One man’s waste is another man’s gas

This week, the City of Sydney council passed the Draft Advanced Waste Treatment Master Plan, which will now go on display for public exhibition.

The waste treatment plan is part of a suite of master plans focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy, trigeneration and decentralised water.

Both the Trigeneration and Renewable Energy Master Plans were adopted by council on 24 June 2013 and 19 December 2013, respectively.

The draft plan provides the blueprint for an advanced waste treatment system avoiding up to 95 per cent of the City of Sydney LGA’s domestic, commercial and industrial waste from going to landfill through a combination of recycling materials and converting non-recyclable waste into renewable gas by 2030.

Benefits of the plan involve replacing 100 per cent of the City’s own fossil fuel natural gas consumption.

In addition, it will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the City’s LGA by 6.9 per cent.

Altogether, the suite of master plans forms part of the City’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.

The Draft Plan will also avoid the costs associated with final disposal to landfill of domestic and commercial waste.

Greens Councillor Irene Doutney ensures the community that the Waste Master Plan has undergone a thorough analysis of a number of processing methods designed to meet the goals of the plan.

“This is the first step in making those goals a reality,” Cr Doutney said.

“One of the most significant challenges for this project is for council to secure a suitable site that could handle an advanced waste treatment plant that is located near transport links and the gas network.”

But, Councillor Doutney says that although this is a big hurdle to clear, it is not impossible.

While the project will represent a significant cost to the council, the rising cost of landfill and state government waste tax will eventually see the City become an economic beneficiary of the plan.