Waste Management Strategy - full version - City of Whittlesea

2012 - 2020

Municipal Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategy: 2012-2020Copyright © 2012 City of WhittleseaCopyright of materials within this report is owned by or licensed to the City of Whittlesea. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research,criticism or review, as permitted under copyright legislation, no part may be reproduced or reused for any commercial purposes whatsoever.Appropriate citation is:City of Whittlesea (2012), ‘Municipal Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategy: 2012-2020’.Contactinfo@whittlesea.vic.gov.auphone (03) 9217 2170postal address | Locked Bag 1, Bundoora MDC, 3083Responsible Council DepartmentInfrastructure Department | Environmental Operations UnitAuthorsBen Harries - Team Leader Environmental OperationsBrad Byrne - Environmental Contracts Co-ordinatorSylvia Turk - Environmental Education OfficerPeter Ali – Manager InfrastructureCorporate Management Team internal reviewGriff Davis – Director Advocacy & CommunicationsJohn Francis – Director Governance & Economic DevelopmentNeill Hocking – Director Infrastructure & TechnologyCorporate approvalCorporate Management Team: Meeting Date: 26 March 2012Public comment period6 to 20 August 2012Council endorsementCouncil Meeting: 4 September 2012

ForewordThe Municipal Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategy 2012-2020 (MWM&RRS 2012-2020) hasbeen developed to provide strategic direction for the management of waste materials generated within theCity of Whittlesea. It examines the most cost effective methods for managing waste that will enable thecommunity to live sustainably and continue to grow the local economy. The Strategy has been developed inthe context of Whittlesea as a waste disposal and recycling regional centre. It also looks at existing state andfederal policy, legislation and regulations, local community desires, service needs and expectations, drawingfrom historical and projected local waste generation trends.The Productivity Commission (2006) defines waste ‘as any product or substance that has no further use orvalue for the person or organisation that owns it, and which is, or will be, discarded’ (p:XXVII). However, oneperson’s waste can have value to another person or organisation. In this case, one person’s waste can beanother person’s commodity.The Commission also notes the problematic negative views of waste as perceived by the general community.These include:• Waste poses risks to human health and the environment• There is a scarcity of the traditional method for disposal of waste to landfill• The production of waste is symptomatic of upstream resource depletion and should be avoided• Some people take a moral philosophical view that the production of waste is a manifestation ofoverconsumption and therefore undesirable.The MWM&RRS 2012-2020 seeks to provide a strategic plan that deals with the management of waste withinthese contexts. Its goal is to maximise commodity related opportunities while simultaneously managing theproblematic perceptions of waste that may exist within community.Chapter 1 provides an overview of the unique nature of the Whittlesea community and the history of ourcommunities waste management policies.The issues associated with development of waste related public policy at a state and federal level is covered inChapter 2. This chapter deals with changes to public policy in Australia, where waste was initially managedpredominantly as a public health priority through to the current phase, which explores the sophisticatedrelationships between waste as a resource and the full societal costs and benefits associated with wastemanagement practices.Chapter 3 examines our community’s perceptions in relation to the management of waste, and details theoutcomes of Council’s community engagement programs.Chapter 4 details the current waste management services and actions that have arisen from this analysis. Itexamines a series of options that aim to meet the community’s service delivery and aspirational needs in asocially, environmentally and economically sustainable way.The final chapters (5 & 6) analyses the current waste management services Council provides to the communityand identifies the emerging needs created by changes in our social and built environment. It details the social,economic and environmental costs and benefits the provision of these services has on the community, andidentifies ways of addressing the varying waste management needs through a number of proposed actions.3

List of TablesTable 1: City of Whittlesea population growth 16Table 2: City of Whittlesea projected population growth 16Table 3: Major kerbside services performance: waste to landfill and increase in recycling 19Table 4: Optional user-pays garden waste bin service performance: 2008-09 to 2010-11 (year end data) 20Table 5: Examination of actual and nominated increases to the Victorian landfill Levy 39Table 6: 2008-09 landfill Levy distributed under Environmental Protection Act regulations 41Table 7: Kerbside collection services 56Table 8: Drop-off facility services 56Table 9: litter and debris management activities 56Table 10: City of Whittlesea’s average garbage bin weight (kg) per household per week over time 57Table 11: Recyclables breakdown contained within the C&I garbage stream 60Table 12: City of Whittlesea’s average recycle bin weight (kg) per household per fortnight over time 62Table 13: Summary of kerbside garden waste bin collection service detail (at financial year’s end) 65Table 14: Summary details of pre-booked kerbside bundled branches collection service 67Table 15: Summary details of pre-booked kerbside hard waste collection service 68Table 16: Summary data of kerbside collections services (tonnes) 71Table 17: Financial costs of Kerbside Collection Services ($ Ex. GST) 72Table 18: Summary data of residential hard waste (disposal vouchers) drop-off services 77Table 19: Summary data of residential drop-off services 81Table 20: Summary of kerbside collection & drop-off services (tonnes) 82Table 21: Summary data of litter and debris Interception programs quantities & costs (millions) 85Table 22: details of environmental education resources 87Table 23: Summary of former landfills in the City of Whittlesea requiring aftercare management 89Table 24: Summary data of municipal waste services (MSW) services (tonnes) 91Table 25: Summary of financial details of municipal waste services costs (Ex GST) 91Table 26: Current council waste services to non-residential properties (as at January 2012) 103Table 27: Council’s internal offices waste and recyclables quantities 1327

GlossaryAdvanced resourcerecovery technology(ARRT)Alternative wastetechnology (AWT)Aerobic digestionAnaerobic digestionBest practicefacilitiesBest practice landfillmanagementBio-energyBiogasBiomassCarbon TaxCollection systemComingledrecyclablesCommercial andindustrial (C&I)wasteCompostingConstruction anddemolition (C&D)wasteDisposalDry recyclablesTerminology also commonly referred to as alternative waste technology(AWT) elsewhere. ARRT processes solid waste to recover resources such asenergy or the various component parts for re-use and recycling. Recoveredenergy produces electricity and other applications that substitutes for energyproduced from primary non-renewable resources.Any technology that is applied to mixed waste other than traditional methodssuch as disposal to landfill. AWT facilities typically recover some dryrecyclables and treat organic waste by fermentation or other process.A process of biologically degrading organic materials using the presence ofoxygen, into stabilised organic compost (used as a soil enhancer).A process of biologically degrading organic materials in the absence of oxygen,yielding methane gas (which may be combusted to produce energy) andstabilised organic residues (which may be used as a soil additive).Facilities with high levels of environmental management consistent with EPAand Sustainability Victoria Best Practice environmental managementguidelines. In the case of materials processing facilities, best practice alsoimplies high levels of product quality management.Adoption of measures established in EPA Victoria’s Best PracticeEnvironmental Management – Siting, Design, Operation and Rehabilitation ofLandfills. This document gives direction through required outcomes andsuggested measures on the main aspects of landfill management.The conversion of biomass to energy, e.g. electricity, gas or biofuel.A combustible gas derived from the anaerobic decomposition of biologicalmaterial.A natural resource derived from photosynthesis that is not fossilised, e.g.forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and woodwastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fastgrowingtrees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes.Tax or price placed on carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.System for the collection of materials from kerbside, including bin type andcollection frequency.A mix of different types of dry recyclables, such as plastic bottles with paper,glass and metal containers that are separated from mixed waste and placed ina single container for collection.Solid waste generated from trade, commercial and industrial activities. Itincludes waste from offices, manufacturing, factories, schools, universities,state and government operations and small to medium enterprises.Biological decomposition of solid organic materials by micro-organisms in thepresence of oxygen, yielding carbon dioxide, heat and stabilised organicresidues that may be used as a soil additive.Solid waste that is generated from residential and commercial constructionand demolition activities, e.g. bricks and concrete.Any method of dealing with waste that permanently removes it from humancontact. This includes disposal to landfill and incineration.Recyclables other than food waste, organic waste from gardens and other wetmaterial. It includes plastics, metal, glass and paper.8

Eco-buyEnergy from wasteEnd-of-lifeEnvironmentProtection &HeritageCouncil (EPHC)Extended producerresponsibility(EPR)Food wasteGarden wastesGreenhouse gasesGroundwaterHard wasteIllegal disposalIllegal dumpingIncinerationIn-vesselcompostingKerbside wasteLandfillLandfill levyFormerly the Local Government Buy Recycled Alliance. A partnership of localgovernments committed to purchasing policies and practices that promotethe use of environmentally sustainable products across operations andservices. It is a joint initiative of Sustainability Victoria and the MunicipalAssociation of Victoria (MAV), with the Department of Sustainability andEnvironment joining the partnership in 2002.Processing technologies that use waste as a feedstock for generating energy,which can be used for heat or for generating electricity.Products that have reached the end of their useful life and become waste.This term is often used in the context of the product stewardshipresponsibilities of manufacturers and brand-owners for wastes discarded byconsumers.A national body established in 2001 to ensure the protection of Australia'senvironment and heritage. Created by amalgamating the NationalEnvironment Protection Council (NEPC), the environment protectioncomponents of the Australian and New Zealand Environment andConservation Council (ANZECC), and Heritage Ministers' Meetings.An environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for aproduct is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.There are two related features of EPR policy: (1) the shifting of responsibility(physically and economically; fully or partially) upstream toward the producerand away from municipalities; and (2) to provide incentives to producers toincorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products.Food wastes from households or industry including food processing waste,out-of-date or specification food, meat, fruit and vegetable scraps. Excludesliquid wastes.Organics derived from garden sources, e.g. grass clippings, leaves and treeprunings.Gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which trap heat in the earth’satmosphere and affect weather and climate.Water naturally stored underground in aquifers, or that flows through andsaturates soil and rock, supplying springs and wells.The term applied to household garbage that is not usually accepted intomobile garbage bins by local councils, e.g. old fridges and mattresses.Littering or illegal dumping.Deliberate dumping of waste in an illegal manner. Usually involves relativelylarge quantities of waste (compared to litter).An alternative treatment technology involving destruction of waste bycontrolled burning at high temperatures.The biological decomposition of organic material, where oxygen andtemperature levels are provided in a controlled enclosed environment.Waste collected by local councils from the kerbside at residential andcommercial properties.A designated area (usually a pit or former quarry) into which solid waste isplaced for permanent burial.A State Government levy applied at differential rates to municipal, C&I andprescribed wastes disposed of at licensed landfills in Victoria.9

GlossaryLandfill linerLeachateLife cycleLife-cycleassessment (LCA)LitterMaterials efficiencyNational PackagingCovenant (NPC)Materials recoveryFacility (MRF)Municipal solidwaste (MSW)Open windrowcompostingOrganicsProcessing facilityProductstewardshipPutrescible wasteRecyclingReprocessingResidual wasteResource efficiencyImpermeable layers of heavy plastic, clay and gravel that protect againstgroundwater contamination through downward or lateral escape of leachate.Liquid that has passed through solid waste and may have becomecontaminated with metallic, organic and inorganic compounds and toxins.All stages of a product's development, from raw materials to manufacturing,through to consumption and ultimate disposal.An objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with aproduct, process, or activity by identifying energy and materials used andwastes released to the environment, and to evaluate and implementopportunities to affect environmental improvements.Waste that is improperly disposed of outside of the regular disposal system.The method of ‘achieving more with less’ by supplying products and servicesusing fewer resources, and generating less waste.A self-regulatory agreement between industries involved in the packagingchain and all spheres of government.Facility that separates mixed (commingled) dry recyclables into individualmaterials to be made available for further processing. At a MRF, materials aresorted by type and treatment, which may include cleaning and compression.Solid waste generated from municipal and residential activities, includingwaste collected by, or on behalf of, a municipal council.A process where organic wastes are placed in heaped rows after beingshredded mixed and managed to receive the correct amount of air andmoisture in order to biologically decompose ‘aerobically’, i.e. using oxygen.Plant or animal matter originating from domestic or industrial sources, e.g.grass clippings, tree prunings and food waste.Facilities which either receive materials directly from collection systems orfrom recovery facilities for further sorting and processing to provide materialfor use in the generation of new products.An approach that recognises shared responsibility for the environmentalimpacts of a product throughout its full life cycle, including end of lifemanagement. It seeks to reduce adverse impacts and internalise unavoidablecosts within the product price, through action at the point(s) in the supplychain where this can be most effectively and efficiently achieved.Waste that readily decomposes including food waste and organic waste fromgardens.The recovery of used products and their use as raw materials in themanufacture of new products, which may or may not be similar to theoriginal. The term may be used to cover a wide range of activities, includingcollection, sorting, reprocessing and manufacture into new products.Changing the physical structure and properties of a waste material that wouldotherwise have been sent to landfill in order to add financial value to theprocessed material.Waste that remains after any source separation of recyclable materials,including green waste.Value added per unit of resource input.10

Resource recoveryResource recoverycentreRe-useSectors, industrysectorsSolid wasteSolid industrialwasteSource separationWasteWaste avoidanceWaste generationWastemanagementWaste managementindustryWaste minimisationWaste streamThe process of extracting a material or energy from a waste stream. It includesreuse (using the product for the same or different purpose without furthermanufacture), recycling and the recovery of energy from waste.A facility where resource recovery occurs.The second-highest option in the waste hierarchy – recovering value from adiscarded resource without processing or remanufacture, e.g. garments soldthough opportunity shops are, strictly speaking, a form of re-use rather thanrecycling.Groupings of industries used to generalise patterns in waste generation anddisposal, e.g. construction & demolition; food services, food retail and foodmanufacturing; small to medium enterprises.Non-hazardous, non-prescribed, solid waste materials ranging from municipalgarbage to industrial waste.Solid waste generated from commercial, industrial or trade activities,including waste from factories, offices, schools, universities, state and federalgovernment operations and commercial construction and demolition work. Itexcludes MSW, wastes that are prescribed under the Environment ProtectionAct 1970 and quarantine wastes.The practice of segregating materials into discrete material streams prior tocollection and delivery to processing facilities.Anything that is no longer privately valued by its owner for use or sale andwhich is, or will be, discarded.At the top of the waste management hierarchy, avoidance works on theprinciple that the greatest gains result from efficiency-centred actions thatremove or reduce the need to consume materials in the first place, but deliverthe same outcome.Generation of unwanted materials, including recyclables as well as garbage,i.e. waste generation = materials recycled + waste to landfill.Management of the collection, recovery and disposal of wastes includingoptions for waste reduction and recycling.Applies to those involved in managing waste, i.e. collectors, sorters,processors and landfill operators.The concept of, and strategies for, waste generation to be kept to a minimumlevel in order to divert materials from landfill and thereby reduce therequirement for waste collection, handling and disposal to landfill.A classification used to describe waste materials that are either of a particulartype (e.g. ‘timber waste stream’) or produced by a particular source (e.g. ‘C&Iwaste stream’).11

1 IntroductionA common concern in most western developed countries is that excessive consumption is leading to anincrease in waste generation. These issues are commonly linked to society’s increasing level of affluence andproducts designed for planned obsolescence, resulting in ‘throw-away’ societal trends. The public policyresponse from many governments has predominantly focused only on reducing the generally acceptednegative impacts of waste disposal and the recovery of resources from products that have reached the end oftheir useful life, and less on the source issue.Australia is commonly cited as being one of the highest waste generating countries (per capita) in theworld,(ABS 2006b; Sustainability Victoria 2005). Some contemporary waste management reports rankAustralia second worst only to the USA in terms of per capita waste generation.The National Waste Report released in 2010 by the Federal Government (DEWHA and EPHC 2010), ranksAustralia only average compared to other European countries and North America. Of the 30 selected countries,Australia is ranked 17 th at 566kg for total amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated, 10th for diversionof waste from landfill (38 per cent) and 19th for total amount of MSW sent to landfill (349kg).Figure 1: Municipal waste generation per capita (kg), selected countries (Europe & North America)Source: (DEWHA and EPHC 2010, p16)Figure 2: Diversion rate for municipal waste, selected countries (Europe & North America)Source: (DEWHA and EPHC 2010, p16)12

Figure 3: MSW disposal to landfill per capita, selected countries (Europe & North America)Source: (DEWHA and EPHC 2010, p17)The management of waste has historically been considered as a public health concern. While this is still true, amajor shift in thinking occurred towards the second half of the 20th Century when a greater emphasis wasplaced on protecting the environment and the preservation of natural resources. This fundamental shift wasthe result of the inappropriate disposal of hazardous substances to land and water, combined with a growingconcern that waste materials were being disposed of without any regard to the material’s continued value orfuture use.In Victoria, the management of hazardous and municipal wastes through landfill disposal is now heavilyregulated, dramatically reducing the risks to the environment (Productivity Commission 2006).The ‘waste hierarchy’ first appeared in 1975 in the European Council Directive on Waste. Due to the hierarchy’ssimple and easy to understand approach, strategic waste policy development shifted in focus away from apublic health concern to resource recovery, reuse and efficiency. The waste hierarchy now underpins almost allstrategic waste policy development in the developed world.The simple and common sense approach of the waste hierarchy - to avoid, reduce, reuse and then recyclebefore disposal - has been the key to the hierarchy’s popularity and acceptance. However, it is argued that thehierarchy’s principles were developed through ‘consensus’ rather than based on sound social, environmentaland economic evidence (Pearce 2005).The management of waste is a major component of Council’s annual budget and therefore requires carefulmanagement to provide benefit for the community. The total cost of associated activities required for themanagement of Whittlesea’s municipal solid waste now exceeds $12 million a year. These costs haveincreased dramatically due to the State Government imposed landfill levy and will increase further whendealing with the challenges of an increasingly carbon priced world.Victoria’s current and proposed strategic direction for waste management has recently been questioned withinsome high-level reports and enquiries. These reports have analysed the increasing costs imposed on wastemanagement at a municipal level and found there may not be a net-benefit for the community, in line withsustainable development objectives.This Strategy will be evidence-based and aims to achieve a balance between the social, economic andenvironmental benefits, and to ensure no unnecessary costs are imposed on the community in the delivery ofwaste management services.13

1 Introduction1.1 PurposeThe Municipal Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategy (MWM&RRS) 2012-2020 has been developedas part of Council’s commitment to provide sustainable solutions for the collection, disposal and recovery ofwaste materials generated within the community and through its own operations. While the Strategy has alocal focus it also considers the strategic direction for the broader Melbourne area and Victoria.The MWM&RRS describes strategies and measurable actions to be undertaken by Council over the next eightyears (2012 – 2020) with a major review of the Strategy to be complete in 2016. This review aligns with thepoint of change of major service providers for the kerbside collection contracts and is in-line with the Councilelectoral term, occurring every four years.The Strategy aims to guide the development and improvement of sustainable approaches to current wastemanagement practices in an integrated manner, while dealing with the dynamic increase in residentialdevelopment and population growth within Whittlesea and Victoria. This strategy has adopted the widelyaccepted World Commission on Environment and Development’s (1987, p.43) definition of sustainabledevelopment:Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations tomeet their own needs.The goal of providing sustainable solutions that do not impose additional costs, means we support differentwaste strategies for different geographical areas and circumstances of Melbourne. Some parts of Melbournehave access to long-term viable and best practice landfills that can be adapted to include cost effective wastesolutions for the recovery of valuable resources. However, in other areas there may be a need for higher costtechnology alternatives for waste processing.The future directions of waste management within the municipality will therefore be based on ‘sustainabledevelopment’ that considers the equity of those currently living within Whittlesea as well as the rest ofVictoria. This will also include the evaluation and integration of sound social, environmental and economicevidence into Council decisions to achieve optimal net-community benefit.1.2 Overview of the MunicipalityThe City of Whittlesea is a large municipality located 20km north of Melbourne, covering an area of 490 squarekm of both urban and rural land. It has a current population of about 162,000people (as at January 2012).The City of Whittlesea is located adjacent to the Shires of Mitchell and Murrindindi in the north/north-east, theShire of Nillumbik in the east, the Cities of Darebin and Banyule in the south/south-east and the City of Hume inthe west (Profile.id 2011).The City of Whittlesea includes the suburbs and rural localities of Beveridge (part), Bundoora (part),Donnybrook, Doreen (part), Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West (part), Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, SouthMorang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and part of Yan Yean. There are substantial industrialand commercial areas in the south. The rural areas of the City are characterised by farming and grazing, butalso include forest, sites of conservation significance and historic township communities (Profile.id 2011).14

Figure 4: City of Whittlesea Locality Map15

1 Introduction1.2.1 Whittlesea DemographicsThe City of Whittlesea is a designated growth area and is experiencing a sustained period of rapid urbangrowth, particularly on the urban fringe. This growth is predicted to remain strong for the next 20 years ormore with a projected increase in population of close to 300,000 people by 2031 (Forcast.id 2011).Table 1: City of Whittlesea population growthERP = Estimated Resident Population. At June …Year 2001 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Whittlesea ERP 118,118 129,525 133,897 139,595 146,223 155,113Growth 11,407 4,372 5,698 6,628 8,890Average Annual Growth 1.9% 3.4% 4.3% 4.7% 6.1%People per month 190 364 475 552 741People per week 44 84 110 127 171(Source: ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing Community Profiles; Regional Population Growth, ABS 3218.0.)In 2006, the population of City of Whittlesea was 129,525 people. By 2021, the population is expected toincrease by more than 107,000 people to a total of 237,528 people. This represents an average annual growthrate of 4.11 per cent a year over 15 years. This is based on an increase of more than 37,200 households duringthe period (Forcast.id 2011).Table 2: City of Whittlesea projected population growthYear 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031Population 129,794 162,067 202,463 237,528 268,013 295,438Change in Population (5yrs) 32,273 40,396 35,065 30,485 27,425Average Annual Change (%) 4.54 4.55 3.25 2.44 1.97Average Household Size (persons) 3.06 3.01 3.00 2.97 2.94 2.92Household Dwellings 43,211 54,727 68,873 81,599 93,145 103,835(Sources: Victoria in Future (2008), Dept. of Planning and Community Development (DPCD); Forecast.id (2011) )Figure 5: Forecast population, households and average household sizesource: Forecast.id (2011)16

The City of Whittlesea faces the distinctive challenges of balancing the dynamics of urban areas,rural areas, rapid growth, social disadvantage and high demand for services conducted in anenvironmentally sustainable way. The City is a culturally diverse population, with more than 48 per cent ofresidents coming from non-English speaking backgrounds. Whittlesea has also the fourth highest population ofindigenous people in metropolitan Melbourne (Profile.id 2011).The City of Whittlesea is characterised by pockets of high socio-economic disadvantage and is ranked the sixthmost disadvantaged on the Socio-Economic Index of Disadvantage for Areas (ABS 2006a). Any increases in coststo service provision, government levies and taxes on waste management activities would result in real socialimpacts on many residents.The City is a culturallydiverse population, withmore than 48 per cent ofresidents coming fromnon-English speakingbackgrounds.Proposed action:Education: Review educational material and information provision activitiesTo effectively articulate Council’s waste and recycling services to all residents, the following Action isproposed:Review all Council waste and recycling related educational materials, ensuring these satisfactorilyaccommodate all residents of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds living within theCity of Whittlesea.Develop a detailed communication plan including media coverage.Women from the Italian Cultural Group choir17

1 Introduction1.3 Municipal Waste Management OverviewThe MWM&RRS incorporates the strategies and actions for the management of a variety of waste materialsfrom the municipal solid waste stream. The focus of the strategy is on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW),incorporating materials generated predominantly from residential households. This includes garbage,recyclables, garden wastes and household hard waste items. It also includes waste that Council’s activitiesgenerate through street sweeping, litter and dumped rubbish collections, street litterbin clearances and themaintenance of parks, roads and buildings and community centres. Where appropriate, the strategy alsoaddresses Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste where Council hasinfluence .1.3.1 Local Waste ManagementThe management of MSW in Whittlesea covers the strategic planning and management of a wide range ofactivities including:• Kerbside collection of waste and recyclables in mobile wheelie bins, including:- Garbage (weekly) 120 litre - (dark green lid bin)- Comingled recyclables (fortnightly) – 240 litre(yellow lid bin)- Garden waste (user pays - fortnightly) - 240 litre (lime green lid)- Waste and recyclables from a diverse range of mixed use properties (such as schools, kindergartens, Council facilitiesand small commercial properties)- Hard waste (pre-booked service), including white goods and mattresses- Bundled green waste (pre-booked service) for branches, shrubs etc.• Environmental education activities• Street litter collection• Street and footpath sweeping;• Public place litter and recycling bins clearances• Collection of illegally dumped waste, including hazardous asbestos• Hard, garden, timber wastes and other recyclables at disposal facilities• Collection of waste and recyclables generated at local festivals and events• Management of e-waste drop-off days (Council Depot)• Management of drop-off days for household hazardous/toxic waste (e.g. household chemicals, motor oils,paint, car batteries, gas bottles etc)• Aftercare management and ongoing environmental compliance of Council’s former municipal landfill sites.The total amount of MSW collected and disposed of to landfill in 2011-12, was about 52,600 tonnes. The totalamount of waste sent for recycling was about 31,445 tonnes. The total cost for conducting the associatedactivities for the management of MSW (as detailed above) was in excess of $12 million a year. This cost isexpected to grow in time to meet the challenges of an increasingly carbon constrained world.18

1.3.2 Previous Waste Management StrategyIn developing a new municipal waste management and resource recovery strategy and associated actions forthe next eight years, it is important to understand the background to waste management in Whittlesea.The previous Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2004-2009, was successful in implementing the majorityof actions over this period, and assisting in the reduction of waste to landfill by increasing the amount ofvaluable materials diverted for recycling.Key achievements, highlights and customer satisfaction performance results from the previous MunicipalWaste Management Strategy 2004 – 2009 period are detailed below:Table 3: Major kerbside services performance: waste to landfill and increase in recyclingKerbside service 2002/03 2010/11Households serviced 38,550 54,950Garbage Bin(120 litre)Collected weekly11.98 kg(average kg/week/household)7.97 kg(average kg/week/household)Total tonnes sent to landfill 23,500 kg 31,500 kgRecycle Bin(240 litre)Collected fortnightly6.49 kg(ave. kg/fortnight/household)11.02 kg(ave. kg/fortnight/household)Contamination rate 15.8% 12.3%Total tonnes recycled 9,400 kg 16,400 kgSource data: Whittlesea kerbside Services Audits 2002/03 and 2010/11.%(increase/decrease)42.5%(increase)33.5%(decrease)32%(increase)69.8%(increase)3.5%(decrease)74.5%(increase)Community satisfaction – waste management service deliveryThe Community Satisfaction Survey is conducted each year by the State Government’s Department of Planningand Community Development (DPCD). The results provide Victoria’s local government sector with a valuableoverview of how communities view the performance of councils.The survey provides information about performance, as rated by residents, enabling trends in communitysatisfaction to be monitored and areas for both celebration and improvement to be highlighted.The survey questions refer to the broad areas of governance and service delivery. Governance is covered byoverall council performance, advocacy, council contact and community. Service delivery is captured by nine keyservice areas ranging from town planning and economic development to local laws and waste management(Department of Planning and Community Development 2009).The figure below provides details of Whittlesea’s ‘Waste Management’ service delivery performance over theperiod of the previous strategy. While all years displayed provide high scores of over 80 per cent satisfaction inthe Excellent/Good/Adequate range, a 5 per cent drop in performance was experienced during 2005 to 2007.This small drop in perceived performance was determined to be associated with community pressure toimplement a more user-friendly kerbside service for the collection of garden waste from mobile wheelie bins.19

1 IntroductionFigure 6: Whittlesea’s community satisfaction survey ‘waste management’ performance resultsSource: DPCD (2009, p 19)In July 2008, the City of Whittlesea implemented an optional user-pays garden waste bin service. The decisionfollowed an extensive consultation process involving a community survey conducted in December 2006, whichindicated the community was split roughly 50/50 about the introduction of a municipal wide service. A clearmajority of people within the community (55 per cent) did not require or were not prepared to pay for anadditional service. The reasons provided was that they already utilised other options such as home composting,Council’s pre-booked bundled branches service, drop-off disposal services, have a small/no garden, or live inrural areas that do not require such a service (Metropolis Research 2007).Figure 6 above details an immediate increase in satisfaction following implementation of the service in 2008.Whittlesea’s satisfaction rating increased to 90 per cent in 2009, with the highest Indexed Mean Scorerecorded (78 from 100) for the outer Melbourne metropolitan councils.Table 4: Optional user-pays garden waste bin service performance: 2008-09 to 2010-11 (year end data)Kerbside service 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 % increaseGarden Waste Bin Service(240 litre)16,300 18,900 22,60039%(increase)Service take-up (%) 36% 40% 44%Tonnes Recycled 4,154 kg 5,330 kg 9,592 kg8%(increase)131%(increase)20

2 Policy ContextThe MWM&RRS (2012-2020) has been developed within the context of relevant legislation, policiesand strategies at a national, state, regional and local level.The following section provides a description of the key legislation, policies, strategies and other relevantreports on waste management influencing the development of this municipal strategy.2.1 Relevant Legislation & AgencyAustralia has a three-tier system of government consisting of national, state and local levels. The regulation ofwaste management responsibilities within Australia, as defined within constitutional arrangements, falls withinthe jurisdiction of the states and territories (Constitution Act 1975).2.1.1 National Product Stewardship ActThe Product Stewardship Act 2011 came into effect on 8 August 2011. This legislation provides the frameworkto effectively manage the environmental, health and safety impacts of products, and in particular, thoseimpacts associated with the disposal of products. The framework includes voluntary, co-regulatory andmandatory product stewardship. The passage of the legislation delivers on a key commitment by the FederalGovernment under the National Waste Policy, agreed by state governments in November 2009, and endorsedby the Council of Australian Governments in August 2010 (DSEWPC 2012).National Television and Computer Recycling SchemeOn 3 November 2011, the Federal Government made new regulations to support the National Television andComputer Recycling Scheme. The regulations require importers and manufacturers of televisions, computersand computer products to fund and implement recycling services for these products, and to meet a range ofother requirements.Under the scheme, householders and small business will be able to drop off these items at designated accesspoints, which may include permanent collection sites, take-back events or through a mail-back option.Collection services under the scheme will be progressively rolled out by industry from 2012 in a limitedcapacity, expanding across metropolitan, regional and remote areas of Australia by the end of 2013 (DSEWPC2012).Final details of the program are currently being negotiated for Whittlesea with accredited recyclers. It isexpected there will be an event style collection day for the recovery of these items at various times during2012.2.1.2 Carbon Price & Emission Trading SystemOn 10 July 2011, the Prime Minister released the Federal Government’s ‘Clean Energy Future Plan’. Thecentrepiece of the plan is the introduction of a carbon price starting at $23 per tonne of carbon dioxide from 1July 2012, and payable by Australia’s 500 most carbon-intensive businesses. A fixed carbon price will remain inplace for three years rising by 2.5 per cent in 2013 and 2014. From 2015, the fixed price will be replaced by anemissions trading system with the price determined by the market. (Maddocks 2011; Municipal Association ofVictoria 2011).Liability for the carbon price falls on sites emitting 25,000 tonnes of CO2-e or more. The methods to determineliabilities are those of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act. The liable entity is generallythe organisation with operational control of the facility.21

