Sustainable Living

FOGO 3 bin banner
 
Learn how to be more sustainable by making small changes to the way you live, including reducing household food waste by composting and worm farming, or by going plastic-free. A small change can make a huge difference in our environment.

 

Composting and Worm Farming

 You can buy a compost bin or worm farm at Council’s Administration Centre.

  • Buy a compost bin for $65 and get a FREE compost aerator 

  • Buy a worm farm for $81.50 and get a FREE worm blanket  

  • Buckets of worms can also be purchased for $40 

Contact Council on 9725 0222 for more information.

Composting and worm farming goes hand-in-hand with FOGO. You can place certain items into your green FOGO bin that some home composting systems can’t accept such as cooked foods, meat, bones, dairy and citrus.

Environmental Education Workshops

FREE Workshops for Early Learning Centres

Waste and Recycling 

Children learn what goes in each bin, what happens to waste, and why it is important to recycle. They might even be able to teach their family and friends a thing or two! 

Worm Farming 

Children will learn how to set up a worm farm, what to feed the worms, and the benefits of worm farming.  


FREE Workshops for Primary Schools

EnviroMentors School Program 

Primary schools are invited to take part in incursion-based environmental education workshops run by EnviroMentors each year. Workshops are linked to the NSW Curriculum and include topics such as recycling, sustainability, and litter. 


FREE Workshops for Adults

Community Groups and English Schools 

Find out what services Council provides for residents to dispose of general waste, recyclable waste, organic waste, bulky or excessive garden waste and bulky household items.

Weekend Workshops 

A variety of environmental workshops are available for residents on Saturdays at Nalawala Sustainability Hub. Visit Council’s Events page for details. 

Contact Council on 9725 0222 for more information.

Return and Earn

The NSW Government’s Container Deposit Scheme, Return and Earn aims to reduce drink container litter. Since Return and Earn was introduced in 2017, more than 10 billion drink containers have been returned via the return point network. 

Return and Earn allows anyone who returns an eligible drink container to an approved NSW Collection Point to receive a 10 cent refund. 

 

How do I return and earn? 

There are more than 600 return points available across NSW. Find a location near you. 

The collection points include reverse vending machines and centres, automated depot sites, donation stations and over the counter drop-off at selected local shops. Depending on the type of collection point you visit you may; receive your money directly, receive your money electronically, be given a voucher to redeem at a participating retail outlet or have the option to donate your 10 cent refund to a pre-selected charity. 

Containers should be empty, uncrushed, unbroken and with the original label attached. 

 

What drink containers are accepted? 

Most drink containers of sizes between 150ml and 3L are accepted in exchange for a 10-cent refund when presented to an approved NSW collection point. Container materials that may be eligible for a refund include: 

  • PET 

  • HDPE 

  • Glass 

  • Aluminium 

  • Liquid paperboard 

  • Steel 

The following drink containers are excluded: 

  • Plain milk or milk substitute containers 

  • Flavoured milk containers of 1 litre or more 

  • Pure fruit or vegetable juice containers of 1 litre or more 

  • Glass containers for wine and spirits 

  • Casks (plastic bladders in boxes) for wine and casks for water of 1 litre or more 

  • Sachets for wine of 250 millilitres or more 

  • Containers for cordials, or concentrated fruit and vegetable juices 

  • Registered health tonics 

 

Can I still use my yellow recycling bin? 

Yes. You can continue to place your drink containers in your yellow lid bin for recycling as usual. Kerbside recycling remains very important to our community. Return and Earn is designed to complement kerbside recycling by reducing litter and encouraging people to recycle drink containers when away from home. 

For more information about the scheme please visit the Return and Earn website or call 1800 290 691.

 

Top tips to cut your waste

  1. REFUSE to buy things that you don’t really need.
  2. REDUCE consumption where possible, especially of single-use items.
  3. REUSE existing items rather than purchasing new. Consider donating unwanted items to charity.
  4. RECYCLE right by making sure bottles, jars and containers are empty and rinsed. Buy recycles products where possible.
  5. REPAIR items instead of throwing them out when they are broken.

 

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