Reducing Your Waste
Reducing your waste is not about being perfect. Individuals making small changes to their habits can add up to a big impact.
Composting & Worm Farming
Composting can save you money, improve your garden and reduce your impact on the environment.
Ready to start? Explore these beginner guides on composting & worm farm.
To learn more about composting and worm farms in your garden, join our Gardens for Harvest program.
Council offers rebates to residents who have recently purchased equipment for composting at home (e.g. worm farms, composting worms, compost bins, bokashi buckets). Find out more about the compost rebate.
Reusable Nappies
Yarra Ranges Council was one of 12 Councils that participated in the Reusable Nappy Feasibility Study, working together to research and understand how to implement a best practice reusable nappy program to reduce waste sent to landfill. Further information can be found by visiting Reusable Nappy Feasibility Study.
Following on from the Feasibility Study, Yarra Ranges Council was one of 14 Councils that participated in the The Nappy Project.
The initial feasibility study, and The Nappy Project which concluded in February 2024, was funded by Sustainability Victoria through the Circular Economy Fund.
The final report can be found here(PDF, 3MB).
Council will be launching a reusable nappy workshop program during 2025.
Reusable Sanitary & Incontinence Products
Yarra Ranges Council was one of seven Metropolitan Melbourne councils that joined together to research and understand how to implement a best practice reusable sanitary and incontinence aid program that reduces waste to landfill, supports people who menstruate and/or experience incontinence and increases the use of reusable products.
Visit here to find out more on the outcomes of the report.
Council will be launching a reusable sanitary and incontinence aid program during 2025.
Difficult to recycle items
Do you have an item that you want to recycle but not sure how?
Check out the RecycleMate website or download the Recycle Mate app onto your phone. Its a helpful tool to learn which kerbside bin to use or find out if there is a better recycling option available near you.
The Planet Ark Recycling Near You website lets you search by area and the item you want to recycle. It helps to find locations nearby where you can take difficult items such as polystyrene or x-rays.