2 Policy ContextThe covered sectors are:• Stationary energy (50 per cent of Australia’s total emissions): Emissions are produced from electricitygeneration and on-site energy generation by industry.• Fugitive emissions (6 per cent of Australia’s total emissions): Emissions released during the production,processing, transport, storage and distribution of coal, oil and gas.• Industrial processes (5 per cent of Australia’s total emissions): Emissions from chemical reactions associatedwith manufacturing processes, mineral processing and chemicals and metal production.• Waste (3 per cent of Australia’s total emissions): Emissions from this sector are predominantly from solidwaste sent to landfill and from the treatment of domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater andsolvent and clinical waste incineration.Emissions from landfillsThe 500 high carbon-emitting organisations identified under the scheme by the Federal Government, includes190 landfill operators. Landfills comprise 38 per cent of liable entities covered under the scheme but onlycontribute a minor proportion of emissions (2 - 3 per cent) towards Australia’s total carbon emissions profile(Municipal Association of Victoria 2011).The carbon price applies to emissions from waste deposited at a liable landfill from 1 July 2012. Emissions fromwaste deposited before that date are exempt from carbon pricing but count in determining the liabilitythreshold. The important gas is methane, which has a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) value of 21-timesgreater greenhouse gas warming effect than carbon dioxide. All major putrescible landfills servicingmetropolitan Melbourne will be liable under the scheme (Metropolitan Waste Management Group 2011).For the City of Whittlesea, it is estimated the initial cost of disposing waste under the carbon pricingmechanism at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill will equate to an approximate ongoing additional cost of about$750,000 a year indexed annually (This figure is dependent on the complex landfill gas recovery rate calculatedover a 50-year emission period).2.1.3 Environment Protection ActThe Environment Protection Act 1970 is the primary legislation dealing with waste management within Victoria.The Act establishes and defines the powers, duties and functions of statutory authorities involved in municipalwaste management and resource recovery, including the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), onemetropolitan and 12 regional waste management groups.The ‘waste hierarchy’ was first introduced in Victoria in 2001 and is embedded in the Environment ProtectionAct (No. 7/2001 s. 3). It is one of 10 key principles underpinning the development of environmental protectionpolicies and strategies within Victoria.The Act states the following in relation to how wastes should be managed (Environment Protection Act 1970,p.4):1I. Principle of the waste hierarchyWastes should be managed in accordance with the following order of preference -(a) Avoidance(b) Re-use(c) Re-cycling(d) Recovery of energy(e) Treatment(f) Containment(g) Disposal.22

Figure 7: Victorian Waste Hierarchy(Source: EPA ACT 1970)The waste hierarchy is the key principle that underpins waste policy and strategy development within Victoria,Australia and around the world. A ‘hierarchy’ for the treatment of waste was first detailed in policy by theEuropean Council in 1975 through the Directive (75/442/EEC) on Waste (Rasmussen and Vigso 2005).The Environment Protection Act requires municipal councils to manage waste consistent with the metropolitanand regional waste management plans, which is underpinned by the waste hierarchy (VAGO 2011). The Act alsoprovides for funding for many of Victoria’s waste management initiatives and other environmentalsustainability initiatives through the landfill levy. The levy has dramatically increased from $4 per tonne ofwaste disposed in 2001 to $44 in 2011. This represents a significant 1000 per cent increase and it is set toincrease to more than $58 by 2014-15.Environment Protection AuthorityThe Victorian Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) responsibilities overall relate to emissions or potentialsources of emissions that may be environmentally detrimental to air, land or water.EPA Victoria administers the Environment Protection Act 1970 and its instruments, including those relating tothe regulation of waste management and resource recovery facilities and services, such as works approvals andlicensing of landfills, transfer stations and the transport of waste materials. The EPA is responsible forapproving the metropolitan and regional waste management plans.EPA Victoria’s Best Practice Environmental Management (BEPM) Guidelines for the Siting, Design, Operationand Rehabilitation of Landfills (2010), initially released in October 2001, provides for higher environmentalcontrols in such matters as lining and capping landfills and post closure monitoring and aftercare.EPA has reviewed the Landfill BPEM to incorporate new technology and the latest understanding of improvedmanagement practices at landfills. The revisions to the document also respond to a number of therecommendations of the Victorian Ombudsman’s report Brookland Greens Estate — Investigation intoMethane Gas Leaks, in October 2009. The EPA, industry and others use the guidelines in relation to worksapproval applications and compliance activities. Applicants for a works approval or licence for a landfill mustmeet the objectives and required outcomes set out in the Landfill BPEM guidelines.23

2 Policy Context2.1.4 Occupational Health and Safety ActThere has historically been significant Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) issues identified with thecollection of waste and recyclables. WorkSafe Victoria, the relevant state government authority has identifiedthe waste industry as posing a high risk to employees and community health and safety.In July 2003, Worksafe released Guidelines for the Collection, Transport and Unloading of Non-HazardousWaste and Recyclable Materials. The document was developed following the reporting of 134 injuries in 2001-02 at a cost of $5.85 million. It provides the waste management industry with an industry specific guide toassist in the implementation of safe systems of work.The OH&S issues addressed in the guidelines include:• A ‘No-Lift’ approach to the handling of containers• A ‘No-Riding on the outside of vehicles’ approach to prevent serious injuries and fatalities• A ‘No-work at heights’ approach except in workshops or by fully equipped service crews• Compliance with OH&S legislative requirements.With the introduction of Council’s new Kerbside Recycling Collection Service in October 2003, Council hasimplemented a safe system of work to collect, transport and unload recyclables. The automated collection ofrecyclables in a mobile recycling bin has removed the risks associated with riding on the exterior of collectionvehicles and the manual handling of materials.Kerbside collection systems that require manual lifting have now been replaced with mechanical collectiontrucks. Hard waste collections, which require waste to be left on the nature strip in the front of residentialproperties, still pose a risk to employees and the community. However, Whittlesea has adapted and initiatedengineering controls that include a mechanical lift device for large bulky items, dramatically reducing themanual handling risk for employees.WorkSafe Victoria has developed a handbook, Safe Collection of Hard Waste, (November 2008) that providesinformation on how to safely collect domestic hard waste and bundled green waste, applying a riskmanagement approach to address specific hazards. The document requires councils and collectors to assesstheir own circumstances and apply the safest collection practices.The WorkSafe guidelines also provides specific advice for those managing contracts or undertaking contractedwork to meet their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Council monitoring of contractservice providers to ensure compliance is mandatory to minimise injuries. To this end, a Risk Control Plan forthe City of Whittlesea’s Kerbside Waste Management Services was developed in 2004. It includes audits of allCouncil contractors’ Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. This plan was expanded with thedevelopment of the Hazard Identification Register in 2008.In August 2004, WorkSafe Victoria also released Guidelines for Undertaking Work near Overhead andUnderground Assets. These guidelines apply to all operators using elevating equipment and working nearpower lines, including side loading waste and recycling trucks.Council has a responsibility under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to ensure that all personnelundertaking work on behalf of Council comply with these guidelines.24

2.1.5 Local Government ActThe Victorian Constitution Act 1975 states that local government is a “distinct and essential tier of government”consisting of democratically elected councillors.Victoria’s 79 councils are established and administered under the Victorian Local Government Act 1989. . Part1A of the Act contains the Local Government Charter, which describes the purpose, objectives, functions androle of a local council.The primary objective of the Charter is to achieve the best outcomes for the local community having regard tothe long term and cumulative effects of their decisions. In achieving this objective, councils must consider thesocial, economic and environmental viability and sustainability of their municipal districts. This ensures thatresources are used efficiently and effectively so that services are provided to meet the needs of the localcommunity (Part 1A, p19).Under the Act, councils should also aim to improve the overall quality of life of the people in the localcommunity, promote business and employment opportunities and provide equitable access to services andfacilities.All councils have a role under the Act to provide leadership for good governance, including advocating onbehalf of the community and acting as a responsible partner taking into account local community interests andneeds.Local GovernmentWaste management has traditionally been a direct service responsibility of Local Government. Councils areresponsible for ensuring that waste does not pose a direct risk to public health, wellbeing and the environmentwithin the community.Sitting within the broader state-based regulatory framework, councils have been required to provide andundertake municipal waste management services under the Local Government Act 1989. The Act coversservices associated with the collection, disposal, and treatment of municipal solid waste, including recyclablematerials.2.2 Key Policy & Strategy (National, State, Regional & Local)In 1992, the Australian New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) developed the NationalWaste Minimisation and Recycling Strategy. The strategy called for a 50 per cent reduction in total waste and a50 per cent reduction in the quantity of domestic waste going to landfill by the year 2000, based on 1990levels. The National Kerbside Recycling Strategy contained a number of waste minimisation and recyclingtargets for packaging materials to complement the national reduction targets. Voluntary agreements betweenANZECC and packaging industry associations were developed to achieve these targets but have now beenreplaced by the National Packaging Covenant (DEWHA and EPHC 2010).Waste policy in each state and territory is founded on the National Strategy for Ecologically SustainableDevelopment (1992), endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The strategy adopted anational approach to the more efficient use of resources to reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal,and to improve the management of and avoid the generation of hazardous wastes.Following the COAG agreement, all states and territories established comprehensive legislation and policy toprotect the environment and conserve natural resources (DEWHA and EPHC 2010). Many of these state-basedpolicies and strategies reference and use the ‘waste hierarchy’(refer section 1.4.1 for Victorian EnvironmentProtection Act 1970 ‘waste hierarchy’).Recent updates to state and territory policy and strategy documents focus on resource recovery andavoidance, with ‘Zero Waste’ strategies now implemented.25

2 Policy Context2.2.1 National Waste PolicyIn November 2009, the Environment Protection & Heritage Council (EPHC) released the National Waste Policy:Less Waste, More Resources. It builds on the 1992 ANZECC strategy and provides the framework forimplementing Australia’s international obligations on waste and relevant COAG agreements. The policy setsdirections for resource recovery and waste management to 2020 and aims to reduce the amount of waste fordisposal to landfill and manage waste as a resource to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits(DEWHA and EPHC 2010).Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and CommunitiesThe Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities was established on 14September 2010, superseding the former Department of Environment, Water and Heritage. The role of thedepartment is to provide advice on sustainability matters including a number of important challenges thatdirectly affect households, communities, businesses, industries and the natural environment. These includewaste management and resource recovery issues at a national level, such as product stewardship programs forelectronic wastes. The department has responsibility for the National Waste Policy at the national level.2.2.2 National Packaging CovenantThe National Packaging Covenant (NPC) is a voluntary initiative by government and industry to reduce theeffects of packaging on the environment. The covenant provides a comprehensive list of commitments thatsignatories should consider when developing required action plans with regard to packaging.Some of the overarching targets of the covenant regarding recycling and waste minimisation include:• Increasing the amount of post-consumer packaging recycled from its current rate of 48 per cent to 65 percent in 2010• Increasing the recycling of difficult or non-recycled materials, including plastics coded (4) to (7) and nonrecyclablepaper and cardboard packaging from the existing 10 per to 25 per cent by 2010• Ensuring there is no increase in the amount of packaging going to landfill.* (All targets are taken from 2003 baseline data.)The “Get It Right On Bin Night” project, launched in 2012, is part funded by the NPC. This project is a jointinitiative of the Metropolitan Waste Management Group, Sustainability Victoria and local government. Thesuccessful implementation of this scheme will aim to reduce the level of contamination currently in therecycling stream and increase the recovery of recyclable packaging.2.2.3 Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste StrategyThe Sustainability in Action: Towards Zero Waste Strategy (2005) is part of Victoria’s overall environmentalsustainability policy framework Our Environment Our Future. This framework includes the Victorian GreenhouseStrategy and Our Water Our Future, designed to deliver the state’s environmental sustainability goals.26

The Towards Zero Waste (TZW) strategy sets out state-wide targets for waste reduction,resource recovery and littering. It also includes specific targets and actions for Victoria’smunicipal and business sectors to deliver more sustainable use of resources by 2014. Sustainability Victoriaprepares an assessment of Victoria’s progress towards these targets annually.The three key Towards Zero Waste targets are:1. Reduce the amount of solid waste generated by 1.5 million tonnes per annum by 2014, compared to2002/03.2. Increase the recovery rate in all solid waste generated from the current 48% (2003) to 75% by 2014comprising:• 65% recovery rate (by weight) of MSW for reuse and recycling by 2014. An interim target of 45%recovery rate is established for year 2008-09;• 80% recovery (by weight) of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste for reuse and recycling by2014. An interim target of 65% is established for year 2008-09; and• 80% recovery rate (by weight) of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste for reuse and recyclingby 2014. An interim target of 65% is established for year 2008-09.3. 25% reduction in littering behaviour compared with 2003 levels.Department of Sustainability and EnvironmentThe Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), through its Environment Policy and Climate Changedivision, is responsible for coordinating portfolio and government strategies for environmental sustainability. Inrelation to TZW, DSE has an important role in bringing together a wide range of partners and stakeholders toenable its successful implementation.Victorian Advanced Resource Recovery Initiative (VARRI)The VARRI was instigated by the State Government to support the implementation of the TZW strategy and tofacilitate the development of Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) facilities in metropolitanMelbourne. The development of ARRT facilities into waste management practices in Victoria is predicted tosignificantly increase the quantities of material recovered from the waste stream, particularly garden and foodorganics currently contributing a large proportion of waste disposed to landfill. The aim of the strategy was tohave two ARRT facilities well advanced by 2010.The VARRI project was put on hold in 2011 following a change in government at the 2010 state election. Areview of the project was conducted and some findings publicly released. It is anticipated the project findingswill be incorporated into the current Victorian waste policy framework review being conducted in 2012.Sustainability VictoriaSustainability Victoria is the state agency responsible for environmental sustainability, including planning andfacilitating the management of solid waste throughout Victoria. The objective of Sustainability Victoria is tofacilitate and promote environmental sustainability in the use of resources. Sustainability Victoria has the leadrole in implementing Victoria’s TZW Strategy. This involves developing many of the waste programs, assistingpartners, measuring, and reporting on progress through annual business plans and other reports (SustainabilityVictoria Act 2005; VAGO 2011).27

2 Policy ContextEco-Buy ProgramEco-buy is an initiative funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment and Sustainability Victoria,which encourages the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. Both State and LocalGovernments have incorporated Eco-buy recommended products for internal purchasing, demonstrating thecommitment of government in attaining a more sustainable future.2.2.4 Metropolitan Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategic PlanThe Metropolitan Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategic Plan has been developed as a legislativerequirement under the Victorian Environment Protection Act 1970. The Strategic Plan consists of three separateparts: the Metropolitan Plan, the Municipal Solid Waste Infrastructure Schedule and the Metropolitan LandfillSchedule.The plan highlights that, by weight, between 40 and 50 per cent of the contents of the average householdgarbage bin consists of food and garden organics. Accordingly, the plan has focused on Municipal Solid Waste(MSW), and the organics component for resource recovery options. The plan proposes to progressively changethe way “residual” wastes (garbage) and organic wastes (food and garden) are managed. It is proposed thatrecyclable materials and the readily degradable organic fractions of residual wastes be recovered in purposebuilt ARRTs across Melbourne into the future.The plan also assesses the current waste management situation and sets out a framework for the futuremanagement of municipal and commercial wastes in metropolitan Melbourne. The framework andrecommendations included in the plan aim to influence the waste management programs and activities ofMelbourne’s 30 metropolitan councils (refer to Figure below for map and location details of the 30 councilswithin the Metropolitan Waste Group).Figure 8: Geographical boundaries of metropolitan local governments(Source: Metropolitan Waste Management Group 2010)28

Metropolitan Waste Management GroupThe Metropolitan Waste Management Group (MWMG) is responsible for coordinating municipal wastemanagement activities in Melbourne on behalf of the 30 metropolitan councils.The group is a body corporate public entity established under the Victorian Environment Protection Act 1970,under Section 50A (EP Act 1970, Amendment 2008, p.180).The objectives of the Metropolitan Waste Management Group under the Act (Amendment 2008, pg. 181) areto:(a) Plan, coordinate and facilitate metropolitan councils' procurement of waste management and resourcerecovery services(b) Assist metropolitan councils to undertake collective and joint efforts to—(i) Reduce the generation of waste(ii) Maximise the sustainable recovery of materials from waste for reuse, recycling and reprocessingand energy recovery(iii) Minimise the damage to the environment caused by waste disposal.2.3 Local Policies & Strategies (City of Whittlesea)The following section details the local policies, strategies and plans specific to the City of Whittlesea’s aim tocreate and maintain a sustainable community. They have either a direct influence or some relationship to thedevelopment of this Municipal Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy.2.3.1 Shaping Our Future Whittlesea 2025Whittlesea’s Strategic Community Plan - Shaping Our Future Whittlesea 2025 is the key document that outlinesthe future direction for the whole of the City of Whittlesea. The plan has been developed by our community,for our community, through wide consultation during 2009.The plan identifies our community’s vision for the year 2025 and considers the needs and priorities ofresidents.Our vision is of a future city where:• We live together in harmony, respecting each other’s cultural identity.• We are socially connected to the people around us, technologically connected to the digital world, and wecare about the natural environment in and around our homes.• We acknowledge and respect our past and provide for today with tomorrow in mind.• Everyone who works and or lives in the City of Whittlesea can play a role in helping reach our vision.Council has identified the roles that it will play towards reaching the vision and the measures to monitorprogress. The plan also includes a shorter term Action Plan for 2009-2013, which sets out how Council will worktowards the vision.29

2 Policy ContextThe plan outlines six future directions to follow to reach our 2025 destination:1. Inclusive and engaged community2. Accessibility in, out and around our City3. Growing our economy4. Places and spaces to connect people5. Health and wellbeing6. Living sustainablyThe plan details each future direction along with Council’s role and the measures to monitor progress.2.3.2 Shaping Our Organisation 2011-12The City of Whittlesea’s Corporate Plan ‘Shaping Our Organisation 2011-2012’ will enable the organisation tobecome more strategic in business planning and to better align Council’s activities to the community’s goals.The Community Plan ‘Shaping Our Future Whittlesea 2025’, which has been developed in partnership with thecommunity, provides the guidance for the Corporate Plan and other strategic documents in the CorporatePlanning Framework. Whittlesea’s Corporate Plan, aims to ensure that the objectives, resolutions, policy,strategy and other commitments of the Council are given priority and embedded into the work of all staff. Itprovides the strategic link between the goals in the Community Plan and the work that Council staff undertakeson a daily basis.Vision, Mission & ValuesThe Community has provided a vision of its desired future through the Community Plan and the developmentof the Corporate Plan has set the strategic goals to implement this vision. However the organisation alsorequires a way of organising to support the realisation of the community vision.A vision, specific to the organisation and all who work in it, gives each staff member an understanding of theorganisations overarching aspirational goals for the future.“Creating vibrant self-sustaining communities together”To achieve this vision, Council identified three key principles to guide its actions. These principles form theorganisational mission, which is designed to enable Council to adapt to the challenges of the growth andchange of the City:“We use evidence to determine our direction”“Information I collect about my work helps provide evidence for our leaders to make decisions.”“We use this evidence to advocate to Council and external parties”“Our organisation needs better information to convince State and Federal Governments about the supportwe need, and help the community understand what we can provide.”“We strategically resource our organisation to support our community”“We can’t do everything and if we have the right information we can make the right decisions in conjunctionwith the Community and Council about where to direct our efforts.”30

The creation of the vision and mission was from input received from staff, managers anddirectors. This provides a clear understanding of what the organisation’s overall goal is andhow each individual can contribute to achieving that vision. Strongly underpinning the vision and mission is aset of staff values and workplace behaviours.The figure below details the City of Whittlesea’s organisational vision and mission statement:Figure 9: City of Whittlesea's corporate vision and mission statement2.3.3 Environmental Sustainability StrategyThe development of a new Environmental Sustainability Strategy to replace the Local Conservation Strat egy(LCS), adopted in 2000 is underway. The majority of actions contained in the LCS 2000 have been implementedwith the remaining actions no longer relevant.31

2 Policy ContextThe new strategy, which addresses current sustainability issues and community priorities cover the followingseven themed topics:1 Climate Change,2 Water,3 Materials Efficiency (Waste Management & Resource Recovery),4 Biodiversity,5 Land Management,6 Urban Development and the Built Environment and7 Change Strategies.Direction Papers were developed proposing policy directions, strategies and approaches for Council to addresswithin each theme. Each paper has been informed by the results of a community and stakeholder consultationprocess undertaken in 2008 and 2009 (refer section 3: Consultation & Engagement for further details).The suggested policy directions, strategies and approaches outlined in the papers will inform the content of theCity’s new Environmental Sustainability Strategy, due to be released in 2012. It is proposed to be theoverarching strategy document for all of Council’s major environmental strategies, including this MunicipalWaste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy.2.3.4 Storm Water Management PlanIn association with the Melbourne Water Corporation and the EPA, the City of Whittlesea prepared theWhittlesea Stormwater Management Plan (2003) to improve the quality of stormwater discharged into its localwaterways. This plan has recently been reviewed and updated in 2012 to accommodate the municipality’srapidly developing environment.The design of the Whittlesea Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) 2012 is to assist Council and otherstakeholders to manage the environmental quality of urban stormwater. It identifies activities that maydetract from the environmental qualities of the waterways, and puts in place a program to protect and improvestormwater discharged from the drainage system to the waterways. It aims to establish a commonunderstanding and an integrated approach to stormwater management throughout Council as well as withexternal stakeholders and the community.The Whittlesea SWMP is a non-technical document. It consists of actions and recommendations that feeddirectly into Council’s business and strategic planning procedures. It includes recommendations that affectCouncil operations, including potential changes to the planning schemes and the provision of environmentaleducational services.The implementation of this Strategy will assist greatly in the achievement of the actions identified in Council’sSWMP 2012, particularly in the areas of litter management within the municipality.32

2.4 Legislation, Policy and Strategy IntegrationFigure 10: Integration of agencies, legislation, policy and strategy at federal, state and local levels33

2 Policy Context2.5 Significant Reports, Reviews & InquiriesThere have been a number of key reports, reviews and inquiries conducted in recent times into themanagement of solid waste both at a national, state and local level. The most notable recent examples proposea significant rethink into the way waste policy is developed and managed into the future.2.5.1 Victorian Auditor General’s Office: Municipal Solid Waste ManagementIn June 2011, the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) released a report into the current management ofmunicipal solid waste that assessed the progress and achievements of the Sustainability in Action: TowardsZero Waste Strategy (2005).The report highlighted some significant deficiencies in the State Government’s waste policy and strategydevelopment, particularly the way it has been managed and implemented. The reports main conclusionhighlights that Sustainability Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment are not effectivelyfulfilling their roles in managing municipal solid waste and implementing the TZW strategy.Some key findings of the report (listed below) are considered to have a significant impact on local councils’waste management strategy development and implementation:Neither Sustainability Victoria nor the Department of Sustainability and Environment, responsible fordeveloping the targets, could demonstrate that the targets were underpinned by robust assessments or weresoundly based. Sustainability Victoria advised that the target development was not adequately documented(p.23).While the process to develop the targets was documented, the absence of documentation to explain how eachstep was carried out means that it is not possible to clearly determine the specific rationale for the targets.This limits the ability to assess whether strategies and actions provide for optimum social, environmental andeconomic outcomes (p.23).Documentation that is available suggests that there were limitations in the analysis, including assessments ofcosts and benefits focusing only on the impacts of the strategy being implemented and not on the costs ofimplementation. These costs included those to business, the state, municipal councils and ratepayers forputting the strategy into action and resourcing the strategy’s programs and actions (p.23).Furthermore, the available documentation suggests that there were significant assumptions that underpinnedthe development of TZW targets, including that waste recycling technologies were proven to be commerciallyviable at the time. Since then, this assumption has been shown to be incorrect, with technologies nowrequiring further research and testing to demonstrate effectiveness (p.23).Consequently, it is clear that there is a need to review the targets and associated programs and actions,including revisiting their rationale so that they are appropriate and that they deliver optimal social,environmental and economic outcomes for Victoria (p.24).These findings have significant implications for local government as the majority of councils are required toalign with the State Government’s strategic direction, under the Environment Protection Act 1970. Councilsare also scrutinised publically in the media via annual rankings on performance achieved against the State’s setlandfill diversion targets.Councils are required to provide services that deliver the optimal social, environmental and economicoutcomes for their communities. Any additional costs imposed on communities through increased landfilllevies or resource intensive alternative waste management technology options, will make it significantly moredifficult for councils to meet their obligations under the Local Government Act 1989 (stated in section 1.4.2above).34

Victorian Waste Policy Framework Review (In progress: 2012)The release of the VAGO Report in 2011 has prompted the State Government to conduct a review of the‘Victorian Waste Policy Framework’ in collaboration with stakeholders and environment portfolio partners.The purpose of the one-year review is to recommend a new waste policy framework that addresses Victoria’slong-term challenges and takes advantage of future opportunities and emerging technologies in resourcerecovery and waste management.The policy review will examine the strategic, legislative, institutional and investment settings that influence thenature and performance of waste management, focussing on municipal (MSW), commercial & industrial (C&I),and construction & demolition (C&D) wastes.The Victorian AuditorGeneral's Office hasidentified Victoria's wastemanagement system asneeding an evidence-basedapproach, which considersthe full costs and benefits ofwaste managementactivities.Proposed action:Advocacy: State Government’s Victorian Waste Policy Framework ReviewIn line with the VAGO (2011) report’s findings, the following Action is proposed for inclusion into thecurrent review of Victoria’s waste policy framework, aligning with Part 1A, s. 3D (2d; and 2e) of the LocalGovernment Act, whereby Council has a role to provide leadership for good governance of themunicipality. This includes advocating to government and acting as a responsible partner withingovernment for its and other local community’s best interests, by taking into account local communityneeds:Advocate to State Government for a review to be conducted of the TZW targets and associatedprograms and actions, revisiting their rationale (the review to include a full cost-benefit analysisas evidence), so that they are appropriate and deliver the optimal social, environmental andeconomic net-community benefit outcomes for the Victorian community.35

2 Policy Context2.5.2 Productivity Commission Inquiry: Waste Management & Resource EfficiencyIn October 2005, the Productivity Commission examined how resource efficiencies can be optimised toimprove economic, environmental and social outcomes. The inquiry, included an assessment of opportunitiesthroughout the product life cycle to prevent and minimise waste generation by promoting resource recoveryand resource efficiency with the report released in 2006.Although the Productivity Commission inquiry into waste management was conducted six years prior to theVAGO report, its conclusions recommend a similar view - that waste policy development should be conductedusing a detailed cost-benefit approach focussing on providing optimal social, environment and economicoutcomes for the community.Key findings considered important from a local government context and the development of this MWM&RR2012-20 strategy are covered within this section, under the following areas:• The waste hierarchy and landfill diversion targets• Landfill levy and the environmental impacts of landfilling• Best practice landfill and alternative waste technology performance.The waste hierarchy and landfill diversion targetsAs detailed in Section 2.1.1, the Waste Hierarchy was first introduced into the Environment Protection Act in2001. It states that wastes should be managed in accordance with the following order of preference: (a)avoidance; (b) re-use; (c) recycling; (d) recovery of energy; (e) treatment; (f) containment; and (g) disposal.The ‘waste hierarchy’ was considered an easy way of communicating a simplified list of preferred options, withthe primary aim of minimising waste. However, the generalised ranking of options in the hierarchy has recentlybeen questioned, with calls to review the waste hierarchy embedded in waste management policy withinVictoria (Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission 2009). Those supporting a review, question whetherthe ranking is based on any sound evidence, with some experts commenting that the ranking of the hierarchyappears to have emerged simply by way of ‘consensus’ (Pearce 2005; Collins 2009).The Productivity Commission (2006) argues that setting ambitious landfill diversion targets, underpinned by thewaste hierarchy is inherently difficult to achieve, highlighting:Finding 7.1Targets for waste diversion are virtually impossible to set at an optimal level. Broad targets do not account forregional differences in waste diversion costs or the external costs of different types of waste. Nor are theysensitive to changes in market or institutional settings. While they might be argued to have some aspirationalvirtues, targets such as zero waste to landfill lack credibility and are unachievable. More importantly, excessiveresource recovery can be costly to the community and result in perverse outcomes. (p.156).Recommendation 7.2Governments should not directly or indirectly impose waste diversion targets as part of waste managementpolicy (p.157).The Productivity Commission cites a peer reviewed research paper, ‘Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy’, by theEnvironmental Assessment Institute (2005) in Copenhagen, as evidence supporting the above findings andrecommendations on this subject.36

In addition, Barrett and Lawlor (2010) and Price and Joseph (2000) also provide strong supporting evidence inresearch papers to the arguments put forward by the Productivity Commission (2006) and the EnvironmentAssessment Institute (2005).The Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (2009) provides further supporting evidence in its report,A Sustainable Future for Victoria: Getting Environmental Regulation Right. It states that, “Given the potentialfor the waste hierarchy to conflict with good policy practice and to impose additional compliance costs onbusinesses (p.218)”, it is recommended:…that the waste hierarchy in the EP Act and in any SEPPs or WMPs should be replaced with a principle ofwaste management that requires businesses to consider the costs and benefits of relevant options to managewaste and select actions that will deliver the largest net benefits (p.218).The Environmental Assessment Institute (2005, p.forward) argues that priced based policies are recommendedto target setting for two reasons:1. There is no upper boundary to the costs related to reaching the fixed targets.2. Fixed targets are bad at encouraging recycling, since they have insignificant effects on demand for theenvironmentally desirable solution and materials.The empirical analysis presented by the Environment Assessment Institute suggests the welfare of thecommunity may suffer due to the pursuit of achieving fixed landfill diversion targets based on the ‘wastehierarchy’. For example, local funds may be diverted away from important areas of need such as communityhealth, infrastructure, aged or child care facilities and associated community-based programs in order to meetlandfill diversion targets. In some cases the costs in achieving the set targets may outweigh the environmentaland social benefits.Dijkgraaf and Vollebergh (2005) provide evidence supporting the arguments put forward by the ProductivityCommission on the application of the simplistic principles of the ‘waste hierarchy’. The study found that thesocial costs of energy-from waste facilities development cases found in Europe are estimated to be 6.1 billion(Euro) higher than that of sending waste to landfill. This assessment demonstrates that ‘recovery of energy’ or‘treatment’, via incineration, is not always the best solution as suggested by the ‘waste hierarchy’.The Productivity Commission critically analysed the development of waste diversion targets in all states andterritories and found that applying policy decisions in this manner may lead to ‘poor policy outcomes’.Regarding waste diversion targets linked to the waste hierarchy objectives, the Productivity Commission (2006,p147) provides the following recommendation:Recommendation 7.1To maximise net benefits to the community, waste management policy should be guided by rigorousanalysis of the financial, environmental and social costs and benefits, not by the simple priorities suggestedby the waste hierarchy.37

2 Policy ContextResearch from theEnvironmental AssessmentInstitute (2005) suggeststhe welfare of thecommunity may suffer dueto the pursuit of achievingfixed landfill diversiontargets based on the‘waste hierarchy’Proposed action:Advocacy: Development of cost-benefit analysis and review of TZW targets.In line with the Productivity Commission (2006), Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (2009)and VAGO (2011) reports findings, the following action is proposed for inclusion into Victoria’s waste policyframework. It aligns with Part 1A, s. 3D (2d and 2e) of the Local Government Act, whereby Council has arole to provide leadership for good governance of the municipality, including advocating to governmentand acting as a responsible partner within government for its and other local community’s best interestsby taking into account local community needs:Failing the advocacy action to be conducted by the State Government to review the TZW targets,including a cost-benefit analysis as part of the Victorian Waste Policy Review (2012) – the Councilinvestigate and advocate other Local Governments and the MAV for this work to be completed,as a joint venture project, enabling the gathering of sound evidence on this issue, thereforedetermining the optimal strategic direction for waste management while considering the varyinglocal and geographical circumstances across Victoria.The ProductivityCommission recommendsthat waste managementpolicy should be guided byrigorous analysis of thefinancial, environmentaland social costs andbenefits in order tomaximise net-benefits tothe community38

