Draft Waste as a Resource Strategy opens for community feedback

The City of Ballarat is taking a major step towards a sustainable ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ model of waste management with a strategy designed to transition the municipality to a circular economy.

At its July meeting, the Ballarat City Council endorsed the public exhibition of the Draft Waste as a Resource: Our Circular Economy Strategy 2024-2028 for community feedback.  

The draft is an update to the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy 2018-2022 and provides an overarching strategy that includes the City of Ballarat’s waste service offerings, local waste and reduction and diversion targets, waste education, litter and illegal dumping.

The draft strategy is designed to provide a vision and framework to shape how the City of Ballarat can work with the community to reduce waste and support the municipality’s transition to a circular economy.

It sets circular economy targets that include reducing total kerbside waste generation for every person in Ballarat by 15 per cent between 2020 and 2030 and increasing City of Ballarat circular economy initiatives by 20 per cent each year to deliver a Circular Ballarat by 2050.

The strategy outlines five key goals and a wide range of actions for the community, businesses and the City of Ballarat.  

Several City of Ballarat actions are already underway, including offering a ‘reusable nappy, period and sanitary products’ rebate and working to progress the establishment of the Circular Economy Precinct, anchored by Materials Recovery Facility, in the Ballarat West Employment Zone.

The five key goals and a snapshot of City of Ballarat actions include:

• Goal one - Create less waste

  Support the community to run a series of waste reduction workshops for residents and to implement waste free sustainable City of Ballarat events  

• Goal two – Increase reuse and recycling 

  Improve resource recovery at the Transfer Station and continue to explore regional processing solutions to improve the management of organics, recyclables and residual waste streams

• Goal three – Deliver circular waste and recycling services

  Completing a Hard Waste Collection Options Assessment to present to Council for consideration and development of Waste Services Guidelines to establish guidance and standards for the municipality’s waste management practices

• Goal four – Protect our environment

  Investigate CCTV options for illegal dumping hot spots and an education and enforcement program for building sites focusing on litter and stormwater management

• Goal five – Empower our community

  Develop and deliver Ballarat Regional Landfill and Transfer Station tours and deliver a communication and education campaign promoting local waste and resource recovery services and programs.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the draft strategy positions waste as a resource to achieve five key circular economy goals.

“Discarding and burying waste in landfills is unsustainable in the face of our growing environmental challenges,” he said.

“It is important we recognise the potential value embedded in what we throw away.

“Materials such as plastics, metals and food organics can be reused, recycled and repurposed.

“The City of Ballarat is committed to reducing waste going to landfill and creating a circular economy, that keeps materials in use for as long as possible.”

The draft strategy has been developed through consultation with community in 2023 and with businesses earlier this year.

The community is encouraged to review the Draft Waste as a Resource: Our Circular Economy Strategy 2024-2028 and provide feedback by 5pm on Thursday 22 August, at mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au/circular-economy-strategy.

You can also pick-up a printed copy of the draft strategy at City of Ballarat sites, including Customer Service and Ballarat Libraries.

The final strategy is expected to go before Council for consideration in September.