Waste Education
The City of Wanneroo is committed to working with community to minimise the amount of waste it generates. Together, we can reduce the environmental impacts of waste generation and disposal.
Our waste education team supports the City and its residents by providing a range of waste education services for residents, community groups and schools. Education is focused on helping residents and participants to sort their waste correctly and encouraging positive waste minimisation behaviours, in line with the waste hierarchy.
Figure 1. The waste hierarchy (Waste Authority, WA).
Our waste educators also work collaboratively with other local government educators across Western Australia, as well as state and federal government bodies, to ensure the best possible sustainable waste practices for our City and the wider community.
Some of the activities our team are involved in are below.
Visits and workshops
Waste educators are available to visit schools and community groups to discuss waste related topics. Limited sessions are available throughout the year.
Occasionally the City also offers talks or workshops to the wider community on various topics such as sorting your waste or going plastic free.
Pop up community stands
Our waste education team regularly attend various community events throughout the year such as the Wanneroo Show. It’s a great opportunity to have a chat with a waste educator to answer all your tricky waste questions! Please see the ‘Meet a waste educator’ list at the bottom of this page to find out where they’ll be.
Tours
From time to time, the City hosts a community tour of waste management facilities, offering residents the opportunity to see for themselves how waste streams are processed.
Bin audits / tagging
Bin audits assist the City in reducing the amount of contamination in the bins, as well as better understand the level of knowledge residents have with regard to sorting their waste correctly.
These audits involve a simple visual inspection of the contents of a bin to determine if it contains any items that don’t belong in that bin, with householders provided feedback on the results. Previous participants have shared how proud they were of their neighbours as they all worked to improve their source separation behaviours.
According to the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), bin audits can reduce contamination by up to 60 per cent and increase the amount of recycling by 25 per cent.
Resources
Waste education information has been made easily accessible through our website. Regarding the Three bin system kerbside bins, there is information to help our residents sort their waste correctly, reduce their waste, as well as transparency regarding how waste from the City is processed.
Information is also provided about various drop-off facilities and what items can be disposed of there, including hazardous waste and items that require specialist recycling such as batteries. Various resources and downloads, including the City’s Waste Services Guide, are also available.
Other useful resources/organisations
- Waste Sorted
- Waste Wise Schools Program
- Plastic Free July
- Recycle Right
- Containers for Change
- ShareWaste
Upcoming events
Communities for Sustainable Futures
When: 15 March 2023 - 8 July 2023
Where: Various locations
Better manage your waste and live more sustainably with our new series of free workshops and tours.
Don’t delay, find out what’s on and book your place today!