Strathbogie Shire Council

Wednesday, 28 February, 2018

Last week the Victorian Government announced a $13 million package for councils and industry impacted by China’s decision to restrict the import of recyclable materials to maintain the ongoing kerbside collection of household recyclable materials.

Strathbogie Shire currently continues to remain unaffected by the industry pressures and our recycling service is continuingas normal.

Council is certainly aware of the significance of the issue at hand and continues to work closely with our Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Group and our contractors to keep up to date on the issues and will continue to provide timely updates as they become available.

Strathbogie Shire Waste Management Engineer Darren Ritchie said whilst Strathbogie is currently unaffected, the current situation highlights the important role that households play in the recycling process.

“Of particular importance is the need to eliminate contaminants from your recycling bins,” Mr Ritchie explained.

“Contamination degrades the quality of your recyclables and, in turn, lessens their market value.”

“It also emphasises the need for us as a community to re-think our waste management practices,” Mr Ritchie said.

Residents are urged to shop wisely and, where possible, choose products without packaging to avoid generating waste at the outset.

In order to ‘close the loop’, we should be actively sourcing products that are made from recycled materials, helping the industry to grow and providing a viable market for all the recyclable materials we place into our recycling bin.   

Tuesday, 27 February, 2018

Euroa is bringing back good old fashioned fun with its first Euroa Apex Pro Rodeo to be held on Saturday 24 March at Euroa Showgrounds.

The event promises to be a great night out for the family, with the whole kit and caboodle lined up, including bull riding, bronc riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, rope and tie and a variety of junior events.

Euroa local Steven Hill is one of the dedicated organisers of the rodeo and said he and some like-minded community members thought Euroa was missing something when it came to events.

“We continually hear that Euroa needs more events to drive tourism,” Mr Hill explained.

“Euroa is the horse capital of Victoria and we wanted to see more equine-related events held here.”

Strathbogie Shire Council is one of the many proud sponsors of the Euroa Apex Pro Rodeo and Mayor Amanda McClaren said it is a fantastic tourism opportunity for Euroa and the Strathbogie Shire.

“The Euroa Rodeo will give back to our community as both a great event to be enjoyed by locals and visitors, but also economically, as it promises to draw a significant crowd to our shire,” Cr McClaren said.

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Monday, 26 February, 2018

Strathbogie Shire Council is leading the way in all things solar, punching well above its weight heading one of the largest bulk buy solar programs in the State, and certainly the largest in rural Victoria.

Coined the ‘Bogie Bulk Buy’, the program has been running for 34 weeks and has now been duplicated by several other Councils in Victoria, including Murrindindi and Moira Shires, who are gearing up to imitate Strathbogie’s program.

At this stage of the game, there have been 95 solar systems purchased in the shire with a whopping 479.6 kW of solar purchased, equating to almost 23,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions that our community is reducing over the lifespan of these systems.

Energy professionals, Yarra Energy Foundation, manage the Bogie Bulk Buy and the program’s preferred solar and battery providers Cherry Energy Solutions.

Cherry have contracted local electrical company BD North East Electrics to manage all the installations for the program.

Owner Marcus Mackrell said they have been flat out with work since the program began.

“We’ve put on another full-time electrician and part time admin because of the installations,” Marcus explained.

Marcus is no stranger to solar himself, running his shed off the grid since he started the business three years ago.

“People are really happy about having local installers and the security of knowing Council is backing the program,” he said.

Residents of the Strathbogie Shire who have any questions or would like a quote for solar panels can call independent energy experts Yarra Energy Foundation on 1300 866 634, who Council have engaged to provide free advice from 9am-5pm weekdays, or visit the Bogie Bulk Buy website www.bogiebulkbuy.com.au.

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Friday, 23 February, 2018

One in five people have a disability. If you’re a business owner that is 20 percent of potential customers you may be failing to accommodate.

Strathbogie, along with Alpine, Mansfield, Murrindindi, Benalla, Wangaratta, Mitchell, Indigo, Moira, Greater Shepparton and Towong Shire Councils, have partnered with Nexus Primary Health to create the Good Access = Good Business program.

What is good access? It is about removing physical or social barriers that prevent customers from finding your business, moving around easily and receiving good service.

The program takes businesses through a checklist to identify changes that can be made to their facilities to improve accessibility for people living with a disability.

Dan Capobianco, local photographer and co-owner of Mister+Lady, developed the logo design for the program and has since evaluated his business’ accessibility.

"This program isn't about catching you out on what you aren't doing, it's about recognising and celebrating what you are doing and finding out how you can do more," he said.

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