711.4 nq9451 HAW Workpaper no.S .'

ENVIRONMENT

MAY1991

PLANNING AND EPA LIBRARY

If you have any comments on this Working Paper, or would like to receive copies of the draft strategy, policies and actions being prepared for this topic in coming months, please write to:

The Manager Planning and Environment City of Hawthorn 360 Burwood Road (PO Box 168) HAWTHORN Vic 3122

The closing date for comments on the Working Papers is Friday, 5 July 1991.

711.4 Hawthorn's' planning 099451 Renaissance wo~king HAW paper Wor\g)a.per no.5 This is one in a series of seven Working Papers prepared as part of the Strategy Plan process, addressing the following issues:

Working Paper

1. Residential 1. Living in Hawthorn 2. Hawthorn's residential areas 3. Population 4. Housing density 5. Housing Types

2. Commercial 6. Office development 7. Shopping centres 8 . Industry

. 3. Public Open Space/ 9 Public open space Major Facilities & Institutions/ 10. Major facilities and institutions Development Opportunities 11. Development opportunities

4. Transport 12. The road network 13. Land use and transport 14. Walking and cycling 15. Public transport 16. Parking

5. Environment 17. Environmental pollution 18. Waste management

6.· Heritage· 19. Urban heritage 20. Natural heritage

7. T ownscape 21. Landscape 22. Commercial townscape 23. Residential townscape 24. Main road streetscape

Prepared for the Transport and Environment Topic Group:

Councillor Beverly Blythe-Bailey (Chair) Councillor Nigel Kirby Councillor Barrie Martin Councillor Kenneth Hare-Brown Mr .Geoff Anson, VicRoads Mr John O'Loughlin, Community Representative Dr Mark Cooper, Community Representative Mr Tony Radford, Community Representative Ms Barbara Cordon, Community Representative Ms Susan Ross, Strategic Planner Mr John Bennie, Manager Technical Services

.. PAGE NO. r 17 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION 4

1}.1 THE STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT FOR MANAGING POLLUTION 4

17.2 THE FORMS OF POLLUTION WHICH AFFECT OUR COMMUNITY 6

18 WASTE MANAGEMENT 14

18.1 THE STATE CONTEXT 14

18.2 WASTE 16

REFERENCES 20 PAGE NO.

FIGURE 18.1 15

FIGURE 18.2 17 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Environmental pollution can include air, noise and water pollution. Vehicle emissions, lise of domestic incinerators, pollution of waterways from the drainage' system and the cleanliness of Ollr . streets are issues that may need to be addressed. Possibly we should be looking at tree planting or' even establishing urban forests, as a means of contributing to cleaner air.

Hawthorn residents, acting in isolation from other communities in Melboume, are unlikely to be able to reduce pollution sIgnificantly. However, there is all obligatioll Oil every local col7lmllllity to act responsibly, so that the overall quality 'of 's environment will gradually improve. A number of Councils in Melbourne have prepared strategies that address local ellvirOllmental issues in this way, covering education and encouragement as well as regulation.

In what ways can we help to reduce pollution as a community, illdividually alld through the Council?

THE STATE CONTEXT

The Environment Protection Authority, established in 1977 under the Environment Protection Act 1971, protects 's environment from pollution by controlling wastes and noise.

In 1973 EPA established a licensing system for waste discharges to air, water and land. Before this there was no effective means of limiting waste discharges from industry and gross pollution was common.

By the early 1980's a number of State Environment Protection Policie$ (SEPP's) had been declared for air, water and noise. These policies identify the beneficial uses of the enviro~ent which need protection and establish the quality objectives required to provide that protection.

The introduction of the EPA Works Approvals in 1985 gave EPA a more direct involvement in the early planning stages of new projects. Later the Planning and Environment Act provided a more direct avenue for input into pianning decisions.

