At the 2006 National General Assembly in Canberra, we invited delegates to showcase their Council’s achievements by entering our competition to win a full page feature for their Council during 2007. Bundaberg City Council is the first of our winners.
A social vision for the Bundaberg region
With a current population of 46,000 people, Bundaberg City Council has an area of 96 square kilometres. As the commercial centre of Queensland’s Wide Bay region, it services an area with 120,000 residents. Bundaberg and its surrounding regions are experiencing above average growth, with the needs of the community continuing to expand and change. Bundaberg City Council has moved quickly to respond to this challenge through the development of a Social Plan for the region. The plan identifies existing and future social issues and opportunities and provides clear strategies and actions to address them, including meeting the existing and future demands for social services.
The region’s population growth has seen a higher proportion of residents aged 55-59 years and over residing in the region compared to the Queensland average. This is coupled with a ‘youth gap’ created by a decrease in the proportion of the people in the community aged between 19 and 39 years. To plan for the future requirements of seniors and an ageing population, Council has incorporated a specific plan to address these issues within its Social Plan.
Council is currently developing a Social Vision Unit where key staff can organise, coordinate and support the Council and community in implementing these plans. The Bundaberg Region Social Plan is structured under 11 key target areas, including seniors and ageing. Community Implementation Boards are being established as a means for key community members to work with the Social Vision Unit to implement the Social Plan. Extensive community consultation was carried out in development of the plans and will continue throughout the implementation phase.
Mangrove management on the Burnett River
The Burnett River is a key feature of Bundaberg City, however, the rapid growth of the mangroves along its banks significantly reduces access to and views of the river environs. As mangroves and other marine plants are protected under the fisheries legislation in Queensland to ensure sustainable fisheries productivity, the management of these marine plant communities can lead to conflict with public expectations regardiung urban foreshore recreation.
Coastal Local Governments are faced with balancing public pressure for foreshore access and maintaining the mangrove communities along riverine foreshores in highly urbanised areas. Working with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), Bundaberg City Council has developed a mangrove management strategy to apply to urban riverine foreshores for the Burnett River.
It was the first Council in Australia to formally adopt a Mangrove Management Strategy collectively developed between Local Government and its relevant State Department.
Under the strategy, river foreshores are divided into river bank units to which one or more management categories are applied. These include:
- protect mangroves
- restore mangroves
- mangrove free
- multiple use.
To support operational management requirements, site based management plans are also developed. These provide higher resolution for the categories applicable for a nominated period. The strategies provide for planning and management while affording long term protection to agreed sections of riverine mangrove communities to support riverine and coastal fisheries. Implementation of the strategies allows for monitoring of activities, such as trimming, canopy lifting and restoration within defined areas of the river bank. The project has been a resounding success and has been well received by the community.
Council is anticipating a benefit to both the river ecosystem and the community’s needs through outcomes based on ecologically sustainable principles.
If you require any further information regarding mangrove management within your Local Government, contact John McDougall at Council’s Health and Environmental Services Department, on (07) 4153 9280.
Waste management best practice
Bundaberg’s comprehensive Waste Management Strategy has seen a significant reduction in waste to landfill, while at the same time ensuring stringent environmental compliance requirements have been met. Over the past eight years, Council has spent $10 million building a materials recycling facility (MRF), waste transfer station and new engineered landfill. It has also purchased a Bomag Landfill Compactor.
A special feature at the MRF is a successful partnership between Council and community group, Impact Make Your Mark, which operates the facility. This provides employment for 20 disabled workers. Council has also recently introduced City Wide Recycling. An extensive promotional campaign has resulted in an extremely high participation rate by residents with very low levels of contamination of the recycle product.
The range of operations at the waste transfer station have been further expanded with the construction of a new liquid waste facility, the mulching of all green waste and the recycling of timber for use in the manufacture of furniture.
The construction of the new engineered landfill facility is the final phase of the existing strategy and, when opened for use in July 2007, will be one of the most environmentally sensitive in regional Australia.
The adoption of a regional approach to waste management is essential so Bundaberg City has partnered with five neighbouring Local Governments to develop a regional waste management strategy. This will ensure a coordinated and cost effective approach for waste management into the future.
Reuse of sewerage biosolids
The disposal of biosolids has become a major concern to Bundaberg Council due to the enhanced environmental requirements, and the fact that disposal to landfill was no longer an option. Council has adopted a proactive approach to address this issue and in September 2005 entered into a five year contract with Camreay Holdings for the transportation and beneficial reuse of biosolids from Council’s two largest treatment plants. These plants account for more than 90 per cent of the total biosolids generated from Bundaberg City.
To date in excess of 4,400 cubic metres of biosolids has been transported to the company’s site in Bundaberg for processing. This takes the form of composting a mixture of biosolids which is then used for sugar cane mulch. The compost is then placed in windrows and turned on a regular basis. Each windrow is regularly monitored for temperature and moisture content so that optimum conditions exist.
Through science and some trial and error, Camreay Holdings has managed to produce a compost that rivals other similar products.
Company owner, Graham Campbell, has worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure industry best practice. He said there is plenty of demand for his compost in the Bundaberg region and he is now looking at other innovative reuse applications, such as ‘compost tea’ – compost in a concentrated liquid form.
This partnership has a number of benefits to Council and the community including:
- it is currently a cost effective solution for the disposal of Council’s biosolids
- the composting process adds value to the biosolids, such that the final product has a number of potential re-use applications. In isolation, biosolids are not that appealing as a reuse product, but when added to cane mulch and composted, the final product is as good as other conventional mulches
- the transporting and processing of the biosolids is environmentally sustainable with the operation having all the necessary approvals from the relevant State Government Departments
- it improves the performance of the major treatment plants through better sludge management on each of the sites.
Council has developed a good working relationship with the company and is happy with the high level of commitment and professionalism. Also Camreay Holdings is continuing to work with Council staff and the EPA at a local level to ensure that the operational needs of the treatment plants along with the legislative requirements are met.
