A circular economy with zero waste

The waste we send to landfill accounts for around 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in Merri-bek. This is mostly from decomposing organic waste that creates methane. As well as these direct emissions from landfill, there is a lot of 'embodied carbon' (and water) in the food, consumer goods and construction material that is bought and used locally every day.

In a circular economy, products are designed with the end in mind. Waste is 'designed out' of the process. Products are built to be long-lasting. They can also be repaired to extend their lifespan. When they can no longer be used or repaired, they are recycled. This maximises resource use and minimises waste.

Community 2030 Goals include:

• Waste avoidance: To reduce total waste generation (across all 4 kerbside bins) by 15% per capita.
• Organic waste recovery: Halve the amount of organic material (FOGO) going to landfill.
• Resource recovery: Increase Merri-bek's waste 'diversion rate' (being the proportion of kerbside bin waste that is recycled or composted, rather than landfilled) to 80%, without reliance on thermal waste-to-energy.
• Circular economy participation: More community participation (e.g. in buying/selling second-hand, repairing, leasing, borrowing etc) and more local circular initiatives being offered by community groups, businesses and not-for-profits.

Key actions include:

• Deliver circular economy programs and support for community to avoid waste and single use plastic, rethink our consumption, re-use, repair etc.
• Continue improving our kerbside waste and recycling services and education for efficiency and high performance.
• Investigate tailored kerbside services to support more businesses and apartments to reduce food and packaging waste in landfill.
• Foster circular economy opportunities and outcomes for and by businesses, social enterprises and community.