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From the CEO, Rob Millard
Elections for Forum Chair and Deputy Chair were held at the Metropolitan Local Government Waste Forum last month. Congratulations to our new Chair Cr Colin Ross and Deputy Chair Cr Amanda Stapleton.
The first week of March meant it was time for annual Clean Up Australia Day events. MWRRG invited colleagues from Sustainability Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to participate in our annual Business Clean Up Day event on Tuesday 1 March, at a Docklands site on the banks of the Yarra. If you weren't able to participate in any events this year, you can still visit the Clean Up Australia Day website
to find out other ways to get involved.
Recently there has been a lot of media coverage of the damage litter can do in the marine environment. Seeing such a large volume of litter on the banks of the Yarra ready to be swept out into Port Phillip Bay really brought home the importance of initiatives such as the successful Litter Hotspots program, which funds projects that prevent litter from entering our waterways. Applications have just closed for round one of the Sustainability Victoria managed
Litter Innovation Fund - I'm eager to find out about the exciting projects to be funded through this program.
As we enter the fourth quarter of the financial year, MWRRG is now focussing on business planning for 2016-17. The Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Implementation Plan will guide our focus of delivery for 2016 onwards. The emphasis will be on actions that ensure metropolitan Melbourne creates value from waste and reduces our reliance on landfills, keeping our city liveable and vibrant.
Beyond the Bin
Last week in collaboration with the Waste Management Association of Australia, MWRRG presented ‘Beyond the Bin’. This special one day event explored community engagement in the waste sector, reflecting on the role of engagement and education to help the public connect with what happens to waste ‘beyond the kerbside bin’.
Over 100 people attended from all over Australia, including local government and industry representatives as well as members of the community. The event provided a great chance to hear from influential leaders on the importance of engagement and explore emerging engagement techniques. We heard from some excellent guest speakers including strategic communication consultant Lyndel Hunter, landfill industry expert Daniel Fyfe, community engagement expert Amanda Newbery and Science in Society facilitator Keith Greaves.
The event also provided a welcome opportunity for MWRRG and Sustainability Victoria to share findings from our current projects and research.
To all who attended, thank you for your participation and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
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Back to Earth at the Sustainability Festival
The team from the Back to Earth Initiative were excited to participate in two Sustainable Living Festival events last month in Yarraville and Dandenong.
In Dandenong, the City of Greater Dandenong brought Back to Earth to the Greater Dandenong Family Sustainability Festival at Dandenong Market, launching their participation in the Back to Earth program. It was a great opportunity to to engage with residents, who we're told had overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program.
In Yarraville we attended the Living Future Festival, a one day sustainability extravaganza with a focus on creating innovative sustainable neighbourhoods. There were workshops, displays and activities focusing on sustainable skills such as sustainable craft and permaculture. The day also provided the opportunity to learn new skills from our fellow knowledgeable stallholders. It was a great day, and witnessing such a huge level of community interest in organics recycling was fabulous.
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Waste Wise Network breakfast event
Last month MWRRG hosted the first Waste Wise Melbourne Network meeting for 2016. Nearly 50 business representatives attended the event, which explored emerging resource recovery issues and practices for metropolitan Melbourne.
We enjoyed hearing from Tyre Stewardship Australia
about their Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme, an opt-in scheme that allows tyre industry participants to minimise the environmental impacts of end-of-life tyres. Another highlight was hearing from Watch My Waste about their ongoing research into drivers of food waste in the hospitality sector, which identifies plate waste as a significant opportunity for improvement.
We were also lucky enough to hear about TIC Group's mattress recycling program, Hume City Council's Business Efficiency Network, and the positive impact of Sustainability Victoria's materials efficiency grants.
Thanks to all the presenters and attendees for making it such a great success!
If you're interested in receiving updates about the Waste Wise Melbourne Network or attending future meetings, email MWRRG or call 8698 9800.
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