Recycling and the circular economy are key to a proposed plan put forward by Eurobodalla Shire Council. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Community campaigns, new gate fees at landfills and electric waste collection vehicles are among proposals from a South Coast council to become more environmentally friendly.
Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) has released its Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2025 – 2035 for public feedback.
Council’s waste services manager Nathan Ladmore said the draft strategy emphasised resource recovery and reuse in waste management.
“We’ve put a lot of focus on avoiding waste in the first place, encouraging ownership through reuse and repair, and recovering as much as possible of what’s left,” he said.
“We’re planning future infrastructure, better ways to tackle plastics and illegal dumping, and ensuring the right services are in place as our population grows.”
The shire aims to reach a series of sustainability targets by 2030, such as an overall litter reduction of 60 per cent, a tripled rate of plastics recycling and a halved amount of organic waste going to landfill.
ESC currently provides about 26,000 households in the domestic collection area with three bins (for general waste, recycling and garden organics).
It also operates two landfills – at Surf Beach and Brou – which accept solid waste and recyclables. The former also hosts a community recycling centre.
In 2023/24, 66 per cent of the shire’s waste diverted from landfill was recycled, according to the draft strategy.
Council also works with APR Plastics in Victoria, which processes the region’s soft plastics to produce reusable oil as part of its efforts to limit the amount of soft plastics heading to landfills. The relationship started in late 2024 as a trial before continuing.
Mr Ladmore said the plan would ideally mean Eurobodulla residents and visitors to the area were adding less to landfill and recycling more.
“People in Eurobodalla already divert 56 per cent of waste from landfill. This compares very well to other local government areas but this strategy should take us even further,” he said.
Across five themes, the strategy proposes a range of actions, such as implementing council’s preferred FOGO collection system by 2030, reviewing gate fees at landfills to encourage people to separate materials, work with businesses to develop industry-specific education programs and consider using electric waste collection vehicles.
The draft strategy also proposes a potential circular economy working group, audits of litter and illegally dumped waste and planning for “emerging wastes” (such as vapes and batteries).
According to the strategy, 67 per cent of respondents to a survey rated the council’s waste services as excellent or good.
Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher said the draft strategy was about more than bins and trucks.
“No one doubts Eurobodalla’s beauty and residents know how lucky they are to live here – they already look after it really well,” he said.
“This strategy steps things up by supporting our waste-wise community with education programs, ensuring we all know what waste goes where, and with a renewed push for local solutions supporting the circular economy – that’s less waste and more jobs.”
The strategy is expected to be finalised later this year.
The Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2025 – 2035 is open for comment until 5 pm on 29 August through council’s website.