The EPA is involved in all aspects of monitoring and controlling environmental pollution as follows:

4 WATER QUALITY EPA has an extensive water quality monitoring program throughout Victoria which includes sampling at fixed locations in Port Phillip Bay and the major Victorian waterways.

New State Environment Protection Policies are being developed to protect Victoria's soil and groundwater.

AIR QUALITY EPA has a year round air monitoring program which is very comprehensive. This data enables EPA to predict air quality under different conditions and projected emissions of pollutants.

A review of the SEPP - The Air Environment is underway. One of the major components of this is a review of its liealth based objectives. In addition, a major update of Melbourne's air emissions inventory is being done.

CONTAMINATED SITES Contaminated sites have become an increasingly iinportant problem for EPA and the contaminated sites register was released early in 1990.

WASTE MANAGEMENT As part of the comprehensive approach EPA is taking to waste management in Victoria a draft SEPP - The siting and management of land fills was released for public comment. in 1989. This policy is to eradicate the enviroQJDental problems usually associated with, the "local tip" and increase the opportunities for the community to recycle its wastes.

NOISE EPA is working on strategies to control noise from motor sports, shooting ranges, helicopters and road traffic in addition to vibration from blasting activities.

The SEPP - Control of Music Noise from Public Premises was gazetted late last year and it provides protection to people in their own homes from loud entertainment noise from public venues.

The EPA is also developing a ~EPP to control noise from road traffIc.

5 MOTo'R VEHICLES EPA has an enforcement program to address the issues associated with air and noise pollution from motor vehicles. Infringement notices and prosecutions are used as part of this program.

THE LOCAL CONTEXT

Local Governments also have an important role to play in localised pollution control and waste collection.

Sections of the Local Government Act, which have now come into operation, specify the functions of Councils, which include: • general public services including flre prevention and fire protection, and • any function relating to the peace, order and good government of the municipal district including environment control, protection and conservation

Any local law caD be made with respect to these functions, providing: • it is not inconsistent with any state legislation, and • the Council's intention of making or revising a local law is advertised and public comments sought and considered

Hawthorn City Council has a numb~r of By-laws (local laws) aimed at reducing pollution, namely: • By-law 236 which restricts the use of incinerators and backyard burning. • By-law 235 prevents construction on Saturday afternoons imd Sundays to minimise noise pollution and inconvenience

(

AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution and its effects on h~an health are well researched, even to the stage that many

countries have objectives for various pollutants that should not b~ exceeded, so as to protect the health of the population. Air pollutants at high concentrations cause various, health effects, mainly respiratory problems.

The major "human made" air pollutants come from industry, motor vehicles and domestic and other sources.

6 The primary pollutants nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons from secondary air pollutants including ozone and nitrogen dioxide, occur mainly during the summer season.

Periods of adverse meteorological conditions, such as light winds enable the accumulation of air pollutants.

MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS Motor vehicles contribute a major proportion of the overall emissions into Melbourne's atmosphere. Motor vehicle emissions are controlled by Australian Design Rules (ADR) for vehicles. Compliance of ADR's is necessary before a vehicle can be registered. New and used vehicles are randomly checked by the EPA in Victoria. (VicRoads, 1990) hi respect of pollution from car exhausts there are two areas which should be addressed: • Decrease the use of and dependence on cars It is expected that by the late 1990's concerns about pollution will have significantly altered the community perception of car travel, and this change in attitude will have resulted in greater acceptance of alternatives. Further encouragement of alternative means of transport can be done at the local level as discussed in the Transport Working Papers. • Reduce motor vehicle emissions - Further" strict adherence to Australian Design Rules(ADR's) for motor vehicles has resulted in a significant reductio!l in vehicle emissions as well as the removal of lead from fuel. Campaigns such as the "Smoky Vehicles Campaign" assist in reducing emissions." Use of smaller vehicles can help to control emissions on a large level.

Attacking the pollution problem at its source (the vehicle) will provide significant benefits, however if the number of vehicles keeps increasing, small changes in emission standards for new vehicles will only contain the pollution problem for a few years.

