Page 3354 - Week 09 - Thursday, 22 August 2019
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MS LAWDER: Minister, how will providing additional resources for planning and development proposals as per your answer to question on notice E-19508 assist with clearing the backlog of nominations to the ACT heritage register?
MR GENTLEMAN: As I said in answer to the previous question, EPSDD work as a whole team. Whilst they have dedicated officers in certain areas, the extra relief that we are providing in resources and staffing means that that frees up other resources in the directorate to help out in heritage work.
MISS C BURCH: Minister, how can Canberrans trust you to manage the ACTÂ heritage portfolio given the low priority that you have given to it thus far?
MR GENTLEMAN: I do not accept the premise in that question. In fact it is this side of the chamber that is providing resources for the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate and heritage. The other side of the chamber voted against the budget.
Waste—recycling
MS ORR: My question is to the minister for city services. Minister, can you outline what steps the ACT government is taking to encourage more Canberrans to recycle?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her question and for her passion and advocacy for waste reduction. Canberrans are excellent recyclers and, for the most part, do the right thing. Our government is committed to encouraging greater waste diversion and better re-use and recycling of materials that would otherwise go into landfill.
We now have 70,000 households that have taken up a green bin, with very low contamination rates. We have funded the next step to develop a food waste avoidance campaign and plan for a food organics collection service in the coming years. Our container deposit scheme continues to perform well, with over 31 million containers now collected under the scheme thus far.
In order to expand our excellent recycling record, I was very pleased to launch the recycle right campaign, alongside the Canberra Region Joint Organisation and mayors from neighbouring local governments, helping to reduce contamination in our recycling stream so that those products can then go on to be manufactured into other high-grade products, with some very clear and simple messages.
Canberra is a hub for the whole region, and greater cooperation on waste avoidance, waste reduction and recycling benefits Canberra and our broader region. It is something that our government will continue to work on.
MS ORR: Minister, what are the key messages of the recycle right campaign?
MR STEEL: There are six key messages of the recycle right campaign. The first is keep it simple. This means that you can only recycle hard plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, steel and aluminium cans, and paper and cardboard
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