Waste and Recycling Overview
Waste to Resources Management Plan 2018-2025
Following community consultation, at the meeting held on 1 July 2019, Council endorsed the Waste to Resources Management Plan 2018-2025. The Waste Management Plan sets out to reduce waste to landfill by 20% per person by 2025.
Circular Procurement Pilot Project
Mount Barker District Council is one of nine councils to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, as part of the LGA's Circular Procurement Pilot Project, to prioritise buying products made from recycled materials. The participating councils are seeking to combine their collective buying power to significantly increase demand for recyclable materials in South Australia. Examples of products made of recycled materials that can be purchased by councils include road and construction materials, street furniture, bollards, office stationery and compost.
The other participating councils include Adelaide Hills Council, City of Burnside, City of Charles Sturt, City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, City of Onkaparinga, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, City of Prospect and Rural City of Murray Bridge.
Green Industries SA
Part of the role of Green Industries SA is to promote the more efficient use of resources, and the conservation and recovery of scarce resources. Green Industries SA is also leading South Australia’s transition to a circular economy to grow our economic prosperity, improve and sustain our environment and increase our wellbeing.
Landfill Ban
Under the State Government's Waste to Resources Environment Protection Policy 2010 a number of landfill bans have been progressively introduced since 2010.
The following items cannot be placed into any bin for disposal to landfill:
| No batteries in any bin | Household: local battery retailers often recycle unwanted domestic batteries. Click here to find a battery drop-off location or collection service near you. Mobile phones: most mobiles phones and accessories can be recycled at a number of locations including the Mount Barker District Council Office at Level 1, 6 Dutton road, Mount Barker. Please click here to find your nearest recycling location. Lead acid: most scrap metal dealers, local recycling depots and new battery wholesalers/retailers will take back used lead acid batteries. Council’s Windmill Hill transfer station also accepts used lead acid batteries. Dry cell: household quantities of standard alkaline batteries may be disposed of as into the domestic waste bin. |
| No electronic items in any bin | Televisions and computers can be recycled for free at the Windmill Hill Transfer Station, Brinkley Waste and Recycling Facility and the Heathfield Resource Recovery Centre. |
| No light globes in any bin | South Australian Householders are able to take a wide variety of household light globes including halogen, incandescent and fluorescent globes to these South Australian companies: |
| No oil in any bin | Used motor oil can be taken to the Windmill Hill Transfer Station free of charge. |
| No paint in any bin | You can dispose of your left-over paint at the Windmill Hill Transfer Station free of charge as part of the Paintback scheme. For more information, visit the Paintback website. |
Please visit the EPA website for a full list of banned wastes to landfill.
Single-use plastic ban in South Australia
In September 2020, the South Australian Parliament passed the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020. This legislation is the first of its kind in Australia and a positive step towards avoiding waste.
Since March 2021, the following items have been prohibited from sale, supply, or distribution in South Australia:
- single use plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery
- expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers
To find out more about what this means for us all, visit Replace the Waste.