8. Invest in better waste, recycling and circular economy solutions
Councils provide waste, recycling and resource recovery services to the community, provide and operate recycling and disposal infrastructure and work tirelessly to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill by educating residents, businesses and schools about waste avoidance and recycling.
Councils continue to face significant challenges from increasing waste generation and lack of markets for Australian recycled content. All levels of government, as well as business and the community, need to work together as we move to a more circular economy where materials and products remain within the economy for longer and waste is reduced.
LGNSW is calling on the NSW Government to:
- Fund the delivery of priority infrastructure as outlined in the Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy.
- Provide a sound regulatory framework and financial support to encourage investment and innovation in circular economy opportunities.
- Fund and deliver state-wide education campaigns that focus on broad priority areas and concurrently provide funding to support councils with undertaking targeted community education.
- Work with the Federal Government to introduce producer responsibility schemes for those items included on the Ministers Priority List.