Western Sydney councils are on a mission to reduce waste, increase recycling and prevent illegal dumping under a new four-year strategy.
The Western Sydney Regional Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2017 – 2021, was jointly developed to be a blueprint for a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Vice President of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), Hawkesbury City Council Deputy Mayor, Barry Calvert, said, “Councils are constantly working to deliver safe, sustainable and affordable waste services to the community. This is no easy task in a region experiencing rapid growth, increasing household waste generation, and changing recycling markets.
“Working together allows councils to share knowledge, find efficiencies and work strategically to meet these challenges.”
Western Sydney’s first regional waste strategy was developed in 2014. Since then, councils have cut the amount of household waste going to landfill from 49 percent to 43 percent.
“Our goal is to reach 30 percent by 2025.
“Landfill space in Sydney is filling up fast. At the same time we have a million additional residents moving into the region.
“We must reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill if council waste services are to remain affordable and sustainable well into the future.
“This isn’t something councils can do alone. We will be working closely with the community to try and reduce the amount of waste we create, promote reuse, and increase our rates of recycling,” he said.
“At the regional level councils will work with industry and the state government to identify and support new recycling methods, investigate new technologies and plan for future waste needs.
The Regional Waste Strategy funding comes from the waste levy by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority under the Waste Less Recycle More initiative.
Participating councils include: Blue Mountains, Blacktown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, The Hills, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith.