Landfill levy and the environmental externalities of landfillingAll Australian states and territories now impose a levy on waste disposed of at landfill, over and above thenormal gate fee. Queensland was the last state to fall in line, with municipal solid waste in that state beingexempt. In recent times, the Victorian Government has significantly increased the landfill levy (1110 per centfrom $4 in 2001-02 to $44 in 2011-12), which has led to growing community concern over the increasing costsof waste disposal and its negative effects such as illegally dumped rubbish, with little funds directed back toresolve these issues.The landfill levy was first introduced in Victoria in 1992 through the Environment Protection (ResourceRecovery) Act. The main purpose of the Bill was to meet the State’s waste landfill diversion target set at 50 percent by the year 2000. The levy commenced at a price of $2 per tonne of waste and was used as a financialdisincentive to reduce the generation of waste (Sustainability Victoria 2012).In its 2006 report, the Productivity Commission agreed that, in theory, the use of a levy on waste can result inefficient outcomes where the disposal of waste to landfill generates external costs, or externalities on thecommunity and environment, not captured by the gate fee set by the landfill site operator. The use of a taxequal to the value of these environmental externalities would therefore ‘internalise’ these costs and result inthe full cost of that activity being borne by the landfill users.The Productivity Commission (2006, p.221), however, highlights that no state or territory “currently uses landfilllevies explicitly to internalise those externalities” in this way, with the reports examination revealing:Levies are currently used primarily to achieve landfill diversion targets and to generate revenue forgovernment (p.221).This is a significant point for local government and their communities considering the critical assessment of theVictorian Auditor General Office, which questioned the Towards Zero Waste (TZW) strategy’s use of robustevidence to achieve net-community benefit.In addition, increasing landfill levies is considered as having generated perverse outcomes such as ‘illegaldumping’ and the inappropriate disposal of hazardous materials such as asbestos that has no other recycling ordisposal option available (Productivity Commission 2006; Strong 2000).The table below examines the actual (2001-02 to 2011-12) and gazetted (2012-13 to 2014-15) increases to theVictorian Landfill Levy.Table 5: Examination of actual and nominated increases to the Victorian landfill LevyYear Municipal Landfill Levy % Increase (year on year)2001/02 $4 -2002/03 $4 0%2003/04 $5 25%2004/05 $6 20%2005/06 $7 16.6%2006/07 $8 14.3%2007/08 $9 12.5%2008/09 $9 0%2009/10 $9 0%2010/11 $30 233.33%2011/12 $44 46.7%2012/13 $48.40 10%2013/14 $53.20 10%2014/15 $58.50 10%Total Increase(2001-02 to 2014-15)$54.5($58.50 - $4)1263%(from 2001-2)39

2 Policy ContextFigure 11: Actual and nominated increases to the Victorian landfill levy$70$60Municipal Landfill Levy$50$40$30$20$10$001–02 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13-14 14-15The Victorian Government’s major landfill levy increase in 2010 has, as the Productivity Commission argues,resulted in perverse outcomes such as illegal dumping (including hazardous asbestos) being experienced athigher levels within Whittlesea and many other local government areas such as Hume, Brimbank, Banyule,Moreland and Dandenong (Precel 2011; Donnellan 2011; Dowling 2011; Pichon 2012). The City of Whittlesea inparticular is subject to these perverse outcomes, being located within the State’s urban growth corridor andcontaining a landfill facility within the municipality.The EPA Victoria (2011; 2002, p.1) highlights the purpose of the Victorian landfill levy:Landfill levies are used solely for the purposes of environment protection and fostering environmentallysustainable use of resources and best practice in waste management.One of the key purposes of the landfill levy is to provide additional and ongoing funding to support efforts bygovernment, industry and the community to reduce waste. To this end, the landfill levy increases progressivelyeach year. Increasing the levy progressively provides an opportunity for waste generators to investigate waysto reduce the amount of waste they generate and dispose of to landfill.Contrary to the EPA’s statement, the levy fails to provide an appropriate disincentive to the designers,producers or manufacturers of materials to avoid and reduce the products material inputs, or alternativelyreduce consumer demand of these materials at the source. Therefore, there is little application of top orderpriorities of the EPA’s ‘waste hierarchy’ through reduction or avoidance in waste generation at the waste policylevel (Price and Joseph 2000; Strong 2000; Environmental Assessment Institute 2005).The BDA Group’s (2004) report, Analysis of Levies and Financial Instruments in Relation to Waste Managementconducted for Zero Waste South Australia (cited in Collins 2009, p34), supports this argument. It states thefollowing in relation to the landfill levy application in Australian waste policy:… such instruments do not have an economic basis – they are not designed to promote behavioural changeand ‘internalise externalities’.40

The arguments above suggest the application of a levy only provides a disincentive to wastecollectors (i.e. local Government), at the products end of life, where options for disposal arelimited. The materials producers and consumers, however, have little incentive, through waste levy policy, toreduce products inputs or consumption patterns, to achieve behavioural change and the holistic wastereduction strategy promoted by the EPA (2011; 2002, p.1).Rasmussen and Vigso (2005); Ackerman (1997; 2005); BDA Group (2004); Price and Joseph (2000); and Strong(2000) consider this a major limitation of the landfill levy policy application. Combined with the prescriptivesimplistic nature of the waste hierarchy only providing end of pipe solutions, landfill levy policy appears to beopposed to addressing the root cause of the waste generation problem.Interestingly, the Victorian EPA also supports this argument as indicated by their response to an EnvironmentAustralia commissioned report - Market Based Instruments for Waste Management. In the report the EPAconfirms that increasing landfill levies does not by itself drive rapid or substantial reduction in volumes ofwaste generated. Rather, efforts to reduce waste volumes disposed to landfill are generally most effectivewhen directed at waste generators rather than landfill operators or municipal councils (BDA Group 2004).The BDA Group (2004) argues that the links between disposal costs (e.g. landfill disposal fees, including thelandfill levy) and the behaviour of waste generators are often weak. This is due to the inherent lack oftransparency in itemising landfill disposal costs in municipal rates, and landfill operators and local councils havelittle if any influence over the activities that generate waste.The increases to the Victorian landfill levy, however are forecast to collect an additional $200 million a year,over the five-year period from 2010 to 2015 (MAV 2011a). Of this additional revenue, only a small proportion isidentified to be re-directed back into to municipal waste purposes or to increase the capacity of recycling andwaste diversion from landfill, through end-of-pipe treatment solutions. Limited funds recovered from thelandfill levy are allocated to address the generation of waste at the source of the materials product life cycle.Before the recent increases, the landfill levy collected around $50 million a year. These funds are distributedunder a formula established in the Environmental Protection (Distribution of Landfill Levy) Regulations 2010(and previously the 2002 version of the regulations). In 2008-09, the landfill levy was distributed betweenrelevant stakeholders and programs in the following manner:Table 6: 2008-09 landfill Levy distributed under Environmental Protection Act regulationsOrganisationRegional Waste Management groups (12)Metropolitan Waste Management GroupSustainability VictoriaEPA VictoriaSustainability FundTOTALSource: Municipal Association of Victoria (2011b).Funding$2.8 million$1.7 million$22 million$5.4 million$21 million$53 millionOf the additional $200 million forecast to be collected a year under the new arrangements, the previous StateGovernment made several funding commitments in the first year, totalling $56 million (MAV 2011b, p11). Theremaining $146 million is allocated to a general environmental sustainability fund to be administered bySustainability Victoria and not totally into “fostering environmentally sustainable use of resources and bestpractice in waste management” as described by EPA Victoria (2002 p.1). This approach therefore supports theProductivity Commission’s evaluation, that “Levies are currently used primarily to achieve landfill diversiontargets and to generate revenue for government (p.221)”.41

2 Policy ContextContinued concern expressed from local government about the level of significant reinvestment of the landfilllevy funds back into the waste management sector to increase the recovery of valuable resources, has seen thecurrent State Government make additional commitments to increase resource recovery.Local government accepts that landfill levies have a place within waste management policy and will continue toplay a role in the development of improved resource recovery initiatives. However, there is considerabledebate about the level of levy, its re-investment and the impact the current re-investment is making onresource recovery activities.It is for these reasons, the Productivity Commission highlights that it does not favour the use of landfill levies inAustralia, providing the following recommendation (p.227):Recommendation 9.1Governments should discontinue using landfill levies because:• the externalities of disposal to a properly-located, engineered and managed landfill are typically small,and the scope for applying levies without duplicating the effect of existing regulation is very limited• residual disposal externalities vary significantly according to waste type, location of disposal and type oflandfill facility, and it would be impractical to vary the levy to reflect that variability• using levies to achieve selected landfill diversion targets and revenue generation to fund environmentalprograms will not encourage outcomes which are in the best interests of the community, and may haveperverse consequences, such as increases in illegal dumping and other forms of evasion.The Productivity Commission’s research also found (2006, p.76):Finding 4.1The total external costs of properly-located, engineered and managed landfills that incorporate efficient gascapture (with electricity generation) are likely to be less than $5 per tonne of waste.The finding is supported by a BDA Group study commissioned in 2009 by the Department of Environment,Water, Heritage and the Arts into the full cost of landfill averaged across Australia. The report found theexternal costs ‘externalities’ associated with well-managed, best practice landfills, such as Hanson’s Wollertlandfill situated within Whittlesea, to be under $2 per tonne of waste or more specifically 4 per cent of thetotal disposal costs per tonne, estimated at $42.A peer review of the BDA Group’s report was undertaken by Blue Environment Pty Ltd. The peer review notedthat the BDA Group report was rational and well-supported, but did not address uncertainties well andconcludes that some of the costs seem conservative (DEWHA and EPHC 2010; Blue Environment 2009).It is considered that the costs of these uncertainties and conservative approach would appear unlikely toelevate the externality costs above the Productivity Commission’s estimate of $5 per tonne for best-practicelandfill.It is also considered unlikely that the figure would be in the order of the current Victorian Government’s landfilllevy, currently set at $48.40 (2012/13) and increasing progressively by 10 per cent each year until $58.50 in2014-15. A significant 1,263 per cent increase from 2001/2002 financial year’s landfill levy set at $4 per tonne,which is approximately the estimated eternality figure for environmental impacts associated with landfilldisposal posited by the Productivity Commission (2006).42

Although the previous State Government did not produce an evidence based cost-benefitanalysis supporting the significant increases to the landfill levy, the incumbent Government hasprovided a statement in support of increases to the landfill levy. The statement appears to oppose theextensively researched Productivity Commission (2006) report and the Federal Government’s report findingsconducted by the BDA Group (2009). It states:Prior to the increase in the landfill levy, the cost of discarding waste to landfill did not reflect the impact on theenvironment and the community. The levy increase from $30 to $44 per tonne of municipal waste is morerepresentative of these costs and brings Victoria’s levy closer to that in other states, such as New South Wales(Premier of Victoria’s Office 2011).It is interesting that the Victorian Government is seeking to increase the landfill levy to align closer with thelevy charged in NSW. The Productivity Commission argues that some states (ie; New South Wales), are usingincreases in the landfill levy as a means of generating revenue for Government and increasing the financialattractiveness of expensive alternatives to waste disposal, in order to solely achieve the state’s waste diversiontargets.The Productivity Commission’s argument is confirmed in a factsheet on the NSW landfill levy released by theNSW Office of Environment and Heritage, (cited in Serpo 2012). It states:Approximately two thirds of the funds raised by the levy goes to general revenue to support core services likeschools and hospitals. Approximately one third is allocated to waste and other environmental initiatives.Victoria’s landfill levy reinvestment, however, is distributed using a number of different methodologies whencompared to NSW.An analysis of the effectiveness of the levels of landfill levy between both states indicate that in 2006-07,NSW’s overall recycling rate was 52 per cent with a landfill levy rate of $30 per tonne, compared to Victoria’srecycling rate of 62 per cent at only $8 per tonne. This analysis shows that the level of the levy does not have astrong correlation or effect on the recovery of resources and the diversion of waste from landfill.A report prepared by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (2010) highlights thislack of effectiveness with the following assessment:…it seems apparent that the municipal waste stream has, in the past ten years, displayed the most stabilityand least elasticity or reaction to increases in the levy and other market forces.It is therefore questionable whether, in the absence of any other initiatives or drivers, further increases in thelevy will lead to any appreciable reduction in the municipal waste stream, which makes up a significantproportion (26 to 35%) of total waste disposed to landfill.In the Sydney metropolitan area, the landfill levy is scheduled to reach a significant $122.20 per tonne (in 2012dollars) in 2015-16, and is projected to generate about $1.8 billion in revenue over the next four years (Serpo2012). The NSW Government however has not reassessed the size of the levy in accordance with itseffectiveness and social impact of increased costs imposed on the community. It is interesting the VictorianGovernment is seeking to increase its landfill levy to align closer with its NSW counterpart.43

2 Policy ContextDuring the National Competition Policy Review of the proposed increases to the landfill levy in the Landfill LevyAmendment Act (2002), the Victorian Government stated:The landfill levy was introduced to raise funds for programs to divert wastes from landfill and develop suitablewaste management systems as well as stimulating further efforts in waste reduction by sending a signal toinvest in alternatives to landfill disposal. A review of landfill levies under the Act demonstrated that leviesneeded to be increased to provide sufficient funding to agencies undertaking waste management programs(cited in the BDA Group 2004, p53).The Victorian Government argues that increases to the landfill levy are a means of generating revenue forgovernment agencies and increasing the financial attractiveness of expensive alternatives to landfill disposal, toachieve landfill diversion targets. This policy approach is currently operating without the Government providinga sound cost-benefit analysis, or a regulatory impact assessment of these potential policy impacts. TheProductivity Commission (2006, p.223) argues that this policy approach has a strong risk of imposing “net-coststo the community”.A concern for this lack of robust evidence is also shared by the VAGO (2011) and reiterated by Collins (2009),the Environmental Assessment Institute (2005) and the BDA Group (2004).The Victorian Premier’s Office (2011) indicates the State Government’s new landfill levy increases are beingapplied to reflect the true environmental and community impacts (externality costs) of landfill disposal,therefore, internalising these externalities and accounting for these costs within the landfill levy rate.If the State Government has accurately accounted for the true environmental and community impactsassociated with landfill disposal this would mean that carbon dioxide emission climate change impacts wouldhave also been incorporated and accounted for within the Landfill Levy rate rise.The introduction of the Federal Government’s Carbon Pricing Scheme, from 1 July 2012, however will now alsointernalise these environmental and community ‘externality cost’ impacts associated with carbon dioxideemissions from landfill disposal. By accounting for these carbon dioxide emission impacts, within the landfilllevy, the Victorian Government will in-effect be ‘double dipping’ on this environmental impact (‘externality’)cost internalisation, and therefore, result in additional and unwarranted costs being imposed on Victoriancommunities.Prior to the increase in thelandfill levy, the cost ofdiscarding waste to landfill didnot reflect the impact on theenvironment and thecommunity. The levy increasefrom $30 to $44 per tonne ofmunicipal waste is morerepresentative of these costs(Premier of Victoria’s Office 2011)44

The Productivity Commissionargues that Landfill Levies arecurrently used primarily toachieve landfill diversion targetsand to generate revenue forgovernment. The increases tothe Victorian landfill levy areforecast to collect an additional$200 million a year to 2015.Proposed actions:Advocacy: Landfill levy and the environmental externalities of landfillIn line with the Productivity Commission (2006), VAGO (2011) and findings from other recent high levelreports, the following actions are proposed for inclusion into the current review of Victoria’s waste policyframework, aligning with Part 1A, s. 3D (2d and; 2e) of the Local Government Act, whereby Council has arole to provide leadership for good governance of the municipality, including advocating to governmentand acting as a responsible partner in government for the local communities best interests:Advocate to the State Government and the MAV for:A Regulatory Impact Assessment to be conducted of the Victorian landfill levy increases(consisting of a significant 1,110 per cent increase from 2001-2 to 20112-13), revisiting theirrationale. The assessment should include a full cost-benefit analysis, so that the size and scale ofthe levy is appropriate and aligns with the actual environmental externalities of landfill disposal,therefore, delivering optimal social, environmental and economic ‘net-community benefit’outcomes for Victoria.All levy funds collected to date and into the future to be directed back into strategic wastemanagement solutions for the sole purpose of addressing the externalities associated with wastedisposal and improving resource recovery efficiencies. Levy funds should not be directed intogeneral revenue, other environmental sustainability activities, or to make resource intensivealternative waste technologies competitive solely to meet State landfill diversion targets.The levy relating to the disposal of hazardous substances, such as domestic asbestos, to beremoved where there are no other alternative disposal options available and the levy is likely toresult in perverse outcomes such as illegal dumping and serious risks to human health. Levy fundsshould be allocated as subsidies for the safe disposal of this hazardous waste, reducing publichealth risks.The associated CO2 emissions impacts contained within the Victorian landfill levy to be removedas of 1 July 2012 (at the current carbon price), avoiding any double counting of this externality,therefore reducing unwarranted costs imposed on the Victorian community. This action is formedon the basis that the State Government has stated the recent landfill levy increases now trulyreflect the environmental and community cost impacts of landfill disposal.45

2 Policy ContextBest practice landfill and alternative waste technology performanceThis Council strategy recognises the distinct specific geographical differences in metropolitan Melbourne andtheir impact on waste management. The south-east of Melbourne in particular has real concerns with regardsto the suitable siting of appropriate landfill disposal sites. The development of Advanced Resource RecoveryTechnologies to service these areas would therefore provide sound long-term sustainable waste managementsolutions.The geographical circumstances to the west and north of the state, however provides a more complexscenario. There is strong evidence about the improving environmental performance of modern best practicelandfill, compared with alternative waste technologies. This is adding to the complexity of the issuesurrounding landfill disposal being viewed as the last resort waste disposal method, through the widelyaccepted principles of the ‘waste hierarchy’.The Productivity Commission (2006, p.89) provides the following finding on the performance of modern bestpracticelandfills with regard to providing for optimal net-community benefit:Finding 4.3Taking into account all private and external costs and benefits, properly-located, engineered and managedlandfills incorporating gas capture and electricity generation, are likely to be much less costly than ‘alternativewaste technology’ plants or dedicated energy-from-waste facilities, in most, if not all, circumstances.Further supporting evidence is provided by Dijkgraaf and Vollebergh (2005) with regards to the performance ofbest practice landfill, compared specifically with energy-to-waste facility cases found in Europe. The studyfound the social costs of incineration are estimated to be 6.1 billion (Euro) higher than sending waste to landfill.This is a significant excess cost indicating that ‘recovery of energy’ or ‘treatment’, via incineration, is not alwaysthe best solution as suggested by the ‘wastes hierarchy’.The Productivity Commission Report’s finding is also supported from a greenhouse gas emissions performanceperspective by a scientific study conducted in 2010 by Hyder Consulting, for Hanson Landfill Services and theCity of Whittlesea. The study assessed greenhouse gas emission impacts from the Wollert Landfill andcompared these impacts to alternative scenarios involving aerobic and anaerobic advanced resource recoverytechnology (ARRT) treatments.The Hyder Consulting investigation found:High performing landfill with extensive methane recovery can produce similar greenhouse gas outcomes toother waste treatment scenarios (Hyder 2010b, p1).Best practice landfill with good performance management is a potentially sound option from a greenhousegas management perspective (Hyder 2010, p3).The difference, however, between the Hyder study and the Productivity Commission’s findings is that thereport did not promote one clear winner among the scenarios and technologies assessed.However, the study did find that all scenarios and technologies assessed:- including the current base case involving disposal at Wollert landfill - resulted in net savings of greenhousegases (Hyder 2010a, p2).46

The key elements that determined the extent of the net-savings from each scenario ortechnology were; landfill methane emissions capture, carbon storage (within the landfill)and energy generation from recovered methane (Hyder 2010a and 2010b).The Wollert Landfill is operated as a renewable energy landfill with leachate recirculated back into the waste.This results in the decomposition process being speed up with significant volumes of methane gas beinggenerated and recycled as an alternative source of energy. Hanson (2012) calculates that approximately 11.5million cubic metres of methane is captured at the landfill each year, representing approximately 85 per cent ofthe total methane generated at Wollert. The capture of this gas is used to produce 35 million kilowatt hours ofelectricity, or enough energy to power 6,500 homes.Hyder Consulting provides the following comments in relation to the report’s findings:The outcomes of the study present significant challenges for both government and industry. The findings meanthat governments at all levels should not make assumptions about the greenhouse gas performance ofalternative treatments over landfill without assessing the full long term impacts of the particular technologies(Hyder 2010b, p1).In late 2010, Hanson commenced further investigations by undertaking a preliminary study of pre-sort optionsto potentially increase the site’s environmental performance through the recovery of valuable materialsdisposed of at the site for further treatment. The report conducted by Hyder Consulting was a pre-feasibilitystudy intended to provide Hanson with an overview of options that may be suitable from an economicstandpoint, for pre-sort facility development at the Wollert Landfill (Hyder 2010c).The report provides a positive preliminary analysis of the potential for front end pre-sort facility developmentto further enhance the environmental performance of the Wollert Landfill, which may also be economical overthe medium term payback period.In an open letter following the report’s findings, Hyder (2010d) provides the following details:…the combination of materials recovery facilities (MRFs), source-separated green waste treatment (with orwithout food waste) and front-end sorting at best-practice landfill sites (with methane recovery) have not beenfully examined in the Melbourne context.This combination of technologies will not lead to zero waste to landfill in the short or medium term. However,it is our belief that this combination would be relatively cost effective, would be relatively low risk, would leadto a reduced level of disposal to landfill, and provide a significantly better net environmental outcomecompared to current waste disposal practices in Melbourne.The Hyder (2010c) report recommends a more detailed analysis to be undertaken through a completefeasibility study, investigating the preferred pre-sort option further.47

2 Policy ContextThe combination of materialsrecovery facilities (MRFs),source-separated green wastetreatment (with or without foodwaste) and front-end sorting atbest-practice landfill sites (withmethane recovery) have notbeen fully examined with regardto net-community benefit in theMelbourne context(Hyder 2010d).Proposed actions:Investigation: pre-sort options for increasing best-practice landfill performanceTo efficiently increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials currently being disposed of atlandfill, the following Action is proposed for future advocacy to the State Government on the performanceof pre-sort options at best practice landfill:Advocate to the State Government through the Victorian Waste Policy Review to include detailedanalysis into the use of front end pre-sort facilities located at best-practice landfill sites to beconducted using a cost-benefit analysis approach, to determine the level of impact this approachmay provide in relation to net-community benefit.Seek opportunities from the State Government’s Landfill Levy re-investment program to fund a fullfeasibility study to be conducted on front end pre-sort resource recovery options at Hanson’sWollert landfill.48

3 Consultation & EngagementThe Municipal Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy (MWM&RRS) has beendeveloped to align with Council’s new local Environmental Sustainability Strategy currently underway.When completed, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy will be the overarching strategic document for allof Council’s environmental strategies including this waste strategy and the stormwater management plan. Theextensive consultation and engagement process conducted for the new Environmental Sustainability Strategyhas also been used for the development of this Strategy.Environmental Sustainability Strategy DevelopmentCouncil included community and stakeholder feedback for the new Environmental Sustainability Strategy (ESS)through three key stages of consultation to ensure that it reflects key stakeholder’s goals and priorities.Stage 1In 2008 and 2009, Council invited submissions from the community and conducted targeted meetings,workshops and a community survey.The Community Views Report was developed and summarises the feedback Council received, and includes theresults of environment-related questions asked in the 2008 Annual Household Survey. The report reflects thethoughts, aspirations and ideas of local residents and groups that contributed. The views summarised in thereport were considered and included within Stage 2 of Council’s community engagement process. This report isavailable at www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au (search term: environmental sustainability strategy).Stage 2Between September and November 2010, Council sought community feedback on draft key directions thatwere developed based on the outcomes of Stage 1.These key directions covered seven topic-based areas:1. Biodiversity2. Change strategies3. Climate change4. Land management5. Materials efficiency (Waste Management and Resource Recovery)6. Urban development7. Water directionsInput was sought on the Environmental Sustainability Strategy Draft Key Directions by:• A public submissions process- feedback in writing or by phone (feedback forms with closed and open-endedquestions).• Workshop 1 - for community members and stakeholders.• Workshop 2 - for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. This workshop had a slightlydifferent focus in terms of the input sought.• All staff were informed of the consultation process and invited to provide input. Tailored invitations weresent to Managers and specialist Officers.While input was being sought on the key directions, a questionnaire was provided to those seeking input viawritten submissions. A feedback form was included in the draft key directions and an on-line version of thefeedback form was available on Council’s web site. The key questions asked in the feedback form were alsoasked during the consultation workshops.49

3 Consultation & EngagementFeedback from this stage, which involved a submissions process and two community workshops, is summarisedin the Draft Key Directions Consultation Report also available to be viewed at www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au(search term: environmental sustainability strategy).Stage 3The final stage of consultation provides an opportunity for the community and key external and internalstakeholders to comment on the draft Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Municipal WasteManagement & Resource Recovery Strategy. This process will occur in 2012 before the documents are finalisedand presented to Council for endorsement.Annual Community Satisfaction Survey ResultsThe Department of Planning and Community Development’s annual Community Satisfaction Survey has beenused as a valuable tool to gain an overview of the community’s needs and Council performance in relation towaste management activities. The results from the 2010 and 2011 surveys have been combined with theextensive local community consultation process.The 2010 Community Satisfaction Survey observed for the second consecutive year that Whittlesea scored thehighest Indexed Mean score (77) for its outer metropolitan LGA group, with 89 per cent of respondentssatisfied with Council’s waste services provision.Figure 12: Whittlesea’s satisfaction Survey ‘waste management’ performance results 2011Source: DPCD (2011, p 19)50

In 2011, Council maintained its high performance standards for waste services. The two figures below detailWhittlesea’s strong and consistent performance during years 2010 and 2011 in the area of waste management.Figure 13: Whittlesea’s community satisfaction waste management performance assessment: 2011Source: DPCD (2011, p 9)The survey results also highlight the key challenges facing Whittlesea’s current high development growth, withsome respondents requesting more frequent and reliable kerbside services. Some respondents also expresseddissatisfaction at the increase in costs of waste services and disposal at the landfill site or ‘tip’. This trendcoincides with the dramatic increases to the State Government’s landfill levy that commenced in 2009-2010.The figures below highlight the community’s frustration with increased costs as a key area required forimprovement. However, Council does not have a direct influence in these cost increases, especially withregards to the landfill levy set by the State Government.51

3 Consultation & EngagementFigure 14: Community satisfaction survey - reasons for improvement ‘waste management’ 2010Source: DPCD (2010, p 19)Figure 15: Community Satisfaction Survey - Reasons for improvement ‘waste management’ 2011Source: DPCD (2011, p 19)52

4 Strategic Plan4.1 OverviewThe City of Whittlesea is committed to incorporating best practice sustainable principles in its new MunicipalWaste Management Strategy to meet community needs now and in the future.One of the City’s successful efforts has been managing kerbside waste. The kerbside recycling collection servicethat began in December 1996 has greatly reduced the amount of valuable materials being wasted in landfill.These and other services have allowed household mobile garbage bins to downsize dramatically from 240 to120 litres and meant that many more valuable materials are being diverted for recycling and a second life.The introduction of the fully commingled Kerbside Recycling Collection Service in October 2003 and theimplementation of the user-pays optional Kerbside Garden Waste Bin service in July 2008 have furtherincreased the amount of recyclables collected per household.Based on the current service level being maintained (Business-as-Usual) and the projected municipalpopulation growth (estimated average at 4.11 per cent per annum) over the strategy period (2012-2020), it ispossible to project the amount of waste and recycling which will be collected and processed and the costs overthis period.Figure 16: Historical & anticipated ‘BAU’ trends of municipal collection & drop-off services (Tonnes)100,000Total Recycle (Tonnes) Garbage (Total) Households (Residential)100,00080,00080,000Households60,00040,00060,00040,000Tonnes20,00020,000-‘96-97‘97-98‘98-99‘99-00‘00-01‘01-02‘02-03‘03-04‘04-05‘05-06‘06-07‘07-08‘08-09‘09-10‘10-11‘11-12‘12-13‘13-14‘14-15‘15-16‘16-17‘17-18‘18-19‘19-20-Figure 17: Historical & anticipated ‘BAU’ financial costs of municipal collection & drop-off services ($ Ex. GST)$20,000,000$18,000,000$16,000,000$14,000,000$12,000,000$10,000,000$8,000,000$6,000,000$4,000,000$2,000,000$-‘02-03Carbon Tax Landfill Levy Total Recycling $ Total Landfill $‘03-04‘04-05‘05-06‘06-07‘07-08‘08-09‘09-10‘10-11‘11-12‘12-13‘13-14‘14-15‘15-16‘16-17‘17-18‘18-19‘19-2053

4 Strategic Plan4.2 Key Strategic DirectionsThe development of the Municipal Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy (MWM&RRS) 2012-2020 is in part, constrained by existing collection contract arrangements until 2016 and the current uncertaintyof State based policy formulation, while the Victorian waste policy is reviewed. As a result, the Strategy has twophases.The Strategy sets out two key strategic directions focused on improvement to valuable resource recovery fromthe existing kerbside services designed to meet the needs of a growing population in amanner that provides maximum benefit to the community.Key strategic direction 1 (2012-2016):Expansion of the current Kerbside Recycling Service to include Commercial & Industrialproperties within the municipalityThe potential expansion of the kerbside service to include around 2,500 commercial and industrial propertieshas the opportunity to capture the large amount of recyclable materials (up to 50 per cent) contained withinthe current commercial and industrial garbage bin.Based on recovering 35 per cent of recyclable materials, the service expansion could potentially divert around1,000 tonnes on average of valuable recyclables a year from landfill.Implementation of the service in 2013-14 has the potential to save around 6,800 tonnes of recyclables and$400,000 (around $70,000 annual average) through avoided landfill disposal costs (including the landfill levyand the carbon price impacts) by 2020.In addition to building upon the existing kerbside services for the initial four-year period, this Strategy will alsolook to provide additional ongoing benefit for the Whittlesea community for the later period of the Strategy.Recycling services tocommercial andindustrial premises couldpotentially divert around1,000 tonnes on averageof valuable recyclables ayear from landfill.54

The following key strategic direction has been identified for further investigation and considerationin the second phase of the Strategy 2016-2020.This would complement existing kerbside service improvements for Whittlesea’s municipal waste managementand resource recovery services and activities.Key strategic direction 2 (2016-2020):Investigate the development of front-end sort technology at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill for thepre-sorting of valuable recyclable materials remaining in the kerbside garbage service.The development of front-end sort technology at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill for the pre-sorting of valuablerecyclable materials remaining in the kerbside garbage service could further reduce waste from landfill byabout 15 per cent based on Hanson Wollert Landfill’s preliminary pre-sort facility assessment data. This wouldoccur through the recovery of plastics, metals, paper and cardboard and timber.Based on recovering 15 per cent, the development of a pre-sort facility could potentially divert around 6,000tonnes on average of valuable materials for reprocessing a year from landfill. Implementation of the service in2016-17 has the potential to recover around 26,800 tonnes of materials and save around $3.7 million (around$1 million annual average) through avoided landfill disposal costs (including the landfill levy and carbon priceimpacts) by 2020.A pre-sort facility atHanson’s Wollert landfillcould potentially divertaround 6,000 tonnes (onaverage) of valuablematerials a year forreprocessing.55

