15 May, 2014

Draft Waste and Recycling Policy and Guideline consultation now open

Residents and small business now have a chance to have their say on the draft Waste and Recycling Guideline and Policy for the City and North Adelaide with public consultation now open.

The Waste and Recycling Policy and Guideline are part of the City of Adelaide’s vibrancy agenda and will provide opportunities for enhanced services to be offered to residents and eligible small businesses across the CBD and North Adelaide.

The proposed new policy and guideline will allow for flexibility in the way services are provided with the end goal of producing better long term outcomes for business, residents and everyone who uses the City.

Program Manager, City Sustainability and Park Lands, Adrian Stokes says the City Council is already ahead of the pack when it comes to sustainability planning and implementation, and developing new Policy and Guideline for waste and recycling will see the Council become a leader in this area too.

“The most important thing for residents and eligible businesses to note is that we will be offering them the same level of service with the option of an enhanced fee for service to meet individual needs in the community,” said Adrian.

“This is a very exciting change for Adelaide, and how our capital city manages its waste and recycling, and we really want residents and businesses to ask questions and provide feedback to help us prepare for the future.

“As the City sees more medium and high density mixed use development, it’s important we work with the community to come up with solutions to manage waste and recycling and, where possible transform it into a valuable commodity.

“Drop-in sessions for residents and small businesses will be held at community centres, the City Library and

Council’s Customer Centre over the coming weeks,” he said.

For businesses on main streets and high traffic areas, some services will be offered weekly instead of fortnightly and the collection of organic waste will enter the mix.

The draft also proposes ways to reduce the amounts of cardboard on streets, to free up footpaths for pedestrian traffic, improve outdoor dining areas and provide better access to businesses.

Council will also pilot a weekly organics (lime green lid) collection service to residents in some areas, while other improvements include co-mingling recycling (yellow lid) collections using larger capacity bins for groups of townhouses, apartment buildings and eligible small business premises.

Council will be working with small businesses and residents to transition to the new Waste Management Policy and Guideline which will be progressively implemented by December 2015.

Other ways of providing feedback include obtaining and reading the consultation pack; visiting cityofadelaide.com.au and clicking through to the Your Say section; and by providing a formal feedback submission.

Consultation runs for six weeks, for more information, visit: http://yoursay.cityofadelaide.com.au, or people can call our Hotline on 8203 7550 or respond directly online.

Rebecca Draysey