Waste Plan delivers early success in reducing waste to landfill

Council received the annual report, which outlines progress made in the first year of Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP) implementation, including the three-item garbage limit and the Multi-residential Waste Diversion Strategy. Council also approved extending the Agriculture Exemption Program.

Commitment to the goals of the Waste Plan has been supported by extensive community engagement on waste reduction and reuse initiatives, as well as through the creation and support of reuse and repair events and the launch of a partnership with Love Food Hate Waste, a globally recognized and proven behaviour change campaign that helps residents to cut down on food waste and save money.

The City has also made significant progress in engaging multi-residential properties in the Green Bin Program, with more than 340 properties onboarded to the program since October 2024. Together, these efforts are helping reduce waste and extend the life of the City’s landfill.

Next steps in 2026 include implementing a comprehensive range of waste reduction, reuse and diversion initiatives, including support for community-based food rescue initiatives, launching a bulky waste diversion program, expanding diversion options for textiles, and improving recycling across all city facilities. Year Two will also involve the rollout of enhanced waste diversion at special events and further expansion of the Take It Back! program. New opportunities to reduce and divert materials such as single-use plastics and construction and demolition waste will also be explored.

Planning is also underway for long-term residual waste management solutions and technologies to recover maximum energy and resources from the remaining waste stream, with feasibility studies and business cases in development.

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