SMOG Smog is a type of ail pollution and is caused by emissions from industry, motor vehicles, incinerators and open burning, accumulating under certain meteorological conditions.

7 The EPA has developed a smog alert system to forecast smog days. To reduce the level of smog on these days, motorists are requested to refrain from using cars unnecessarily and to properly maintain their vehicles. The public are also asked not to burn off or light incinerators. If an alternative source of heating is available residents are asked nof to use solid fuel heaters.

In summer, the main problem is photochemical smog. Winter episodes are characterised by poor visibility due to airborne particles.

INCINERATORS Smoke from backyard burning, whether in the open or in an incinerator, is a significant contributor to poor air quality in the greater Melbourne area as well as creating health hazards.

It contributes about 45% of the total airborne particles in smog experienced dl,lring the late summer, autumn and early winter. (EPA, 1989) ..

Prior to November 1989, Councils only had the ability to restrict and control backyard incineration and open' burning. However, it has now become possible, with the implementation of the new Local Government Act (1989), to totally ban these practices.

Local Councils are best placed to tackle backyard burning because they can co-ordinate the making of local laws with improvements to waste collection services so as to remove the need to burn material in their ratepayers backyards.

As of 20 November 1990, the folloWing Councils have made local laws which ban backyard burning, namely: Box Hill, Brunswick, Chelsea, Kew, Melton, Mordialloc, St Kilda and I' . Williamstown.

Clause 20 "The State Environment Protection Policy (The Air Environment) states:

"Open burning for convenience alone shall be discouraged. Where it is necessary it shall be carned out in accordance with guidelines or Regulations to be deve/~ped by the Allthority in conjunction with fire authorities." .

8 The City of Hawthorn has a By-law No. 236 which is known as the Incinerator By-law and is used for the purposes of: • preventing and extinguishing fires • suppressing nuisances • regulate the times during which incinerators may e used on property wholly or partly for residential purposes

The use of incinerators is prohibited on Sunday however, may be currently used between 1O.OOam and 3.00pm on any other day.

Council is currently considering a: new local law which will further restrict the use of incinerators to between 1O.OOam ~o 3.00pm on Wednesday and Saturdays only.

Although the EPA advocates the prohibition of all backyard burning to reduce the emission of this source of smoke to the lowest extent possible, other means of dealing with disposing of the waste need to be investigated before total banning of incinerators in Hawthorn is implemented.

For example, Council is investigating the use of mulching machines located throughout the municipality for tree prunings etc. as an alternative to back yard burning. It has been suggested however, that methane gas from composting is more harmful to the environment than clean incinerator smoke.

Hawthorn Council has involved itself in a number of activities to control air pollution, namely:

The Environment Protection Authority has run from time to time the' "Smoky Vehicle Campaign"'which encourages the community to report excessively smoky vehicles to EPA. The Council has been involved to the extent that the By-laws officers have been instructed to report offending vehicles to the EPA.

A study "Airborne Lead and Total Suspended Particles Study" was commissioned by Hawthorn City Council in 1981. The aiIn of the study was to determine airborne particulate lead and total suspended particulate concentrations in the Liddiard Street/Rathmines Road area.

9 Auburn Central Primary School was chosen as the sample site. The outcomes of the study indicated that total suspended particulate matter measured at the Auburn Central Primary School were well below guideline levels and corresponding lead levels were low. This program, however, has since been abandoned.

ACTIVELY CLEAN THE AIR Coupled with the above measures, activities can be carried out to im:prove the quality of the air, for example, extensive tree planting, or the creation of urban forests can have significant environmental benefits, and act as local air purifiers.

