10-03-2026
Food waste is a big problem in Australia. Every day, households throw away enough food to make 7.7 million meals. On average, each household throws out 265 kg of food every year. All this wasted food fills up our bins and creates more greenhouse gases. In addition, throwing away food costs households over $2,500 each year.
Local Councils are affected too. In December, bins in the Upper Lachlan Shire Council were fuller than usual, partly because of holiday events and more people needing services. When bins overflow, it puts extra pressure on local workers and makes it harder to keep towns clean.
Over the last 5 months, more bins have been collected. In September, 9,242 waste bins, 3,639 recycling bins, and 2,335 garden waste bins were picked up. By December, these numbers had gone up to 9,780 waste bins, 4,437 recycling bins, and 2,375 garden waste bins. This shows that waste is rising, especially during busy times.
Waste Transfer Stations were even busier between November and January, averaging over 100 tons of waste per month. To help with this, Waste Transfer Stations have done more weed spraying, mowing, fixing driveways, and cleaning. This helps lower the risk of fires and keeps waste areas cleaner and safer.
Council encourages everyone to be careful with waste. Wasting less helps the environment, saves money, and keeps our community clean.