At a special meeting held on 26 September 2025, the Waste Authority approved refinements to the draft Waste Strategy – Beyond WAste 2030 – Western Australia’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 and supporting Roadmap. The refinements ensure stronger alignment with state government priorities and key strategic initiatives, including Western Australia’s clean energy transition; Made in WA; Diversify WA and Closing the Gap.
The draft Waste Strategy and Roadmap will be released for public consultation towards the end of the year.
Better Practice FOGO Contracting Guide
The Waste Authority noted the Better Practice FOGO Contracting Guide, prepared as result of collaboration between the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Waste and Recycling Industry Association of Western Australia (WRIWA) and the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA).
The Better Practice FOGO Contracting Guide includes a set of better practices for local government and industry to consider when contracting or reviewing contracts for FOGO, covering topics such as planning, tendering, contamination management and end-markets for FOGO derived products.
Waste to Energy facility regulatory oversight
The Waste Authority noted an overview of the regulatory oversight of Western Australia’s Waste to Energy facilities and reporting requirements to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, including those under the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Regulations 2008.
2025 GREAT Sorts behaviour change insights
The Waste Authority received an update on the latest annual waste sorting behaviour change data and insights.
The GREAT Sorts campaign is a statewide waste sorting behaviour change campaign normalising five priority waste sorting behaviours which have the biggest impact in reducing waste and increasing recycling. It forms part of the Waste Authority’s suite of behaviour change programs and is integrated with the WasteSorted Toolkit for local government use with their residents.
The annual assessment provides useful insights, indicators of progress and recommendations for year-on-year improvements to the campaign and wider WasteSorted activities supporting behaviour change.
Key insights from the 2025 data showed that attitudes towards correct waste sorting remain strong; correct disposal of household hazardous waste and e-waste including batteries continues to improve; and some FOGO households may not be using their bins effectively, with FOGO and recycling bin contamination increasing.
The Waste Authority supported efforts to strengthen consistent and effective waste education across local governments, continuing support for GREAT Sorts and WasteSorted initiatives in 2026, including increased communications around FOGO to help address contamination challenges.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Waste Authority will be held on 10 December 2025.
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