NOISE POLLUTION

The effects of noise on people are various and often interrelated. Stress may be introduced by the presence of noise and stress may then induce general decline in well being. However, this relationship between noise and ill health is not consistent. In addition an individual's response to noise type and level is also highly varied. (VicRoads, 1990)

t' '. Noise from traffic is a problem in our community when it impinges upon our lifestyle by" interfering with activities such as work, conversation, leisure and sleep. People's response to

traffic noise can be broadly classified into three groups - insensitive, neutral and sensitive. ;~" People in the sensitive group are likely to be annoyed by relative low levels of traffic noise, ,,;:, "

while those in the insensitive group may not complain even at high noise levels. (VicRoads, {~ 1991)

Some examples of our daily exposure to traffic noise are: • 8OdB(A)beside a busy freeway (have to speak in a forced manner) • 70dB(A) beside a busy street (may not hear some words) • 65dB(A) at a residence protected by noise barriers from nearby freeway nOise (background noise present) • 55dB (A) in an urban park near main roads (comfortable noise levels) • 50dB(A) quiet office or library area (noticeably quiet) • 45dB(A) bedroom or quiet park land (very quiet) Source: VicRoads (1990)

There are two types of traffic noise: bulk noise and individual noise. Bulk noise is due to overall traffic volumes and is influenced by speed, proxiniity and composition. Individual noise comes from single vehicles which are exceptionally noisy. (VicRoads, 1991)

10 Sources of noise from vehicles at low speeds are the engine, transmission and exhaust while" at higher speeds tyre and wind noise tend to predominate. Engine noise can be reduced in most vehicles by revising the components and structure of the engine bay. Likewise, development in vehicle transmission components have meant that most modern vehicles have low transmission noise levels. Similarly, well designed vehicles will have little wind noise. Tyre noise is' variable and depends to a large extent on. tread pattern, for example four wheel drive vehicles can' be very noisy. Quiet pavements can be used to reduce tyre noise. _Well maintained vehicles using suitable exhaust systems do not make excessive noise. (VicRoads, 1990)

New vehicles in must comply with the ADR for vehicle noise. The intention of the rule is to set limits on external noise generated by motor vehicles in order to limit the contribution.of motor traffic to community noise. Recent changes to the rule being introduced over the next two to three years will require cars and trucks to be quieter. Although the EPA checks vehicles for noise, currently the testing of trucks is limited. (VicRoads, 1990)

There are future developments that will reduce the. effects of traffic noise pollution. Governments throughout Australia are currently reviewing and updating regulations that control vehicles emissions. (VicRoads 1990) These include: • Truck exhaust noise levels • Vehicle fuel efficiencies • Australian Design Rules • Traffic Noise policy development

The City of Hawthorn has received a grant from the Health Promotion Foundation of Victoria to develop strategies and methods to improve health in the local community. A questionnaire was circulated to residents last year, to enable Councll to prepare suitable programs. One section of the questionnaire dealt with noise and air pollution. The results of the surveys have to date not been analysed but will provide interesting data on sources and the extent of noise and air pollution in Hawthorn and will give directions for dealing with it at a local level.

WATER POLLUTION

Pollution of our rivers, oceans and streams. is of major concern. Such pollution can occur as a result of illegal dUmping of rubbish,chemica1 spills, sewerage spills during heavy rainfall, lead runoff from roads; spills from factories; and dog droppings. One of the major causes of pollution' in our waterways however, is litter. It is not commonly realised that litter dropped in the streets is eventually carried into our waterways via the storm water drainage system.

11 Litter deposited on the ground may find its way into streams and rivers. The litter comes from a variety ofsources which are often located far from the waterway. For example, an ice-cream wrapper dropped outside the local milk bar if not picked up, would be likely to be blown or washed into the stormwater drainage system. (MMBW, 1989) '"\

Through flushing the stormwater drain, the litter will be transferred to the local waterway where it will either become entrapped in trees and other vegetation along the river bank, Such debris may persist in the environment for many years. (MMBW, 1989)

Some of the litter along the banks of urban rivers and streams has been dumped there, however, most of the litter comes from land based sources (streets, carparks, nature strips. parks and vacant land) via what is termed the "Litter Pathway" (MMBW, 1989), During storms, litter which has been dropped on the ground is washed or blown into the Council stormwater drainage system and Board of Works drains, where it is carried along and eventually disc:harged into open waterways.

