30 November 2011

Strathfield Council has received an award at this year’s Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards, taking out the Waste Avoidance Award in the Division A category.

The Awards, now in their 14th year, are managed by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) and acknowledge NSW councils for their accomplishments in managing and protecting the environment.

Strathfield Council received the Waste Avoidance Award for the Resource Recovery Project which sees waste diverted from landfill and disposed of through various forms of recycling or resource recovery. The award comes after Council’s reporting shows a record monthly average of waste diverted from landfill of 48 per cent (a significant increase from 26 per cent in 2009.)

Mayor of Strathfield, Paul Barron said the award was a great recognition for Council’s waste management services.

“It is a great honour for Council’s waste management service to be recognised amongst other NSW councils. Strathfield Council is extremely committed to developing innovative, sustainable solutions to waste management, re-use and resource recovery,” Cr Barron said.

“To receive this award is a great example of Council’s dedication to reducing per capita waste volumes and increasing the amount of waste being diverted from landfill – a win for both the community and the local environment.”

Strathfield’s sustainable approach to waste management includes a number of methods which sees waste such as household domestic waste, recycling and garden organics, as well as mattresses, metals, gas cylinders, electronic waste, automotive oil, car batteries, tyres, paints and chemicals, which are sorted and distributed through a number of waste management services.

The increase in waste diverted from landfill can also be attributed to an increase in residents making use of the on call clean up service by booking a free pick up of bulky household waste.

In 2010, Strathfield Council was declared overall winner of the LGSA Local Sustainability Award for commitment to integrating sustainability into every aspect of Council through the Strathfield Sustainability Framework project.

Further details and a full list of winners and finalists are available on the Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards website www.lgsa-plus.net.au/EnvironmentAwards.