The landfill is due to close at the end of this year making the new alternate solutions to waste management a priority for council.

Council manager of resource recovery and education Brooke Pearce said the tenders were for solutions that didn't involve landfill, were environmentally friendly and would reduce carbon emissions.

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"The specifics for the tender was basically saying to the waste companies and people of Australia, that our landfill will close by the end of year," she said.

"We want people to bring alternate solutions that were not landfill, would reduce emissions and were in line with our climate change strategy.

"We evaluated submissions based on emissions and environmental criteria rather than cost. We have a really strong circular economy focus and wanted something to be locally formed here to create jobs."

Ms Pearce said 44 tenders had been submitted with a short list of 22 created.

"Most are based on one particular stream - usually one company is an expert in organics, for example, or deals in red bin waste," she said. "People have a niche in what they are submitting for.

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"The next step will be community engagement, which we hope to start by the end of February. (It) is important for informing council. We are looking at running four to six weeks of that through the Let's Talk forum and, COVID pending, some sessions in person.

"Pending that community engagement outcome, we hope council will make decision by the 2022-23 financial year."

Ms Pearce said council was continuing to research new funding streams to help achieve a circular economy.

"We are looking for funding streams relevant to us," she said. "We are looking to make a circular hub, where like minded businesses come together (and) will petition as much can through state and federal governments.

"We know the community has paid mountain of landfill levy - about $40 million over seven years - and are pushing (for funding) so it doesn't come down to rate payers again."

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Ms Pearce said work to ensure the future of waste management in Greater Bendigo had continued despite the pandemic being at the front of most people's minds.

"The one thing we know for sure is the Eaglehawk landfill is due to close by the end of this year, that's still a time frame that is on track," she said. "Our timelines at the moment haven't (changed)."

When the Eaglehawk site closes as a landfill, it will still operate as a transfer station for the community.

"The good news is that it will be the main local transfer station for the community," Ms Pearce said. "There is not a big change where people have to take (refuse) out of town.

"Once the landfill closes, it will be business as usual. Without a tender we cart (waste) to the Patho landfill which is operated Veolia, up near Cohuna. But carting waste somewhere else, just makes it someone else's problem."

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