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2030 Zero-Waste Goal for Sydney

Many major cities across the world have been adopting zero-waste strategies that they hope to demonstrate within the next few decades. Sydney has embraced a rather bold strategy to push the hub to 90% zero-waste by the year 2030. Officials plan to focus on residential and industrial spaces, along with buildings within the city and larger public spaces. The new approach requires major adjustments including regular food, e-waste, and textile collection, educating businesses, providing grants, and accommodating previously formed buildings to aid in the waste collection. Officials will also play an important role by patrolling public spaces and fining those who dump illegally. The goal is to divert 90% of waste from landfills by 2030. For the waste that cannot be recycled or re-purposed, representatives are proposing a plant where non-recyclable waste can be transformed into energy. The idea is seeing resistance within the Western Sydney residents.

The road to 90% of rubbish being saved from landfills in Sydney includes programs that will prove to be extremely beneficial. The e-commerce waste collection will allow residents to dispose of metals without the toxins in them seeping into the land beneath the landfills. Instead, they will be recycled and re-purposed. Food waste will also be treated more appropriately. Instead of including food and other organic materials in your rubbish container, having it separated at the plant, and made into a low-grade compost material; it will be collected independently and turned into a dense compost material that can be used for fertilizer and green electricity. (Jewell) Drop off locations will also be created for materials that are tougher to get rid of safely. Those materials will include light bulbs, batteries, needles, and other hazardous waste.

City buildings are a huge contributor to the waste of Sydney. Alone, they produce over 90% of the city’s waste in which half ends up in landfills. Without the positive contribution of commercial businesses in the fight to tackle waste, the efforts within Sydney will be at a minimum. Here are the goals for 2021. All numbers rise to 90% for the year 2030.
– To divert 70 per cent of residential waste from landfill (minimum 35 per cent as source-separated recycling)
– To divert 70 per cent of waste from businesses operation in LGA
– To divert 80 per cent of construction and demolition waste from all projects in the city
– To divert 50 per cent of waste from City parks, streets and public places
– To divert 70 per cent of waste from City-managed properties from landfill
(Jewell)

References

Jewell, Cameron. “War on Waste: Sydney Ups the Ante on Its Way to Zero Waste.” The Fifth Estate War on Waste Sydney Ups the Ante on Its Way to Zero Waste Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2017.

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