Photo: Star Weekly

A Waste Management Strategy Community Engagement Outcomes Report (status report), was presented at the 21 November Ordinary Council Meeting, summarising the outcomes of community engagement to support the development of Council’s new Waste management Strategy 2018-2028.

Brimbank Mayor Cr Margaret Giudice said that the progress so far has been encouraging.

“As a responsive Council, we want to look at new and better ways to keep our City clean and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

“As a first step, in July this year Council set up a Waste Management Strategy Steering Committee to play a key role in the development of a new waste strategy.

“The Steering Committee has been an integral part of the community consultation process, including the approval of a Communications and Engagement Plan.

“The purpose of the plan was to identify how Council would further engage with the community and key stakeholders to inform the development of the draft strategy.

“Much progress has been made since then, and a lot of community consultation has taken place as well,” Cr Giudice said.

The Strategy Steering Committee was established in July 2017, and comprises nine community members, an industry expert from the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG) and three Brimbank City Council Councillors, Brimbank Mayor Cr Margaret Giudice, Cr Bruce Lancashire (Chair of the Steering Committee), and Cr Virginia Tachos.

To date, the following key engagement activities identified in the plan have been completed:

• Committee meetings
• Councillor workshop
• Council officers workshop
• Community engagement listening posts
• Online survey
• Displays at customer service centres
• Program of trader engagement.

Across September and October 2017 successful community consultation opportunities helped inform the development of the strategy.

Chair of the Steering Committee, Cr Bruce Lancashire said of particular value were the community listening post/drop-in sessions, which were well attended, and the online survey, with more than 230 responses received.

“Now that we’ve heard what the community wants, we are at the stage where the key outcomes of the plan will be considered as part of the development of the draft waste management strategy,” Cr Lancashire said.

Following this phase will be the public exhibition of the draft strategy, which is expected to take place in February/March 2018.

For more information, please visit brimbank.vic.gov.au or call 9249 4000.