Northern Grampians Shire residents can help shape the future of waste and recycling services in the municipality ahead of the introduction of additional recycling streams.
The organisation has launched a Kerbside Waste and Recycling Survey as part of a review into waste and recycling collection services.
Mayor Karen Hyslop encouraged residents to fill out the survey, which closes at 11.59pm on Wednesday, October 15.
She said the survey would help the council determine how to best introduce additional recycling services, as mandated by the State Government's Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021.
"Under the Act, council is required to introduce new recycling services for glass recycling – including items such as jars and bottles – and food and garden organics, FOGO, recycling – which includes food scraps such as bones, fish, fruits and vegetables along with garden waste," she said.
"As part of our obligations under the Act, council is required to provide glass and FOGO recycling collection in primarily residential areas in the shire.
"We are working towards implementing a model that delivers these services by July 2027."
Cr Hyslop said the aim of the new model was to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, improve recycling outcomes and create a more sustainable waste management system.
"The system will involve separate collections for each of the four household waste streams – three of which prioritise recycling efforts," she said.
"The glass and FOGO recycling services may be added alongside our existing mixed recycling service for items such as cardboard, cans and hard plastics, and our general rubbish service for residual household waste."
Cr Hyslop said the survey contained targeted questions for participants, depending on whether their property was in an urban or rural area.
"We help identify which residential area your property is in as part of the survey," she said.
"For some properties, the four streams may be compulsory, but for those who have properties in a rural non-compulsory area, there are several options under review.
"This review process could result in no kerbside collection for glass or FOGO recycling in these areas, or it could result in a fee-for-service model for these waste streams.
"For residents in St Arnaud who have been part of the FOGO trial, this service remains unchanged for now but is being assessed alongside the shire-wide implementation approach as part of this review process. This means there could be changes to your service at some stage in the future."
Cr Hyslop said the review would also involve an assessment of the organisation's financial capacity to meet its mandated requirements under the Act, while continuing to deliver viable and reliable services shire-wide.
"The review could also see a need to revise the existing collection frequency or the costs associated with delivering the services," she said.
"That's why it's so vital we hear from our community throughout this review process – we want to hear what your waste and recycling priorities are, because your insights are critical."
The survey can be completed online here or by completing a hard copy available from council's customer service offices in Stawell and St Arnaud.
