Community Jury - The future for Noosa's organic waste

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Consultation has concluded

This consultation has now closed and the final delivery of the project is underway. Thank you for all your input which has helped shape this project for the community.

Minimising Noosa’s Organic Waste

The question of how we manage organic waste has major implications for the future of the Noosa landfill site. Organic waste is mostly garden waste but also includes food waste. It also has significant long term financial and environmental impacts for Noosa residents. Noosa's first Community Jury deliberated upon:

“What is the best option for minimising organic waste sent to landfill?”

Noosa residents assisted the Jury by making over 30 submissions. Residents submissions can be found in the document library to the right of this screen. Click on "more".

Council provided a background information document to assist the jury with its deliberations and to assist the community with its submissions. All documents provided to the Jury, at its request ,are available to the public and are located in the document library to the right of your screen, and also at Council offices and libraries.

The Jury met monthly between February and July 15 and finalised its recommendations to Council.

The Jury Report was reviewed by Council at its August meeting and the full set of recommendations were adopted in principle. Council then held a workshop to work out costs to implement and timing. See "News Feed" below.

All meetings were open observers.

More information about Noosa's Community Jury.



This consultation has now closed and the final delivery of the project is underway. Thank you for all your input which has helped shape this project for the community.

Minimising Noosa’s Organic Waste

The question of how we manage organic waste has major implications for the future of the Noosa landfill site. Organic waste is mostly garden waste but also includes food waste. It also has significant long term financial and environmental impacts for Noosa residents. Noosa's first Community Jury deliberated upon:

“What is the best option for minimising organic waste sent to landfill?”

Noosa residents assisted the Jury by making over 30 submissions. Residents submissions can be found in the document library to the right of this screen. Click on "more".

Council provided a background information document to assist the jury with its deliberations and to assist the community with its submissions. All documents provided to the Jury, at its request ,are available to the public and are located in the document library to the right of your screen, and also at Council offices and libraries.

The Jury met monthly between February and July 15 and finalised its recommendations to Council.

The Jury Report was reviewed by Council at its August meeting and the full set of recommendations were adopted in principle. Council then held a workshop to work out costs to implement and timing. See "News Feed" below.

All meetings were open observers.

More information about Noosa's Community Jury.



Consultation has concluded
  • Council's decisions on Jury's Recommendations

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    Council began implementing the Community Jury’s recommendations for reducing organic waste sent to landfill with the launch of the Towards Zero Waste education campaign, during National Recycling Week.

    All new homes will now receive a green waste bin, with the service to be expanded to the majority of coastal Noosa homes as a mandatory service in 2017.

    This change, which reflects the Jury’s recommendation, is timed to coincide with the signing of a new waste contract.

    Council has also written to the Noosa Community Biosphere Association in support of its campaign for a state-government-driven Queensland-wide plastic bag ban.

    Noosa’s first community jury recommended mandated garden waste bins for urban areas, a future full organics waste collection service and a plastic bag ban, in addition to a comprehensive education campaign, in a bid to reduce compostable organics in landfill.

    Council will consider local measures to reduce plastic bag use if the state government opts not to follow other states’ lead and ban plastic bags. It recently established an advisory council to look for ways to reduce packaging waste.

    Council has deferred its decision on the rollout of a full food organics waste collection service, with the immediate focus on improving current recycling efforts and increasing the uptake of Council’s garden waste collection service – key aims of the Towards Zero Waste education initiative.

    Council staff have been out and about at local shopping centres spreading the Towards Zero Waste message, while recent waste audits have shown that while Noosa residents are keen recyclers, there is room for improvement.


  • Council workshops Jury's recommendations

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    A Council workshop was held on Monday September 28 to discuss costs and timing associated with Community Jury's recommendations. A report for Council is being prepared by The Environmental Health and Waste Manager that will provide direction for implementing the Jury's recommendations.

  • Council adopts Jury's recommendations

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    Council formally adopted the Community Jury's recommendations on August 27th, 2015 in principle, pending the outcomes of two workshops to discuss costs and timing of implementation. The workshops are scheduled for September. The Jury's work has been described as "ground-breaking". Mayor Noel Playford commented" Not only has the community jury process delivered a well-researched set of recommendations to tackle one of the biggest long term issues facing our shire, it has proven a valuable way for our community to have a deciding say.I commend the jury members on their hard work,” Cr Playford said.


  • Jury's recommendations adopted

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    On August 27 Noosa Council formally adopted all the Jury's recommendations in principle, with timing of implementation yet to be discussed at a series of workshops Council will conduct over the next few months. The Jury was praised for its outstanding efforts and thorough investigation of the organic waste issue.

  • Sixth Meeting

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    The Jury had prepared a Draft Report which had been completed two weeks before the the last meeting which was held on July 15, 2015. This was an outstanding effort and enabled the Jury to reach consensus and finalise its Report to Council at the last meeting.

    The Jury's Report,with a full set of recommendations, will be reviewed by Council at its August meeting.