Waste Busters
Book a Zero Waste Audit
Transitioning to a zero waste community and circular economy is a priority for the Inner West Council. Our target is to reduce waste landfilled per capita by 50% by 2036. Every household can take small actions to help achieve this.
Audits show that only 20.5% of Inner West garbage bins contain actual garbage. The rest are valuable resources that can be recovered, recycled, reused, and/or avoided all together.
Our purpose is to support residents to move towards zero waste, one action at a time.
What are the Waste Busters offering
The Waste Busters offer a tailored waste reduction consultation at your residence to help you reduce the volume of waste entering your red lid garbage bin.
This will support your household's shift to a fortnightly red lid garbage bin service and weekly Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) service. The consultation will consist of a friendly discussion to understand your situation and current waste practices, a Zero Waste Audit of your garbage bin and the provision of tailored feedback informed from our findings.
The Waste Busters will return six weeks later to complete a follow-up Zero Waste Audit to assess your progress and provide any further assistance.
While we recommend participating in the Waste
audit, if this is a deal breaker for you,
the Waste Busters can still conduct a phone or in-person consultation to discuss
opportunities and ideas for your household. In addition to this, Council
offers a range of other services, resources, and
workshops to help you work towards zero waste including:
What is a Zero Waste Audit?
Waste audits are frequently undertaken by councils to understand how much waste is being created and to identify education or waste service improvement opportunities. War on Waste has inspired schools and business all over the country to undertake their own audits for the same reasons.
Our Zero Waste Audits will target residents and follow a similar format, but also aim to reduce the overall volume of waste being generated by encouraging residents to consider ways they can avoid waste in the first place.
Right before your eyes, the Waste Busters will empty the contents of your garbage bin and identify the correct bin for each item that shouldn't be in there. They will identify items that could be avoided or reused and find alternatives for the disposal of tricky items, like taking items to the Inner West Community Recycling Centre.
After recording and analysing your results, the Waste Busters will provide tailored feedback and recommend simple, achievable changes you can make based on your unique household to reduce and avoid waste.
How will a Zero Waste Audit benefit me?
Most of us tend to underestimate the amount of waste we produce. A Zero Waste Audit helps to visualise and quantify the volume of your waste to truly understand your impact. Our Waste Buster experts will help you identify a few simple changes your household can make to reduce your waste. You may be surprised to see how much waste your household can reduce.
You will not be alone throughout your journey. The Waste Busters will be on call to support you in answering your waste questions between the first and second audit.
By the end of the six-week program, you will see how much waste you have diverted from landfill - that’s something to feel good about!
I am interested!
Book a Zero Waste Audit
FAQs
What can I expect?
The Waste Busters will:
- Only take up an hour of your time to complete the waste audit.
- Come to your house the day before your garbage collection day and conduct a waste audit on your red garbage bin.
- Bring everything. All you need to bring is your kerbside red garbage bin and a 3m² (preferably outdoor) space to conduct the audit.
- The Waste Busters encourage all members of the household to come and see them in action.
Do I need to pay for a Zero Waste Audit?
No, this is a complimentary service offered by Inner West Council to support residents in reducing their waste to successfully shift to fortnightly garbage collection.
What times are the Waste Busters available?
The Zero Waste Audits are being offered during business hours, from Monday to Friday.
However, the Waste Busters understand that these times may not be suitable for everyone, so please let them know when you are available by filling out the form and we will reach out to discuss options.
Why does the Zero Waste Audit need to be on the day before garbage collection day?
A waste audit is most effective when the bin is full to provide a snapshot of what your waste looks like over a collection cycle.
As this day may not be suitable for everyone, please let the team know when you are available by filling out a booking form and we will reach out to discuss options.
What if I don't have an outdoor space?
If you don’t have an outdoor space but would like to get involved, we can complete the audit indoors in a well-ventilated space that is approximately 3m², such as a garage or apartment bin. A tarp will be provided to protect your floor.
I am already a good recycler. Will a Zero Waste Audit benefit me?
A Zero Waste Audit is useful for everyone, regardless of how knowledgeable you are about recycling, as it is tailored to you. It's also a great way to afform your understanding of recycling or learn something new that you never realised was an issue. The Waste Busters can help you check you are using your kerbside bins correctly and identify other ways you can reduce waste by avoiding it in the first place.
By the end of the six-week program, you will see how much waste you have been able to reduce. How close do you think you can get to zero waste?
Why do you need to come to my home?
The best way to understand your waste is to see it first-hand.
Every household is unique. Your lifestyle, culture, household composition and available space all influence how you manage your waste. By coming to your home, we can provide tailored feedback that is unique to your household.
The Waste Busters are highly respectful professionals and will not enter households unless invited in. Observing how waste in separated in the kitchen where most of it is created is helpful, but not essential, if this is not comfortable for you.
Who will be coming to my home?
Our friendly Waste Busters are Inner West Council resource recovery professionals who are trained in community engagement and the development of strategies to reduce household waste. They presented clear background and police checks prior to commencing employment.
I want to reduce and avoid waste, but I don’t want to be involved in a Zero Waste Audit
While we strongly recommend participating in the Zero Waste audit, if this is a deal breaker for you, the Waste Busters can still conduct a phone or in-person consultation to discuss potential strategies for your household.
In addition to this, Council offers a range of other services, resources, and workshops to help you work towards zero waste.
Who can I contact for more information?
If you are interested in booking a Zero Waste Audit, fill out this form:
Book a Zero Waste Audit
You can contact the Waste Busters with any other questions or feedback at wastebusters@innerwest.nsw.gov.au