Sending waste to landfill is becoming more expensive, and future disposal options may involve longer transport distances. Reducing what goes to landfill, recovering more useful material, improving data and planning infrastructure investment carefully can help us avoid unnecessary costs and make better long-term decisions.

Households can make a significant difference by using food scraps, recycling and rubbish services correctly, reducing contamination and keeping reusable or compostable material out of rubbish bins. Businesses also have an important role, particularly where they generate larger waste streams such as construction and demolition waste, packaging, food waste, rural waste or commercial recycling.

The plan is being updated to reflect the Waste Minimisation Act requirements, the waste hierarchy and the Government’s current Waste and Resource Efficiency Strategy. It supports the national direction to reduce waste disposal per person, increase reuse and recycling, and reduce environmental harm from waste and litter.

We already support waste minimisation through kerbside food scraps and recycling services, community education, targeted communications, resource recovery initiatives and waste minimisation grants. The refreshed WMMP is expected to continue behaviour-change work, with a focus on keeping organics and recyclables out of rubbish bins and improving how people use existing services.