We are a wise city that wastes not. Warrnambool citizens will be environmentally informed, ethically motivated consumers of goods and services. We will have zero recoverable waste being sent to landfill by conserving, avoiding, reducing, recycling and reusing resources at every opportunity. We will significantly reduced land, water and air pollution, including littering and we will no longer be a source of plastics entering the marine environment.
Key programs include:
Waste Management
Council manages the garbage, recyclables and FOGO contracts for the collection of garbage, recyclables and FOGO and provides education initiatives to promote recycling opportunities, waste minimisation and to improve the City’s diversion from landfill.
Barwon South West Zero Waste Map
The Barwon South West Waste & Resource Recovery Group have developed a Zero Waste Map for the region. The map will support the circular economy by connecting the community with local organisations providing goods and services that reduce the amount of material going to landfill.
Clean Up Australia Day
Clean up Australia Day takes place every year on the first Sunday of March. From Perth to Penrith, hundreds of thousands of Australians get stuck in and Clean Up their local environment by collecting and removing rubbish on Clean Up Australia Day.
Warrnambool businesses seeking to cut energy costs are encouraged to take part in a free energy audit.
The audits form part of Warrnambool City Council’s Green Business Program.
Businesses can potentially lower operating costs and have a reduced impact on the environment.
Council’s City Sustainability Unit is now looking for businesses interested in taking part in a pilot project within the Green Business Program.
The pilot program will involve a number of case studies which will measure the outcomes of implementing sustainability and energy efficiencies.
Participating businesses will receive a free green business assessment and be provided with feedback on opportunities to “go green” and become more efficient, profitable and sustainable.
A number of Warrnambool businesses have already undergone audits including City Central Motel and Apartments.
Council can also assist businesses obtain long-term loans to introduce energy efficiency measures or water savings.
Businesses wishing to participate in this program or would like more information can contact City Sustainability on 5559 4800.
Mobile Muster
MobileMuster is the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry.
Initiated voluntarily by the Australian telecommunications industry in 1999, its overall aim is to prevent mobile phones ending up in landfill.
The program collects and recycles mobile phone handsets, batteries and accessories from a network of over 3,500 mobile phone retailers, local councils, government agencies and business drop off points across Australia.
The recycling service is free to consumers, schools, businesses, local councils and government agencies. So when it comes to old mobile phones, batteries and accessories our message is simple Round 'em up and hand 'em in!"
Drop your old phone off at the Warrnambool Civic Centre or log onto www.mobilemuster.com.au for further details of other collection points.
Energy conservation in homes and businesses
Energy tips to help you save energy and money in your home and business, developed by the Barwon South-West Community Power Hub and Geelong Sustainability.
Smart Lighting Project
In 2013 the six Great South Coast councils – Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite, Colac-Otway, Glenelg and Southern Grampians - developed a plan to replace the mercury vapour globes in thousands of streetlights across south-west Victoria with more energy-efficient LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
The project, called the Great South Coast Street Smart Lighting Program, was the first bulk changeover of street lights to LEDs in Australia and attracted Australian Government funding of $1.4 million from the Community Energy Efficiency Program.
Warrnambool City Council contributed a further $700,000 to the changeover of 2000 streetlights in the municipality.
Across the Great South Coast about 7000 globes were replaced.
The changeover has substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions and over the lifetime of the LEDs will save the Councils millions of dollars in power bills.
The LED lighting system chosen by Warrnambool City Council was the most energy-efficient lighting option to have been approved by Powercor, the Distribution Network Service Provider that owns the lighting infrastructure.
The LEDs, which use about 75 per cent less energy than the mercury vapour globes, meet all relevant Australian Standards for safety and light levels.
Trial results throughout Victoria had demonstrated that they were superior to the existing lights.
The changeover started in 2013 and was completed in late 2015.
The LEDs are made in Australia by Sylvania. The luminaire (the main body of the light) will last about 20 years.
Almost all materials in the old lights will be recycled. Council waste disposal requirements included the recycling of around 98 per cent of the old lights.
The glass can be recycled into products such as glass wool insulation for homes, the mercury distilled and reused in the dental industry and the aluminium body and other fixed components (for example, steel screws, copper wires) can end up as ingots used in industry.