The strategy, developed by Sustainability Victoria in partnership with communities, councils and the waste industry, was announced by Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and Wendouree MP Sharon Knight at the first Waste Education Strategy Conference in Ballarat on Friday.

Ms Knight said reducing the amount of waste-to-landfill and preventing the dumping of waste in local forests is crucial for the Ballarat region.

“The local tips are filling up and we need to make sure we manage our waste in a far better way,” she said.

“We need to make sure the local recreation areas are kept (in good condition).”

The 10-year strategy aims to provide a co-ordinated statewide approach to waste education, focusing on behavioral change and increased understanding of the need for and value of waste and resource recovery activities.

Priorities include improving community attitudes and perceptions towards waste services and infrastructure, delivering programs to tackle food waste, improving resource recovery and reducing litter and illegal dumping.

Sustainability Victoria will implement the initiative alongside the Victorian Market Development Strategy for Recovered Resources and the Victorian Organics Resource Recovery Strategy.

The two-day Waste Education Strategy Conference held at the Mercure, was hosted by Sustainability Victoria and the Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

The forum focused on measuring the success of various waste education and sustainability initiatives.

Experts focused on broad issues such as project management in waste education and litter, monitoring and evaluation tools and business and industry projects.

Sustainability Victoria chief executive Stan Krpan said the conference had received strong support.