Brighton Council has commenced contract negotiations with TEST Energy for the disposal of municipal solid waste at the Tasmanian company’s $100 million Brighton Waste to Energy (WTE) facility.
The facility will be developed in the Brighton Industrial Estate at Bridgewater.
Mayor Tony Foster said TEST was selected from a number of businesses that had provided expressions of interest for the provision of waste disposal services in the municipality.
Council is currently negotiating a long term contract with TEST.Mayor Foster said the selection of TEST was based on a number of cost and service factors, including transport, disposal and waste transfer operation, as well as environmental factors.
“Based on the information provided and discussions with the company, Council is satisfied that TEST can deliver a high level of service for our community, and at the same time, an environmentally friendly alternative to landfill,” Councillor Foster said. “Brighton has a strong and well known environmental policy that has earned us numerous state and national awards, including the prestigious Banksia Award.
Council believes the Brighton WTE facility will play a vital role in boosting the economy of one of Tasmania’s least affluent communities, by providing much needed jobs and indirect employment through local product and service providers. It is expected to attract additional sustainable development to the industrial estate.
“Brighton Council was proactive in encouraging TEST to develop its facility at Brighton because it recognised that this facility used the latest environmentally sustainable technology to dispose of waste and at the same time produce energy,” Mayor Foster said. “But in addition to this, we are confident that it will encourage similar development, or indeed service providers to the estate, further improving employment opportunities and industry growth.
“Sustainable development that improves quality of life for the Brighton community is one of the Council’s key responsibilities and we commend TEST for providing a service that complements our triple bottom line approach. We look forward to furthering our negotiations with TEST.”
