‘Race’: Bold plan as Sydney tipped to run out of landfill space by 2030, bins could go uncollected if no fix
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says it’s a “race against the clock” to solve Sydney’s waste crisis, with landfill tipped to run out of space in just five years.
The State Government on Thursday unveiled its first waste and circular infrastructure plan – a crucial measure to ensure bins will continue to be collected.
Without action, Greater Sydney is on track to run out of landfill space by 2030, with many regional landfills also struggling despite recycling investment.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ms Sharpe said the State Government was now racing to “redesign” how it dealt with waste.
“If we haven’t got somewhere to put our rubbish in five years, those red bins can’t be collected. We will not allow this to happen,” she said.
“That is why we have designed our state’s first-ever strategic plan to ensure NSW has the infrastructure it needs as we build a circular economy.
“We have to break down the barriers around waste infrastructure investment and planning while continuing to protect our environment from harm.”
Ms Sharpe said the State Government would “have to do all things at once”.
“Drive up recycling, drive down waste, better regulate dangerous products, increase reuse and repair, and ban those products that shouldn’t be used in the first place,” she said.
Under the plan, streamlined planning processes would be introduced to help approvals for new facilities while “keeping environmental safeguards”.
A new independent advisory committee for strategic waste and waste infrastructure “concierge” would also be introduced.
It comes after the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s energy from waste review, which is included in the strategy.
Future chapters of the plan will focus on regional and rural waste, according to the NSW government, as well as recycling and reuse infrastructure.
Community consultation on those aspects will begin later this year.
More than 22 million tonnes of rubbish are sent to landfill every year in Australia, creating a challenge for many of the major cities.
In August, seven waste-to-energy projects were greenlit in Victoria, while in Queensland almost half of all refuse goes straight to landfill.
Originally published as ‘Race’: Bold plan as Sydney tipped to run out of landfill space by 2030
