By Maggie Coggan, Victoria Daly Regional Council
Designing happy and healthy communities may conjure up images of urban greenery, trees draping over sunny parks, lots of amenities close by – which are all correct. However one of the less aesthetic, but critical, building blocks of a healthy community is disposing of, and recycling where possible – the waste that a community creates. This is why Victoria Daly Regional Council, located in a remote area of the Northern Territory, is looking to the future when designing its community’s waste management.
In the last decade, the amount of waste generated in Australia has increased by around 12 per cent, with the nation’s recycling rate below that of most OECD countries and around 40 per cent of Australian waste being landfilled.
Waste management is an essential service provided by local governments, having implications right across council’s duristrictions, such as the health and safety for residents, tourists, and council staff; annual budget; long-term financial sustainability; and respect of natural and sacred environments.
Across much of the remote Northern Territory, waste and recycling systems are difficult and expensive to implement, which is one of the reasons why traditionally, waste has either been burned or buried in landfill sites across the Victoria Daly Region.
While a landfill site could be seen as a good way to manage waste at a low-budget approach, when looking toward the future of the region, it is not the most responsible approach.
In 2022, Victoria Daly Regional Council (VDRC) began reviewing and rolling out a range of waste management systems that moved on from landfills, to prevent passing on contaminated sites to future generations. These initiatives include the design and construction of waste transfer stations at the existing Pine Creek and Timber Creek waste management sites.
These new stations will store general waste, green waste, and recyclable items such as cans, bottles, and cardboard.
The new system is also in line with the National Waste Strategy 2018, which is co-authored by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).
Promoting circular economy
The Strategy and its implementation plan, the National Waste Action Plan (2020), point the way to developing a more circular economy, in which better waste management leads to a greater recovery of valued resources, creates jobs, protects fragile ecosystems and reaps economic rewards.
As per the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Northern Territory guidelines, the facility can’t accept: oil, tyres, batteries, furniture, gas bottles, building waste, soil, commercial waste, animal carcasses and asbestos.
Curbside rubbish collections will continue for residents and businesses, with locals and business owners responsible for sorting their waste into the correct bins.
Council is currently working through options for recycling, as well as companies that collect and pay for the removal of acceptable waste items.
The implementation and building of these new waste transfer stations is especially challenging due to the remoteness of the region, however VDRC Mayor, Brian Pedwell, said it’s a challenge worth overcoming.
“Ensuring the sustainability and viability of our communities is of the utmost importance,” Mayor Pedwell said.
“This is just a small step towards ensuring the health and vitality of not only the people who live in our region, but the land they live on as well.”
Providing a green and sustainable future
Pine Creek Council Operations Manager, Tanya Brown, said that the waste transfer station was about moving the town up to speed with the rest of Australia.
“Knowing what we know about the environmental harms of landfill, there’s no excuse for a community to not recycle anymore,” Ms Brown said.
Ms Brown said that establishing a new system among locals was always going to have its bumps, but it was something worth pursuing.
“Consumers must be responsible for their rubbish. When you buy something, it doesn’t just disappear after you’re finished using it. There are responsibilities attached to what you do with the end-product,” Ms Brown said.
In the Council’s 2021-22 Regional Plan, it was highlighted that the health and wellbeing of communities were directly linked with waste management strategies.
By reducing the amount of waste items going into landfill via the waste transfer station, it will minimise Council’s environmental footprint and maximise recycling opportunities.
Getting the community on board
VDRC has engaged with the community throughout the planning and construction phase of the project, listening to feedback and concerns raised in public forums and information sessions.
For Council, a crucial component in getting locals onside is investing in educating the community on the long-lasting environmental and community benefits of shaking up their waste system.
Possible misinformation around the project is not only damaging to its success but to community members, that’s why it has been vital for Council to listen to concerns and distribute correct information when available.
A blueprint for the region
As part of VDRC’s vision of creating sustainable communities across the entire region, the Pine Creek waste transfer station will be used as a guide and blueprint for how these facilities can be rolled out across the region.
Construction in Timber Creek will soon begin, bringing a recycling and sustainable waste management system to the community for the first time, with the challenges of building and implementing such a system in a remote area significant, but necessary for future generations.
