We are working with residents, businesses, tourism operators and community groups to reduce waste and improve resource recovery across East Gippsland. From our 10-Year Waste and Recycling Transition Plan and event guidance to fundraising, sustainable tourism and landfill rehabilitation, these initiatives support practical action towards a circular economy and healthier environment.
After listening to community feedback, we are improving recycling options, planning for expanded kerbside services and developing more targeted education.
Our new 10-Year Waste and Recycling Transition Plan sets out how we’ll be delivering sustainable, affordable services to reduce landfill, protect our environment and move towards a circular economy.
It includes reducing large waste streams, introducing new services, boosting our education programs and expanding partnerships for better resource recovery.
These big impact actions will help create job opportunities in our region, and includes changes required by the Victorian Government, such as Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection and future glass recycling services.
Thanks to all the East Gippsland residents (all 900 of you!) who contributed to the plan through surveys, drop-ins and targeted consultation.
We are committed to supporting a sustainable future and has a series of vouchers available to help ratepayers and renters alike.
No-fee green waste disposal for ratepayers, up to 1.5m3 each year. Your voucher can be found on your annual rates notice.
Free hard waste disposal for ratepayers, up to 1m3 each year. Voucher found in annual rates notice.
We encourage sustainable ‘waste wise’ events that support the circular economy and enable economic growth, by creating less waste and having less impact on the local environment.
Strategies include reducing waste by avoiding single use, disposable items and actively recovering, reusing, and recycling at events. This guide contains an event checklist and tips on mininising and avoiding waste at events for event organisers, stall holders, vendors, event contractors and venue owners.
So far, Council has successfully worked with Howitt Park Market, Lakes Lights Festival, Mallacoota Wild Harvest Seafood Festival and Lakes Entrance News Year’s Eve Festival & Fireworks in developing more sustainable event outcomes.
All events have the potential to generate waste, but careful consideration and collaboration between event organisers, volunteers, attendees, vendors and contractors can significantly decrease this amount.
Strategies include reusable dishes, composting, rubbish sorting stations and recycling initiatives to divert materials from landfills, promote resource recovery and encourage responsible waste management.
Plan how to manage waste wisely at your event.
While preventing or reducing the amount of waste going to landfill is the major focus, it can also include addressing potential issues such as noise disturbance, traffic congestion, environmental damage, waste generation, and other concerns that may arise because of the event.
Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme gives community groups, schools and charitable organisations the opportunity to raise funds through its 10c refund on eligible cans and bottles. This means local charities can promote environmental sustainability while fundraising by asking their supporters to donate their refunds or containers for recycling.
Register for fundraising with CDS and learn what items CDS accepts.
East Gippsland is the first destination in Victoria to meet global best-practice sustainability standards and achieve ECO Destination Certification, with Ecotourism Australia. The certification recognises the region’s commitment to sustainable practices and its exceptional nature-based tourism experiences and places it amongst other recipients: Coffs Coast, Central Coast, and the Blue Mountains in New South Wales; Bundaberg and Port Douglas Daintree in Queensland; and Margaret River in Western Australia.
Learn more at greentravelguide.org/destination/east-gippsland
Leave no trace.
These principles can be applied anywhere and are designed to help minimise your impact when visiting the outdoors, whether out in remote wilderness areas, local parks, the beach, or your backyard.
Learn more: lnt.org/why/7-principles
TreadLightly recycles pre-loved hiking boots, active lifestyle shoes and sporting goods and turns them into recycled flooring solutions. So, if your favourite boots give up the ghost on a trail in East Gippsland, or the dog bites the ball too hard on the beach, consider donating them (not the dog!) to TreadLightly.
Find your nearest location: treadlightly.asga.com.au/collection-locations
We are working with tourism operators and accommodation hosts, including caravan parks and Airbnbs, to help visitors dispose of rubbish responsibility and help us look after our shire's environment.
This includes working with accommodation hosts to provide visitors with:
We provide hosts with:
We also ask visitors to help by:
We provide sustainable waste management at several caravan parks and unstaffed stopover locations that we manage. This includes offering general waste and recycling options for visitors, especially during school holidays and long weekends, and helps keep our previous environment clean.
We are currently expanding our green waste program to include a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection, a FOGO composting facility at Bairnsdale Landfill, and an agricultural trial site at Skeene Creek Farm.
After a landfill site has reached the end of its life, extensive work is undertaken to rehabilitate the site. This includes capping it to meet strict Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and other government regulations, with sites are audited regularly by the EPA.
One example is the Lakes Entrance Landfill, which transitioned from being a landfill to a transfer station in 2021-22. The landfill cell was capped and the site revegetated, and part of it has been redeveloped and repurposed as a fenced off-leash dog exercise area for use by the community.
Learn more: epa.vic.gov.au/landfills