Waste Wise at Home

Dubbo Regional Council aims to provide and support a range of waste education opportunities for the whole community, find out how to be waste wise at home.

TRACK YOUR HOUSEHOLD WASTE

Reducing the waste in your home could save you money and benefit the environment.

Sending valuable resources to landfill is expensive, harmful and unsustainable. See Council’s guide below to help you track your household waste, and make an action plan.

Download the resource here Household Waste Tracker Activity Guide (PDF 343.9KB)

WASTE WISE ACTIONS

Rethink - The key to more sustainable waste systems is rethinking what waste means, considering waste to be a valuable resource that we need to harness. When we reframe rubbish or waste as something useful and productive we begin closing the loops, transitioning to a circular economy that will sustain us and future generations.
Reduce - Reducing our consumption of unnecessary and unsustainable items is important in tackling the problems around waste facing our communities and environment regionally, nationally and globally. When we cannot avoid the generation of waste through changing our purchasing or consumption habits, we can consider reusing, repairing or repurposing avenues to keep our valuable resources out of landfill.
Reuse - While an item may no longer be useful to us, it may be useful to a neighbour, a friend or another person in your community. If no one you know can use the items you no longer need, consider selling or giving away items. Alternatively you can donate good quality items to charity shops to be reused by someone else.
Recycle - While avoiding and reusing waste are the most effective approaches to tackling waste issues, recycling holds an important place in more sustainable waste systems when we talk about closing the loop.

COMMUNITY RECYCLING CENTRES

Dubbo Community Recycling Centre (CRC) is located at Whylandra Waste and Recycling Facility. The facility accepts household quantities (20kg to 20L maximum container size) of a number of problem wastes that cannot be placed in your kerbside rubbish collection, many of these materials can be reused and recycled when processed correctly.

By sorting and transporting problem wastes to the CRC you are:

Helping improve recycling rates
Keeping hazardous waste out of landfill
Saving, water, energy and valuable natural resources

The household problem wastes accepted by Dubbo CRC free of charge include:

Car batteries
Degassed white goods
Old TV’s and other domestic e-waste
Gas bottles
Smoke detectors
Used motor oil
Household batteries
Domestic mixed recycling
Fluorescent globes and tubes
DrumMuster eligible containers, empty and clean
Textiles - clothing, blankets, linen, shoes, backpacks, handbags

Dangerous goods and items other than those listed are not accepted.

FOOD WASTE

Food waste costs the Australian economy around $20B each year. Australian households are the biggest contributors to food waste above primary industry and manufacturing, with 1 in 5 grocery bags of food ending up in bins. You can make a difference by reducing your food waste, and your efforts will assist in saving money and reducing emissions.

REDUCING FOOD WASTE

Reduce food waste in your home by reconsidering how you buy, cook and store your food. Here are 5 tips to increase your food efficiency:

Make a meal plan each week
Check what you have at home and make a shopping list of things missing so you don't overbuy
Store your food correctly, air tight containers keep food fresher for longer.
Use leftovers for an easy lunch or week night meal
If you notice food about to expire, make a meal using those ingredients instead of throwing them away

As part of a collaborative partnership with Love Food Hate Waste, Dubbo Regional Council invites residents to sign up for the Food Smart Program; providing participants fun and easy food-saving tips, activities and recipes via email to help them save food, time and money. Find out more and sign up at Love Food Hate Waste's dedicated webpage Food Smart

RECYCLING FOOD WASTE

Some food waste is unavoidable (e.g. apple cores, tea bags, vegetable peels). The best way to dispose of these items is through a backyard compost bin or a worm farm, turning organic waste into a valuable input to enhance soil health in your garden.

If composting isn’t for you, you can use Council’s kerbside organics collection service to dispose of your food waste. In 2020/ 2021 residents correct use of FOGO bins in the Dubbo, Mid-Western and Narromine regions resulted in over 9,300 tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill to produce quality Australian Standard compost. The compost produced keeps public areas and gardens healthy and beautiful, and re-enters the food system with use on local and regional farms and wineries.

SECONDBITE

Food waste and food insecurity in Australia are complex intertwined issues. Many people across the Central West and Western Region live below the poverty line and go without food often; while large volumes of food are wasted at the household, producer and retail scales.

Supported by Federal, State and Local government SecondBite is a charity food rescue agency that works across Australia to rescue food and redistribute to the people who need it.

SecondBite need more help from large and small businesses and producers. Your business could be part of the solution by donating to your local agency. Find out more at their website; Food For Those In Need

POLLUTION AND ILLEGAL DUMPING

Pollution and illegal dumping is an issue that affects all aspects of the community including households, businesses, Council and the environment. Find out how you can report or take actions against illegal dumping, view Council's dedicated webpage Pollution and Illegal Dumping

A-Z RECYCLING

Looking for information on what can be recycled in our region, and which disposal method can be used? Visit our dedicated webpage; A-Z Recycling

Last Edited: 22 Dec 2023