About Us

Objectives

NIRW continues along the path of continuous improvement. Our aims and objectives are constantly growing and being renewed. This enables NIRW to identify the attitudes, priorities and new technologies that are to be addressed, not only from a local and regional level but also from a national and global perspective.
The objectives of NIRW are:

• Develop and implement regional programs that achieve a sustainable balance between the regions social, economic and environmental needs.
• Encourage partnerships and cooperation between member Councils and external stakeholders in a collaborative approach to addressing sustainability issues for the overall benefit of our regions.
• Identify and investigate all opportunities for coordinated approaches in the provision of waste management services and the achievement of waste avoidance and waste minimisation within the region.
• Consider all waste management issues affecting member Councils, where possible, and speak as one voice in response to State and Federal Government initiatives or directives.
• To prevent the generation of waste and promote awareness by commerce and industry with the ideal being – what is good for commerce and industry is good for the environment.
• To maximise the recovery, recycling and reuse of resources from waste whilst addressing the concept of renewable energy along with a change of thinking.
• To build on previous successes and efforts of waste management, resource recovery and sustainability issues.

Focus Areas

NIRW has aligned its objectives, activities and programs to support the key focus areas identified in the NSW Government’s Reducing Waste: Implementation Strategy 2011 – 2015. Some of these focus areas are:

• Progressive, affordable improvement of waste avoidance and resource recovery outcomes, based on winning community support and developing local enterprise and employment.
• Productive collaboration between NIRW member Councils to tackle whole-of-region waste management and resource recovery issues and deliver regional programs for sustainable waste management.
• Productive collaboration between NIRW member Councils to tackle whole-of-region waste management and resource recovery issues and deliver regional programs for sustainable waste management.
• For NIRW to provide a single, influential regional voice in response to State and Federal waste policy initiatives and opportunities.

Decision Making

Each member Council is entitled to one vote (which includes a proxy vote for agenda items) on all matters where a vote is required.

NIRW makes decisions regarding its own actions and formulates recommendations, regarding policy, commitment of funds, sharing of resources etc., which are referred to each member Council for consideration and response back to NIRW.

Participation by Councils in any actions, including projects, trials, investigations etc. formulated by NIRW is voluntary, no Council is obliged or compelled to participate.