The Clarence Valley Council is calling for community feedback on how to manage waste and recycling into the future.

The council’s waste and sustainability coordinator, Ken Wilson, said a decision by the Chinese government to refuse to accept recycled materials from Australia and a decision by the Queensland government to increase landfill charges brought waste management and recycling into sharp focus, particularly for some North Coast Councils.

He said the Clarence Valley was in an enviable position, with good landfill and recycling options in place, but there was a need to plan properly for the future.

“We are only in a good position now because of prior good planning, but it is time to revisit those plans,” he said.

“We are in the process of reviewing our waste management practices and have produced a draft strategy, but we would really appreciate receiving input from the community on those draft plans.

“The draft aims to provide direction for council on all waste and resource recovery issues to improve waste management outcomes, reduce waste to landfill and increase resource recovery.

“We’ve put together a web page that includes the draft waste management strategy, related documents and a survey.  People can also place submissions and comments on the draft strategy on the web page.

“I know there are a range of views on waste management, including on the annual bulky waste collection, and now is the opportunity for people to offer their views on what that should look like in the future.”

Anyone interested should visit www.clarenceconversations.com.au/clarence-waste Submissions close 4pm, July 1, 2019.