5 Municipal Waste Services5.1 OverviewThe municipality is a fast-growing, diverse community with 32.7 per cent of the population having been bornoverseas and now living in a range of household types in both older suburbs as well as in rural and semi-ruralsettings.To meet the needs of the community, the City of Whittlesea offers a wide range of municipal wastemanagement services including:Kerbside collectionTable 7: Kerbside collection servicesService Frequency Mode Provider ExpiryGarbage(Domestic / C&I)Recycling(Domestic / C&I)Garden Waste (optional)Bundled Greens(pre-booked)Hard Waste(pre-booked)WeeklyFortnightlyFortnightly(user-pays)At-call(weekly)At-call(2 per year)120L & 240L(mobile bins)240L(mobile bin)240L(mobile bin)Tied bundlesnature stripVisy Recycling June 2016Visy Recycling June 2016JJ Richards &SonsContractTreesCity ofWhittleseaJuly 2015June 2012OngoingDisposalfacilityHanson(Wollert)VISY(Banyule)SITA(Epping)SITA(Epping)Hanson(Wollert)ExpiryOngoingJune 2016June 2015June 2013N/A(in-house)Waste and recycling drop-off (Ratepayer disposal vouchers)Table 8: Drop-off facility servicesService Frequency (each year) ModeDisposal/recyclefacilityContract ExpiryHard waste 2 vouchers drop-off Hanson (Wollert) December 2014Garden waste 4 vouchers drop-off SITA (Epping) June 2021Timber waste 4 vouchers drop-off Mossrock Mulch (Epping) June 2021Litter and debris managementTable 9: litter and debris management activitiesService Frequency Mode ProviderStreet sweeping Monthly (each street) Truck City of WhittleseaDrain cleaning Monthly rotation Truck City of WhittleseaManual litter & dumped rubbish Daily / weekly Manual pickers City of WhittleseaLitter bin clearance Daily / weekly 120L mobile wheelie bin City of WhittleseaFootpath sweeping Daily (shopping strips) Small vehicle City of WhittleseaEnvironmental education activitiesLandfill rehabilitation and aftercare management56

5.2 Kerbside Collection ServicesThe kerbside garbage and recycling bin services started in December 1996 and the optional user-pays gardenwaste bin service in July 2008.The City of Whittlesea now currently provides waste and recycling services to around 60,000 residentialproperties and around 2400 commercial and industrial properties. In the 2011-2012, more than 3,940 newproperties required these services, a seven per cent growth from the previous year.5.2.1 Kerbside Garbage CollectionThe City of Whittlesea provides a weekly kerbside garbage collection to households that each receive a 120litre mobile garbage bin (MGB). A similar weekly service using a 240 litre MGB is also available to commercialand industrial premises. Extra bins are available for both services at an additional charge.In 2011/2012, garbage was collected from 58,442 properties including around 300 from non-residentialproperties like sporting clubs, activity centres and schools (See Attachment B for details). Waste was collectedfrom around 2,400 commercial and industrial properties. The garbage comprised around 31,500 tonnes ofresidential and 2,423 tonnes of commercial garbage and was disposed of at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill. Councilspent $4,579,761 on residential and commercial garbage service provision in 2011/2012.Kerbside bin audits show the average weight of the domestic garbage bin has steadily decreased from 19.3kg in1996 to a low 7.94kg per household per week in 2011. The 2012 audit results showed that the bin weight hadincreased marginally by 0.9kg, the first increase for three years.Table 10: City of Whittlesea’s average garbage bin weight (kg) per household per week over timeYear /(bin size)’96(240L)’98(120L)‘99(120L)’00(120L)’01(120L)’02(120L)Ave. weight19.3 13.5 11.3 11.1 11.5 12.3 11.9 11.1 9.2 9.6 8.0 7.9 7.9 8.8(kg)Source: City of Whittlesea (2011) Domestic Waste Stream Audit’03(120L)’04(120L)’06(120L)’08(120L)’09(120L)’10(120L)’11(120L)’12(120L)Figure 18: City of Whittlesea’s average garbage bin weight (kg) per household per week over time20Ave. weight (kg)15Ave. weight (kg)10501996 1998(240L) (120L)1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Source: City of Whittlesea (2011) Domestic Waste and Recycling Audit57

5 Municipal Waste ServicesThe 2011 and 2012 domestic waste audits indicate that residents present their domestic garbage bin forcollection each week consistently above 90 per cent. Around 60 per cent of households still have at least 20 percent capacity remaining. This suggests the bin is appropriately sized, despite some residents expressing a viewreported in the annual community satisfaction survey conducted by the DPCD that the bin is ‘too small’.Recently a Leader Newspapers story on waste and recycling highlighted Environment Victoria’s support forgarbage bins across Victoria to be reduced to 80 litre capacity in order to reduce waste sent to landfill andincrease recycling. Further investigations and discussions into this issue uncovered that while EnvironmentVictoria support reducing waste sent to landfill and increasing recycling they are also of the view that reducingbin sizes requires careful consideration and simply reducing the bin size alone will not achieve this desiredeffect. Specific local circumstances and socio-demographic considerations combined with appropriate recyclingservices and community education programs all combine to achieve this overall strategy. Environment Victoriasuggest that in some cases if implemented prematurely before the community is ready for such a move, thatthere is a chance that smaller bins might increase contamination within the recycling bin and instances ofrubbish dumping.Considering the above in combination with the results obtained from recent waste and recycling audits. Amove to smaller 80 litre bins would cost ratepayers in the order of an additional $3 million for the purchase ofnew bins, combined with the potential to result in around 55 per cent of households’ garbage bins to be full oroverflowing each week causing potential litter issues. A forced reduction of this kind would therefore placeadditional stress on Council’s other kerbside services with the potential to cause flow on contaminationimpacts and increased costs to the recycling, garden waste services. The reduced capacity will also have thepotential to create additional litter and dumped rubbish, increased servicing costs, already a major concern forthe community.What’s in residential kerbside garbageFood waste is the largest component of residential garbage, accounting for about 50 per cent of all materials,followed by residual items (carpet, bricks and electrical appliances) at around 20 per cent. Garden waste andrecyclables (paper/cardboard, recyclable plastics and other recyclable containers) contributed a quarter of thegarbage bin in 2011, at 12.7 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively, however, both reduced in 2012 to 5.2 percent and 9.7 per cent (City of Whittlesea 2011 and 2012).Figure 19: Average composition of kerbside residential garbage bin (2011 & 2012)RecyclableContainers, 7.3%GardenWaste,12.7%DisposablNappies,6.2%Paper &Cardboard, 5.5%ResidualItems,16.8%2011Clothing &Textiles,1.80%food,49.6%Paper &Cardboard, 4.8%RecyclableContainers, 4.9%GardenWaste,5.2%DisposablNappies,7.8%nonrecyclablepaper,2.9%ResidualItems,20.6%2012Clothing &Textiles,1.9%food,51.2%Source: City of Whittlesea (2011 and 2012) Domestic Waste Stream Audit58

There is room for further waste reduction and the recovery of valuable materials.Recyclable materials still make up 9.7 per cent (paper and cardboard 4.8 per cent and plastic containers 4.9 percent) and garden waste 5.2 per cent (12.8 per cent in 2011). If this was re-processed, it could reduce residentialgarbage by 15 per cent or a quarter based on 2011 figures. The removal and redirection of these materials fromthe waste stream could potentially see a further reduction in the average weight of domestic garbage bins anddivert valuable materials from landfill.Reducing food waste (about 50 per cent) provides the major opportunity to dramatically reduce waste sent tolandfill. However, there are currently limited successful alternatives for the diversion and processing of foodwastes within Victoria.Food waste diversion carries high costs and resources associated with food waste processing and mayoutweigh the overall community benefit. Further efforts in this area would require a detailed cost benefitanalysis of landfill practices and their energy use to ensure the diversion of this material meets the optimal netcommunitybenefit test.What’s in commercial and industrial kerbside garbageIn 2008 the kerbside audit included commercial and industrial garbage bin data as part of the investigation toassess the potential of offering a recycling service to commercial and industrial properties. The audit involved50 mobile 240 litre bins collected at random from the Bundoora Shopping Centre (22 bins) and an industrialestate in Thomastown (26 bins). The total amount of garbage audited was 693 kg. The commercial bins werealmost twice as heavy as the industrial garbage bins, with commercial bins weighing 19.6kg and industrial bins10.9kgFigure 20: Average composition of kerbside commercial garbage binPlastics #1-3, 1.8%Garden Waste, 2.7%Other Hard Plastics,7.5%Other RecyclableContainers, 12.5%Residual Items (other),13.7%Commercial garbagePlastics #4-6, 0.6%Disposable Nappies,0.3%food, 33.3%Paper & Cardboard,27.6%Source: City of Whittlesea (2008) Domestic Waste Stream AuditFigure 21: Average Composition of kerbside industrial garbage binPlastics #1-3, 1.3%Other RecyclableContainers, 5.4%Other Hard Plastics,13.5%Industrial garbagePlastics #4-6, 0.8%Garden Waste, 0.1%Disposable Nappies,0.3%Residual Items (other),43.5%food, 13.5%Paper & Cardboard,21.6%Source: City of Whittlesea (2008) Domestic Waste Stream Audit59

5 Municipal Waste ServicesFigures 18 and 19 (above) detail the composition of the commercial and industrial garbage streams indicatingthat recyclable material contributes up to 50 per cent of waste disposed of in these services, representing moreopportunities to divert recyclables from landfill.Table 11: Recyclables breakdown contained within the C&I garbage streamCategory Commercial IndustrialRecycling containers 12.5% 5.4%Plastic containers (1-6) & other plastics 9.9% 15.6%Paper and cardboard 27.6% 21.6%Total Recyclable 50.0% 42.6%Following the audit, Council began a commercial recycling trial in July 2009 for commercial businesses thatwanted to commence recycling. The trial now involves about 100 businesses and has the potential for widerapplication.Kerbside garbage increasingThere has been a steady increase in the amount of garbage going to landfill within the municipality. Between2002-2003 and 2011-2012, landfill grew from 23,534 to 31,441 tonnes, at an increase of 34 per cent or anaverage annual increase of 3.4 per cent. When compared to a 52 per cent growth in properties serviced overthe same period, the total landfill tonnes represent an 18 per cent lag (or 1.8 per cent lag each year) behindgrowth over the past ten years. This lag can be attributed to increased services, annual community educationcampaigns, the implementation of the fully comingled kerbside recycling and optional garden waste binservices.Figure 22: Whittlesea’s kerbside garbage bin quantities against properties serviced overtime60,00050,000Garbage (C&I) Garbage (MSW) Households60,00050,000Households40,00030,00020,00040,00030,00020,000tonnes10,00010,0000‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-120Key issues and opportunitiesOpportunities still remain to improve resource recovery from both domestic households and commercial andindustrial properties through targeted community education programs, awareness initiatives and increasedservice provision. If all recyclable materials (including garden waste) were removed and placed in the correctrecycling bin for re-processing. The domestic garbage bin would reduce from by around 1kg average perhousehold. The recovery of recyclable materials contained in the commercial and industrial garbage bin of upto 50 per cent would also provide a major opportunity to recovery valuable materials for processing.60

Recyclable materials placedincorrectly within the residentialgarbage bin still make uparound 15 per cent (25 per centin 2011). Recyclables make up9.7 per cent (paper andcardboard 4.8 per cent andplastic containers 4.9 per cent)and garden waste 5.2 per cent.Proposed actions:Kerbside garbage collection services (Residential and Commercial & Industrial)To increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials going to landfill, the following actionsare proposed:Investigate options to recover the recyclable materials currently going to landfill in the kerbsideresidential garbage stream, while maintaining current services.Carry out a cost benefit analysis of requirements to move from a pilot to a full-scale commercialand industrial recycling service to capture the high recycling content.5.2.2 Kerbside Recycling CollectionThe City of Whittlesea provides a fortnightly kerbside commingled recycling collection service to residents forthe collection and processing of products (glass and plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans, paper andcardboard) via a 240 litre mobile wheelie bin, with extra bins available at an additional charge.The kerbside recycling program began in December 1996 and in October 2003, paper and cardboard was addedand commingled to the fortnightly 240L wheelie bin collection service. The transition to a fully commingledrecycling service had the benefit of significantly reducing windblown litter from the municipality.During the 2011-2012 financial year, recyclables were collected from around 58,442 residential, 300 nonresidential(see Attachment A) and 100 commercial properties via a trial service at selected commercialpremises located within the residential collection zone of the municipality. Council spent $754,179 on thecollection and processing of recyclables in 2011-2012.The recyclables are processed by Visy Recycling at the Banyule materials recovery facility (MRF).Kerbside bin audits show the average weight of the domestic recycle bin has increased to 11.2 kg perhousehold per week in 2012. Materials incorrectly presented to the recycling stream continue to account forbetween 10 and 15 per cent, as shown in Table 12.61

5 Municipal Waste ServicesTable 12: City of Whittlesea’s average recycle bin weight (kg) per household per fortnight over timeYear ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘06 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12Ave. bin weight 13.2 6.9 7.6 5.7 5.7 6.6 6.5 10.1 10.5 10.3 10.4 10.7 11.0 11.2Recycling 6.7 5.7 6.3 4.8 5.1 5.6 5.5 8.7 8.6 9 9.3 9.3 9.5 9.8Contamination 6.5 1.2 1.3 0.9 0.6 1.0 1.0 1.4 1.9 1.3 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.4Contamination (%) 48.9 17.1 17.6 16.1 9.8 15.3 15.8 13.8 18.2 12.2 10.9 9.7 12.3 12.7Source: City of Whittlesea (2011) Domestic Waste Stream AuditFigure 23: City of Whittlesea’s average recycle bin weight (kg) per household per fortnight over time14.0Contamination (kg)Recycled (kg)12.0Kg / household / fortnight10.08.06.04.02.00.01997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Source: City of Whittlesea (2011 and 2012) Domestic Waste Stream AuditIn 2002-2003, only 64 per cent of households were using the recycling service regularly each fortnight. In 2011-2012 the participation rate had risen to over 90 per cent, an indication that community acceptance of recyclinghas increased. Around 35 per cent of people present their 240 litre recycle bin close to capacity (above 80 percent full) indicating that the bin size is adequate for the majority of participants.What’s in kerbside recyclingRecyclable paper and cardboard items make up the bulk of materials, accounting for approximately 48.3 percent of the recycling stream. Glass containers were next (25.2 per cent) followed by contaminants (12.3 percent), while liquid paperboard (milk and fruit juice cartons) represented the smallest quantity of recyclablematerials accounting for less than one per cent of the recycling stream. Since the introduction of the recyclingservice and community education programs from 1998 onwards, the level of contamination has dramaticallyreduced, stabilising at between 10 and 15 per cent.Figure 24: Average composition of kerbside recycle bin (240L)Steel Cans, 2.1%Plastics #1-3, 6.3%Aluminun Foil & Cans,1.3%Plastics #4-6, 1.0%Other Hard Plastics,1.0%Liquid Paper Board,0.9%Contamination, 13.8%Glass Containers,25.2%Paper & Cardboard,48.3%Source: City of Whittlesea (2011) Domestic Waste Stream Audit62

Figure 25: Average composition of contamination found within the kerbside recycle bin (240L)Timber Waste, 2.3%Clothing & Textiles,7.4%Garden Waste, 8.3%Plastic Bags, 1.5%Contaminated(soiled) Paper, 2.6%Bagged Rubbish,11.4%food, 15.5%ContaminationDisposable Nappies,0.9%Hazardous, 0.7%Contamination,0.0%Polystyrene, 0.7%'other' nonrecyclableItems,29.4%Recycling in PlasticBags, 19.2%Source: City of Whittlesea (2011) Domestic Waste Stream Audit‘Other’ non-recyclable items are the most prevalent contaminant found within the recycling stream, accountingfor 29.4 per cent, followed by recyclables in plastic bags at 19.2 per cent.Kerbside recycling increasingThere has been a steady increase in recyclables recovered for reprocessing since 2002-2003.Recycling collection increased from 9,429 tonnes in 2002-2003 to 16,871 tonnes in 2011-2012 an increase of 79per cent, or an average annual growth rate of 8.7 per cent. This compares to a 5.2 per cent annual averageincrease in the number of households serviced in the same period, indicating recycling is outpacing growth byover 3 per cent. This is due to increased community awareness of recycling and the City of Whittlesea’sextensive community education activities along with the inclusion of commingled paper and cardboard into thekerbside recycle bin, providing a more user-friendly service.Figure 26: Whittlesea’s kerbside recycling service quantities against tenements serviced overtime60,00030,00050,000Recycling (tonnes)Households25,00040,00020,000Households30,00020,00015,00010,000Tonnes10,0005,0000‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12063

5 Municipal Waste ServicesKey issues and opportunitiesSeparation of waste materials at source (using separate bins at home) is fundamental to ensuring cost-effectiveresource recovery and processing. Separation by the resident helps to reduce the labour and energy requiredto sort materials and manage contamination at processing sites. Education programs need to continue toreduce the disposal of non-recyclable materials and items that damage processing infrastructure.Contamination can also pose serious health and safety risks for collectors and processors and cause equipmentdamage.Problematic waste items include recyclables placed in plastic bags and hazardous materials such as batteriesand clinical waste such as needles and syringes.Recyclables placed in plastic bags continue to be a problem. These items are difficult to extract for processingat the Material Recovery Facility and as a result, the bagged recyclables mostly end up being sent to landfill.Recyclables disposed of in this manner represent a resource loss within the recycling stream.The 2011 waste and recycling audit randomly selected four streets, identified as new within the municipality.The high resource loss and contamination rates for the garbage and recycling streams in these streets showthat new housing communities would benefit from more education and engagement programs.Recyclables placed inplastic bags (around 20 percent) continues to be aproblem and mostly endup being sent to landfill.Recyclables disposed of inthis manner represents aresource loss within therecycling stream.Proposed actions:Kerbside recycling collection serviceTo increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials, the following actions are proposed:Investigate options to recover valuable materials lost through incorrect disposal methods, such asthe placement of recyclables in plastic bags, while maintaining kerbside residential recyclingcollection services.Continue the recycling bin inspection program with a focus on targeting new residential areas forincreased education strategies.Continue Council participation in the ‘Get It Right On Bin Night’ recycling education program coordinatedby Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group.Ensure waste and recycling information brochures including new resident information packs arereviewed annually, with information translated in other languages and made accessible to all.64

5.2.3 Kerbside Garden Waste Bin collectionAn optional user-pays Garden Waste Bin service was introduced in July 2008, with 13,779 or 31 per cent ofurban households eligible for the service taking part. Since 2008, the service has grown and by the end of June2012 around 25,600, or 47 per cent of eligible households, are now using a garden waste bin to dispose ofaround 10,000 tonnes of garden waste.The kerbside mobile garden waste bin service collects:• Leaves• Grass clippings• Weeds• Pruning and branches no greater than 100mm in diameter and 300mm in length• Bark.Table 13: Summary of kerbside garden waste bin collection service detail (at financial year’s end)Financial Year 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012Garden waste bin services 16,300 18,900 22,600 25,675Service take up rate* (%)*eligible urban households36% 40% 44% 47%Total tonnes 4,154 5,327 9,592 10,045Contamination (%) Less than 1% Less than 1% Less than 1% Less than 1%What’s in kerbside garden wasteAn audit of the garden waste bin stream in 2010 showed the average household bin weighed about 22 kg, witha high compliance rate among service users with 99.2 per cent of users placing the correct materials into thebin. The high success rate reflects the optional, user-pays nature of the service, with participants keen to usethe service as intended.Quantities of kerbside garden waste bin streamThere has been a dramatic increase in garden waste recovered for reprocessing since the service began in July2008, up from 4,154 to around 10,000 tonnes in 2011-12, an increase of close to 150 per cent, with a significant80 per cent increase occurring between 2009-10 and 2010-11. The increase reflects a return to average rainfallpatterns increasing vegetation growth and service take up during this period.65

5 Municipal Waste ServicesFigure 27: Whittlesea’s kerbside garden waste bin service quantities against households serviced30,00025,000Total tonnesGarden waste bin services30,00025,000Households serviced20,00015,00010,0005,00020,00015,00010,0005,000tonnes02008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-120Key issues and opportunitiesThere is still more opportunity to cut the amount of garden waste going to landfill. Kerbside residential garbagestill contains some garden waste being sent to landfill (5.2 per cent in 2012 and 12.8 per cent in 2011). Amunicipal-wide garden waste bin collection service has the potential to reduce garden waste sent to landfill.However, 55 per cent of the municipality has indicated to Council that they do not require such a service and ifintroduced prematurely, it may generate higher contamination rates within garden bins, offsetting any benefit.Proposed actions:Kerbside optional user-pays garden waste bin collection serviceTo increase the City of Whittlesea’s services to all residents and improve the recovery of valuable materials,the following actions are proposed:Undertake an analysis investigating the costs and benefits of a full municipal-wide garden wastecollection service, including re-surveying residents regarding the need for such a service.5.2.4 Kerbside Bundled Branch CollectionCouncil’s current pre-booked kerbside bundled branches collection service was introduced in December 1996and previously allowed residents to provide containers for the collection of grass clippings and leaves etc.While this arrangement was cost effective for the collection of grass clippings, it was not best practice, hadoccupational health and safety issues and was less user-friendly, compared to mobile wheelie bin collections.When the optional (user-pays) garden waste bin collection service began in July 2008, the removal of residentprovided containers dramatically reduced these manual handling risks.66

The current pre-booked kerbside bundled branches service requires residents to contact Council’scustomer service staff to arrange a kerbside collection.This at-call pre-booking arrangement enables customer service personnel to provide advice on the right sizeand bundling of material.The service is available to residents on a weekly basis and there is no limit to the number of bookings forcollections residents can receive during the year. In the 2011-2012 financial year 15,135 bookings werereceived, collecting 1,180 tonnes of green waste.Table 14: Summary details of pre-booked kerbside bundled branches collection serviceFinancial Year ‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11/12Collections 14,870 14,101 19,175 20,000 16,242 20,425 11,854 12,770 15,334 15,135Total tonnes 1,883 1,830 2,476 2,298 1,856 2,084 900 1,224 1,291 1,180Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Quantities of kerbside bundled branches serviceThe quantities and number of booking requests has remained steady compared to Whittlesea’s growth from2002 through to 2008, with 2006-07 showing a decrease due to drought conditions. A significant drop inbookings was recorded with the introduction of the garden waste bin service and the removal of the residentprovided containers.Figure 28: Kerbside pre-booked bundled branch service quantities against collections25,000Total tonnesCollections2,50020,0002,000Collections15,00010,0001,5001,000Total tonnes5,0005000‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11/1205.2.5 Kerbside Hard Waste CollectionSimilar to the bundled branches service, residents can also contact Council’s Customer Service Department toarrange and pre-book a kerbside hard waste collection. This enables Council to advise on the acceptable sizeand type of items that can be collected to minimise occupational health and safety issues and maintain aconsistent service.67

5 Municipal Waste ServicesAccess to this service is limited to two bookings per year of up to one cubic metre per booking, for example twolarge bulky items (couch and bed mattress) and two smaller items (kitchen chair and box of odds and ends).The materials are collected using a rear loading hard waste compactor and are disposed of at Hanson’s WollertLandfill, where metal items are recovered for recycling.Quantities of kerbside hard waste serviceDuring the 2011-2012 financial year around 15,000 hard waste bookings were made, with a total of 1,011tonnes of material being collected and disposed of at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill.Table 15: Summary details of pre-booked kerbside hard waste collection serviceFinancial Year ‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘10/12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Collections 6,722 7,838 9,012 9,345 10,068 10,319 11,234 12,483 13,878 14,933TonneslandfilledTonnesrecycledTonnescollected270 285 316 399 458 607 622 840 990 1002233 244 296 114 183 105 94 37 4 9503 529 612 513 641 712 716 877 994 1011Figure 29: Kerbside hard waste service quantities against collections16,000Tonnes collectedCollections1200collections14,00012,00010,0008,0006,0004,0002,0001000800600400200tonnes0‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-120Key issues and opportunitiesThe municipality’s significant growth and declining use of the resident drop-off disposal voucher system hasincreased service demand significantly.Historically steel made up around 35 per cent of all materials collected and was separated for recycling directlyat Sims Recycling in Campbellfield.68

The service is now reaching the upper limits of its capacity to service collections within the agreedtime frame of within five working days. These increased service demands have also made the directrecycling of steel from the kerbside by Council operationally unviable.While the Hanson Wollert landfill currently recovers some metals being disposed of to the site, Council hasexplored opportunities to enter into partnerships with metal recyclers that also support social benefits todisadvantaged members of the community, such as increased employment, training and development.Proposed actions:Kerbside Hard Waste collection service (pre-booked)To maintain high service standards and increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials thefollowing actions are proposed:Review annually the kerbside pre-booked (at-call) hard waste service, ensuring service standardsare maintained and opportunities with private recycling businesses to efficiently recover themaximum amount of valuable materials are included.5.2.6 Servicing Multi-dwelling DevelopmentsAt present, the City of Whittlesea accommodates predominantly single-dwelling detached buildings, whichaccount for around 90 per cent of the housing stock. The majority of multi-dwelling constructions currentlyconsist of low-density villa style units and townhouse developments. Multi-dwellings are typically smallerdevelopments of one or two storey located at ground level, containing three or more dwellings.More housing and a greater diversity of housing will be needed in the established areas of the City ofWhittlesea into the future due to changing demographic circumstances and increasing population.This means that the City of Whittlesea will be required to adapt to these changing circumstances with an initialfocus on the Epping Central area where a range of different housing types - including multi-storey apartments,terraces, townhouses, home offices and villa units will feature that are close to public transport, shops andservices.The focus will be on creating more affordable, sustainable and accessible housing for the community.The provision of waste services to these varying developments will continue to grow in complexity. Multidwellingdevelopments containing more than five dwellings will require the developer to produce a wastemanagement plan and incorporating this detail into the development’s design. Some developments may berequired to enter into a private servicing arrangement where the development cannot accommodate Council’sexisting waste management services.As a minimum, the areas contained within Attachment B (refer to Servicing Multi-dwelling DevelopmentsGuidelines) are to be incorporated into a new multi-dwelling developments design, referencing whereappropriate all laws, regulations and guidelines adhered too prior to submission to Council for approval.69

5 Municipal Waste ServicesThe Development’s design, collection methods and systems used to service waste management within multidwellingdevelopments must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) and all other relevantdocuments including, but not limited to the following:• Sustainability Victoria (2010), ‘Guide to Best Practice for Waste Management in Multi-unit Developments’,State of Victoria.• WorkSafe Victoria (2003) ‘NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE AND RECYCLABLE MATERIALS: Occupational Healthand Safety Guidelines for the Collection, Transport and Unloading of Non-hazardous Waste and RecyclableMaterials’, June 2003, State of Victoria.• WorkSafe Victoria (2004), ‘Safety Alert – Reversing Waste Collection Vehicles – Reducing the Risks, October2004, State of Victoria.Further details of Council’s requirements and guidelines for the collection of waste and recycling serviceswithin multi-dwelling developments can be found in Appendix B.Proposed actions:Servicing waste and recycling collections at Multi-dwelling developmentsTo maintain high and consistent service standards for the City of Whittlesea, the following actions areproposed:Ensure that a consistent approach is maintained for the servicing of multi-dwellingdevelopments through guidelines adopted within this MWM&RR Strategy 2012-20.Review multi-dwelling development servicing guidelines annually ensuring industry best practiceis maintained.Participate in regional working groups at MWMG ensuring industry best-practice on this issue iscontinued.Investigate the costs and benefits for the introduction of smaller collection vehicles by currentcontractors or as contracts end in 2016.70

5.2.7 Summary: Kerbside Collection ServicesTable 16: Summary data of kerbside collections services (tonnes)Financial Year ‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Landfill Collection & Disposal (Tonnes)Garbage (MSW) 23,534 24,378 25,446 26,406 26,550 26,737 27,053 29,371 31,363 31,441Garbage (C&I) 2,007 2,059 2,111 2,163 2,215 2,267 2,319 2,371 2,423 2,494Hard Waste 270 285 316 399 458 607 622 840 990 1,002Total Landfill (L) 25,811 26,722 27,873 28,968 29,223 29,611 29,994 32,582 34,776 34,937Ave. Kg/household(waste)617 620 628 637 620 603 580 594 589 555Recycle Collection & Processing (Tonnes)Recycling (tonnes) 9,429 10,466 12,269 13,113 12,909 14,076 14,473 15,571 16,378 16,871Garden Waste Bin 4,154 5,327 9,592 10,045Bundle Branches 1,883 1,830 2,476 2,298 1,856 2,084 900 1,224 1,291 1,180Hard Waste 233 244 296 114 183 105 94 37 4 9Total Recycle (R) 11,545 12,540 15,041 15,525 14,948 16,265 19,621 22,159 27,265 28,105Ave. Kg/household(recycle)299 315 367 369 343 358 411 435 496 481Total Tonnes (L+R) 37,356 39,262 42,914 44,493 44,171 45,876 49,615 54,741 62,041 63,041Total Ave.Kg/household917 935 995 1,006 963 961 991 1,029 1,085 1,036Recycling Rate %(Domestic MSW)33% 34% 37% 37% 36% 37% 41% 42% 45% 46%Recycling Rate %(Incl. C&I)31% 32% 35% 35% 34% 35% 40% 40% 44% 45%Figure 30: Summary of kerbside collections services (tonnes)households70,000Total Recycle (R) Total Landfill (L) Households60,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,0000‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-1270,00060,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,0000tonnesFigure 31: Average waste generation per household for kerbside collections services (tonnes)Ave. Kg/household (recycle) Ave. Kg/household (waste) Total Ave. Kg/household1,200Average Kg/household1,0008006004002000‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-1271

5 Municipal Waste ServicesTable 17: Financial costs of Kerbside Collection Services ($ Ex. GST)Financial Year ‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11-12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Landfill Collection & Disposal ($costs – Ex. GST)Garbage(MSW & C&I)Hard Waste(pre-booked)Total Landfill(L)1,992,210 2,113,681 2,302,139 2,363,547 2,638,902 2,702,391 3,009,260 3,299,174 4,274,923 4,579,76199,135 118,700 137,685 162,320 181,400 192,000 242,200 254,500 263,200 284,7582,091,345 2,232,381 2,439,824 2,525,867 2,820,302 2,894,391 3,251,460 3,553,674 4,538,123 4,864,519Landfill Levy $ 133,300 176,590 220,972 256,165 298,506 336,526 345,366 379,566 1,331,940 1,973,561Recycle Collection & Processing ($costs – Ex. GST)Recycle (MSW) 985,561 1,207,387 1,466,755 1,484,454 1,584,878 1,748,725 1,663,213 482,717 544,520 754,179BundleBranches167,000 170,840 239,670 249,690 212,780 296,870 164,610 160,094 220,460 240,400Garden Waste 1,010,521 999,807 1,300,079 1,348,175Total Recycling(R)1,152,561 1,378,227 1,706,425 1,734,144 1,797,658 2,045,595 2,838,344 1,642,619 2,065,060 2,342,754Total (R + L) 3,377,206 3,787,198 4,367,221 4,516,176 4,916,465 5,276,512 6,435,170 5,575,859 7,935,123 9,180,834Figure 32: Financial costs of Kerbside Collection Services ($ Ex. GST)Landfill Levy $ Total Recycling (R) Total Landfill (L)10,000,0009,000,0008,000,0007,000,0006,000,000$5,000,0004,000,0003,000,0002,000,0001,000,0000‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11-1272

