Council's decisions on Jury's Recommendations

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.