Working Towards Sydney’s 2030 Zero Waste Target
On 28 August 2018, 23 out of 96 members of the megacity network C40 signed the organization’s Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration. One of those cities was Sydney.
Aside from supporting C40’s global aim of ensuring a healthier more sustainable future, the city council’s move strengthens Sydney’s goal of reducing generated waste and the amount of waste sent to landfills by 2030.
There is a huge focus on managing the residential and commercial sectors’ waste, but the pressure is higher for the construction and demolition sectors.
By 2021, waste producers and waste operators in the local government area (LGA) are expected to help the city in its aim to divert 80% of construction and demolition waste from landfills. This target is 10% higher compared to the set marker for residents and businesses in LGAs.
By 2030, the target is raised to 90% for all sectors.
Reducing the Impact of Waste on Our Environment
As one of the world’s most livable cities, Sydney has continuously growing residential, worker and visitor populations. If the city does not change how it manages waste, it will be sending over 200,000 tonnes of waste to landfills a year by 2030. The city estimates that no nearby landfill will be able to take that amount of waste by that year, which means waste has to be transported more than 250km away.
By sending 200,000-tonne waste to landfills 250km away, more taxpayers’ money will be used and the city will lose the opportunity to use materials for valuable resources.
Some of the strategies identified by the city are to create energy from waste. Another is to create a digital platform to accurately monitor waste and recycling data.
For the business sector, the city encourages companies to consider options to avoid waste, demand better services from waste management contractors and access city support for better waste solutions. Just some of the city’s action plans to promote business cooperation is to provide grants for waste problem-solving innovations and guidance on waste management and waste data collection.
Moving Towards Zero Waste and Cost Savings
From designing for material optimization to on-site waste management planning, there are numerous ways the construction and demolition sectors can edge towards Sydney’s zero waste goals.
In the design phase, architects and engineers can work together to identify materials that can be reduced while still giving the structure the desired integrity. Planning for deconstruction and what to do with components at the end of their useful life can be indicated here as well.
A crucial step to complying with current and possible waste management regulations is working with a reliable and transparent waste management operator. The operator can help your business identify sound and practical waste management solutions, and their integrity can help you ensure that they will manage your waste properly when it leaves your site.
Providing 40 Years of Waste Management Expertise
Grasshopper has been providing Sydney’s construction industry with responsible and tailored waste management services since 1978.
We’ve serviced projects and sites of all sizes and have honed our ability to provide collaborative, environmentally responsible and highly efficient solutions. We coordinate with project managers and other trades to ensure that our processes do not cause delays.
To better manage accumulated waste, we provide a full 6-day end-to-end service, complete with comprehensive data reporting. We also have management staff who visit regularly to ensure that our team provides optimum waste management solutions.
Having operating bases in the Blue Mountains and Arndell Park, we provide rapid and efficient services throughout Greater Sydney.
For waste management services 100% committed to environmental compliance, get in touch with our team today.