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Reducing waste involves changing our everyday behaviour. It means thinking about our needs and the whole life cycle of a product before we buy something. Reducing waste can save money, conserve resources, save energy and water and reduce pollution.

Wasting food wastes money and the considerable energy, water and other resources used to produce food. Preventing food waste is the best outcome for the environment. The EPA’s Love Food Hate Waste program shows NSW households and businesses how to avoid wasting food.

Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic, often microscopic in size, that are added to a range of products, including rinse-off cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. They are often included for their exfoliant or abrasive properties.

We provide waste and recycling program and infrastructure funding for local councils, and support for groups of councils to collaborate across regions.

To assist local governments, the EPA provides innovative tools, guidelines and analysis on waste and recycling systems. This support seeks to help local councils find effective and efficient systems, and enhance the cost-efficiency and environment benefits of their operations.

Everyone in NSW shares a responsibility to protect the environment. Councils can require developers to submit site waste management plans with their development applications. Assistance is available to help them do so according to best practice.

Waste transfer stations are important links in a community's total waste management system. A handbook is available to help councils understand the challenges, opportunities and unique issues of operating waste transfer stations.

Small waste facilities play an important role in local waste management. Operators (mainly local councils) manage the facilities and provide an essential service, often with limited budget and resources. The E-RAMP tool helps these operators make general management decisions and improve their facilities' environmental performance by undertaking a risk assessment on operational small waste facilities.

The EPA supports local councils to establish best-practice waste and recycling systems, to empower local communities to reduce waste to landfill. The Full Cost of Landfill Calculator aims to help local councils determine the real cost of sending waste to landfill.

The NSW waste regulatory framework establishes a level playing field for operators of waste and recycling facilities. The framework includes the requirement to hold an environment protection licence if certain thresholds are met, and the requirement to record and report to the EPA the quantities and types of waste moving through the facility.