The City of Whitehorse is located just 15 kilometres east of Melbourne, Victoria and covers an area of 64 square kilometres.
The Whitehorse City Council is the designated local government body for the Whitehorse municipality. Whitehorse’s suburbs include, Blackburn, Blackburn North, Blackburn South, Box Hill Box Hill North, Box Hill South, Burwood, Burwood East, Forest Hill, Mitcham, Mont Albert, Mont Albert North, Nunawading, Surrey Hills, Vermont and Vermont South.
As one of Council’s core values, sustainability is important to the community programs delivered by Council. As part of this commitment, in 2013 Council downsized the standard rubbish bin size for all Whitehorse households by one third. This move is expected to reduce the amount of waste households send to landfill each year and is strongly supported by a range of community programs supporting waste avoidance behaviours in the community.
44 percent of the average Whitehorse rubbish bin is food waste. This is made up of both food scraps that could be composted, and avoidable food waste that could be turned in to great “leftovers” meals! What a huge waste of natural resources, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and as food waste is so heavy costs the community through landfill fees.
Council hopes for more people to grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit, even in the smallest urban spaces. Sharing home grown food with neighbours, and utilising public spaces such as nature strips to grow edible food, creates a sense of community and a local food supply.
Council is currently conducting a Home Composting and Food Waste Avoidance Trial providing 200 households with composting and worm farming equipment, group workshops, home visits and access to an online community hub. This allows participants to learn about home composting and food waste avoidance from experts and each other, as well as helping Council identify the best ways to promote and support home composting and food waste avoidance to the broader community.
Council is accredited as a Fair Trade Community and supports a range of local harvest swaps, community gardens and the local farmer’s market held at the Whitehorse Civic Centre in Nunawading every month.
Any meal made from fresh locally sourced ingredients followed by a great fair-trade tea or coffee of course!
Council has a broad sustainability community engagement program ranging from regular community events to an annual Sustainable Living Week, held every March.
If you would like to get involved sign up for our online newsletter by emailing greener.living@whitehorse.vic.gov.au or if you are Whitehorse resident check Council’s monthly newsletter the Whitehorse News for event details.