The MMBW in their study "Litter Control in Urban Waterways" (1989), outline a number of points along, the litter pathway where strategies may be applied to reduce the amount of litter in waterways. • Prevention of littering before it occurs through publicity, education, enforcement' and reduction in the supply of materials which may become litter.

• Containment and ~ollection of litter on land, by street sweeping or manual collection. • Containment of litter in the open drainage system or open waterways by installing litter traps. • Remedial clean up measures to remove the litter deposited on stream,banks and beaches. This is both labour intensive and costly.

In Hawthorn's case, the "Litter Pathway" leads to the . Since 1983, the MMBW has used litter booms to collect floating litter and debris on the Yarra River.

Over the_ five year period 1983 to 1988, over 3500 cubic metr'es of litter was collected by two booms. This however, represents only a small portion of the litter load in the Yarra River. The litter booms used by the MMBW to trap litter are commercially available and were designed primarily for the containment of oil spills in waterways. (MMBW, 1989)

12 Some local Councils have used litter booms to control litter. These booms are maintained, regularly by the Council's parks and gardens staff.

The "Litter Control in Urban Waterways" study made a number of recommendations for removing litter from the waterways and reducing the sources of litter, namely: • EPA and MMBW to organise public education campaign to highlight sources of litter in urban waterways

• EPA and local Councils work with fast food outlets to reduc~ the amount of litter generated and Department of Local Government with EPA devise and education campaign ai.rD.ed at reducing litter generated from commercial sources. • That the Department of Local Government develop model By-laws aimed to reduce the amount of unsolicited advertising material entedng the litter pathway. • MMBW undertake to catalogue and evaluate street sweeping and street flushing operations. • That EPA consult Plastics Institute of Australia and supermarket chains to determine methods of reducing the number of plastic carry bags entering the litter pathway.

In relation to street flushing, the MMBW has advised that Hawthorn Council is one of the few Councils who do not operate street flushers. This is one way to overcome water pollution. Council uses street sweepers which take up the rubbish, which in turn is transferred to land fill.

Street sweeping is an efficient means of removing litter before it enters the drainage system, however obtaining access to gutters is often a problem, due to kerbside parking

Council throu8h the preparation of a local strategy should address in a compre~ensive way, the issue of pollution in the local context and; through such a strategy, begin to consolidate and improve its existing practices for controlling waste pollution within Hawthorn.

WASTE

Waste, including litter, can lead to local environmental problems of pollution and needs to be addressed in detail, in terms of management and reduction. Refer ISSUE 18.

13 WASTE MANAGEMENT

Dealing with waste, including household garbage, is set to become one of.the fastest growillg challenges for local communities in the 1990's. . The cost of tipping garbage illto lalldfill sites is escalating rapidly.

At the same time, community awareness of the need to conserve resollrces is growing. "nlillk globally, act locally" is the catch cry. We must look serial/sly at the sllbject of waste mallage;llent and consider how we can reduce our use of disposable products and increase the amollllt of recycling.

What should we do to reduce the amount of waste we create? How call more recycling be achieved?

The role of the Environm'ent Protecti?n Authority was outlined briefly under I SS-UE 17. It is important however, to understand the intricacies of the hierarchy of authority (especially when l~oking at waste management). FIGURE 18.1 explains the Governmental structure within which waste reduction and environmental control is managed.

The issue of waste management is a highly complicated one and there are a number of initiatives being taken at the State and Regional level for managing waste. For example, the Minister for Conservation. and Environnient has released a draft plan for the recycling and reduction of waste in Victoria and has called for submissions on the proposal.

The plan titled "Waste - Better By Half' recommends the establishment of new Government Authority - Recycle 2000 - which would come under the control of the EPA.

