TENTERFIELD Shire Council general manager Lotta Jackson has called on Tenterfield people to work with the council to correct the waste management mistakes of the past.
She said council had a goal of just 10 per cent landfill, with the rest of the shire’s rubbish reduced, reused or recycled, and the reduction could lower carbon tax and prevent the need for a new landfill site.
“Recycling and waste management is one of our number one issues and we are working solidly to make sure we have got good waste management,” Ms Jackson said.
“I believe we have to have that, not because someone says we have to, but because it is a good thing.
“We have to acknowledge we have stuffed up in the past. I’m not just talking about here in Tenterfield, I’m talking about us as human beings.
“We have to contribute to fixing what we have done in the past.”
Speaking at the Granite Borders Landcare Biggest Morning Tea, Ms Jackson, who has been council’s general manager for a month, said people needed to change their behaviour by becoming more aware of buying products with less packaging and being more mindful of recycling.
“The more we recycle, the more we don’t waste and the less our carbon tax will be,” she said.
“Our goal is to have 10 per cent landfill which means we recycle everything except 10 percent.
“This also means we might be able to keep our landfill as it is because if we have to have another landfill it will cost us millions of dollars.”
Ms Jackson said council had some hefty tasks to carry out to bring its waste management up to scratch.
She also said she believed in the shire having a 10-year plan, but the plan would need to be reviewed following the September local government elections