Page 1284 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 23 March 2010
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waste and to reuse waste that is currently coming from the commercial sector—as well as putrescible waste in the domestic waste stream and what we can do to reduce that going to landfill as well.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur, a supplementary?
MS LE COUTEUR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, what consultation has been done with industry and stakeholders to determine the best way to improve commercial waste recycling, and specifically what consultation has been done about introduction of a four-hopper bin system?
Mr Corbell: Sorry? I beg your pardon?
MS LE COUTEUR: Four-hopper bin system consultation.
Mr Corbell: Hopper bin system? Four-hopper bin?
MS LE COUTEUR: Yes, four-hopper—four-piece bin system.
MR CORBELL: In relation to consultation, the government will be consulting on the development of its draft new waste strategy once government has agreed to it. It is still in development at this stage, but I was recently briefed on the policy issues that are being contemplated as part of that draft and I am very pleased with the work and the progress that my department is making on that. I think we will have a well-refined, informed and considered waste strategy as a draft for consultation, and that will occur in due course.
In relation to consultation with industry around commercial waste, I draw Ms Le Couteur’s attention to the implementation of what has been known as the BusinessSmart program, already a very successful program which is attracting significant interest from other jurisdictions. The BusinessSmart program has now been rolled out to a large number of commercial enterprises here in the territory. It is designed to give them information and assistance in the development of better recycling practices in their places of operation.
For example, we have Westfield’s agreement that Westfield will roll out BusinessSmart as a way of capturing and better recycling commercial businesses in both of its large shopping centres in the ACT. There are over 400 tenants in both of those centres who are signing up to that BusinessSmart initiative. We also have places such as the Convention Centre down the road here, which has also signed up. A large number of government agencies have signed up within the ACT government and a number of commonwealth agencies have also done so.
We are getting a very significant level of interest in that BusinessSmart program as part of that work. Officials from my department go out and speak with businesses about how they can improve their recycling practices and give them detailed technical advice on how to put in place better measures. Those are proving to be very successful.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Bresnan?
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