5.3 Resident Drop-off ServicesWhittlesea City Council provides all ratepayers with waste and recycling disposal vouchers printed on Council’sannual rates notice. Disposal vouchers complement Council’s kerbside collection services by allowing limiteddiscounted access to the hard waste , timber, green waste drop-off facilities.Disposal voucher drop-off arrangements involve the following privately owned facilities:• Wollert Landfill – Hanson landfill Services Pty LtdLocated at Wollert Landfill – 45 Bridge Inn Road, Wollert (Mel Ref 389 F8).Residents receive two annual hard waste disposal vouchers entitling ratepayers to dispose of householdwaste paying the nominated State Government Landfill Levy per voucher.• Green Organics Composting Facility – SITA Organics Pty LtdLocated at 480 Cooper Street, Epping (Mel Ref 181 A10)Residents receive four annual green waste vouchers.• Timber Waste Recycling Facility - Mossrock Australia Pty LtdLocated at 480 Cooper Street, Epping (Mel Ref 181 A10)Residents receive four annual timber waste disposal vouchersFigure 33: Location of resident drop-off service facilitiesNote: Location map is not to scale73

5 Municipal Waste Services5.3.1 Waste and Recycling FacilitiesWollert Landfill – Hanson Landfill ServicesHanson’s Wollert Landfill opened in 1999 and has developed into a regional centre for other councils disposingof municipal and commercial putrescible wastes. In the 2011-12 financial year, the Wollert Landfill acceptedaround 350,000 tonnes of waste materials.Hanson’s focus is on best practice environmental management via alternative energy production, siterehabilitation, water protection and stringent asbestos handling. Hanson’s Wollert Landfill is one of only twosites in Melbourne accredited to ISO 14001 Environmental Standards (Hanson 2010).Hanson has introduced a number of environmental improvements including composite lining, full constructionaudits, leachate recirculation to enhance gas capture and electricity generation, comprehensive testing andtrials of materials used in construction, all exceeding EPA requirements (Hanson 2010).The Wollert Landfill was awarded the Waste Management Association of Australia’s 2009 Gold ExcellenceAward in the Landfill Division.The Wollert Landfill Transfer Station accepts the following items for waste disposal:• broken furniture• general household garbage• building rubbish• carpet/underlay• clean soilWollert Transfer Station accepts the following items for recycling:• car batteries• Recyclable such as: cardboard and paper, plastic bottles and containers. glass bottles, steel and aluminiumcans• scrap metal• car parts• refrigerators/old whitegoods• hot water systems• motor oil (up to 20 litres)• tyres (charges apply)Timber Waste Recycling Facility – Mossrock AustraliaThe Timber Recycling Facility opened in 1996 and has developed into a regional centre for the receipt of oldtimber items for recycling. Timber waste from a number of local municipalities and commercial operations ischipped into a variety of mulch grades that comply with Australian Standards. These are used for children’splaygrounds and mulch for garden beds.The facility accepts the following items under Council’s Disposal Voucher acceptance arrangement:• fence palings• packing crates• pallets• timber off-cuts74

The facility does not accept the following timber wastes:• laminated timber• painted timber• melamine• treated pineGreen Organics Recycling Facility – SITA OrganicsThe Green Waste Composting Facility currently operated by SITA Organics started in 1996 and is currently areceipt and processing centre for other northern region councils. Green waste or garden organics is mostlycollected from residential households in kerbside mobile bins. The garden waste material is screened toremove any contaminants, then shredded to smaller sizes and finally composted via a six to 13 week process toensure weeds and pathogens have been killed. The finished product is tested against Australian Standards forcompost and sold as a soil conditioner for commercial and residential uses.The facility accepts these green waste items:• tree branches and prunings (less than 30cm in diameter)• shrubs• lawn clippings• common garden weedsThe facility does not accept the following items:• tree roots or stumps• soil• diseased material• garbage• wireKey issues and opportunitiesThe Victorian Government has identified the Wollert Landfill as a strategic site, providing regional wastedisposal services at best-practice standards in an efficient and close location to metropolitan Melbourne,highlighting, sufficient buffers should be maintained to ensure residential development does not encroach andlimit operations.The green waste processing industry predominately utilises open windrow composting to process greenorganic material. Open windrow composting is the process of placing shredded organic material outdoors inlinear heaps requiring periodic increased aeration allowing for the aerobic decomposition of the organicmatter. This process has some negative attributes such as odours and litter from contaminated material withinmobile wheelie bin collections.The green waste processing industry continues to be characterised by unstable operations. This has been dueto the varying quality of products produced and at times an oversupply of material into the market(Productivity Commission 2006).Issues with odour and litter also have the potential to negatively impact on a waste and recycling facilityoperations success. Five out of nine relatively large organics processing facilities operating in March 2009 hadclosed or were operating at restricted capacity by September 2010 due to impacts on local amenity and/orcommercial issues (Department of Sustainability and Environment 2012).75

5 Municipal Waste ServicesMore recently, there has been a concerted push by Sustainability Victoria, the EPA and the Metropolitan WasteManagement Group to encourage the industry to move towards ‘in-vessel’ composting. ‘In-vessel’ compostingis carried out in an enclosed area where moisture content, temperature and oxygen levels can be regulatedproviding optimum operating parameters and minimising environmental impacts. (MWMG 2010).The Cooper Street composting facility operated by SITA is one of the largest in metropolitan Melbourne withexcellent transport links to the Craigieburn Bypass and the Western Ring Road.Sufficient buffers from urban and commercial development are of increasing concern to the security andongoing longevity of the site and Council’s services. The sites’ closure would be a major disadvantage forWhittlesea and other neighbouring councils, resulting in longer travel distances and much higher costs todispose of green waste.Proposed actions:Waste and recycling disposal facilitiesTo ensure services and facilities are accessible to all while reducing the City of Whittlesea’s impact on theenvironment, the following actions are proposed:Review annually to ensure adequate buffer distances for waste and recycling facility operationsare maintained in accordance with EPA requirements within Council’s planning scheme.Work in partnership with SITA Organics to seek opportunities for funding from the VictorianGovernment’s Landfill Levy reallocation process to upgrade the existing operation to ‘in-vessel’composting.5.3.2 Waste and Recycling Disposal Voucher ServiceHard WasteThe two hard waste disposal vouchers provided to ratepayers annually provide additional drop-off options formaterials or excess quantities that cannot be accommodated through the existing kerbside collection services.Up to 2004, Hanson Landfill Services operated a solid inert landfill at Cooper Street Epping and as part of theagreement with the City of Whittlesea accepted ratepayer disposal vouchers for hard waste items at this site.When the landfill closed in 2004, Hanson constructed a transfer station at the Wollert Landfill to acceptWhittlesea ratepayer’s hard waste drop-off through the existing waste disposal voucher arrangements.76

Quantities of hard wasteTable 18: Summary data of residential hard waste (disposal vouchers) drop-off servicesFinancial Year ’04-05 ’05-06 ’06-07 ’07-08 ’08-09 ’09-10 ’10-11 ’11-12Domestic Households 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Landfill Levy ($ per tonne) 6 7 8 9 9 9 30 44Landfill Levy ($ per voucher) 2.5 3 3.5 4 4 4 13 19.5Hard waste voucher tonnes 4,113 5,851 6,427 7,962 8,258 9,354 7,845 7,746*Some metals are recovered for recycling by Hanson’s Landfill Services.Figure 34: Quantities of resident drop-off services (hard waste vouchers)$2520151050Hard Waste Vouchers (tonnes)Landfill Levy ($ per voucher)’04-05 ’05-06 ’06-07 ’07-08 ’08-09 ’09-10 ’10-11 ’11-1210,0009,0008,0007,0006,0005,0004,0003,0002,0001,0000tonnesKey issues and opportunitiesCouncil’s existing arrangements with Hanson Landfill services for the provision of discounted disposal vouchershave reached the end of their term. The data also indicates the service is experiencing a decline in use whichmay be attributed to increases to the State Government landfill levy or a preference for Council’s kerbside hardwaste collection service.Figure 33 (above) highlights the landfill levy increase in 2010-11 and 2011-12 has had some effect in reducingover 1,500 tonnes of hard waste sent to landfill via the disposal voucher drop-off service.Further analysis of Council’s kerbside hard waste collection service shows that more people are now utilisingthe kerbside at-call service. Council’s litter and debris operations have also experienced a 16 per cent increasein costs and a 1,500 tonne increase in the collection of litter and dumped rubbish from 2008-09 to 20011-12.The external landfill levy and the introduction of the Federal carbon price from 1 July 2012 are set to increasethe cost of each disposal voucher to $26. These additional costs are predicted to further diminish the appeal ofthe disposal voucher system to ratepayers and place further pressure on the kerbside hard waste and litter anddebris collection services.77

5 Municipal Waste ServicesThe annual cost of continuing to subsidise service using two disposal vouchers will exceed $225,000 by 2015and $315,000 by 2020.There is an opportunity to redirect Council funds to work closely with Hanson landfill services and extend therange of recycling materials accepted at the transfer station for resident drop-off in place of providing wastedisposal vouchers.Proposed actions:Hard Waste disposal vouchers drop-off serviceTo maintain consistent cost effective services to all ratepayers while reducing environmental impacts, thefollowing actions are proposed:Reduce hard waste disposal to one voucher in 2013-14 financial year, before phasing it out in2014-15, reverting to a user-pays service.Investigate options for increasing source separated recycling of valuable materials for drop-off atHanson’s Wollert landfill.Redirect funds saved from reduced hard waste disposal voucher service into enforcing themanagement and collection of illegally dumped rubbish.Timber WasteThe four timber waste disposal vouchers provided to ratepayers annually are currently aimed atcomplementing Council’s waste management services by providing additional drop-off options for materials orexcess quantities that cannot be dealt with by the existing kerbside collection services.Key issues and opportunitiesCouncil has limited knowledge of the amount of timber waste that the service receives and processes intoreusable mulch products from the City of Whittlesea’s ratepayers.An accurate recording system developed with the facility operator would help gauge the volumes of timberinvolved and promote any positive environmental outcomes.Proposed actions:Timber Waste drop-off serviceTo ensure the City of Whittlesea’s waste and recycling disposal voucher system provides ongoing benefitsand outcomes that can be reported, the following actions are proposed:Establish an accurate recording system of the timber waste material accepted through Council’sdisposal voucher arrangements at Mossrock’s Timber Waste Recycling Facility.Promote through the local media and other Council communication avenues the recordedquantities of timber waste recycled per annum including any known environmental benefits oroutcomes.78

Green WasteThe four green waste recycling disposal vouchers provided to ratepayers provide additional drop-off optionsfor materials or excess quantities not suitable for kerbside collection.Quantities of green waste disposal voucher serviceThe operation of the green organics composting facility by SITA Organics has brought a higher level ofmanagement to the site including the provision of a weighbridge to accurately record all materials entering thesite. The amount of material dropped off at the facility for reprocessing into mulch and soil conditioningproducts totalled 3,350 tonnes in 2011-12.5.3.3 Other Drop-off ServicesDetox Your Home – household chemical collectionSustainability Victoria, in partnership with local councils, coordinates a free Detox Your Home mobile serviceannually. The service offers an environmentally safe way for residents to dispose of old and unwantedhousehold chemicals, such as poisons, paints & stripper, cleaners, acids, garden & automotive chemicals andmore, free of charge. The mobile service is held at a variety of council locations throughout Victoria each year,and is held in the City of Whittlesea on average every two years.There are seven metropolitan councils who have permanent Detox Your Home facilities located at theirTransfer Stations. These are Banyule, Brimbank, Casey, Darebin, Melton, Mornington and Monash. Thesepermanent facilities only accept a limited range of household chemicals including paint, motor oil, batteries,gas cylinders and fluorescent tubes.Key issues and opportunitiesThere is no permanent household chemical disposal facility within the City of Whittlesea, however, safedisposal of old household chemicals is a continuing concern for residents.Proposed action:Detox Your Home – mobile & permanent drop-off serviceTo provide high service levels to residents and reduce the City of Whittlesea’s impact on the environment,the following actions are proposed:Explore the potential of partnering with Hanson Landfill Services and acquiring funding fromSustainability Victoria to build a permanent household chemical drop-off facility at the WollertLandfill.TV and computers (e-waste)The City of Whittlesea together with six other metropolitan Councils has been selected on two occasions (2007and 2010) to host a free electronic waste drop-off day as part of a recycling initiative by Apple Pty Ltd. Logisticscompany, Infoactiv Pty Ltd managed the event on behalf of Apple.79

5 Municipal Waste ServicesQuantities of e-wasteIn 2010, 579 households (up from 220 in 2007) dropped off unwanted electronic waste at the Epping Depotresulting in 28 tonnes of electronic waste being recycled, up from 13 tonnes from 2007. The electronic wastecollected in 2010 filled more than two 40 foot shipping containers including a container of TVs.Each person that dropped off electronic waste in 2010 was surveyed by Infoactiv staff. Two questions wererequested:• What suburb do you come from?• How did you hear about this event?Interestingly, the survey highlighted that residents are not prepared to travel more than 10km to use a drop offservice with most drop-off participants coming from Epping, followed by Mill Park, Thomastown and SouthMorang.Key issues and opportunitiesUnder the new TV and computers take back scheme, householders and small business will be able to drop offthese items for free at designated access points, which may include permanent collection sites, take-backevents or through a mail-back option. Collection under the scheme, however, will be progressively rolled out ina limited capacity with only 30 per cent acceptance by industry in the first year. The program will expand acrossmetropolitan, regional and remote areas of Australia towards an 80 per cent acceptance rate in followingyears.Final details of the program are currently being negotiated for Whittlesea with accredited recyclers. It isexpected there will be a take back style collection day/event for the recovery of these items at various timesduring 2012 to ensure the City of Whittlesea’s free quota is taken up in the first year.There is concern from Council with regards to the implementation of a permanent drop-off site in the first yeardue to the uncertainty surrounding the limited 30 per cent acceptance figure set by the scheme and theunknown costs that will Council incur once the limit is reached.A thorough marketing and communications plan explaining the scheme will be required initially and to attractresidents within the municipality to participate the scheduled take-back events.Proposed actions:TV and Computer (e-waste) drop-off serviceTo provide high service levels to residents and reduce the City of Whittlesea’s impact on the environment,the following actions are proposed:Provide an event style collection the initial 12 month period of the scheme includingdevelopment and promotion of a detailed marketing and communication plan of the event oncedetails have been confirmed. Reassessing the event style model at the conclusion of this period.Explore the potential to partner with an appropriate recycling arrangement as part the newNational TV and Computer Recycling Scheme to potentially secure a permanent drop-off facilitywithin the City of Whittlesea when more details of the schemes implementation is known andquantities for take back are greater.80

Used chemical drum recycling - drumMUSTERDrumMUSTER is a national program, run by Agsafe, aimed at collecting and recycling non-returnableagricultural chemical drum containers. The program aims to minimise the human and environmental risk ofhandling and removing used chemical containers, by implementing a cost effective, credible and auditableprogram. Whittlesea residents can recycle eligible used (must have drumMUSTER logo) rigid plastic and steelchemical drums free at Council’s Epping Depot, which is a drumMUSTER approved drop-off site.Proposed actions:DrumMUSTER drop-off serviceTo provide high service levels to residents and reduce the City of Whittlesea’s impact on the environment,the following actions are proposed:Annually review the use of Epping Depot’s permanent drop-off facility to determine if it meetsthe needs of rural residents and consider locating a drop-off facility at the Whittlesea Township.Increase promotion of the drop-off services within the local communities through media,community groups and events.5.3.4 Summary: Residential Drop-off ServicesTable 19: Summary data of residential drop-off servicesFinancial year ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11/12Households 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Drop-off waste sent to landfill (Tonnes)Hard waste (drop-off) 4,113 5,851 6,427 7,962 8,258 9,354 7,845 7,746Drop-off material recycled (Tonnes)Green (drop-off) no records no records no records no records no records no records 2,845 3,350e-waste (drop-off) - - - 13 1 1 27 -81

5 Municipal Waste Services5.4 Summary: Kerbside Collection & Drop-off ServicesTable 20: Summary of kerbside collection & drop-off services (tonnes)Financial Year ‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Landfill Collection & Disposal (Tonnes)Garbage (MSW) 23,534 24,378 25,446 26,406 26,550 26,737 27,053 29,371 31,363 31,441Garbage (C&I) 2,007 2,059 2,111 2,163 2,215 2,267 2,319 2,371 2,423 2,494Hard Waste (at-call) 270 285 316 399 458 607 622 840 990 1,002Hard Waste (Drop-off) 4,113 5,851 6,427 7,962 8,258 9,354 7,845 7,746Total Landfill (L) 25,811 26,722 31,986 34,819 35,651 37,573 38,252 41,936 42,621 42,683Recycle Collection & Processing (Tonnes)Recycle (MSW) 9,429 10,466 12,269 13,113 12,909 14,076 14,473 15,571 16,378 16,871Garden Waste Bin - - - - - - 4,154 5,327 9,592 10,045Bundle Branches 1,883 1,830 2,476 2,298 1,856 2,084 900 1,224 1,291 1,180Hard Waste (at-call) 233 244 296 114 183 105 94 37 4Green (Drop-off) 2,845 3,350E-waste 13 1 1 28Total Recycle (R) 11,545 12,540 15,041 15,525 14,948 16,278 19,622 22,160 30,138 31,446Total Tonnes (L+R) 37,356 39,262 47,027 50,344 50,599 53,851 57,874 64,096 72,759 74,129Recycling Rate %(Incl. C&I)Recycling Rate %(Domestic only)31% 32% 32% 31% 30% 30% 34% 35% 41% 42%33% 34% 33% 32% 31% 32% 35% 36% 43% 44%Figure 35: Summary of kerbside collection & drop-off services (tonnes)80,00070,00060,000Total Landfill (L) Total Recycle (R) Households80,00070,00060,000householdss50,00040,00030,00020,00010,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,000tonnes0‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12082

5.5 Litter Management and Debris Interception ServicesLocal governments are central to efforts to control, clean-up and prevent litter and debris, with most councilrun litter reduction programs effective in reducing littering. (Sustainability Victoria 2009).The most effective litter prevention behaviour change programs include a mix of approaches covering the threecritical areas of education, infrastructure and enforcement. These elements need to be adapted to localconditions and include targeted incentives, communication and evaluation.The new Victorian litter strategy Creating Cleaner, Safer Places was issued in August 2009, and providesinformation about littering and litterers and notes the importance of shared responsibility and partnershipsbetween all levels of government, industry, business, communities and individuals.Council provides extensive litter management and debris interception services to maintain the amenity of theCity. In 2011-2012, Council spent around $2.4 million on the collection and disposal of about 9,900 tonnes ofunwanted material.The three key services are:• Public place litter and recycling bin clearances• Manual litter collection from roadsides, parks and new housing estates• Mechanical litter collection including street sweeping, footpath cleaning and pit, drain and gross pollutanttrap cleaning.5.5.1 Public place litter & recycling bin clearancesThe MWMS 2004-2009 continued a previous framework whereby smaller 30 litre steel ‘pillar box’ bins werestrategically placed in key litter generating parks, roadside reserves, shopping centres, take away food outletsand milk bars.High service requirements, unsightliness and the susceptibility of smaller bins to vandalism resulted in adecision to gradually upgrade and replace bin infrastructure to meet Sustainability Victoria’s standards. Theupgraded 120 litre mobile bins with surrounding enclosures provide for increased capacity, improvedappearance, less servicing, maintenance and operational upkeep.Since 2007, Council has been progressively upgrading public place litter and recycling bin infrastructure in allmajor shopping precincts within the municipality. The infrastructure upgrade was made possible with specificproject funding from Sustainability Victoria’s public place litter and recycling program, funded through thelandfill levy reallocation by the Victorian Government.The City of Whittlesea has upgraded bin infrastructure and signage to more than 200 bins stations at more than100 sites around the municipality.Public place litter and recycling bins are now also being rolled out in smaller shopping strips and have provideda consistent standard for developers particularly around fast food retail outlets.The new bins are emptied when they reach 80 per cent capacity. When they were first installed contaminationrates were high although improved signage, ongoing education and increased public awareness has led to asignificant improvement.Many public open space environments such as Council’s parks and gardens do not have litter and recyclingbins. Research by Sustainability Victoria and Council officers’ experience that in practice bins located in alllocations may not be needed and can result in attracting more litter and more dumped rubbish. Council’sapproach is to continue to educate and promote the community towards a responsible ‘take home’ policy forthe majority of public place sites.83

5 Municipal Waste Services5.5.2 Manual Litter CollectionResearch indicates littering is generally a reflection of community attitudes and the level of littering should notnormally vary significantly from year to year unless arising from a variation in waste management programs,higher disposal costs or alternately from increased public promotion or enforcement (Sustainability Victoria2009).Major road reserves, parks, litter and dumping hot spots are inspected on a daily basis by manual litter andmulti-purpose service crews and cleared as required. Incidents of dumped rubbish are also reported to locallaw enforcement officers and where there is evidence, prosecutions can arise.Litter is collected by hand or mechanical device from roadsides and parks, including the removal of illegallydumped rubbish and litter in new housing estates still under construction. With the increasing development ofnew residential areas, Council’s Infrastructure Department is continually assessing resource needs to servicethese areas.The City has the following crews for manual litter collection:• One litter compactor used for the clearance of 120lt public place litter bins• One 30L litter bin clearance crew• Seven urban roadside litter crews• Three urban parks litter crews• Seven urban multipurpose crews• One Flying crew (truck and backhoe)• Two main roads litter crews• One rural multi-purpose crew• Two rural litter crews.5.5.3 Mechanical Litter CollectionStreet & footpath sweepingCouncil’s street sweeping program services around 1,200 kilometres of kerb and channel. There are three largeroad sweepers and two compact footpath sweepers. The program includes weekly main road inspections,checks of Council shopping centres up to three times a week and broader roads monitoring over a five to sixweek cycle. Council has committed funds within its 2012-13 budget for the commencement of a fourth roadsweeper to service the northern growth corridor.Pit, drain and gross pollutant trap cleaningDebris that is not captured by Council’s street sweepers is generally washed by rain into stormwater pits anddrains. Council has more than 140 gross pollutant traps in place to capture some of this debris but there aremany drains in the older parts of the municipality where this does not occur.Storm water drainage pits are inspected at least once a year with minor debris cleared by the pit spotter andlarger quantities dealt with using Council’s truck mounted drain and pit cleaning unit.Around 20 per cent of Council’s side entry drainage pits have had gutter guards (grates) installed on their inletchutes. This limits the intake of larger debris into the drainage network and the risk of blockages. Blockagesthat do occur at the grated entry to these pits provide some measure of control so that large debris items waitcan be removed by a Council officers.84

5.5.4 Litter and debris managementDespite extensive growth in residential housing development, increasing labour costs and the 1000 per centincrease in disposal costs of the State Government Landfill Levy, litter and debris collection costs and disposalquantities have been restricted to only a minimal annual increase. (Refer to table and figure below). This hasbeen achieved by a combination of Council equipment upgrades, more efficient cleaning programs and ongoingcommunity environmental education activities.Table 21: Summary data of litter and debris Interception programs quantities & costs (millions)Financial Year ’02-03 ’03-04 ’04-05 ’05-06 ’06-07 ’07-08 ’08-09 ’09-10 ’10-11 ’11-12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Tonnes 7,514 8,596 8,956 7,627 8,090 7,781 8,380 9,592 9,622 9,917Costs (millions) 1.57 1.72 1.85 1.97 1.97 2.09 2.12 2.42Figure 36: Quantities of litter and debris interception programs (tonnes)Litter & Debris InterceptionHouseholds30,00060,00025,00050,00020,00040,000Tonnes15,00010,00030,00020,000households5,00010,000-‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12Year-5.5.5 Key issues and opportunitiesResearch suggests that clean environments promote less littering, better quality of life for people, lessenvironment impact, lower crime and reduced anti-social behaviour. Litter free environments also promoteeconomic prosperity with companies preferring to do business in clean cities and people preferring to live inclean neighbourhoods (Sustainability Victoria 2009).Council therefore encourages a responsible ‘take home’ policy in the majority of public places like parks,streets and bus shelters where bins are not warranted for small amounts of material. Research and experienceindicates that the unnecessary placement of litter bins ultimately creates more litter and dumped rubbish andimpose extra costs. (Sustainability Victoria 2009).The continued contamination of public place recycling bins arising from incorrect use by commercial businesseswill require on-going, targeted education and engagement.Litter complaints from uncovered trailer waste loads, builders’ rubbish and litter in new housing developments,mud on roads and dumped rubbish within commercial estates are issues that continue to cause problems andextra costs for Council. Enforcement of penalties and continued education on the cost of littering can work tocounter this.85

5 Municipal Waste ServicesDealing with litter and debris can involve a range of Council services. Discarded litter requires manual ormechanical collection via footpath or street sweeping devices and when lodged in stormwater drains has to becleared from gross pollutant traps. Council also acknowledges that if not collected, litter rarely just disappearsand will develop into an amenity concern for the community.As a result, Whittlesea City Council has adopted a Stormwater Management Plan to aid in the protection ofcreeks and rivers flowing through the municipality and others before eventually leading into the Yarra Riversystem. The Plan was first developed in August 2003 and a revised document endorsed by Council in March2012.To reduce the quantities, cost and negative impacts of litter and debris, it is proposed that a Litter Preventionand Debris Interception Management Strategy be developed. The strategy would target this important areaand complement Council’s Stormwater Management Plan 2012 and this Municipal Waste and ResourceRecovery Strategy 2012-2022.Council's street sweepingprogram services around1200km of kerb and channeland includes three large roadsweepers and two compactfootpath sweepers.Proposed actions:Litter prevention and debris interception managementTo provide a clean, liveable environment and high service levels, the following actions are proposed:Develop a Litter Prevention and Debris Management Strategy for the Municipality.Explore specific funding opportunities currently available from the State Government forEnvironmental Protection Enforcement and Education Officers to focus on litter and rubbishdumping.Continue community education on the negative impacts of litter on the local community throughmedia, Council’s communication tools, community groups and events.Investigate best-practice management and education strategies to minimise contamination ofpublic place recycling bins and prevent litter.86

5.6 Environmental Education ActivitiesIn order to reduce the environmental impacts of waste and litter, a shift in people’s attitude, behaviour anddaily practices is crucial. Therefore, community education is a high priority in bringing about behaviour changeas well as providing information on how to implement more sustainable living practices.The community is responsible for managing the waste it generates. The volume of waste materials is influencedby factors including population growth, purchasing choices, excessive packaging and planned productredundancy or obsolescence.Education plays a key role in the implementation and ongoing success of Council’s waste management andrecycling services. It is imperative that these education activities continue and are built upon in order to ensureWhittlesea’s residents and other key stakeholders are well informed and aware of their responsibilities.Education programs are intended to provide the community with an understanding of Council services andinformation on environmental issues and programs being undertaken in the community to reduceenvironmental impacts.Information on waste, recycling, litter prevention, composting, recycled products and more is provided toresidents through Council publications, the Internet, businesses, schools and local media at varying times of theyear.Current resourcing levels in community waste and litter minimisation education, are set out in Table 22 below.Table 22: details of environmental education resourcesProgramEducation ResourcesRecycling Bin InspectionProgramProgram DescriptionIncludes staffing costs and the delivery of all EducationPrograms.The Recycling Bin Inspection Program conducted by Council’sservice providers Visy, has been designed to monitor recyclingbins across the municipality to ensure that badly contaminatedrecycling bins are identified, thus enabling direct targeting ofrecycling education to the respective household.Cost ($/Annum)2011-2012$159,200$16,000Schools Recycling EducationProgramThe program has been designed to assist schools in reducingwaste, including the implementation of recycling services.$60,000Total $235,200The City of Whittlesea has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to community waste minimisation and litterprevention education through a number of programs and activities covering four key areas:Community Education• Waste minimisation and recycling• Litter prevention• Composting & worm farming promotions• Waste wise events & festivals i.e. Community Festival and the Whittlesea Show• Public place recycling education• ‘EnviroNews’ – Council’s quarterly community environmental newsletter• ‘Hands on Sustainability’ – Council’s environmental events program87

5 Municipal Waste ServicesSchool Education• Recycling and composting• Stormwater and litter impacts• Teacher’s environment network (TEN)• ‘What’s Greening On?’ school newsletterBusiness Education• Waste minimisation and recycling• Stormwater and litter impactsCorporate EducationEducation activities areintended to provide thecommunity with anunderstanding of Council’sservices and information onenvironmental issues andprograms being undertakento reduce environmentalimpacts.• Waste Wise / ResourceSmart program• Sustainable ‘Green’ purchasing programThese programs and activities educate the community about waste minimisation, litter prevention andbehaviour change. See Appendix C for more detail on key actions to date and issues and opportunities forimprovement.Proposed actions:Environmental Education Programs and ActivitiesTo increase the awareness of City of Whittlesea’s waste services and increase the recovery of valuablematerials, the following actions are proposed:Continue all current community environmental education programs, with annual reviews.Review all Council waste and recycling related educational materials, ensuring these satisfactorilyaccommodate all residents of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds living within theCity of Whittlesea, including full translations into other key languages made available.Develop a detailed communication plan including media coverage to raise awareness ofenvironmental impacts both positive and negative of corrects of waste management activities.88

5.7 Landfill Rehabilitation and AftercareHistorically there have been a large number of landfills located within the City of Whittlesea due to extensivequarrying activities within the areas’ rich basalt plains. The City of Whittlesea owned and operated its ownlandfills, however with the closure of the Cooper Street No.2 Landfill Site in July 2000 the City moved out oflandfill operations. Hanson’s Wollert Landfill now provides this service to the northern region of metropolitanMelbourne.The City Of Whittlesea has an active role in landfill management with a number of former Council landfill sitesrequiring rehabilitation after closure including on-going monitoring and compliance. Council owned formerlandfills within this category are the Cooper Street (No.1 & 2) landfills, Northern Landfill, Donnybrook RdLandfill and Sycamore Reserve.Table 23: Summary of former landfills in the City of Whittlesea requiring aftercare managementFormerLandfillAreaWastesAcceptedYears inOperationEPALicenceCurrent usesAnnual Cost(2011-12)Northern(formerlyHanson owned &operated -500 CooperStreet Epping)Cooper 2(O’Herns Road,Epping)Cooper 1(480 CooperStreet, Epping)SycamoreReserve(SycamoreStreet, Mill Park)DonnybrookRoad(Donnybrook)66 ha Solid Inert 1997 to 2004 LicenceNo.ES32465PAN No.673648 ha Putrescibles 1991 to 2000 LicenceNo.ES519/929 ha Putrescibles 1982 to 1991 PANNo.41410 ha Solid Inert 1984 to 1990 Noneknown8 ha Putrescibles 1977 to early1990’sNoneknownSite being rehabilitatedand landscaped toprepare for futureparklandRock Crushing andConcrete Batching,Dog Pound,Vacant LandGreen and Timber WasteRecycling,Vacant LandSporting fields (soccer &cricket)BMX trackVacant Land retained fornatural vegetation valuesand rehabilitation$93,500$72,400$91,500$16,000$12,500Total $285,900Issued under section 31A of the Environment Protection Act 1970 both Cooper St No. 1 and Northern Landfillshave specific Pollution Abatement Notices (PANs) attached to sites that require Council to undertake on-goingmonitoring and evaluation. All sites are managed under the Act to protect the surrounding environment.Once a landfill no longer receives waste and is decommissioned, the rehabilitation of the land and surroundsremains a potential risk requiring ongoing management for many years. Council considers the remediation offormer landfills important and has adopted numerous strategies in line with best practice environmentalmanagement.In September 2010 EPA Victoria released Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines for Siting,Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of Landfills, providing existing and future landfill operators planningauthorities and regulating bodies with:• information on potential impacts of landfills on the environment and how these are to be mitigated• a clear statement of environmental performance objectives for each segment of the environment• information on how to avoid or minimise environmental impacts, including suggested measures to meetobjectives.89

