The Victorian Government has released its plan for how Melbourne’s waste and recycling needs will be delivered over the next decade.
Launched on 12 October, the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Implementation Plan sets out a vision and strategy for managing Melbourne’s waste as its population continues to grow, focusing on the city’s infrastructure needs and how these will be met over the next ten years.
The discrete elements of the Plan have been designed to encourage innovation of new technologies capable of using household waste, as well as alternative waste processing facilities, all with the aim of stopping the significant volumes of waste going to landfill.
Announcing the new strategy document, Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said: “Population growth means that waste volumes could nearly double over the next 30 years. To ensure Melbourne remains liveable we have to see waste as a resource and not just a problem.”
To address Melbourne’s waste and resource recovery requirements, the Plan focuses on four priority areas:
• Reducing waste sent to landfill to prevent the need for new sites;
• Increasing the amount of organic waste that is being recovered;
• Delivering community, environmental and economic benefits through waste recovery; and
• Planning for Melbourne’s growing population.
In addition, the new strategy looks to support a larger metropolitan organics network, which will allow recovery and processing of 600,000 tonnes of food and garden waste from homes and businesses to be used as compost for farms, gardens and public spaces.
“The Metropolitan Waste Plan will boost recycling levels by encouraging the development of new infrastructure to recover more waste and reduce the pressure on new and existing landfills,” added Ms D’Ambrosio. “With proper management, we can get more value from our waste, while creating new industries and new jobs.”
The Plan is available through the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group website.