Call for landfill reduction and transition to circular economy

AS the 2022 Federal Election draws near, Local Government NSW (LGNSW) is calling for greater financial assistance to support councils in reducing the waste sent to landfill and, in turn, transition to a circular economy.

Under a circular economy, communities share, reuse, repair, refurbish and recycle existing materials and products for as long as possible.

Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson said he was in support of looking towards a circular economy, particularly on a smaller scale.

“When some people talk about it, it’s across the state or the nation, but one of the biggest impediments we find in rural area recycling is the cost of transporting recyclable materials,” he said.

“In some large centres... they have good processes in place to recover materials. Then they take those recyclable materials and load them up on containers, and transport them to be recycled.

“But when all of that is transported, you might lose some of the benefits... if you take into account the transport cost, it doesn’t give you a lot of benefits overall.

“If done on a smaller scale, where it can all be collected, you can get more benefits and only ship off what needs to be shipped off.

“I’d like to see more of micro-scale industries, more done on a smaller scale to try and remove that transport factor or cost.”

By cost, Mr Dickerson referred to not only the financial costs but also the environmental.

“The issue is getting some seed funding... From an external perspective, it may not look efficient if they have recycling facilities based in Dubbo, Parkes, Wagga and Tamworth, but there just seems to be an advantage in not having the transportation side of it, and working out ways with recycling,” he said.

“Over the last three decades, we seem to have forgotten about railways... surely three trains a week (which could carry the same as 30 B-doubles a day), surely that’s better from an environmental perspective.”

LGNSW president Cr Darriea Turley AM said Australian councils are calling for $100 million per annum over four years to fund local government circular waste innovation projects,

federal guidance and advice on how to unlock the circular economy locally (particularly in rural, regional, and remote areas). The funding would also be used to investigate and, if possible, apply a national bin harmonisation program to improve kerbside recycling, reduce contamination, and maximise opportunities for reuse.

If funded, these priorities would create 797 jobs and add $136 million per year to Australia’s GDP, according to LGNSW.

“There has been a growing waste and recycling crisis in NSW, and LGNSW has consistently advocated for investment in better waste, recycling and circular economy solutions,” Cr Turley said.

“Accessible landfills are becoming scarce, waste and recycling management is a huge obstacle for regional and rural councils, and costs continue to surge.

“A circular economy looks at replacing old ways of production where we make, use and dispose of items without a lot of thought of the impact on our waste stream or the environment,” she said, adding that costs for businesses would be slashed, there would be support for new industries and job creation, and also greenhouse gas reduction.

“It saves inefficient production, reduces the need for more costly waste infrastructure and promotes both economic and environmental sustainability for our LGAS.”

Cr Turley also said there was a strong need for the government to introduce a standardised bin collection service.

“The Government needs to work with councils through providing funding and support to improve our waste and recycling services, ensuring a healthier future for our communities.”