Waste Exchange Program Targets One Of Sydney’s Most Significant Industrial Hubs

05 Nov 2009

Parramatta and Auburn City Councils are encouraging businesses in one of Sydney’s most significant industrial hubs to take part in a new waste exchange program designed to reduce landfill and enhance inter-business community relationships.

Businesses within the suburbs of Camellia, Rosehill, Clyde, Granville and Silverwater in the Duck River catchment are being invited to attend the second of two business workshops on 19 November to have input into finalising the design of the program.

Parramatta and Auburn City Councils have engaged the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) to develop the program, which aims to prevent commercial and industrial waste streams such as food waste, packaging waste, wooden pallets and e-waste going to landfill by developing systems for reuse and recovery.

The first initiative of its kind in the area, the waste exchange will provide participating businesses with cost-effective opportunities to recover, reuse and recycle resources from waste streams of other businesses.

“The Camellia and Silverwater industrial precincts provide significant and valuable resources to the NSW economy and society and through this program will now provide useful resources to one other”, said the Lord Mayor of Parramatta Cr Paul Garrard.

“This program will not only have environmental benefits it will also benefit businesses in the Duck River catchment achieve financial, social and environmental sustainability as well as helping them achieve positive environmental goals,” he said.

Encompassing an area of about 39 square kilometres, the Duck River catchment is home to more than 600 businesses including Rosehill Racecourse and the Shell Clyde Refinery, the longest operating oil refinery in Australia.

Representatives from 18 businesses took part in the first business workshop on 20 August, which encouraged businesses with an interest in a waste exchange to share experiences to date and scope possibilities for future waste exchange in the local area.

Businesses that attended included Shell Clyde Refinery, Sydney Turf Club, Cumberland Industries, Wynstan Designs, Any Shape Plastics, Downer EDI Works, Screengraphics Printing, Knorr-Bremse Australia, Sterling Electrical, BluGlass, Allin International, R.E. Batger, Merel’s Foods Australia, EarthPower, Classic Resources, Packforce, Lubrizol International and AB Mauri.

“Sustainable waste management is one of our core business philosophies and it was refreshing to deal with like-minded, environmentally conscious corporations focused on cost-effective outcomes at the first workshop,” said Piotr Glowacki, Process Development Manager at BluGlass, a company at the forefront of energy-efficient lighting technology.

Auburn Council Mayor Hicham Zraika said businesses’ attendance and input at the second business workshop would be invaluable – even if they had not participated in the first one.

“The first workshop as well as the survey we carried out, has indicated that there is real willingness and enthusiasm within the Silverwater and Camellia business community to make this waste exchange program a success. They can see that the exchange will not only save them money and resources, but that it will also have real environmental benefits.”

The waste exchange program is part of the councils’ business sustainability program, a collaboration between Parramatta and Auburn City Councils, with funding from the NSW Environment Trust, helping businesses in the Duck River catchment achieve financial, social and environmental sustainability.

The second business workshop will be held at Dooleys, Silverwater Road, Silverwater on Thursday 19 November from 10am – 1pm (followed by complementary lunch).

Interested businesses can contact Wendy Read, Project Manager - Business Sustainability on 9806 5419 or email wread@parracity.nsw.gov.au.