No Waste Effort to Prepare for Fire Danger Period
Published on 14 February 2025
A collaborative effort between Mansfield Shire Council, the Goughs Bay Area Progress Association and Forest Fire Management has seen a significant reduction in waste and peak fire danger season fuel load this summer.
Key initiatives were carried out over the warmer months – with free green waste drop off to help residents clear properties from green waste, a dedicated festive season program for additional bins and pick up over the holidays, and the successful collection of camping waste at the Resource Recovery Centre.
Spring Clean Up
Residents brought a total of 552m3 of green waste to the Mansfield Resource Recovery Centre during Council’s Spring Clean Up Event, which encouraged residents to clean up yard waste by offering free green waste drop off at the Resource Recovery Centre. This was an average of more than 12 cars per day.
Festive Season
To reduce dumped waste during the high visitation season of Christmas and New Year holidays, Council provided additional public bins at key locations, increased the frequency of collections and promoted respectful disposal behaviours for visitors. The ‘Carry In Carry Out’ policy was promoted in key camper locations with the intention to reduce dumped waste.
Council encouraged the reporting of overflowing bins and Cleanaway, Council’s waste contractor, promptly responded to callouts on key dates including Boxing Day, New Years and Australia Day.
Free camping waste collection for ‘Carry In Carry Out’
The Mansfield Resource Recovery Centre processed more than 2,000 bags of waste which was “carried out” by campers during the peak visitor period between 20 December until 31 January, with approximately 1,250 of these within the period 20 December to 2 January. This equates to approximately 41.5m³ of total waste.
This is a significant increase on the use of the service from last year, which saw 588 bags processed by the Mansfield Resource Recovery Centre during the summer period.
Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said the waste initiatives showed how Council and community could partner for great outcomes.
“Making sure our shire is clean and that waste is cleared quickly is a core function of Council,” said Cr Rabie.
“This is a clear demonstration of working together. We’re grateful to the Goughs Bay Area Progress Association for leading the community initiative that has so drastically reduced dumped waste around key camping areas, and to Forest Fire Management for their collaboration.”
10m³ of waste was dropped off by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) from the Delatite Arm area following evacuation orders during the bushfire on New Year’s Eve.
Ian Nelson from the Goughs Bay Area Progress Association said the initiatives had produced great results.
“One initiative was the implementation of free tipping for campers. This, combined with FFM teams regularly interacting with campers and enforcing compliance has proven to be a game changer over the last two summers. The efforts of the project team have seen a reduction in waste and a huge increase in the number of campers supporting the project,” said Ian.
For more information about waste management in Mansfield Shire Council, go to www.mansfield.vic.gov.au/waste