Kempsey Shire Council has announced its support of the Local Government sector's Save Our Recycling campaign.
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Council has acknowledged the growing need to manage waste recycling in NSW and calls for urgent action from the state government to help build a circular economy in NSW.
This comes after the At the Crossroads: The State of Waste and Recycling in NSW was launched by Local Government NSW (LGNSW) president Linda Scott as part of a campaign to increase funding for recycling.
The report paints a bleak picture for the recycling industry in NSW with more waste being generated, household recycling and waste diversion rates stagnating; and regulation that discourages innovation and new markets for recycled products.
Kempsey Shire Council is joining a number of councils statewide in calling on the NSW government to invest the money it collects from the Waste Levy to help fix our state's ailing waste and recycling, and help build a circular economy in NSW.
"We need to start working on this and we need to get the right amount of money we need from the state government, from the levies that we pay, back to local government," mayor Liz Campbell said.
The campaign focuses on three key issues for NSW government action including education, innovation and investment.
"Many local government areas in regional NSW are looking at exactly the same thing," mayor Campbell said.
LGNSW president Linda Scott said the money was there to be invested back into local government areas.
"Budget papers show the NSW government will collect $800 million each year from the Waste Levy by 2022," she said.
"But it's investing less than one fifth of this money back into programs to help reduce waste, increase recycling and build a circular economy for NSW.
"The money is there, and the government needs to urgently invest it back into better recycling services in our local and regional communities."
Mayor Campbell acknowledged waste was a growing issue in NSW and said waste management and recycling was a high priority for the Kempsey Shire.
"We will endeavour to make sure the plan to save our recycling is successful," she said.
"In our joint organisation of councils, waste is one of our strategic priorities."
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