In addition, there are a number of other parallel reports on the subject by NREC, RALAC and EPA, and.existing and proposed waste authorities such as the Metropolitan Waste .Management Council, Regional Refuse Disposal Groups and Local Authorities themselves.

This Council must continue to address the issue in terms of Council's own local initiatives and' role and how the needs of the local community can best be met.

14 FIG U R E 18.1

GOVERNMENTAL HIERARCHY FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND -...... __ .... _----- .. -... ------...... _------_ .... _--_ .... _----- ... _------... -...... __ ... _------_ ...... _------...... _...... _------... -..... _-- ENVIRONMENTAL CQNTROL

LOCAL PAlUlA.\~TAJUES MINISIER ~llNlSTER GOVER.'~lE'tT CO!\"SERVA110N & PlA:""'L"G &: <-TAcr e::-.'VlRO:-'~lE'lT )2o;-YYRON. E~T \E\U:Cw)

MU:-'lCIPALI NREC C'lATI.'RAL WASIE (E:-.'VlRO:-'~f ENl" COUEcnON (CO-ORDINAnO:-',) REft.'SE RESOURCES & 1 DISPOSAL E'.V1RO~~e::-.T PROll3cnON &: DIS OSAL (- -- -) GRlr CO~L\(rrrEE) Au RITY) t· ~O*UTAN RALAC • _ - - ~ WASI"E <___ ytECY (RECYCl.L~G (co.oJINAno:-.') Mt\.~GE\(E'.T 2 POLIOES &:UITER . CO ADVISORY COMM(ITEE)

PRI~tARY II!.. CO·ORDINAnON RESPONSIBIUIl' 4Ii,r--- &: ECO~O~UES FOR COUEcnON . OFSCAI,.E & DISPOSAL STILLRESTS FURTIiER WTIli COUNOLS ..I ___ GOVERNM~~______~ illIT ~ DIRECTION- OVERSEAS REGIONAL GROUPS

SETS TARGETS CHARGp5 LEVlE:S

ADVICE, R &: D

15 III ri all likelihood it is not the nmning out of material alld ellergy- resources that will matter for foreseeable futures. It is another type of resource that is ill scarce supply - the resource of the natural-environment as reposition for all the waste products associated with materials alld energy use. It is the "waste sink" characteristics of envirOllmellts that perhaps occasioll the greatest concern. These are natural resources to be cared for just like ellergy alld materials: 771ey comprise the oceans, the atmosphere and troposphere, the rivers alld lakes of the world. and the land-based waste sites. Recycling, product redesign, conservation alld low-waste technology call intenupt the flow of wastes to these resources, alld that is perhaps the major feature of a sustainable development path of economic progress. " (D. W. Pearce et. al. Blueprint for a Green Economy, 1989)

The major environmental problems of the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion have increased the public's attention to the state of the Earth. However, there is a related problem, also a result of people's lifestyle, which will effect communities at a local level far more quickly. That problem is one of waste, which can lead to)ocal environmental problems of pollution-. In,..,._ addition, there are two issues which need to be addressed when talking about wastes : Collection and disposal; and reduction and minimisation.

WASTE COLLECTION

Each person in Victoria produces an average of 800kg of waste each year. Almost one third of it comes from oUr own homes. (EPA, 1989)

More specifically, Melbournians produce enough domestic garbage to fill the Melbourne'-' Cricket Ground to the top of the stands every few months.- (EPA, 1989)

In most areas in Australia, household garbage is dumped and buried at land fill sites. Until recently, Councils have used old quarries and valleys to dump rubbish e.g. Rose Street Tip Site . in Hawthorn. However communities are increasingly objecting to these sites being near houses .. There are still plenty of sites available but the c.osts to overcome damage to the environment are increasing.