5 Municipal Waste ServicesControlling potential environmental impacts, such as methane gas and leachate is crucial. In accordance withthe EPA regulations and statutory requirements, the City of Whittlesea is committed to managing its formerlandfills so that they no longer present a risk to the environment or community.The EPA is currently developing new aftercare management guidelines for former landfill sites that will seeincreased monitoring requirements placed on these sites. Greater emphasis will be placed on landfill gasmonitoring and migration detection. This will involve the implementation of new, ongoing gas monitoringinfrastructure and monitoring programs by Council.Within Council, it is the responsibility of the Environmental Operations Unit within the InfrastructureDepartment to manage the continued maintenance and monitoring of former landfill sites.There are also a number of older landfills, now predominantly parks and reserves that do not require ongoingregular aftercare management. These additional sites are listed on Council’s planning records as sites beingeither contaminated or potentially contaminated, with caveats on the land to ensure any future residentialdevelopment or special use such as childcare centres is restricted or does not occur.Proposed action:Landfill Rehabilitation and Aftercare ManagementOnce a landfill is closed,the rehabilitation of theland and surroundsremains a potential riskrequiring ongoingmanagement for manyyears.To reduce the City of Whittlesea’s environmental impact, the following action is proposed:Ensure Council’s landfill aftercare management processes and procedures are implemented andreviewed annually to meet the EPA’s Best Practice Environmental Management standards forlandfill aftercare.Northern landfill rehabilitation aftercare site90

5.8 Summary of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) ServicesTable 24: Summary data of municipal waste services (MSW) services (tonnes)Financial Year ‘02-03 ‘03-04 ‘04-05 ‘05-06 ‘06-07 ‘07-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 ‘10-11 ‘11-12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Waste collection & disposal to landfill (tonnes)Garbage (MSW) 23,534 24,378 25,446 26,406 26,550 26,737 27,053 29,371 31,363 31,441Garbage (C&I) 2,007 2,059 2,111 2,163 2,215 2,267 2,319 2,371 2,423 2,494Hard Waste (at-call) 270 285 316 399 458 607 622 840 990 1,002Hard Waste (Drop-off) 4,113 5,851 6,427 7,962 8,258 9,354 7,845 7,746Litter & Debris waste 7,514 8,596 8,956 7,627 8,090 7,781 8,380 9,592 9,622 9,917Total Landfill (L) 33,325 35,318 40,942 42,446 43,741 45,354 46,632 51,528 52,243 52,600Recycle collection & processing (tonnes)Recycle (MSW)9,429 10,466 12,269 13,113 12,909 14,076 14,473 15,571 16,378 16,871Garden Waste Bin 4,154 5,327 9,592 10,045Bundle Branches 1,883 1,830 2,476 2,298 1,856 2,084 900 1,224 1,291 1,180Green (drop-off) 2,845 3,350Hard waste recycled 233 244 296 114 183 105 94 37 4 9E-waste 13 1 1 28Total Recycle (R) 11,545 12,540 15,041 15,525 14,948 16,278 19,622 22,160 30,138 31,455Total Tonnes (L+R) 44,870 47,858 55,983 57,971 58,689 61,631 66,254 73,688 82,381 84,054Table 25: Summary of financial details of municipal waste services costs (Ex GST)Financial Year ‘02/03 ‘03/04 ‘04/05 ‘05/06 ‘06/07 ‘07/08 ‘08/09 ‘09/10 ‘10/11 ‘11/12Households 38,552 39,772 41,015 42,072 43,587 45,370 47,725 50,888 54,950 58,442Collection & Disposal to Landfill Costs (Excl. GST)Garbage 1,992,210 2,113,681 2,302,139 2,363,547 2,638,902 2,702,391 3,009,260 3,299,174 4,274,923 4,579,761Hard (At-call) 99,135 118,700 137,685 162,320 181,400 192,000 242,200 254,500 263,200 284,758Litter & Debris 1,569,557 1,722,062 1,853,147 1,977,525 1,968,867 2,087,437 2,123,218 2,416,688Total Landfill(L)2,091,345 2,232,381 4,009,382 4,247,929 4,673,448 4,871,916 5,220,327 5,641,111 6,661,341 7,281,206State Government Landfill Levy costs (Excl. GST)Landfill Levy(LL)133,300 176,590 220,972 256,165 298,506 336,526 345,366 379,566 1,331,940 1,973,561Recycling Collection & Disposal Costs (Excl. GST)Recycle 985,561 1,207,387 1,466,755 1,484,454 1,584,878 1,748,725 1,663,213 482,717 544,520 754,179Bundle Branch 167,000 170,840 239,670 249,690 212,780 296,870 164,610 160,094 220,460 240,400Garden Waste 1,010,521 999,807 1,300,079 1,348,175Total Recycle(R)1,152,561 1,378,227 1,706,425 1,734,144 1,797,658 2,045,595 2,838,344 1,642,619 2,065,060 2,342,754Community Education and Environmental Compliance Costs (Excl. GST)Education 192,000 194,500 195,000 196,700 197,500 108,100 225,300 231,500 233,350 235,200LandfillAftercare265,000 269,250 269,250 268,200 247,800 224,180 348,800 289,600 278,600 285,900Total (Ex. GST) 3,834,206 4,250,948 6,401,028 6,703,138 7,214,912 7,586,317 8,978,137 8,184,396 10,570,291 12,118,62291

6 Action PlanThe MWM&RR Strategy includes an eight-year Action Plan, to be reviewed annually with a majorreview conducted after four years in 2016. This plan aims to deliver positive social, environmentaland economic outcomes in waste management for the City of Whittlesea.The Plan has been developed through detailed examination of the service improvement opportunities forWhittlesea’s municipal waste management services and activities. The primary focus of the Action Plan, in theinitial four year period, is to review, assess and fine tune current services where possible and focus onmaintaining and improving existing best-practice services, in line with the ‘maintain performance’ appraisal setout in the DPCD’s annual Community Satisfaction Survey (2011). Information obtained from the extensivecommunity consultation and engagement activities associated with Council’s Community Plan andEnvironmental Sustainability Strategy is also considered.As noted, the development of the MWM&RRS 2012 – 2020 Action Plan, is in part, constrained by existingcollection contract arrangements to 2016 and the current uncertainty surrounding the Victorian Waste PolicyReview being conducted in 2012.The actions focus on:Service areaAdvocacy: State Government’s Victorian Waste Policy ReviewKey issue: Recently, the Victorian Auditor-General identified Victoria’s waste management system as needing anevidence-based approach, which considers the full costs and benefits of waste management activities, in order to delivernet-community benefit.Objective: In line with the VAGO (2011) and findings from other recent high level reports, the following actions areproposed for inclusion into Victoria’s waste policy framework. The actions align with Part 1A, s. 3D (2d and 2e) of theLocal Government Act, whereby Council has a role to provide leadership for good governance of the municipality,including advocating to government and acting as a responsible partner within government for its and the broadercommunity’s best interests by taking into account local community needs:Proposed actionsyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Advocate to the State Government for a review to be conductedof the TZW targets and associated programs and actions,revisiting their rationale (the review to include a full cost-benefitanalysis as evidence), so that they are appropriate and deliver theoptimal social, environmental and economic net-communitybenefit outcomes for the Victorian community.P2 Failing action by the State Government to review the TZW targets,including a cost-benefit analysis as part of the Victorian WastePolicy Review (2012) – the Council investigate and advocate otherLocal Governments and the MAV for this work to be completed,as a joint venture project, enabling the gathering of soundevidence on this issue, therefore determining the optimalstrategic direction for waste management while considering thevarying local and geographical circumstances across Victoria.3 Advocate to the State Government and the MAV for a RegulatoryImpact Assessment to be conducted of the Victorian landfill levyincreases (consisting of a significant 1,110 per cent increase from2001-2 to 2012-13), revisiting their rationale, including a full costbenefitanalysis, so that the size and scale of the levy isappropriate and aligns with the actual environmental externalitiesof landfill disposal, therefore, delivering optimal social,environmental and economic ‘net-community benefit’ outcomesfor Victoria.PP P92

Service areaProposed actionsAdvocacy: State Government’s Victorian Waste Policy Review (continued)year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-204 Advocate to the State Government and the MAV for all levy fundscollected to date and into the future to be directed back intostrategic waste management solutions for the purpose ofaddressing the externalities associated with waste disposal andimproving resource recovery efficiencies. Levy funds should notbe directed into general revenue, other environmentalsustainability activities, or to make expensive alternative wastetechnologies competitive solely to meet landfill diversion targets.5 Advocate to the State Government and the MAV for the levyrelating to the disposal of hazardous substances, such as domesticasbestos, to be removed where there are no other alternativedisposal options available and the levy is likely to result inperverse outcomes such as illegal dumping and serious risks tohuman health. Levy funds should be allocated as subsidies for thesafe disposal of this hazardous waste, reducing public health risks.P PP P6 Advocate to the State Government and the MAV for theassociated CO2 emissions impacts contained within the Victorianlandfill levy to be removed as of 1 July 2012 (at the current carbonprice), avoiding any double counting of this externality, thereforereducing unwarranted costs imposed on the Victorian community.This action is formed on the basis that the State Government hasstated the recent landfill levy increases now truly reflect theenvironmental and community cost impacts of landfill disposal.7 Advocate to the State Government through the Victorian WastePolicy Review to include detailed analysis into the use of front endpre-sort facilities located at best-practice landfill sites to beconducted using a cost-benefit analysis approach, to determinethe level of impact, costs and benefits this approach may providein relation to a net-community benefit.8 Seek opportunities from the State Government’s Landfill Levy reinvestmentprogram to fund a full feasibility study to beconducted on front end pre-sort resource recovery options atHanson’s Wollert landfill.P PP PP P93

6 Action PlanService areaKerbside residential and commercial garbage collection servicesKey issues: Recyclable materials (12.8 per cent) and garden waste (12.7 per cent) are still placed in the residential bin andcommercial and industrial bins contain up to 50 per cent recyclables.Reducing food waste (around 50 per cent) provides another major opportunity. However, there are currently no successfulalternatives for the diversion and processing of food wastes within Victoria. Food waste diversion also carries highprocessing costs that may outweigh the overall community benefit. Further efforts in this area would require a detailedanalysis before implementation.Objective: To increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials going to landfill, the following actions areproposed:Proposed actionsyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Investigate options to recover the 25 per cent of recyclablematerials currently going to landfill in the kerbside residentialgarbage stream, while maintaining current services.2 Carry out a cost benefit analysis of requirements to move from apilot to a full-scale commercial and industrial recycling service tocapture the high recycling content currently within the commercialgarbage bin.P P P PP P3 Keep abreast annually with current trends in food waste processingtechnologies for potential consideration in the major 2016 Strategyreview. At this time any consideration will require a detailed costbenefitanalysis to ensure the diversion of this material meets theoptimal net-community benefit test.P P P P PService areaKerbside recycling collection serviceKey issues: Materials incorrectly presented to the recycling stream currently account for between 10 and 15 per cent.Recyclables placed in plastic bags and hazardous materials such as batteries and clinical waste such as needles and syringescontinue to be a problem.Objective: To increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials, the following actions are proposed:Proposed actions1 Investigate and implement options to recover valuable materialslost through incorrect disposal methods, such as the placement ofrecyclables in plastic bags, while maintaining kerbside residentialrecycling collection services.2 Continue the recycling bin inspection program with a focus ontargeting new residential areas for increased education strategies.3 Continue Council participation in the ‘Get It Right On Bin Night’recycling education program co-ordinated by Sustainability Victoriaand the Metropolitan Waste Management Group.4 Ensure waste and recycling information brochures including newresident information packs are reviewed annually, with informationtranslated in other languages and made accessible to all.year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20P P P P P P P PP P P P P P P PP PP P P P P P P P94

Service areaKerbside optional user-pays garden waste bin collection serviceKey issues: Garden waste still contributes 12.7 per cent of the residential garbage bin. Fifty-five per cent of themunicipality has previously indicated that they do not want the service. A municipal wide service introduced prematurelymay generate high contamination rates, offsetting any benefit.Objective: To increase the City of Whittlesea’s services to all residents and improve the recovery of valuable materials, thefollowing actions are proposed:Proposed actionyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Undertake an analysis investigating the costs and benefits of a fullmunicipal-wide garden waste collection service, including resurveyingresidents regarding the need for such a service.P PService areaKerbside hard waste collection service (pre-booked)Key issues: The service is currently reaching capacity due to the municipality’s significant growth and declining use of dropoffservices linked to increasing costs associated with the landfill levy. The ability to recover valuable materials for recyclingis, as a result, becoming increasingly difficult.Objective: To maintain high service standards and increase the City of Whittlesea’s recovery of valuable materials thefollowing actions are proposed:Proposed actionyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Review annually the kerbside (pre-booked) hard waste service,ensuring service standards are maintained and opportunities withprivate recycling businesses to efficiently recover the maximumamount of valuable materials are included.P P P P P P P PService areaServicing waste and recycling collections at multi-dwelling developmentsKey issues: A greater diversity of housing will be needed in the established areas of the City of Whittlesea in the futurepresenting new challenges with regards to waste and recycling service provision.Objective: To maintain high and consistent service standards for the City of Whittlesea, the following actions are proposed:Proposed actions1 Ensure that a consistent approach is maintained for the servicing ofmulti-dwelling developments through guidelines adopted withinthis MWM&RR Strategy 2012-20202 Review multi-dwelling development servicing guidelines annuallyensuring industry best practice is maintained.3 Participate in regional working groups at MWMG ensuring industrybest-practice on this issue is continued.4 Investigate the costs and benefits for the introduction of smallercollection vehicles by current contractors or as contracts end in2016.year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20P P P P P P P PP P P P P P P PP P P P P P P PP P95

6 Action PlanService areaWaste and recycling disposal facilitiesKey issues: Urban and commercial developments are of increasing concern and risk to the ongoing longevity of the sitesoperations and Council’s service provision. The Wollert Landfill is recognised as a strategic site, providing regional wastedisposal services at best-practice standards in an efficient and close location to metropolitan Melbourne. The green wastecomposting site operates using open windrow treatment that has some negative impacts such as odour and litter.Objective: To ensure services and facilities continue and are accessible to all while reducing the City of Whittlesea’s impacton the environment, the following actions are proposed:Proposed actionsyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Review annually to ensure adequate buffer distances for waste andrecycling facility operations are maintained in accordance with EPAand State planning requirements and included within Council’splanning scheme.2 Work in partnership with SITA Organics to seek opportunities forfunding from the Victorian Government’s Landfill Levy reallocationprocess to upgrade the existing operation to ‘in-vessel’ composting.P P P P P P P PP P P PService areaWaste and recycling disposal voucher serviceKey issues: The existing arrangements for the provision of disposal vouchers with the external private landfill operator aredrawing to an end. The high cost of the landfill levy and a preference for kerbside collection has impacted on the amount ofhard waste sent to landfill via the voucher system.Objective: To maintain consistent cost effective services to all ratepayers while reducing environmental impacts, thefollowing actions are proposed:Proposed actionsyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Reduce hard waste disposal to one voucher in 2013-14, beforephasing it out in 2014-15, reverting to a user-pays service.2 Investigate options for increasing source separated recycling ofvaluable materials for drop-off at Hanson’s Wollert Landfill in placeof waste vouchers.3 Redirect funds saved from reduced hard waste disposal voucherservice into enforcing the management and collection of illegallydumped rubbish.4 Establish an accurate recording system for the timber wastematerial accepted through Council’s disposal voucher arrangementsat Mossrock’s Timber Waste Recycling Facility.5 Promote through the local media and other Council communicationavenues the recorded quantities of materials recycled per annumincluding any known environmental benefits or outcomes.P PP P P PP P P P P PP PP P P P P P P P96

Service areaOther drop-off services(household chemicals and used chemical containers, TVs and computers)Key issues: Community awareness is increasing towards recycling and correct and safe disposal of waste materials that donot fit within Council’s standard services. Some services are provided by state and federal government schemes, however,these are generally not permanent or have limitations that affect the cost of increasing service levels. Residents are oftenunaware when they are available.Objective: To provide high service levels to residents and reduce the City of Whittlesea’s impact on the environment, thefollowing actions are proposed:Proposed actionsyear12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-201 Explore the potential of partnering with Hanson Landfill Servicesand acquiring funding from Sustainability Victoria to build apermanent household chemical drop-off at the Wollert Landfill.2 Provide an event style collection during the initial 12 month periodof the new National TV and Computer Recycling Scheme, includingdevelopment and promotion of a detailed marketing andcommunication plan once details have been confirmed. Reassessthe event style model at the conclusion of this period.3 Explore the potential to partner with an appropriate recyclingarrangement as part the new National TV and Computer RecyclingScheme to potentially secure a permanent drop-off facility withinthe City of Whittlesea when more details of the scheme is knownand quantities for take back are greater.4 Annually review the use of Epping Depot’s permanent chemicalDrumMUSTER drop-off facility to determine if it meets the needs ofrural residents. Consider locating a facility at Whittlesea Township.5 Increase promotion of all other drop-off services within the localcommunities through media, community groups and events.P P PPP PP P P P P P P PP P P P P P P PService areaLitter prevention and debris interception managementKey issues: Litter rarely just disappears and if not managed will develop into an amenity concern for the community.Objective: To provide a clean, liveable environment and high service levels, the following actions are proposed:Proposed actions1 Develop a Litter Prevention and Debris management Strategy forthe municipality.2 Explore specific funding opportunities currently available from theState Government for Environmental Protection Enforcement andEducation Officers to focus on litter and rubbish dumping.3 Continue community education on the negative impacts of litter onthe local community through media, Council’s communication tools,community groups and events.4 Investigate annually best-practice management and educationstrategies to minimise contamination of public place recycling binsand prevent litter.year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20P PP PP P P P P P P PP P P P P P P P97

6 Action PlanService areaEnvironmental education programs and activitiesKey issue: Education plays a key role in the implementation and ongoing success of Council’s waste management andrecycling services. It is imperative that education activities continue and are built upon in order to ensure Whittlesea’sresidents and other key stakeholders are informed and aware of the environmental impacts associated with these activities.Objective: To increase the awareness of City of Whittlesea’s waste services and increase the recovery of valuablematerials, the following actions are proposed:Proposed actions1 Continue all current community environmental educationprograms, with annual reviews and evaluations.year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20P P P P P P P P2 Review all Council waste and recycling related educationalmaterials, ensuring these satisfactorily accommodate all residentsof culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds living within theCity of Whittlesea, including full translations into other keylanguages are made available.3 Develop and implement a detailed communication plan, includingmedia coverage, to raise awareness of the positive and negativeenvironmental impacts of Council’s waste management activities.P P P P P P P PP P P P P P P PService areaLandfill rehabilitation and aftercare managementKey issue: There have been a large number of landfills located in the City of Whittlesea due to extensive quarrying activitiesin the area. The City of Whittlesea is committed to managing its former landfills to high standards so they do not present arisk to the environment or the community.Objective: To reduce the City of Whittlesea’s environmental impact, the following action is proposed:Proposed action1 Ensure Council’s landfill aftercare management processes andprocedures are reviewed annually to meet the EPA’s Best PracticeEnvironmental Management standards for landfill aftercare.year12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20P P P P P P P P98

7 ReferencesABS (2007) Year Book Australia 2007, Catalogue no. 1301.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra[www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1301.02007]Ackerman, F. (1997), Why do we Recycle? Markets, Values, and Public Policy, Island Press, Washington DC.Ackerman, F. (2005), ‘Cost-effective Recycling’, in Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy, Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D.(eds), Version 1.1, Chapter 2 - pp. 22 - 34, Environmental Assessment Institute, Copenhagen.Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006a), Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006b) Census of Population and Housing Community Profiles RegionalPopulation Growth, ABS 3218.0.Premier of Victoria’s Office (2011), ‘Letter response to City of Whittlesea’s concerns over the adjustment to thelandfill levy’, State Government of Victoria.Barrett, A. and Lawlor, J. (2010), ‘Questioning the Waste Hierarchy: The Case of a Region with Low PopulationDensity’, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 40:1, 19-36.BDA Group (2009), ‘The full cost of landfill disposal in Australia’, Report to the Department of the Environment,Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2009 (13 July 2009), Commonwealth of Australia.BDA Group (2004), ‘Analysis of Levies and Financial Instruments in Relation to Waste Management, Report toZero Waste South Australia, October.Blue Environment (2009), ‘Peer review of the Full Cost of Landfill Disposal in Australia’, prepared for theDepartment of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (11 December 2009).City of Whittlesea (2008), ‘City of Whittlesea Domestic Waste & Recycling and Commercial Waste Audit 2011’,conducted (June/July 2008), prepared by Wastemin for the City of Whittlesea.City of Whittlesea (2011), ‘City of Whittlesea Domestic Waste Stream Audit 2011’, conducted (June/July 2011),prepared by All Environmental Solutions for the City of Whittlesea.Collins, D. (2009), ‘Threats to effective environmental policy in Australia’, in Promoting Better EnvironmentalOutcomes: Round table Proceedings, Canberra 19-20 August 2008, Chapter 3, pp. 29-39, ProductivityCommission, Commonwealth of Australia.Constitution Act (1975), Commonwealth Government of Australia.Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (2010), ‘Review of Waste Strategy and Policy in NewSouth Wales’, prepared on behalf of the Steering Committee for the Review of NSW Waste Strategy and Policy,New South Wales Government.Department of Planning and Community Development (2008), Victoria in Future, State of Victoria.Department of Planning and Community Development (2009), ‘Local Government Community SatisfactionSurvey 2009’, prepared by Wallis Consulting Group, State of Victoria.Department of Planning and Community Development (20010), ‘Local Government Community SatisfactionSurvey 2010’, prepared by Wallis Consulting Group, State of Victoria.Department of Planning and Community Development (2011), ‘Local Government Community SatisfactionSurvey 2011’, prepared by Wallis Consulting Group, State of Victoria.99

7 ReferencesDepartment of Sustainability and Environment (2009), ‘Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery StrategicPlan’, State of Victoria.Department of Sustainability and Environment (2012), ‘Lessons learnt from the Victorian Advanced ResourceRecovery Initiative’, March 2012, State of Victoria.DEWHA and EPHC (2010), ‘National Waste Report 2010’ (March 2010), Commonwealth of Australia.DSEWPC (2012), ‘National product stewardship legislation’, Government of Australia, accessed on 24 February2012 from http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/waste/product-stewardship/index.htmlDijkgraaf, E. and Vollebergh, H. (2005), ‘Literature Review of Social Costs and Benefits of Waste Disposal andRecycling’, in Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy, Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D. (eds), Version 1.1, Chapter 5 - pp. 80- 98, Environmental Assessment Institute, Copenhagen.Donnellan, H. (2011), ‘Illegal dumping surge in Banyule’, 29 July 2011, Heidelberg Weekly, retrieved 14 March2012 from: http://heidelberg-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/illegal-dumping-surge/.Dowling, J. (2011), ‘Illegal waste has councils feeling down in the dumps’, The Age, August 13, 2011, retreived14 March 2012 from: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/illegal-waste-has-councils-feeling-down-in-thedumps-20110812-1iqre.html#ixzz1p8dtJGgO.Environmental Assessment Institute (2005), ‘Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy’, Version 1.1, Rasmussen, C. andVigso, D. (eds), Environmental Assessment Institute, Copenhagen.Environment Protection Act (1970), No. 8056 (Anstat consolidation incorporating amendments up to Act 2008,No. 44).Environment Protection Authority (2011), ‘Landfill levies: Purpose of Landfill Levies’, State of Victoria,(retrieved January 2012 from http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/landfill_levies.asp).Environment Protection Authority (2010), ‘Landfill BPEM: SITING, DESIGN, OPERATION AND REHABILITATIONOF LANDFILLS‘, Publication 788.1, September 2010, State of Victoria.Environment Protection Authority (2003), response to Environment Australia commission report: Market BasedInstruments for Waste Management – Part 2 Report.Environment Protection Authority (2002), ‘Distribution of Landfill Levy Regulations - Regulatory ImpactStatement’, State of Victoria.Forecast.id (2011), ‘How many will live here in future? - City of Whittlesea (retrieved December 2011 fromhttp://forecast2.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=131&pg=5110).Hanson (2010), ‘Sustainable Waste Management: Producing Alternative Energy’, Hanson Landfill Services,(retrieved 2 March 2012 from: http://www.hansonlandfill.com.au/Sustainability.aspx).Hyder (2010a), ‘Comparative Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Assessment of Wollert Landfill’, Final Report, preparedfor Hanson Landfill Services and the City of Whittlesea, 1 February 2010, Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd.Hyder (2010b), ‘Study shows different waste treatment scenarios produce similar carbon results’, MediaRelease, 1 February 2010, Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd.Hyder (2010c), ‘Preliminary Options Analysis for Waste Pre-sorting at Wollert Landfill - Stage 1: PreliminaryOptions Analysis’, Final Report, 30 September 2010, Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd.100

Hyder (2010d), ‘Front-end sorting at Melbourne landfill sites’, open letter to local and StateGovernment, 19 October 2010, Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd.Hyder (2009), ‘Waste and recycling in Australia’, Amended Report, 19 November 2009, prepared for theDepartment of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia.Local Government Act (1989), Version No. 109, No. 11 of 1989 (Version incorporating amendments as at 22June 2011).Maddocks (2011), ‘Clean Energy Future Plan: Briefing for Local Government ’, Update: Sustainability andClimate Change, March 2011.Metropolis Research (2007) ‘Whittlesea City Council Green Waste Survey’, prepared for InfrastructureDepartment, City of Whittlesea.Metropolitan Waste Management Group (2011), ‘Implications of Carbon Pricing for Waste Management inMetropolitan Melbourne’, (developed by Blue Environment Pty Ltd on behalf of MWMG).Municipal Association of Victoria (2011a), ‘Carbon Price Framework’, MAV Members Brief.Municipal Association of Victoria (2011b), ‘Submission to the 2011-12 State Budget’, April 2011.Oke, M., Allan, P., Goldsworthy, K., & Pickin, J. (2009) Waste and Recycling in Australia - Amended Report.Prepared for the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, by Hyder Consulting 19November 2009.Pichon, M. (2012), ‘Vic EPA, Brimbank Council target illegal dumping hotspot’, Business Environment Network,posted date: 08/03/2012 WME Media Pty Ltd, retrieved 14 March 2012 from: http://www.benglobal.com/Main/News/9773.aspx.Precel, N. (2011), ‘Landfill levies drive up recycling - and illegal dumping’, Dandenong Leader, Local News, 23Sep 11 retreived 14 March 2012 from: http://dandenong-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/landfill-leviesdrive-up-recycling-and-illegal-dumping/.Profile.id (2011), Introduction and Summary - City of Whittlesea (accessed 22 December 2011 fromhttp://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=131&pg=101&gid=10&type=enum).Productivity Commission (2006) ‘Waste Management’, Report No. 38, October 2006, Commonwealth ofAustralia, Canberra.Pearce, D. (2005), ‘Does European Union Waste Policy Pass a Cost-Benefit Test?’, in Rethinking the WasteHierarchy, Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D. (eds.), Version 1.1, Chapter 4 - pp. 60 - 79, Environmental AssessmentInstitute, Copenhagen.Porter, R. (2005), ‘Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Waste Hierarchy – US experiences’, in Rethinking the WasteHierarchy, Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D. (eds.), Version 1.1, Chapter 3 - pp. 35 - 59, Environmental AssessmentInstitute, Copenhagen.Price, J.L. and Joseph, J.B. (2000), ‘Demand Management – A Basis for Waste Policy: A Critical Review of theApplicability of the Waste Hierarchy in terms of Achieving Sustainable Waste Management’, SustainableDevelopment, May 2000; 8, 96-105, John Wiley & Sons Ltd and ERP Environmental.Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D. (2005), ‘Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy?’, in Rethinking the Waste Hierarchy,Rasmussen, C. and Vigso, D. (eds), Version 1.1, Chapter 1 - pp. 1-21, Environmental Assessment Institute,Copenhagen.101

7 ReferencesSerpo, A. (2012), ‘FACT SHEET: NSW landfill levy’, Business Environment Network, Posted Date: 27/02/2012,WME Media Pty. Ltd, (retrieved on 3 March 2012 from: http://www.benglobal.com/Waste/News/FACT_SHEET_NSW_landfill_levy__9697.aspx).Strong, W. A. (2000), ‘Landfill economics – a taxing matter?’, Institute of Civil Engineers, Proceedings MunicipalEngineering, Paper 12423, 139, September, 153-157.Sustainability Victoria (2005), ‘Sustainability in Action: Towards Zero Waste Strategy’, State of Victoria.Sustainability Victoria (2009), ‘Creating Cleaner, Safer Places: Working together to remove litter from Victoria’senvironment’, State of Victoria.Sustainability Victoria (2011), ‘Review of Sustainability Victoria’s Strategic Direction’, State of Victoria.Victorian Auditor General’s Office (2011), ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management’, June 2011 (2010-11:37).Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (2009), ‘A Sustainable Future for Victoria: GettingEnvironmental Regulation Right’, Final Report July 2009, State of Victoria.World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), ‘Our Common Future’, Oxford University Press,Oxford.102

Appendix A: Non-residential servicesThe City of Whittlesea provides kerbside waste and recycling collection services to non-residentialproperties including schools, kindergartens, libraries, community centres, recreation facilities etc.Table 26 below details the kerbside collection services provided to non-residential properties.Table 26: Current council waste services to non-residential properties (as at January 2012)Facility Garbage Bins Recycling BinsKindergartens 14 9Preschool 29 20Childcare centres 7 6Maternal Child Health Centres 8 6CAC's 21 21Community Centres 17 14Community Halls 6 5Youth Centres 9 7Senior Citizens Centres 10 7Football/Cricket Pavilions 62 49Soccer Pavilions 24 24Tennis Pavilions 17 14Other Sports Pavilions 12 9Libraries 12 10C.O.W Administration Buildings 35 44Heritage Buildings 4 1Schools (35 Primary, 13 Secondary Schools) nil 106Total 287 352Key issues faced at non-residential sites include; high contamination rates due to the high volume and variableuses at each facility. This issue scenario generally leads to a lack of recycling champions who can takeownership of the recycling bins and the materials placed within the bin, in the same way that occurs within thedomestic home. Other issues at these sites include high levels of damage and stolen bins due to lack of suitablestorage for bin infrastructure.To combat some of the issues the City of Whittlesea has been successful in receiving a grant to tackle recyclingand litter at local football matches from Sustainability Victoria’s “Roadside Litter & Public Place RecyclingGrants 2010”. The project, named “Clean Up Our Game” also involves Darebin and Nillumbik Councils inpartnership with the Northern Football League.The main aim of the project is to improve recycling and litter rates at local football matches predominantlyusing education and infrastructure tools. All three councils have installed permanent signage and stickers onrecycling bins with the message “Clean Up Our Game”.An extensive media campaign was conducted that included radio, print and internet advertising. Educationalvisits to local matches involving handouts of small footballs with the “Clean Up Our Game” message. Pre andpost project audits were conducted to quantify the effectiveness of the program. These audits results areaimed to improve future efforts.103

