Every week, tens of thousands of bins are collected across our City. But behind each bin is a household, business, sporting club or community organisation with different needs, habits and challenges.
We're inviting our community to complete our 2026 Waste Survey to help us better understand how you use your bins, what’s working well, and where we can improve.
Waste services are one of Council’s most visible, widely used and costly services, accounting for around 12% of total annual Council revenue.
In 2024-2025, our City disposed of about 39,622 tonnes of waste. Almost half of this was sent to landfill.
What’s more concerning is that around 68% of what’s in the landfill bin could have been diverted. That’s more than 12,00 tonnes of valuable resources that were sent to landfill unnecessarily. Much of this is food waste, recyclable material and hazardous items like batteries.
This is a big problem with a real consequence. The disposal of this material costs Council around $1.9 million. Money that could otherwise be diverted back into improving services, facilities and our community.
In fact, every time waste goes to landfill, Council pays the Solid Waste Levy, a State Government charge designed to reduce landfill and encourage recycling. This levy makes up around 30% of the total cost of providing waste services. Importantly, no levy is paid on materials placed in the recycling or green organics bins.
We know there’s a better way. But to get there we need to understand what’s happening in your household, business, sporting club or community organisation.
Your feedback will help us:
- Design services that are easier and more convenient to use
- Reduce the amount waste sent to landfill
- Improve recycling and organics recovery
- Manage rising costs and deliver better value for the community
Since introducing the Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2033, around 2,700 tonnes of waste have been diverted from landfill, saving approximately $420,000 in solid waste levy fees. This has been driven by a reduction in the amount of waste placed in red-lid landfill bins and an increase in recycling and recovery, reflecting positive changes in everyday waste habits across our community.
These results have been supported by improved services and practical programs, including community education campaigns, enhanced hard waste recycling, new drop-off options for hard-to-recycle items and the introduction of a home compost rebate. Collectively, these initiatives are making it easier for residents to reduce waste and recycle more.
Complete our survey and share your views
This is your chance to influence what comes next.
There are no pre-determined outcomes and no decisions have been made yet.
Whether you want more convenient services, lower costs, better recycling options, or stronger environmental outcomes, this is your opportunity to have a say.
Even simple insights, like how full your bin is or how often you present an additional bin, helps us build a clearer, more accurate picture of what our community needs.
Accessibility
If you have communication needs or need help with providing your feedback, please contact us to let us know how we can best support you.
| Name | Community Engagement team |
|---|---|
| Phone | 08 8397 7444 |
| community.engagement@cttg.sa.gov.au |
