No time to waste to achieve landfill reduction target

By Murray Silby

Jul 10, 2023

**Stepping up:** Greater Shepparton City Council resource recovery manager Liam Moller sees the Victorian Government’s goal of diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030 as an exciting challenge. Photo by Murray Silby

By 2030, the Victorian Government aims to be recovering 80 per cent of waste from what might have gone to landfill for recycling. In the City of Greater Shepparton, that figure is currently 55 per cent.

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Greater Shepparton City Council resource recovery manager Liam Moller says the 80 per cent goal sets an exciting challenge for residents.

“Generally across the board, we are doing very well in our consciousness with what items go in what bin; however, there is always room for improvement,” Mr Moller said.

Council’s No Time To Waste event at the McIntosh Centre in Shepparton on Thursday, July 6 was organised to help residents improve their waste and recycling habits so they could appropriately dispose of items in kerbside collection bins.

“We’re at the point now where we’re looking to refine our recycling habits that bit further, so getting some items out of the red bin into the yellow and the green to make sure we’re maximising the recyclable material.”

Mr Moller said society was part of the way through a transformation process of seeing waste as a resource, rather than something to be dumped.

“The big thing is really creating that understanding and that connection to seeing items that we’re about to dispose of as a resource first, and waste second,” he said.

“It’s important to understand, as well, that our waste that gets sent to landfill from our red bin actually stays within our municipality at Cosgrove landfill, so there is a responsibility there to make sure that we look after our region and try and minimise what we send to landfill.”

Mr Moller said it was pleasing to see so many families attending the No Time To Waste event, and children and youth educating the more senior generations on the importance of recycling.

“To see that genuine interest in how we can do things better going forward is really exciting and really important that we look after our region and how that connects in with the greater network across the state and nation,” he said.