In addition, Councils and industries are having to transport their wastes to more distant and better controlled land fills. As a result, the cost of collecting and disposing of waste has steadily increased, along with increased rates to cover -these costs. The Region has every

16 intention of continuing this practice subject to tighter control over land fill practices and requirements for protection of the environment.

FIGURE 18.2 shows the composition of the total weight of Victorian waste. It can be seen that domestic garbage contributes to the greatest proportion of what's going to land fill.

FIGURE 18.2

WHAT'S GOING TO LANDFILL?

Car Bodies Tyres Large 0.3% 0.1% Appliances ----=::=:~ __ 0.4%

Clean Fill 11.2%

Building Domestic Rubble Garbage 11.0% 35.4%

Industrial Waste 18.4%

Waste 13.8%

Source: RAlAC (1991)

Australia has more time and opportunity than many countries have had, to develop waste minimisation practices and policies which will extend the life of our land fills. Hawthorn Council currently collects all household waste and carts it to the Camberwell Transfer Station. Camberwell then transfers the rubbish to a land fill site in Fraser Road, Clayton.

17 This land fill site has reached capacity and Hawthorn can only continue to' transfer its rubbish there for a maximum of another six months.

Council is part owner of a site in Oakleigh and a planning appeal against the ref~sal of a permit to use this site for land fill is waiting to be heard before the Administrative' Appeals Tribunal. If the permit is granted, then there will be no change to the cost of disposal. If another site has to be used however, e.g. at Lindhurst, then the costs to the rate payers will increase dramatically.

WASTE MINIMISATION

Waste mi..niinisation is a major challenge for the nineties .. Any attempt to minimise our waste can follow three steps or processes, often referred to as the "Three R's" (EPA 1989). These are: • Reduce as much waste as possible • Re-use waste items for other purposes • Recycle to use. the base material

Hawthorn City Council disposes of approximately 7,000 tonnes of domestic garbage annually. One way of reducing costs is via the "Three R's". If Council could reduce local waste by ten percent (an achievable reduction) then a saving of approximately $30,000 per annum would follow;

Hawthorn Council has adopted a philosophy of waste minimisation and this has been . encouraged by allowing for the collection at kerbside of recyclable glass, aluminium and . newspapers.

In addition, Council sells composting bins at wholesale prices.

Council is currently looking at initiating an advertising campaign to publicise the waste minimisation mechanisms existing and also to educate the public on ways to minimise waste in the home:

Council is also currently looking at providing a facility for recycling plastics such as PET bottles, vinyls and other plastics. The viability of this, however is in question. In fact, early estimates indicate that it will cost significantly more to collect the plastics than Council would

18 receive in benefits. In this instance, it needs to be established if residents are prepared to pay an "environmental tax" because the only reason to proceed would be to reduce environmental pollution.

In addition, Council has investigated the possibility of having a white paper collection throughout the municipality. Council is also well served by its membership of the SERRDG, a statutory body of Councils who dispose of waste in the Region. The Region acknowledges the "environmental" concerns of the EPA but must also address in a practical sense the "needs" of residents in the Region. It is most important that local bodies such as this Council and the Region in general retain control over waste management so that the interests of the local community can be protected.

The Strategy Plan can develop a detailed strategy for waste management at the local level.

19 . ACI Environics; 1981, Hawthorn City Council Airborne Lead and Total Suspended Particles Study July­ . September 1981

EPA; 1988, Information Bulletin: Smog Alerts in Melbourne

EPA; 1989, Up to Our Necks in Garbage' ... Everyone's Guide to Living with Less Waste

EPA; 1990: Information Bulletin: The Environment Protection Authority

. EPA; 1991, Information Bulletin: Control of Incinerators and Open burning in Residential Areas. Explanatory notes on the model Local Law.

MMBW; 1989, Litter Control in Urban Waterways

Recycling and Litter Advisory Committee; 1991, Report of the Victorian RALAC.

VicRoads; 1990, The Traffic in Melbourne Study: Traffic and Health. Discussion Sheet NO.5

.. 20

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