council
Waste and Recycling
Planning for the Future
Waste management and the collection of domestic waste are widely recognised as a traditional role of Councils. However, the growing environmental impacts associated with disposing of waste and the depletion of landfills and areas to build new landfills are posing a challenge for local government. In addressing these challenges Parramatta City Council developed the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Plan (WARR Plan). The plan serves as a strategy with a framework to guide benchmarks and milestones that emphasise an improvement in recycling rates and provision of information and resources to the community to avoid waste going to landfill.
At present, Parramatta City Council not only manages the collection and disposal of domestic waste, but also plays a vital role in promoting the ‘target zero waste’ concept. This is achieved through various means within the Local Government Area (LGA) in conjunction with their waste and recycling contractor Cleanaway Municipal Services.
What Council is Doing
The landfill, also known as the dump or the tip is where domestic garbage is taken. However, Australia is fast running out of space for landfills. Finding sustainable alternative waste facilities providing long term solutions for residents is a core environmental challenge that Parramatta City Council continues to focus on.
Councils like ours have taken a green step forward and developed a Waste Avoidance Recovery Resource (WARR) Plan (inline with the NSW Governments 2003 WARR Act). The plan aims to divert 66% of waste from landfill by 2014 and ultimately aim for zero waste.
Parramatta has always been a pioneer when it comes to waste. In 1998, Parramatta City Council was one of the first Councils to introduce the three bin system which lead to the diversion of over one third of all domestic waste away from landfill.
Now Council’s Waste Management team are looking at ways to reduce the waste going to landfills even further by supporting technological advances. By 2014 Council will be sending all our domestic garbage to an Alternative Waste Technology (AWT) sorting facility, which will drastically increase our diversion rate from landfill and at the same time reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Council will soon go to tender for the construction of an AWT facility to process our domestic waste, with the expression of interest to close in July 2008.
Council, in conjunction with Cleanaway, Council’s waste and recycling contractor now provides residents, schools, local business and the general community with workshops and education about waste reduction and awareness, smart shopping and composting and worm farm.
Performance Indicator
Environmental data (indicators) are used to monitor trends and the effectiveness of programs. The main indicators are summarised below.
|
Indicator
|
2003/04
|
2004/05
|
2005/06
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2006/07
|
Trend
|
|
Total Garbage (tonne) |
35404
|
34267
|
36648
|
33145
|
|
|
Total Recycling (tonne)
|
12961
|
13571
|
13250
|
13965
|
|
|
Total Garden Waste (tonne)
|
6564
|
6166
|
7353
|
11856
|
|
Current trends in Parramatta show that domestic waste is gradually declining with recycling and garden waste on the rise. This is good news as less waste is being sent to landfill with more waste been recovered and recycled. This is a result of a continued effort from Council, the community and Council's waste contractors, Everyone is working together to build a more sustainable Parramatta - through the use of education, technological advances and cooperation.
