Waste and recycling
One of the most important things councils do is collect household rubbish. The way waste is collected, separated and disposed of has changed a lot over the years as the process became mechanised, streamlined and more environmentally sound.
Yet the progress made so far is nothing compared to the City of Sydney’s plans for waste and recycling services as we move towards 2030.
In April 2011, we reached a major milestone when we stopped sending any household waste to landfill. As you know, landfill produces methane gas, which is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
All household waste now goes to an advanced waste treatment facility in western Sydney. This state-of-the-art facility turns rubbish into a compost-type product that is used in the rehabilitation of old mine sites.
The next step is the biggest one. As part of our aim to challenge the need for traditional electricity supplies from coal-fired power stations and in order to secure water supplies, we are working on integrated energy, water and waste systems known as green infrastructure.
The waste component sees the City developing an automated collection system that is perfect for high-density living. To apartment residents, it will look just like an everyday garbage chute. The difference? The fully-sealed chute will suck the waste through an underground vacuum system to a central collection point.
This way, there is no need to collect household rubbish from apartment buildings or (potentially) empty the street bins along the route. Residents can say goodbye to bulky garbage trucks rumbling through the city at dawn.
We are looking at cutting the cost of installing the chutes by co-ordinating the roll-out with new developments and work on the City’s other green infrastructure networks.
If the waste collection system sounds futuristic, consider this: we’re also exploring new technologies we can use to turn waste into energy to power the City. That’s what we mean by integrated waste, water and energy systems.
Green infrastructure is a major project – probably the biggest one in Council’s history. As the project takes shape, however, the City’s priorities in terms of waste and recycling will not change.
Towards 2030, our goals are to work with the community to:
- produce less waste
- maximise resource recovery
- reduce greenhouse emissions
- provide solutions for problem waste (chemicals, e-waste, etc)
Sydney 2030: green, global and connected. Go to the 2030 strategic directions.
