Landfill not the answer for waste

A recommendation that no new landfills be created in Gippsland is a key proposal of a draft plan developed for the region’s waste and resource recovery.

A series of consultation sessions for business and industry groups and interested members of the public gets underway at Warragul tomorrow at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.

The draft implementation plan prepared by the Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group, details of consultation sessions and registration links can be accessed at www.rightcycle.com.au or by contacting the group at its Trafalgar office on 5633 2744.

Priority actions identified in the plan include less reliance on landfill through greater resource recovery; innovation, responsibility accountability by industry, the community and local government; improved waste recovery infrastructure, and measures to limit events that might impact on public health or the environment.

About 23 per cent of Gippsland’s annual waste of 591,000 tonnes goes to landfill. Some 455,000 tonnes is recovered. According to the report the existing landfills run by local government have sufficient space to cope with the region’s needs for the next 10 years.

Chairman of the Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Board Cr Dick Ellis said the consultation sessions were to enable the board to “hear if we have got it right”.

The plan places a much stronger focus on resource recovery and re-use of materials that could help create economic benefit and jobs growth.

There can be substantial value in materials that might be regarded as waste if we can better use them, Cr Ellis said.

“The least beneficial option is to dump those materials in landfill”.

That benefits no-one and actually costs communities in the short, medium and long terms, Cr Ellis said.