What you can do

Living Sustainably

Waste

Where do I start?

Make the most of public waste and recycling facilities when you are out and about and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

By taking care with your waste you'll help to reduce litter, make resource recovery a visible part of contemporary life, and feel good about doing your bit.

Litter and planning for waste

Litter is a serious problem for the community. Improper disposal of waste materials is not just an aesthetic problem, but has major environmental, social and economic impacts:

litter creates more litter
litter on land or washed down waterways disturbs habitats for wildlife and vegetation
litter increases the risk of injury and spread of disease
litter indicates that we do not care about places
litter costs millions of dollars each year to clean up
a large proportion of litter items are recyclable, so discarding this waste means we lose the opportunity to recover these resources

Plan for litter, avoid taking unnecessary items and packaging with you – travel light. Anticipate you will need to bring back what you take out with you – carry suitable containers and/or bags with you to collect and sort your waste.

Dispose of your unwanted items in the appropriate waste and/or recycling collection facility. If this is not readily available, take it home and use the kerbside collection. Do not dispose of cigarette butts or plastic bags in the recycling. Put them in the garbage/waste bin.

Contact the council, owner or manager of the recreational facility or outdoor space if you see waste facilities over-flowing, dumped items, or waste and litter that could be unsafe or unhealthy (e.g. smashed glass in playground areas).

Don't dump unwanted waste or household items in bushland, waterways, parks or on the street. Take it home and dispose of it responsibly in the kerbside collection or at a waste management centre.

Recycling

Find out how to be a super recycler and learn more about public place recycling and waste disposal systems.