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesPurposeThe purpose is:• To provide guidance for Council staff and developers when considering the design of waste management(waste, recycling, green and hard waste) facilities and services for multi-dwelling developments.• To provide guidance for architects, builders, planners, developers, designers and building managers whendesigning waste management (waste, recycling, garden and hard waste) facilities and services for multidwellingdevelopment designs and plans that are proposed to be submitted to Council for planningapproval.• For this document to be used in conjunction with Council’s planning scheme, which sets out policies andrequirements for the use, development and protection of land, as a guide for making planning decisions.• To ensure that all residents at multi-dwellings have access to adequate waste, recycling, garden and hardwaste services, and if these services are supplied by a private service provider they are at least equivalent instandard to that provided by Council to all other Whittlesea residents.Note: this guideline is intended to be a working operational document that will be updated periodically withthe most up to date best-practice information, methods and procedures within the area of servicing multidwellingdevelopments. To obtain a copy of the latest version, please contact the City of Whittlesea.ContextWhittlesea City Council is receiving increasing numbers of applications for multi-dwelling and mixed use highriseresidential developments. A consistent standard is required for application to developments of this typewith a view to the protection of amenity, recovering valuable materials for recycling and reducingcontamination of recycling streams. Ensuring the services provided are user-friendly, with the provision anddesign of adequate space for storage of bins for the management and the collection of waste and recyclables.Many multi-dwelling residential constructed in the past have been developed with little or no consideration ofthe storage and collection for waste and recycling materials. This commonly has resulted in amenity concerns,occupational health & safety risks, accessibility problems and traffic issues for the residents, collectors and localcommunity. Other issues of note include lower resource recovery rates for recycling, higher waste servicescosts and higher than average contamination rates within the recycling bins.By incorporating standard guidance principles into the planning stage of a multi-dwelling development design,a suitable waste management service can be implemented which takes into account the these issues ofconcern.ScopeThis document will be used in conjunction with Council’s planning scheme as a guide for making planningdecisions in the City of Whittlesea.Relevant Legislation, Policies, Strategies and Guidelines• Best Practice Guide for Waste Management in Multi-Dwelling Developments – Sustainability Victoria. 2011.• Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Strategic Plan – Metropolitan Waste Management Group 2009.• WorkSafe Victoria (2004), ‘Safety Alert – Reversing Waste Collection Vehicles – Reducing the Risks, October2004, State of Victoria.• Victorian WorkCover Guidelines 2003 – Non Hazardous Waste and Recycling Materials.• Whittlesea’s Planning Scheme• State Planning Policy Framework.104

DefinitionsAmenity – a useful or attractive feature or a service, e.g. leisure facilities or public place.Collection point – means the area where bins are to be collected by the waste collection contractor.Contamination – Materials and items within a recycling process that are not readily recycled by that process.Garden waste• placed in garden waste bin – means leaves, grass clippings, weeds, prunings, branches, bark and any othersimilar materials which are not greater than 100mm in diameter and 600mm in length; and• placed on naturestrip for collection – means branches and cuttings tied and bundled with string or twinewhich Council prescribes as garden waste.Hard waste – Refuse, rubbish or waste items which Council prescribes from time to time as hard garbage.Indemnity – A party providing services to a particular property will not be held responsible for any loss ordamage to such property as a result of routine provision of services, except in circumstances where the partyhas been negligent or breached statutory duty.Kerbside collection – Collection of household waste, recyclable materials, green waste and hard waste that areleft at the kerbside for collection.Mobile Garbage Bins (MGBs) – Within this document, mobile garbage bins are referred to as 120 litre binswhich are expressed as 120L bins.Multi-dwellings – means more than one residential dwelling in an allotment.Multi-dwelling developments – means a new development containing more than one residential dwelling in anallotment area.Planning Scheme – Relates to Whittlesea’s Planning Scheme. A planning scheme documents policies andcontrols for the use, development and protection of land.Responsible entity – Building managers, owners corporation and care takers responsible for purchasing and/ormaintenance and/or management of waste for a development. This does not include Council or Council’s wastemanagement collection contractors.Waste Management Plan (WMP) – A document that details how waste and recyclables are to be managed andwhere and how the waste and recyclables should be stored and collected for the life of the development. Thisplan ensures that issues such as space, access, amenity and OH&S are addressed appropriately for waste andrecycling services.Guidance policyThis policy guidance and associated guidelines applies to the provision of waste collection services for multidwellingdevelopments within the Whittlesea municipality and requires the following:The developer is to submit the following documents at the start or assessment stage of the planning process:• Proposed Plan Drawings to scale (1:100 or 1:200) incorporating the waste management facilities andservices to be provided• Proposed Waste Management Plan (WMP) detailing how the facilities and services will function inaccordance with the developments drawings and design.105

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesThe developer is to submit the following documents at the post permit issuing stage of the planning process:• Final Approved Plan Drawings to scale (1:100 or 1:200) incorporating the waste management facilities andservices to be provided• Final approved Waste Management Plan (WMP) detailing how the facilities and services will function inaccordance with the Plans DrawingsThe Waste Management Plan (WMP) will document how waste and recyclables will be managed includingstorage and collection in accordance with the approved Plans Drawings.The WMP will be developed based on the compliance requirements contained in the Guidelines for servicingmulti-dwelling developments.The Guidelines provide for the design, management direction and servicing requirements for the followingdevelopment categories:1. Two to five dwellings (1-2 storey)2. Six or more dwellings (1-3 storey)3. Apartment buildings (2+ storey)4. Mixed Use DevelopmentThe Guidelines outlines the steps that the developer is required to undertake to comply with this Policy. Theseare:Read the essential requirements applicable to all developments. Read the section that corresponds to theparticular development type. Complete the Waste Management Plan template and Plan Drawings.Submit the Waste Management Plan and Plan Drawings to Council’s Planning Department.For multi-dwelling developments two to five dwellings (1-2 storey) the Plan Drawings will be approved byCouncil’s Planning officers to ensure issues such as space, amenity and OH&S relating to waste managementare adequately addressed. For developments with six or more dwellings the Plan Drawings and WMP will beforwarded to Council’s Waste Management Department for comment and approvals on particular wastemanagement aspects of the proposal.The cost of providing Council’s waste and recycling services for multi-dwelling developments will be absorbedinto Council’s Waste Management Budget, so it is not intended to have a separate rate scheme or additionalcharges, unless where this provision already exists e.g Council’s 240L garden waste bin service which attracts aseparate rates charge.Developers who choose not to comply with the Policy requirements will be required to provide a private wastecollection service for the development at the expense of the affected owners. Council will not offer a reductionin Council rates where a private service is provided.The guidance policy currently does not provide for the use of smaller waste collection vehicles by Council (i.e.only the standard 22 cubic metre capacity), or larger waste and recycling receptacles larger than 240 litrewheelie bins (new 360 litre bins may be an option for shared use, upon Council approval). In order fordevelopments to service areas of restricted access with smaller collection vehicles or larger bins, whilst stillcomplying with OH&S requirements, private arrangement will be required to be entered into at the additionalcost of the affected owners.‘Apartment buildings’ of two or more storeys at this stage may be required to provide a private wastecollection service for the development at the expense of the affected owners, where the only options is to uselarger bin capacities to be provided and maintained by the Body Corporate or other responsible entity.Collection frequencies for bins in apartment buildings, under private collection contract arrangements, may berequired to be increased to ensure adequate servicing requirements are met.106

The guidance policy is based on maintaining Council’s standard residential kerbside collectionservice which consists of:• weekly waste collection using 120 litre wheelie bins;• fortnightly recyclables collection using 240 litre wheelie bins;• optional user-pays 240 litre garden waste wheelie bin service collected fortnightly• pre-booked bundled branches collections (weekly frequency) of tied tree pruning waste;• and two pre-booked hard waste collections per yearCollections occur using 22 cubic metre side loading vehicles (for wheelie bins) or 19 cubic metre rear loadingvehicles (for hard and bundled green waste).Developments of two to five dwellings will be permitted to place their bins on the naturestrip where adequatespace on the kerbside frontage of the property is available. Rear access such as laneways will need to haveadequate access with no restrictions to vehicles entering and exiting the laneway or servicing the bins withinthe laneway.Developments of six or more dwellings are required to provide on-site waste collection services within theconfines of the development, unless permitted otherwise by Council’s relevant Department’s (Planning,Transportation and Waste Management).Design and servicing guidelinesAssessmentThe developer is to submit the following documents at the time of planning permit application:• Proposed Plan Drawings to scale (1:100 or 1:200) incorporating the waste management facilities andservices to be provided, including dimensions of storage areas, access, and collection points clearly marked.• Proposed Waste Management Plan (WMP) detailing how the facilities and services will function inaccordance with the Plans drawings.Issue of PermitSubject to the conditions of the planning permit the developer is to submit the following documents:• Plan Drawings (Final approved version) to scale (1:100 or 1:200) incorporating the waste managementfacilities and services to be provided, including dimensions of storage areas, access, and collection pointsclearly marked, and• Waste Management Plan (Final approved version) detailing how the facilities and services will function inaccordance with the Plans Drawings - refer to template provided.The Waste Management Plan (WMP) and Plan Drawings should be completed by the developer or by a suitablyqualified professional on behalf of the developer.For multi-dwelling developments of two (2) to five (5) dwellings (1-2 storey), the Plan Drawings will beapproved by Council’s planning officers in-line with Council’s Policy and Guidelines to ensure issues such asspace, access, amenity and OH&S, as they relate to waste management, are adequately addressed. Fordevelopments with six (6) or more dwellings, the WMP will be approved by Council’s Planning Department inconjunction with other relevant departments such as, Waste Management and Transportation.The Plan Drawings of the site should be to scale (1:100 or 1:200) and indicate the following:• Location, type, size and number of dwellings proposed at the site, including the number of bedrooms withineach dwelling107

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings Guidelines• Location and dimensions of waste and recycling for storage and collection (specifying number and size ofbins, and if Council or private waste services are proposed to be used)• Educational signage that is proposed to be installed within the bin storage area(s)• Highlight path of access by users (residents, caretakers, waste contractor) to waste and recycle bins• Location of hard waste storage and collection point, highlighting path of access by users• Location of green waste storage and collection point (if proposed), including method of collection andhighlighting path of access by users• Location of the communal composting facility (if proposed), highlighting path of access by users• Turnaround areas (if proposed) with dimensions, including turning template for waste collection vehicles• Clearance height of any under-building access to basement car park where bin store may be located (ifapplicable – usually apartment complexes)• Collection hazards on street, eg traffic slow point device• Gradients of the development and/or street• Sight distance requirements• Vehicle crossings• Existing or proposed parking bays (both within property and/or on street)• Existing or proposed parking signage (both within property and/or on street)• Trees (to edge of canopy)• Poles• Buildings• Fences• Letter boxes• Any other existing or proposed feature(s) or hazard(s) that has or will have the potential to affect waste &recycling collections in any way, whether within the property, on the naturestrip or the roadwayIf Council requirements as stated in this Guideline cannot be met, the developer is to propose an alternatedetailed design solution. This may include collection by private contractors which will also require provision ofboth a Waste Management Plan (WMP) and Plan Drawings. The WMP should outline the details of the wastecollection service that will be provided and submitted to Council for approval (refer to WMP templateguidelines section for more information).General Requirements for DevelopersThis section of the Guideline reviews issues that apply to all developments and should be considered whendesigning waste management systems.Whittlesea City Council currently provides the following waste and recycling services:• A 120L domestic garbage bin (dark green lid) for residential weekly waste collections.• A 240L commercial garbage bin (maroon lid) for commercial and industrial weekly waste collections Anadditional bins are also available but this bin attracts an additional annual surcharge*;• A 240L bin (yellow lid) for fortnightly domestic comingled recycling collection;• An optional 240L bin (lime green lid) user-pays service for fortnightly garden waste collection*;• A pre-booked (at-call) kerbside collection of tied and bundled green waste; and• Two (2) pre-booked (at-call) hard waste collections per year.108

For larger multi storey developments of 2 or more stories, the service may require a privatecollection arrangement for the servicing of larger capacity bins for waste and comingled recyclables.The owners’ corporation or building manager will be required to provide ongoing service provision and arrangefor the purchase and ongoing maintenance of the these private servicing arrangement bins.The capacity requirement will be based on user demand which is primarily influenced by waste generationrates and frequency of collection. Recycling collection frequencies for development types may also differ fromthe current waste service described above. Note that where Council’s pre-booked bundled green waste andhard waste services are permitted to be used, the collection mode and frequency of collection will remain thesame for all development types as described above.Bins are required to be collected during times that accord with Council’s existing waste contract requirements:• Between the hours of 5:00am and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, on commercial and industrial roads and areasas nominated by Council,• Between the hours of 6:00am and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, on main arterial roads as nominated byCouncil, or• Between 7:00am and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, on all other local residential roads.Council’s Fees and ChargesCouncil’s website (http://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/) should be referred to for relevant fees and charges foradditional waste collection services.It should be noted that engagement of a private collection contractor will not result in a reduction in Council’srates as charged to the property, which also includes the cost of other aspects of Waste & Litter Collectionthroughout Whittlesea. This service allows for waste removal from public place litter and recycling bins andlitter clearance from shopping centre footpaths, roads, parks, gardens, recreation and sporting grounds,waterways and community facilities.Waste Generation RatesCouncil requires that all residents be provided with waste and recycling services as a minimum. The guidelinefor waste generation for multi-dwelling developments is as follows:This formula may be used to estimate number of waste and recycling bins required per development:= [(no. of dwellings x respective allowance)/collection frequency]/bin size (volume)Details such as floor space and number of bedrooms need to be identified in the Plan and Plan Drawings toestablish the quantity of waste generation and therefore the number and type of bins required.Storage requirements for waste InfrastructureThe following should be considered when designing communal bin storage areas:• If bins cannot be stored at each premises an appropriate storage area should be provided for the requirednumber of bins such that each bin can be easily accessed.• An appropriate area should be identified on the developments frontage i.e. naturestrip for hard waste andbundled green waste to be stored for collection (specifically, where Council services are to be utilised).• Storage needs to be clear of other services associated with the development so as to not block access (e.g.electrical meter boards, gas meters, conduits, garden lighting or fire fighting equipment).• Storage area must allow for the cleaning of the area and should not present a health or safety hazard toresidents or visitors to the site.109

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings Guidelines• Storage area should be well screened from the street, secure and protected against vandalism.• Storage area needs to be well lit to allow use after dark.• Recycle bins are to be located adjacent to waste bins and each type is to be kept separate within thestorage area and appropriately signed to delineate between each bin type and purpose.• Storage area should be located to allow easy access for users and easy transfer to the bin collection point.• As a guide, the storage area should be located within 10m of the bin collection point.• Storage area needs to well ventilated.• Storage area needs to be within reaching distance of any on-site fire fighting equipment, eg emergencyhose or extinguishers• Storage area needs to be easy to clean with access to water and drainage to the sewer.• For private collection arrangements - All waste and recycle bins should be labelled to indicate what can beplaced in the bin. Label should be placed on top of the bin lid. Bins should also include the address of thesingle dwelling and/or shared block of units to which it belongs to.• Storage area should be clearly signposted instructing residents in the correct use of bins, includingappropriate separation of waste and recycling. The signage should include contact details of collectioncontractor that identifies who can be contacted to provide information about recycling and/or otherservices.Bin dimensions (serviced by Council)Indicative sizes only for common bin sizes with capacity from 120L to 240L with two wheels are providedbelow.Bin Type 120 L 240 LHeight 950 mm 1050 mmDepth 600 mm 750 mmWidth 500 mm 600 mmNote: Council provides 120L for residential and 240L for commercial and industrial waste bins and 240L recycle bins. Forprivate arrangements bins will need to be purchased and maintained by the responsible entity (usually a building manageror owner’s corporation).Bin collection (from the kerbside)• The placement of 120 - 240L bins on the kerbside for greater than 11m is not acceptable as bins lined upnext to each other on the kerbside create a sight distance and visibility issue for vehicles exiting theproperty. Bins such as skips larger than Council’s standard must not be placed on the kerbside forcollection.• Bins are to be positioned in a single line and should be clear of road pavement.An example of a 120L garbage bin and a 240L recycle bin is shown below: This is the usual method ofcollection.• Bins should be placed on a level surface away from gradients and vehicle ramps.110

• Bins should be placed along the straight section of courts, bowls and dead end streets for collection.• Collection points should not be located within 10 metres of an intersection, where there is a sharp changein the road alignment, near or within a traffic slow point device, on the crest of a hill, along arterial roads, innarrow lanes with road reserve less than 4 metres width (from fence to fence), near possible obstructions,including trees, over hanging buildings, overhead power lines, adjoining bus stops, or any instance wherethe bin collection presents a safety hazard.Bin collection (from within the confinements of development)Where bins cannot be collected from the kerbside, Council collection vehicles may collect bins from within theconfinements of the property, given the following requirements are satisfied:• Bins should not be placed in turning areas and should be located such that the collection vehicle does notinterfere with the use of access driveways, loading bays or parking bays.• Bin collection point needs to be clearly identified and/or area where bins are placed for collection arerequired to be clearly marked.• It is Council’s preference for developments to be designed so that collection vehicles can traverse throughin a forward direction. A turning area is to be provided to cater for Council’s contract waste collectionvehicles if they cannot continue through in a forward direction as vehicles are not permitted to reverse outof the site due to Occupational Health & Safety issues. Turning circle details are provided at the end of thedocument and also available by contacting Council’s Transportation Department.• Any turning circle considerations must also include allowances for driver steering error (manoeuvringclearance) and overhangs. A manoeuvring clearance of at least 0.3m on both sides of the theoretical sweptcircle path should be accommodated.• 120L and 240L bins should be placed in a single line for collection, with at least 0.5 metre spacing betweenbins. These bins are to be placed at least 1.0 metre from light/power poles, trees (including overhangingbranches), letter boxes or any other obstructions.• Where a side-loading vehicle is to be used (common collection method for bins up to 240L), bin collectionpoints should be positioned on the left hand side of the collection vehicle. Where a rear-loading vehicle is tobe used (suitable for private collections and subject to Council approval) the bins can be grouped in astorage bay as they will be walked to the collection vehicle.• Clear access of overhead obstructions is to be provided to cater for waste collection vehicles. A minimumclearance height of 4.3 metres for loading must be allowed for a side loading vehicle, as this includes accessfor the lifting arm. For rear-end loading vehicle, a minimum clearance height of at least 3.5 metres must beallowed.• The collection vehicle movement should be in a forward direction with no requirement to reverse,particularly out of the development onto a roadway.• Access to the collection point must be available between 6:00am – 6:00pm Monday to Friday.• The designated turning area should be clearly marked and be accessible to the waste collection vehicles oncollection day between 6:00am – 6:00pm. Appropriate no standing signage should be installed on-site atthe turning area location to clearly indicate this requirement.• The road used to access bins needs to be suitable for the collection vehicle in terms of strength, width,geometric design and height clearances. Mass, width, geometric design and height clearances of vehiclesare provided in the final two sections at the end of the document to assist with estimating the strength ofroad. More details can be provided by contacting Council’s Transportation Department.• The responsible entity (usually developer/owners corporation) is responsible for the maintenance of thecommon property (including roads) within the development. An indemnity provided by Council is requiredto be signed and sealed by the responsible entity prior to the waste collection services being provided,which indemnifies both Council and its waste collection contractors from claims relating to damage causedthrough the collection process, with the indemnity being proportionally reduced depending on the extentthat the contractor is negligent or in breach of statutory duty.111

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesResponsible management of waste servicesResidents and/or retail tenancy operators (in a mixed used development) will be responsible for disposing ofwaste and recyclables in the appropriate bins.The responsible entity must monitor bin levels, ensure bins and storage area remains clean, maintain clear andconsistent signage, present bins for collection on time and retrieve bins when collection is complete and ensurethat all residents are informed of the waste, recycling, green and hard waste arrangements and educate themon appropriate use of these systems.Victorian WorkCover Guidelines (2003) Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines for the Collection, Transportand Unloading of Non-hazardous Waste and Recyclable Materials, relating to safe and efficient wastecollection, should be referred to when designing waste facilities. Collection methods and systems used forwaste management in multi-dwelling developments must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act(2004) and other relevant legislation and regulations.COLLECTION OF BINS FOR DEVELOPMENTS OF TWO (2) TO FIVE (5) DWELLINGS (1-2STOREY)Developments of two to five (5) dwellings are taken to include units, town houses and villas where dwellingsare on the same parcel of land and all buildings have 1-2 storeys. This type of dwelling may have a small yardwhich allows for individual storage of bins.For developments of two to five (5) dwellings only use 120L for waste and 240L for recycling with bins to bestored in resident’s own yard.In addition to the essential requirements providing design and servicing guidelines above, the following accessand bin placement conditions apply for bins collected from developments two to five (5) dwellings:Bin TypesCouncil will provide 1 x 120L waste bin per dwelling collected weekly and 1 x 240L recycling bin per dwellingcollected fortnightly, with residents having the option of a user-pays 240L green waste bin collected fortnightlyon the alternate collection week to recycling.Note: any additional bins required by individual dwellings will attract charges.StorageGiven the above, space is to be provided for the storage of at least two (2) bins (waste and recycling) perdwelling within the confines of the property.Bin Placement for waste collectionBins can be placed on the kerbside (maximum length of 11 metres which equates to no more than fivedwellings) or within the confinements of the property for collection by the waste contractor.Allowance of a 2.1 metre length at the bin collection point for each dwelling (includes waste and recycling bin).This will provide sufficient spacing for the waste collector to pick up and put down bins without interfering withadjacent bins (driver will not leave vehicle to arrange or move bins).Note: If the requirements listed above cannot be achieved the developer is to propose an alternate solution. Thismay include collection by private contractors which will also require provision of both a Waste ManagementPlan (WMP) (refer to WMP Development Guidelines section detailed within this document) and associated PlanDrawings to Council for approval.112

COLLECTION OF BINS FOR SIX OR MORE DWELLINGS (1-3 STOREY)Developments of six (6) or more dwellings are taken to include units, town houses and villas (not apartmentcomplexes) where dwellings are located on the same parcel of land and all buildings have 1-3 storeys. This typeof dwelling may have a small yard which would allow for the individual storage of bins. Dwellings are usuallystand-alone or have adjoining garage/ carport facilities.Elements of this type of dwelling are also relevant to nursing homes and retirement villages.The following options exist for developments with six (6) or more 1–3 storey dwellings:• Option 1: Use 120L bins for waste and 240L bins for recycling with bins stored in resident’s own yard.• Option 2: Use 240L bins for waste and recycling with bins stored in a communal storage area or areas.In addition to the essential requirements given in the design and servicing guidelines section above, thefollowing access and bin placement conditions apply for bins collected from single, double or three storeydevelopments with six (6) or more dwellings:Option 1: bins stored in resident’s own yard.Bin TypeCouncil will provide 1 x 120L waste bin per dwelling collected weekly and 1 x 240L recycling bin per dwellingcollected fortnightly, with residents having the option of a user-pays 240L green waste bin collected fortnightly.Note: Additional bins will attract additional charges.StorageSpace is to be provided for the storage of at least two (2) bins (waste and recycling) per dwelling within theconfines of the property.Bin Placement for waste collectionBins can only be collected within the confinements of the development. The placement of this number of binson the kerbside is not acceptable as bins lined up next to each other on the kerbside for greater than 11 metrespresent a traffic hazard for vehicles exiting the development due to inadequate sight distance. Note: if there istwo street frontages available for separate bin placements (i.e. corner development), Council may approvecollections from the kerbside.Allowance of a 2.1 metre length at the bin collection point for each dwelling (includes 120L waste and 240Lrecycling bin).This will provide sufficient spacing for the waste collector to pick up and put down bins withoutinterfering with adjacent bins (driver will not leave vehicle to arrange or move bins).Option 2: bins stored in a communal storage area or areasBin TypeFor developments where lack of space prevents collection from the kerbside or within the property at eachindividual frontage, Council may consider bin sharing. Council will provide 240L waste and 240L recycle binswith waste bins collected weekly and recycle bins collected fortnightly. The number of waste and recycle binsmust be determined by the developments waste generation rates. Residents have the option of a user pays240L green waste bin collected fortnightly subject to sufficient space being available for collection.StorageA communal storage area (or areas) for bins will be required within the confinements of the development inaccordance with the essential requirements given in the design and servicing guidelines section above. In caseof a retirement village, proximity and access to the storage area would need to be considered carefully.113

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesBin Placement for waste collectionBins can only be collected within the confinements of the development. The placement of this number of binson the kerbside is not acceptable as bins lined up next to each other on the kerbside for greater than 11 metrespresent a traffic hazard for vehicles exiting the development due to inadequate sight distance. Note: if there istwo street frontages available for separate bin placements (i.e. corner development), Council may approvecollections from the kerbside.Allowance must also be provided for 2.2 metre length on the bin collection points per set (a set comprises of a240L waste and 240L recycling bin). It will also be the responsibility of the responsible entity to place bins forcollection by the waste contractor.Note: If the requirements listed in option 1 and 2 above cannot be achieved the developer is to propose analternate solution. This may include collection by private contractors which will also require provision of both aWaste Management Plan (WMP) (refer to WMP Development Guidelines section detailed within this document)and associated Plan Drawings to Council for approval.COLLECTION OF BINS FOR APARTMENT BUILDINGS THAT INCLUDE 2 OR MORE STOREYSApartment buildings of two or more storeys are medium to large blocks of dwellings, flats or apartments withseparate dwellings, either one or more on each storey. Apartment blocks with two or more storeys will usuallyhave lift access to the dwellings on the upper levels.The following options exist for developments consisting of residential blocks of two or more storeys:• Option 1: Use 240L bins for waste and 240L bins for recycling (or larger capacity skip bins for privatecollection arrangements) with bins stored in a communal storage area or areas.NOTE: Residents may be required to carry all waste and recyclables from their dwelling direct to thecommunal area(s). The number of communal areas will be determined by the distance residents have towalk to access bins (maximum of 30 metres). This option is generally viable for up to four storey levels.Collections within the development may be provided by Council (240L bins only) or private arrangementmanagement by the responsible entity.• Option 2: This option requires the responsible entity to manage the waste collection and disposal system.A twin-chute system for waste and recyclables, leading to a central waste area of the building must beinstalled which would empty into large skip capacity bins for waste and recyclables separately.For both options, all bins must be stored in accordance with the storage requirements set out in this guidancedocument.In addition to essential requirements given in the design and servicing guidelines section above, the followingaccess and bin placement conditions apply for low-rise residential developments that include two or morestoreys.Option 1: bins stored in a communal storage area or areasBin Type120L and 240L bins (for Council or private collections) or larger capacity skips (for private arrangementcollections) can be used for storage of waste and recyclables in a communal area(s) constructed in accordancewith design and servicing guidelines section above.StorageAdequate storage space is to be provided for bins for waste and recyclables. More than one communal areamay be required where developments spread across a large area, comprising of different blocks within a singledevelopment or where residents have to walk more than 30 metres to access bins. Communal areas maycomprise of an external enclosure such as bin bay, enclosures located at ground floor parking level, within thebuilding understorey or rooms located within the main building or basement, and must be constructedaccordance with the design and servicing guidelines section above.114

Bin placement for waste collectionBins should be placed within the confinements of the development only. The placement of bins on the kerbsidefor this number of bins is not acceptable as bins lined up next to each other for greater than 11 metres on thekerbside presents an amenity issue and traffic hazard for vehicles exiting the development due to inadequatesight distance.Bins will usually be placed in an enclosure (constructed in accordance with the design and servicing guidelinessection above) within the development both for storage and clearance and will be walked to the collectionvehicle. Clearance of 0.5 metre should be allowed between the bins to provide for access by residents.Option 2: a twin-chute system for waste and recyclablesBin TypeA twin-chute system for waste and recyclables, leading to a central waste room (constructed in accordancewith storage requirements of these Guidelines) at the bottom of the building must be installed which wouldempty into appropriate sized bins, skips or carts for waste and recyclables separately. Where chute systems areinstalled, Whittlesea City Council requires bins, skips or carts to have reinforced bases to withstand the impactof waste and recyclables delivery.For both options above, the number of waste and recycle bins must be determined by the waste generationrate guidelines.Note: For Option 2, the developer is to propose a bulk bin solution for private collections (e.g. 2m3, 3m3 and4.5m3) to be used in combination with a twin-chute system for waste and recyclables, leading to a centralwaste room at the bottom of the building which empties into either bulk bins or an MGB carousel orcompactors. These options will require collection by private contractors and the development of a WasteManagement Plan (WMP) (refer to WMP development guideline section detailed within this document) andassociated Plan Drawings to be provided Council for approval.StorageWaste and recycling bins will be kept in a room in the ground level or basement of the building as required forthe twin-chute system. Access for residents to the waste storage area must be restricted, if a chute system is inplace.Note: Pre-booked hard and bundled branches waste from high density developments may be restricted from thekerb for collection. Suitable on-site storage should be provided with access for waste contractors. Collection isusually coordinated by the responsible entity and may be undertaken by a private provider or by Council’s hardwaste collection contractor under agreement with Council’s Waste Management staff on a case by case basis.Bin placement for waste collectionBins are to be collected within the confinements of the development only. They are not to be placed on thekerbside for collection.Bins will usually be placed in an enclosure or designated area within the development both for storage andclearance and may be required to be walked to the collection vehicle with clear access. Sufficient spacing andclearance (including overhead) is to be provided for the waste collector to pick up and put down bins withoutinterfering with adjacent bins or the building’s infrastructure.MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTMixed used developments incorporate both residential and commercial use within the same development. Thesize of these developments may vary from very small to high-rise of more than seven storeys with commercialcomponent on the ground floor for instance.Best practice waste management in mixed used developments requires the complete separation of theresidential and commercial waste disposal facilities. Hence, waste and recycling systems should be designedsuch that there are no negative impacts on the residential dwellings within the development particularly inrelation to noise and odour and time of collections.115

