At home

Thinking about reducing the waste in your home? It could save you money and benefit the environment.

It is expensive, harmful and unsustainable to keep sending our valuable resources to landfill.

See Council’s guide below to help you track your household waste and make an action plan so you can make a difference by sending less to landfill.

Household Waste Tracker - Activity Guide(PDF, 411KB)

Rethink
The key to more sustainable waste systems is rethinking what waste means, considering waste to be a valuable resource that we need to harness. When we reframe rubbish or waste as something useful and productive we begin closing the loops, transitioning to a circular economy that will sustain us and future generations.

Reduce
Reducing our consumption of unnecessary and unsustainable items is important in tackling the problems around waste facing our communities and environment regionally, nationally and globally. When we cannot avoid the generation of waste through changing our purchasing or consumption habits, we can consider reusing, repairing or repurposing avenues to keep our valuable resources out of landfill.

Reuse
While an item may no longer be useful to us, it may be useful to a neighbour, a friend or another person in your community. If no one you know can use the items you no longer need, consider selling or giving away items at a garage sale, on Gumtree, e Bay, Facebook marketplace or Buy, Swap & Sell pages. These are not affiliated with Council, and should be carefully considered at your own risk.

Alternatively you can donate good quality items to charity shops to be reused by someone else. Please remember if items are not in a condition that you would be comfortable to gift to a friend do not donate, as bad donations create waste issues for the charity shop.

Recycle
While avoiding and reusing waste are the most effective approaches to tackling waste issues, recycling holds an important place in more sustainable waste systems when we talk about closing the loop.

Your recycling is handled and sorted by real people at the Mudgee Recycling Facility. Do the right thing and recycle right.

You can view what is recyclable and compostable through kerbside collection services via Council's kerbside bin guide.

For common household problem wastes that cannot be collected via Council kerbside waste and recycling collection services there are permanent drop off centres called Community Recycling Centres (CRCs). Mid-Western Region householders can drop off household volumes of these problem wastes year round free of charge to the CRC at Mudgee Waste Facility. Find out more about Community Recycling Centres.

If you are unsure about where you can recycle items you can search via Council’s A to Z Recycling Guide or contact Council on 6378 2850.

Mudgee Community Recycling Centre (CRC) located at Mudgee Waste Facility accepts household quantities (20kg to 20L maximum container size) of a number of problem wastes that cannot be placed in your kerbside rubbish collection. Many of these materials can be reused and recycled when processed correctly.

By sorting and transporting problem wastes to the CRC you are:

• Helping improve recycling rates
• Keeping hazardous waste out of landfill
• Saving, water, energy and valuable natural resources
  
  

The household problem wastes accepted by Mudgee CRC free of charge include:

• Car batteries
• Water based paints
• Oil based paints
• Old TV’s and other domestic e-waste
• Gas bottles
• Smoke detectors
• Fire extinguishers
• Used motor oil & other oils
• Household batteries
• Fluorescent globes and tubes
• Aerosols
• DrumMuster eligible containers, empty and clean

Dangerous goods and items other than those listed are not accepted.

To find out more about Community Recycling Centres visit NSW EPA or contact Mudgee Waste Facility on 6378 2850.

Food waste costs the Australian economy around $20 billion dollars each year, an expense to Australian households and the environment. 1 in 5 grocery bags of food end up in the bin tragically while many people in the community and across the country face food insecurity.

This is an issue which can be addressed. Australian households are the biggest contributors to food waste above primary industry and manufacturing, therefore we have the opportunity to make a big difference.

Efforts to reduce food waste will:

• Save money
• Reduce emissions
• Use our precious food resources in a more conscious and positive way

You can make a difference by reducing your food waste.

Reduce Your Food Waste
There are many ways you can reduce the amount of food wasted in your home by reconsidering how you buy, cook and store your food.

Here are 5 tips to increase your food efficiency and reduce waste:

1. Make a meal plan each week! Save time and money
2. Use a shopping list and check what you have before you shop
3. Store your food correctly- air tight containers help keep food fresher for longer. This A to Z list is a great guide to food storage.
4. Use leftovers for an easy week night meal
5. Veggies in the fridge looking a bit sad? Get creative in the kitchen. With so many recipes at our fingertips online, the meal inspiration is endless.

Recycle Your Food Waste
Some food waste is unavoidable (e.g. apple cores, tea bags, vegetable peels etc.). The best way to dispose of these items is through a backyard compost bin or a worm farm to turn organic waste into a valuable input to enhance soil health in your garden. Composting is not as difficult as it may seem, there are different sizes and set ups for every situation and lots of information available on the internet about how to establish and maintain a compost bin or worm farm.

If composting isn’t for you, you can use Council’s kerbside organics collection service (FOGO) to dispose of your food waste. It gets turned into beneficial compost to keep public areas and gardens healthy and beautiful, and re-enter the food system with use on local and regional farms and wineries.

In 2020/ 2021 residents correct use of FOGO bins in the Dubbo, Mid-Western and Narromine regions resulted in over 9,300 tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill to produce quality Australian Standard compost. 

Food Rescue 

Many people across the Central West and Western Region live below the poverty line and go without food often. We can all be part of the solution to this issue. Sharing or donating your time, money or food to organisations is the most effective way to provide support. Food Rescue Central Westare a collection of volunteer food rescue agencies working hard to rescue food and redistribute it to people who need it across region. There is more information on how you can be a part of a local agency of Food Rescue Central West here.

Illegal dumping is an issue that affects all aspects of the community including households, businesses, council and the environment. Find out how you can report or take actions against illegal dumping.

Report Illegal Dumping 
If you see illegal dumping in your community, please report it to Council straight away. The quicker it is reported, the quicker it can be investigated and action started. 

Emergency Dumping Incidents 
If the dumped waste is an emergency situation, such as toxic fumes or a large chemical spill, call 000 immediately. 

Urgent Dumping Incidents 
If the waste is an immediate threat to human health or the environment, such as dumped toxic chemicals or dumped asbestos sheeting, call the EPA Environment Line on 131555 if the waste is a large urgent incident, (i.e. more than 2 trailer loads).

For smaller urgent incidents, (i.e. under 2 trailer loads), call Council on 6378 2850.

General Reporting of Illegal Dumping 
For all other illegally dumped waste spotted in the Mid-Western Region, you can contact council on 6378 2850.

When you report illegal dumping, you help Council, NSW EPA and other state government agencies:

• Protect human health and the environment
• Find and clean up dumped waste
• Identify dumping hot spots so strategies can be developed to prevent this occurring in your local are in the future
• Detect dumpers and make them accountable for their actions

Littering from a vehicle
Littering from a vehicle is illegal and can incur a minimum fine of $250 in New South Wales.

If you see litter being thrown from a vehicle you can report it here. 

Litter Reduction Initiatives
Clean up Australia Day is Australia’s largest annual community based environmental event.

Every March thousands of volunteers collect rubbish from parks, waterways, bushland and nature reserves across Australia.

Council supports this event by covering the disposal of the litter collected. Get your household, friends, school or business involved and create a clean-up event. Register an event in your local area here.  Please let Council know to ensure the litter is collected after your event.

Why not get your neighbours, friends and family, sports teams, schools or workplace involved in a littler clean up any time of the year. You can plan and undertake a clean-up through Keep Australia Beautiful and help to find ways to reduce litter in your area.