms of waste and litter education in the Central Murray region, with community education a feature of their waste management program as far back as 1997, when they adopted a waste management plan that would see a number of changes to the way waste management was provided to residents within Loddon Shire.
Over the last five years, Loddon Shire Council has prepared and distribute a series of Waste Information Bulletins, included regular stories on Waste Management and the need to be Waste Wise in general Council newsletters and publications, and provided support and assistance to schools and community groups within the region interested in waste reduction and recycling.
This included the provision of worm farms to a number of schools across the municipality, together with workshops on how to use the worm farms and why they are a good way to recycle food scraps.
They have also, like all other member Councils, signed a Memorandum of Understanding and adopted a Waste and Litter Education Strategy for the municipality.
A kerbside recycling service was introduced in the Shire in September 2007. The service will include a 120Lt rubbish bin (currently operating) and a 240Lt recycling bin. The introduction of the new service was followed by the closure of 3 landfills - Serpentine, Dingee and Mitiamo, ahead of schedule.
The Council is working with the CMRWMG to encourage all local event organisers to become Waste Wise events. Working with the Tourism department, the CMRWMG has supported 7 events in 2006/07 to use the Waste Wise events trailer and divert over 3 tonnes of waste from landfill.
The Council is an active member of EcoBuy and was certified as a silver level Waste Wise organisation in 2008.
The Shire has also introduced recycling at the swimming pools in the area. Patrons are encouraged to Recycle Right at the Pool.
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Swan Hill Rural City Council
With the implementation of a new waste and recycling collection program which included two bins – a 120 litre mobile garbage bin for rubbish collected weekly and a 240 litre mobile garbage bin for recycling collected fortnightly, in June 2000, Council recognised the need for community education if the new program was to be a success.
As a result, a 20 page booklet was produced and distributed to all households informing them of the new program, and highlighting the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling waste where possible. This was complemented by newspaper stories and advertisements in local media, and an information calendar, again distributed to all households.
In addition, the Swan Hill Recycling Service, which is coordinated by Swan Hill Rural City Council, undertakes regular community education activities (with assistance from the CMRWMG REO) to improve recycling participation rates and the quality of materials collected, including media stories, information displays, and school and community visitation programs.
Contamination has been a priority for the Council and they have undertaken a number of programs to try and lessen its impacts.
The Council adopted its Waste Management Plan in 2007 which details a number of initiatives that will be undertaken in the coming years, including investigating options for a green waste collection service. As part of the Remember to Recycle Right Campaign, the Council undertook recycling bin audits to determine the levels of contamination and have embraced the campaign to try and encourage residents to put the correct item in the correct bin.
Public Place recycling infrastructure was installed along the Riverside Park, Pioneer Settlement and the CBD in Swan Hill in early 2008. The Council also launched is new Reuse Centre at the Swan Hill Landfill, designed to divert items from landfill that are still in good enough condition to be reused.
The Council was certified as a silver level Waste Wise organisation in 2007 and joined the EcoBuy program in early 2007.
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Shire of Wakool
In conjunction with Swan Hill Rural City Council (northern end) and Gannawarra Shire Council (southern end), Wakool Shire has introduced a new waste and recycling collection program which includes two bins – a 120 litre mobile garbage bin for rubbish collected weekly and a 240 litre mobile garbage bin for recycling collected fortnightly.
Again, a comprehensive community education program was developed and implemented with assistance from the CMRWMG REO including newspaper stories and community displays.
Wakool Shire has also been extremely supportive of the Waste Wise Schools program, providing additional support and resources to those provided by the CMRWMG REO, and speaking to students and staff on a number of occasions.
Again, they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and adopted a Waste and Litter Education Strategy for the municipality.
Wakool was certified as a bronze level Waste Wise organisation in July 2007 and has supported a plastic bag reduction campaign in Barham and also helped the Barham Fine Food and Produce Festival become a Waste Wise event.
In 2008, the Council launched its new "Don't Waste" campaign, which tackles butt litter around pubs and clubs and also involves reminding visitors and residents to not litter around the roadsides in the region.
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