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesProvision of waste services 1 x 240L waste bin collected weekly is provided to commercial premises by theCouncil to individually rated properties only. Where mixed use development incorporate several commercialpremises under a body corporate arrangement a private collection arrangement will be require to be enteredinto to service the waste requirements of these premises. Traders can also elect to use private contractors forwaste and recyclables collection. The WMP and Plan Drawings should indicate what provision is being made forwaste and recyclables collections from each commercial premise.To establish the options available for the residential component of a mixed used development refer to thegeneral requirements in the design and servicing guidelines section above in addition to the specificrequirements for development type.The waste and recycling systems installed for the commercial component of the development will varyaccording to the types and quantities of waste and recyclables generated. As such it is difficult of this guidancedocument to cover specific waste management requirements for the commercial component. It should benoted that general principles given are also applicable to best practice waste management for commercialdevelopments.Note: If requirements listed above cannot be achieved the developer is to propose an alternate solution. Thismay include collection by private contractors which will also require provision of both a Waste ManagementPlan (WMP) (refer to WMP Development Guidelines section detailed within this document) and associated PlanDrawings to Council for approval.Waste Management Plan (WMP) Development GuidelinesThe following identifies the minimum information requirements to be included within the Waste ManagementPlan, to be submitted to Council with the Plan Drawings (to scale 1:100 and/or 1:200) for approval.Completing the Waste Management Plan will assist you in identifying how the waste from the development willbe managed in accordance with the above guidelines and advise Council how you intend to provide andmanage the developments waste and recycling service requirements. Note: If a question is not applicable, donot state “not applicable”, instead please explain why it is not applicable.Please provide attachments if space provided is inadequate. Also, include as much information as possible toassist with the approval process.1. Applicant Details• Application No.• Contact details2. Project Details• Address of development• Description of proposed development. Describe the use/mix of uses on the land.• Type of development (according to the description set out within this guideline document)3. Waste Generation• Number of dwellings, units, floors etc.• Floor area and number of bedrooms per dwelling.• Estimated waste generation (waste, recycle and garden waste) per dwelling (cubic metres/weekuncompacted):• Storage per dwelling• Describe the equipment and system to be used for managing waste and recyclables within eachdwelling (i.e. in kitchen or convenient location).• Where bins are provided to an individual unit, describe the equipment and system to be used formanaging waste and recyclables within the confinements of the property (e.g. back yard or aconvenient location within the confinements of the property).116

4. Waste within the Development• Total estimated waste generation (waste, recycle and garden waste) for the whole the development(cubic metres/week uncompacted):• Describe the number and type of waste and recycling bins that will be assigned to the developmentand highlight the location of each bin on Plan Drawings.• Has consideration been given to the requirement and allocation of spare or additional waste andrecycling bins (and/or user-pays garden waste bins) for the development? If not, please state why.5. Communal Storage Area• Describe arrangements for access and path of access by users to waste storage areas (highlight onPlan Drawings).• Describe the size and location(s) of waste storage area(s) for the development (highlight on PlanDrawings) and number and type of bins to be placed in the storage area.• Describe the equipment and system to be used to manage the communal storage area.6. Collection• What is the preferred collection arrangement for this development i.e. Council or Private?• Describe arrangements for access and path of access to collection point by caretaker or residents(highlight on Plan Drawings).• Describe the location and size of the collection area (show on Plan Drawings) with number and typeof bins to be collected.• Describe the equipment and system to be used for the collection of the waste and recyclables.• Describe arrangements for access by collection contractors to collection point (highlight on PlanDrawings including vehicle turning paths) Include discussion on pavement strength, heightallowances, turning circles, collection times.• Describe the frequency of collection by the waste services provider, if a private arrangement is used.7. Amenity• Describe how noise associated with residents using the bins, collection contractors emptying thebins and if applicable, how wastes falling out of the chute or bins has been minimised.• Describe the ventilation of waste storage areas to prevent odour (highlight on Plan Drawings).• Describe the facilities for washing bins and waste storage areas (highlight on Plan Drawings).• Describe features for preventing ingress of vermin into waste storage areas.• Describe measures to ensure the appearance of the waste storage areas is consistent with the rest ofthe development and safe for residents and contractors to use (highlight on the Plan Drawing withdetails of proposed bin enclosures landscaping, fencing, materials, finishes & colours).• Describe the measures to protect bins from theft and vandalism.8. Management• Describe the process for waste transfer between the waste/recyclables storage area, loading into thecollection vehicle and placement of bins back into the storage area. Who is responsible for eachtransfer? (This should include bundled branches and hard waste if required for the development).• Who is responsible for the maintenance and cleaning of bins, storage areas, equipment and ifapplicable collection point?• Describe arrangements for ensuring bins are labelled and collection point/area adequately signed sothat residents are aware of how to use the waste management system correctly?• Describe how you intend to ensure ongoing management of waste (e.g. lease conditions oragreement, caretaker, manager on-site, Section 173 Agreement, indemnity agreement).117

Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings Guidelines9. Miscellaneous• Has consideration been given to a communal compositing facility onsite? If so, describe theequipment and system to be used for the storage of food scraps, address space and accessrequirements by users, how odour is to be managed and who is responsible for maintenance?(highlight on Plan Drawings)• Describe the equipment and system to be used for managing garden wastes (green waste) withindevelopment, including space requirements, and who is responsible for collection? (highlight on PlanDrawings)• Describe the equipment and system to be used for managing hard waste within development,including space and access requirements by users, who is responsible for maintenance of the storagearea, transfer to collection point and collection, what are the arrangements for access by collectioncontractors to collection point?Further technical details and design assistance can be found in the Sustainability Victoria publication: DraftBest Practice Guide for Waste Management in Multi-dwelling Developments 2009.(www.sustainability.vic.gov.au)Council’s collection vehicles & turning circles specificationsWaste collection vehicles may be side loading (typically 22 cubic metre capacity and 9.5 metre vehicle length)or rear loading (typically 19 cubic metre capacity and 9.6 metre vehicle length), and the type of vehicle to beused depends on both the type of bin or material to be collected or presented for clearance.Side loading vehicles are used for 120L to 240L bins where the collection vehicle can access the bins withoutthe driver having to leave the collection vehicle. Rear loading vehicles are used for the collection of hard wasteitems presented on the kerbside for collection. Details for these vehicles are given below and include turningcircle details which need to be shown on the Plan Drawings to verify the vehicle can access the site.Smaller rear loading vehicles may also be available for waste collection under private collection arrangementsfrom medium and high density developments. These smaller vehicles (typically 6-8 cubic metre capacity and6.5 metre length) are more suited to developments where access is restricted. Details will need to be shown onthe plans to verify the vehicle can access the site. Use of the smaller rear loading vehicles will requireconfirmation from Council’s Waste Management Department.GarbageRecyclingHard WasteGarden WasteBundled Green WasteHeight:Width:Length:Weight:Height:Width:Length:Weight:Height:Width:Length:Weight:Height:Width:Length:Weight:Height:Width:Length:Weight:3.4 metres (truck)2.5 metres (5.0 metres with bin lifter)9.5 metres (truck)23.5 tonnes (duel axle fully-loaded)3.6 metres (truck)2.5 metres (5.0 metres with bin lifter)10.0 metres (recycle truck)23.5 tonnes (duel axle fully-loaded)3.6 metres (truck)2.5 metres10.0 metres (truck)14.0 tonnes (truck), 22.5 tonnes (fully-loaded truck)3.4 metres (truck)2.5 metres9.5 metres (truck)23.5 tonnes (duel axle fully-loaded)3.2 metres (truck)2.5 metres13.0 metres (truck and chipper)6.3 tonnes (truck), 7.3 tonnes (fully-loaded truck)118

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Appendix B: Servicing Multi-dwellings GuidelinesSmaller rear loading vehicles may also be available for waste collection under private collection arrangementsfrom medium and high-density developments. These smaller vehicles (typically 6-8 cubic metre capacity and6.5-metre length) are more suited to developments where access is restricted. Details will need to be shown onthe plans to verify the vehicle can access the site. Use of the smaller rear loading vehicles will requireconfirmation from Council’s Waste Management Department.120

Appendix C: Environmental Education ActivitiesThe City of Whittlesea’s education programs and activities are categorised into four key areas,with the associated programs and activities provided in more detail below:1. Community education2. Schools Education3. Business Education4. Corporate Education1 Community Education1.1 Waste minimisation and RecyclingCommunity waste minimisation and recycling education is designed to target residents, including seniorcitizens, culturally and linguistically diverse residents, new parent groups, and residents that haverecently moved in to the municipality. Particular areas of focus include:• The correct use of kerbside garbage, recycling and garden waste services.• Alternative methods to waste disposal including composting, worm farming and permanent recyclingdisposal facilities.• Educating the community about sustainable purchasing behaviours.• Minimising behaviour that impacts negatively on the environment.Actions implemented to date:• Targeted ongoing presentations to senior citizen, new parent, multicultural groups and otherrelevant community groups.• Promotion of annual events including Clean Up Australia Day, Composting Awareness Week andNational Recycling Week.• Inclusion of the annual garbage and recycling collection calendar in the Community Calendar.• Regular advertising in local newspapers of upcoming community events, changes in waste services,focus on recycling contamination or incorrect recycling behaviours such as placing recycling in plasticbags etc.• Using Whittlescene (Council’s community newsletter), Whittlesea’s website and the Council Columnwithin the Whittlesea Leader to promote waste minimisation, recycling or key community eventsand programs.• Annual community group visits to the Rethink Education Centre where residents learn more aboutrecycling, the materials sorting process and sustainable consumerism.Key issues and Opportunities:• Implement a recycling education campaign targeting residents from culturally and linguisticallydiverse backgrounds.• Translation of key City of Whittlesea waste management information into other common non-English spoken languages.• Continue to provide community updates when new materials can be included in the kerbsiderecycling bin and recycling facilities.• Continue to be active in the development of regional education programs through the MetropolitanWaste Management Group’s education network.121

Appendix C: Environmental Education Activities1.2 Litter prevention and stormwater managementLitter education is provided as part of the overall waste minimisation services provided by Council withemphasis on:• Educating the community about the negative impact of litter on the local environment.• Identifying litter hot spots and implementing initiatives to address the specific litter problem.• Targeting specific community areas that contribute to litter problems, for example shoppingprecincts, sports grounds and schools.• Promotion of annual events including Clean-Up Australia Day.Actions implemented to date:• Implementation of specific education campaigns to target litter prevention in the communityincluding Do the Right Thing, Clean Up Your Game, Covered Loads and Don’t Be A Tosser, supportedby Sustainability Victoria.• Support the community and local businesses in the participation of Clean Up Australia Day activities.• Regular promotion in local newspapers, Whittlescene, EnviroNews and on Council’s website topromote litter prevention and stormwater management related activities and programs to thecommunity.Key issues and Opportunities:• Continued challenge of engaging the community in behaviour change to reduce litter impacts i.e.diminishing social cohesion and community pride.• Investigate new opportunities at local, state and national level to explore new strategies to furtherreduce litter and littering behaviour in the community.• Seek funding to implement specific education campaigns that target litter prevention in thecommunity and/or expand on existing community litter prevention projects through the reallocationof Landfill Levy funds from the State Government.• Explore the possibility of having a local litter champion/local law officer to engage the community todiscourage littering behaviour.1.3 Composting & worm farm promotionsHome composting and worm farming is a simple, low cost and sustainable way for residents to reducetheir waste generation. Composting frees up space in the 120 litre garbage bin and produces organiccompost material adding value when placed back in the garden.Composting and worm farming education is targeted at a range of areas in the community includingsenior citizens, schools and kindergartens, gardening clubs and community groups. Composting andworm farming is also communicated as an option to residents that request an additional garbage bin.Actions implemented to date:• The City of Whittlesea offers residents the opportunity to purchase compost bins and worm farms atcost price throughout the year.• Compost bins and worm farms are regularly raffled off as prizes in competitions, communityworkshops and events as incentives to promote increased sustainability.122

• Free community home composting and worm farming workshops are held throughout the year tobuild knowledge and capacity within the community, also provided to local schools andkindergartens as requested.Key issues and Opportunities:• Changing residential development patterns in the City of Whittlesea towards more high density livingwill reduce capacity to compost at home.• The cost, accessibility and time required to compost or worm farm may have impacts on the broadertake up of the activity.• Seek funding to implement community composting programs such as Spring into Composting whichwas piloted in the City of Whittlesea in 2006, enabling greater access to residents.1.4 Waste Wise Events & FestivalsThere are a number of large community events held within the City of Whittlesea throughout the yearwhich has the potential to produce considerable quantities of litter, garbage and recyclingThe large number of community members in attendance at these public events, means it’s a greatopportunity to demonstrate Council’s commitment to being proactive on waste management andrecycling activities.Council provides waste management services in the way of recycling and garbage skip bins, mobilegarbage and recycling bins, bin caps and bin monitors to large events held in the municipality including;• Community Festival• Whittlesea Show• Country Music FestivalFor smaller community events Council has available the Waste Wise Trailer for bookings. The trailercontains 6 garbage and 6 recycling bins including 12 signed educational bin caps.Actions implemented to date:• The development of the community Waste Wise Trailer for use by the community. The trailercontains 6 garbage and 6 recycling bins and bin caps. The trailer can be accessed by communitygroups for school fetes, sporting events, pony club events and other event style activities etc.• Ongoing agreement with the Whittlesea Agricultural Society to ensure the provision of recyclingservices at the annual Whittlesea Show.• Introduction of food waste bins at the annual Community Festival in 2008 receiving ‘Gold WasteWise’ accreditation.• Production of a wheelie bin mascot to use at community festivals and events to promote recycling inthe City of Whittlesea.• Introduction of bin monitors at the Community Festival and Whittlesea Show to educate patrons onwhat materials can and cannot be recycled at large community events in the City of Whittlesea.Key issues and opportunities:• Above average contamination rates of recyclables collected at community events that couldsignificantly be improved through education avenues.123

Appendix C: Environmental Education Activities• Ensure events integrate Council’s key waste wise/minimisation principles, energy and waterreduction messages to community.• Lack of incentive for food vendors to purchase recycled catering products. Engage with food vendorsprior to the community events and encourage the use of recycled catering products and theadoption of waste minimisation and recycling practices.1.5 Public Place Recycling EducationSince 2007, Council has progressively installed and upgraded public place litter & recycling bins in majorshopping precincts in the municipality.Through a number of site specific public place litter & recycling projects conducted in conjunction withSustainability Victoria funding through the landfill levy funding reallocation. Council has been successfulin improving bin infrastructure and signage in public places (to Sustainability Victoria standards) to morethan 40 bins stations around the municipality.Public place litter and recycling bins are now being rolled out to smaller shopping strips within themunicipality. Consistent bin standards are provided to developers for installation into newdevelopments maintaining consistency for users’ at all public places.When the public place recycling bins were first installed, the contamination rates were high. However,with improvements made to signage and ongoing education, including increased public awareness,Council has seen significant improvements through the annual public place bin auditing process.Actions implemented to date:• Improved garbage and recycling bin infrastructure and educational signage at major shoppingprecincts, improving bin capacity, aesthetics and better visibility.• Face to face education conducted with patrons at all major shopping precincts.• Regular waste audits of public place garbage and recycling bins to monitor use of bins by the public.Key issues and Opportunities for improvement:• The continued contamination of public place recycling bins requiring ongoing targeted education. Anopportunity exists to investigate strategies to further minimise contamination of recycling bins.• Misuse of public place recycling bins from commercial business that are meant for community use bytraders. Consultation combined with increased enforcement is required to reduce these impacts.• Explore funding opportunities to continue to expand and improve public place recycling practicesand behaviours within the community.• Encourage consistent messaging and signage for public place recycling in major shopping centresthat are privately managed, such as Epping Plaza.1.6 EnviroNews – Community Environmental NewsletterEnviroNews is a free quarterly environmental newsletter for residents, local conservation groups,community groups, schools, business and industry. EnviroNews contains articles on:• Local community sustainability initiatives.• Council sustainability programs and initiatives.• Practical tips to help the community save water and energy, and minimise waste.• Upcoming local environmental events.124

Actions implemented to date:• Distribution of the newsletter is currently 1,846 with readership increasing annually.• Where ever possible EnviroNews is distributed to the community electronically.• Every effort is made to print EnviroNews using environmentally sustainable paper stock and printingtechnology.Opportunities for improvement:• Conduct an EnviroNews reader feedback survey to gather information and advice from readers onhow to improve the newsletter.1.7 Hands on Sustainability – Environmental Events ProgramThe Environmental Events Program was established in 2001 offering a wide range of free communityworkshops. The program is updated annually and includes information about environmental workshops,tours, sustainability-related rewards programs and free training available. Environmental activitiesinclude home composting and worm farming, home sustainability workshops, community planting daysand tours, and stormwater quality and creeks and river health related events. Some activities are alsocoordinated through local conservation groups such as Water Watch and the Merri and DarebinCatchment Management Committees.Actions implemented to date:• Annual development and distribution of Hands on Sustainability Council’s environmental events andactivities, including regular email update to around 1,400 recipients annually.Key issues and opportunities for improvement:• At times there are inconsistent community numbers in attendance at events and community activitydays.• Conduct a feedback survey on the Hands on Sustainability program to gather information fromparticipants/recipients on how to improve the program.2 Schools EducationWhittlesea schools have always shown great commitment to programs that enhance students’awareness of the environment through a range of innovative and practical environmental programs. Inrecent years more and more schools have implemented programs which demonstrate an increasinginterest and desire for leadership in the area of environmental sustainability.Council’s Environmental Operations area works with schools on a range of waste programs and canassist schools to:• Divert greater amounts of waste from school waste streams using the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, BuyRecycled principles.• Educate students and staff about waste minimisation at school, home and in the workplace.• Access information and provide advice on environmental education programs available to schools,including professional development and funding opportunities.Council’s garbage and recycling service provider VISY Recycling also plays a major supporting role withCouncil in the promotion of waste minimisation and recycling to schools.125

Appendix C: Environmental Education Activities2.1 Schools waste minimisation and recycling educationCouncil in conjunction with service providers VISY Recycling are working with local schools to educatestudents and the wider school community about recycling and waste minimisation.A number of free in-house education sessions are available to schools in the City of Whittlesea aboutrecycling and the recycling sorting process. The education sessions run for approximately 45 minutesand include a presentation about which materials can and cannot be recycled through the Whittleseakerbside collection service and how materials are sorted at a VISY’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).Schools that participate in the education session can access the fortnightly kerbside recycling servicefree of charge through the City of Whittlesea.Actions implemented to date:• Provision of recycle bins and a fortnightly kerbside recycling service to schools that undertake theeducation sessions provided by Council.• In-school education sessions are promoted to schools in What’s Greening On? newsletter as well as aletter addressed to the school principal at the start of each school year.• Basic waste assessments and education on holding a Rubbish Free Lunch are provided.• Introduction of school holiday visits to the Rethink Education Centre where children and theirparents can learn more about recycling, the materials sorting process and sustainable consumerism.• School incursions on recycling and the materials sorting process. Incursions are also provided for theannual Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge.Key issues and opportunities:• School calendars fill up quickly often leaving little opportunity for schools to book in free educationsessions.• Investigate opportunities to get more and new schools involved in the schools program to gain thebenefits provided by Council.• Continue to promote and encourage the correct use of Council provided recycling collection servicesto all schools in the City of Whittlesea, including providing education on acceptable items as therecycling industry evolves.2.2 Schools litter, stormwater and river health educationCouncil in conjunction with WaterWatch and the Merri and Darebin Catchment ManagementCommittees are working with local schools to educate students and the wider school community aboutlitter impacts, stormwater quality and overall health of rivers and creeks within the catchments.A number of free in-house education sessions are available to schools in the City of Whittlesea. Theeducation sessions run for approximately 45 minutes and include an interactive presentation about thejourney of litter within the stormwater and river catchment system and the negative impacts this has onthe environment and river health.Schools that participate in the education session can access the fortnightly kerbside recycling servicefree of charge through the City of Whittlesea.Actions implemented to date:• In-school education sessions are promoted to schools in What’s Greening On? newsletter as well as aletter addressed to the school principal at the start of each school year.• School excursions to local creeks and waterways for invertebrate monitoring and frog watching aspart of the WaterWatch program126

Key issues and opportunities:• Explore opportunities to engage schools that have previously not participated in the educationsessions.• Investigate opportunities to get more new schools involved in the schools program to gain thebenefits provided by Council.2.3 Teachers’ Environment NetworkThe Teachers’ Environment Network (TEN) provides a forum to share project ideas, successes andchallenges, learn what other local schools are working on and learn about environmental programsavailable to them.Meetings are held quarterly and all meetings are hosted by a TEN member school on a rotational basis.Membership is free and open to any primary and secondary school in the City of Whittlesea with aninterest in implementing environmental initiatives and programs at their school.Actions implemented to date:• The growth of the TEN has led to the implementation of a quarterly electronic environmentalnewsletter for schools, known as What’s Greening On?• Interest from schools to implement environmental initiatives has led to workshops being held ongrant writing, environmental policy writing and facilitating behaviour change in school etc.• The ability for schools to work on environmental initiatives together.Key issues and opportunities:• Teachers have limited time to attend professional development opportunities due to other schoolcommitments and priorities.• Incorporating key events and programs in the meeting agenda for increased participation.• Keep informed of staff contacts from local environmental organisations including Darebin CreekManagement Committee (DCMC), Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC), Waterwatch,CERES etc. and the activities and programs that each organisation can offer to local schools.• Explore opportunities on how to increase attendances to quarterly meetings.2.4 What’s Greening On? Schools Environmental NewsletterWhat’s Greening On? is an environmental newsletter designed especially for schools and is distributedelectronically at the start of each school term. The newsletter is used as a medium to promoteupcoming environmental events, programs, workshops, conferences, funding, training and professionaldevelopment opportunities for teachers.Actions implemented to date:• Local environmental organisations, including Waterwatch, CERES and Darebin Creek and Merri CreekManagement Committees regularly contribute events and programs to What’s Greening On?• Schools often use the newsletter to promote their annual environment conference or youth forumsetc.• The format of this publication has been updated to make it more reader friendly and bring it in linewith similar electronic Council newsletters.Key issues and Opportunities for improvement:• Seek improvements from readers through continuation of annual readers survey127

Appendix C: Environmental Education Activities3 Business Education Programs3.1 Business Waste Minimisation and Recycling EducationCouncil is increasingly trying to engage with local businesses to promote litter prevention, wasteminimisation and recycling.Actions implemented to date:• Invitation to local businesses to participate in the annual Business Clean Up event.• On request, the provision of a 240 litre recycle bin to small to medium sized businesses located onthe existing kerbside collection route.• Working with businesses, primarily within strip shopping centres, where litter hot spots have beenidentified.Key issues and Opportunities for improvement:• Explore opportunities to improve and expand the commercial recycling bin trial offered to small andmedium sized businesses within residential zones of the municipality.• Seek funding to implement a targeted waste minimisation and recycling education programspecifically to small and medium sized businesses within the municipality.• Provide an information pack for interested businesses about paper usage, office recycling,environmental purchasing and sustainable catering etc. Work with Visy to produce a Green OfficeGuide or similar information pack that is applicable to businesses.• Explore opportunities to work with Council’s Economic & Development Officer to better engage localbusinesses in waste minimisation and recycling.• Selling the benefits of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Buy Recycled message to local businesses.• Monitoring the contamination rates of recycling bins issued to local businesses.• Lack of civic pride by some businesses.4 Corporate Education4.1 Waste Wise / ResourceSmart ProgramTo ensure the organisation is leading by example in waste minimisation, Council committed itself to theWaste Wise Program in 2004. The program was initially implemented at the Depot but has since beenimplemented across all Council offices receiving ‘Gold Waste Wise Accreditation’ from SustainabilityVictoria in 2009, being now 1 of only six councils to receive gold accreditation in Victoria. Refer toAppendix E for specific detail in relation to Whittlesea’s Corporate internal Waste and Recycling systeminfrastructure and quantities.The program provides a framework for documenting initiatives which have been implemented withinthe organisation and developing new initiatives to assist in the move to a more environmentallysustainable workplace. Whilst the focus of the Waste Wise Program is primarily waste minimisation andresource recovery, implementation of the program within Council has incorporated staff education andcommunications, energy and water saving initiatives, fleet management and environmental purchasing.128

Actions implemented to date:• Ongoing improvements to workplace recycling across all Council offices, including new bin signage.• Regular bin inspections are conducted throughout the organisation to monitor staff use of recyclingand food waste bins.• Cork, battery, mobile phone, printer cartridge, camera and fluorescent tube recycling available forstaff across all Council offices.• E-waste recycling in conjunction with Sims E-Recycling diverted 811kgs in May 2009, 1,463kgs in June2009 and 882kgs in February in 2010 of computer equipment not being sent to landfill from Council’sIT Department.• Annual Business Clean Up Day activities organised for Council staff since 2006.• Introduction of a Household Recycling and Garbage Disposal Reference Guide targeted at residents,and a similar Reference Guide specific to Office Waste and Recycling targeted at Council staff.• Improved communications with Council staff by utilising the Corporate News section on WIRED topromote recycling and waste minimisation within the organisation.Key issues and Opportunities for improvement:• Assessing the ongoing financial costs vs. benefits to Council for the recycling recycle corks, batteries,mobile phones, printer cartridges, cameras and fluorescent tubes etc.• Difficulty in educating, communicating, implementing and monitoring waste minimisation andrecycling initiatives to staff across four Council office sites.• Seek funding to improve and increase the recycling of corks, batteries, mobile phones, printercartridges, cameras and fluorescent tubes by staff and the wider community.• Conduct training/awareness campaigns for staff with regards to reducing paper use and set targetsto reduce paper consumption.• Create an electronic information pack on waste minimisation initiatives as part of the new staffinduction process. Information pack to include information about environmental purchasing, theStaff Environment Group, the recycling of corks, batteries, mobile phones, printer cartridges,cameras and fluorescent tubes by staff etc.• Difficulties in sourcing accurate details for analysing and confirming differences in marketedsustainable grade office paper products for organisational use.• Recognition and reward for staff members that have implemented simple yet effectiveenvironmental initiatives into their day to day work practices.4.2 Sustainable ‘Green’ Purchasing ProgramCouncil has been an active member of the ECO-Buy program, Victoria's leading local governmentenvironmental purchasing program, since October 2000. The program aims to benefit the environmentby encouraging the increased demand for, and use of, environmentally preferred products and services.Purchasing environmentally preferable products is a great way for the organisation to show leadershipin environmental responsibility and demonstrate commitment to environmental sustainability.Environmentally preferred products are defined as products and services that are less damaging to theenvironment than competing products and services that serve the same purpose. This comparison mayconsider the source of raw materials, production, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, packaging,transportation, potential for reuse and recycling and disposal of the product.129

Appendix C: Environmental Education ActivitiesActions/achievements implemented to date:Council’s expenditure on environmentally preferred products during the 2010/2011 financial year was$2.24 million, a decrease from the $4.17 million reported during the 2009/2010 financial year. It isimportant to remember that annual expenditure figures can increase and decrease due to theimplementation of new projects and services that arise from year to year. Examples of new projects andservices may include the implementation of the Kerbside Garden Waste Bin Service in 2007/08 andThomastown Recreation and Aquatic Centre (TRAC) redevelopment in 2009/10 that have occurred inrecent years, thus the significant increases in expenditure during these periods, as shown in the figurebelow.The following graph illustrates Council’s expenditure on environmentally preferred products from2000/2001 to 2010/2011.Key issues and opportunities for improvement:• Staff awareness and knowledge of the benefits in purchasing environmentally preferred products.• Budget restraints. The cost of some environmentally preferred products are more expensive thancompeting products that serve the same purpose ie. Building products.• Ensure known benefits of specific products are communicated and knowledge and capacity buildingof these products is shared throughout the organisation.• Ensure environmental purchasing is included in Council’s Procurement Policy.• Inclusion of environmental criteria/specifications in all new and existing Council tenders, contractsand regular operational purchasing requests.4.3 Staff Environment GroupThe Staff Environment Group (SEG) was formed to provide a forum to address environmental concernswithin the organisation. The group contains staff representatives from each Council directorate andmeets every two months to discuss a range of environmental issues.Traditionally the SEG has worked to improve the organisations environmental performance, therefore,the group aims to educate and raise awareness of environmental issues, facilitate behaviour change andimplement simple on-ground projects that reduces Council's environmental footprint.130

Actions implemented to date:• Ongoing improvements to workplace recycling across all Council offices.• Reuse of single sided paper which is made into notebooks and notepads for staff use.• Installation of water saving shower heads in all showers at the Civic Centre and Depot.• All Council cars are covered by a Greenfleet subscription.• Implementation of composting and/or worm farming at the Civic Centre and Depot.• Introduction of reusable cloth envelopes for the circulation of internal staff mail.• Installation of bike racks near the entrance of the Civic Centre including signage indicating thelocation of the bike racks for public use.Key issues and Opportunities for improvement:• Increasing low staff attendance at SEG meetings, therefore requires a rethink on SEG format andincreased promotion of the benefits of the group so as to recruit new and enthusiastic members.• Clearly define and regularly promote the role and purpose of the SEG within the organisation atvarious corporate events.131

Appendix D: Council’s Waste ManagementWaste composition and quantitiesCurrently Council has provisions in place to collect the following material internally for recycling: commingledrecyclables, food waste, printer cartridges, bottle corks, batteries, mobile phones, cameras and fluorescenttubes. Council Environmental Operations Staff annually conduct a visual waste assessment at three main officesites; Civic Centre, Epping Works Depot and 1 Danaher Drive Office. In 2012 this will include a fourth office sitelocated at Westfield Shopping Centre for the Community Services Department.The annual waste assessments are undertaken to monitor how staff utilise the recycling options available tothem, address any confusion staff may have with regards to which bin to use for various waste items anddetermine new opportunities and strategies for staff education.Waste assessments conducted at the same time each year, over a period of one week (Monday to Friday)examine bins to estimate volumes and contaminates.Since 2009 there have been a number of changes in the way waste is internally managed:• Increased recycling including; common household batteries, fluorescent tubes and cameras, in addition tocollecting printer cartridges, bottle corks and mobile phones for recycling and organics bins at each kitchenwaste station.• Implementation of a Stationary Reuse Cupboard at the Depot for used folders, pens, notebooks, magazineholders and other office stationery.• In mid-2011, Council joined the drumMUSTER program to enable the Parks & Gardens Department andCitiwide (Council’s Parks & Gardens maintenance contractor) to recycle empty chemical drums.The general results of past waste assessments, dating back to 2004, indicate contamination issues associatedwith food waste and non-recyclable plastics in the recycling stream.The implementation of new signage in the kitchens and ongoing staff education using face to facecommunication and regular messages on Council’s intranet, has seen contamination decrease considerably.Random spot checks of bins throughout the organisation in 2010 and 2011 have shown consistent results withlow levels of contamination.Table 27: Council’s internal offices waste and recyclables quantitiesWaste Type Tonnes in 2011-2012 % of totalGarbage/general waste 2.32 tonnes (approx.) 9%Commingled recyclables (paper, cardboard, plastics, etc) 19.83 tonnes (approx.) 77.8 %Food waste composted 1.05 tonnes (approx.) 4.1%E-waste 2.27 tonnes (approx.) 8.9%Cartridges 0.039 tonnes (approx.) 0.2%Total 25.50 tonnes (approx.) 100%Total recycled 23.18 tonnes (approx.) 91%Recycling Recovery rate 91%*The above projection figures include a growth of the organisation from 474 staff in April 2009 to 881 staff as of December 2011 includingfull time, part time and casual staff. This equates to a 53% growth in the number of staff in approx. 2yrs and 8mths.Council’s waste reduction policies and activitiesCouncil participates and has developed action plans for the following programs and activities:• Waste Wise Action Plan 2009 - 2011 (Gold Certification)• ECO-Buy Action Plan 2010 – 2011, and• List of Staff Environment Group (SEG) achievements 2001-2010132

Have your sayCouncil invites your feedback on the Municipal Waste Management & Resource Recovery Strategy.We will consider all comments received and aim to incorporate this feedback, where appropriate,into the strategy’s key review stage.Please contact Council's Environmental Operations department on (03) 9401 0555 or emailEnvironmentalOperations@whittlesea.vic.gov.au to provide feedback or for more information.Notes133