Each year I use the launch of our World Environment Day activities to update you on the work being done by Kiama Council to improve the environmental footprint of Council and its community.
There have been a number of achievements in the past 12 months.
Solar power
Kiama Leisure Centre has become the latest Council building to be equipped with a photovoltaic power system.
It now has a 99.6kW photovoltaic system which will produce around 148,000 kWh of electricity per year.
That is approximately 25 to 30 per cent of its annual power consumption, which means an emissions saving of 128 tonnes of CO2 a year.
It will also reduce the Centre’s annual electricity bill by more than $15,000.
Waste management
We have doubled-down on our hugely popular Household Bulky Waste Drop-Off events, committing to having two Drop Offs a year.
We held an extended Drop Off in March, after COVID halted the event in September last year, and the next one is this September.
These Drop Offs allow residents who pay for our waste services through rates, to dispose of large household items for free, such as mattresses, lounges and rugs.
At one Drop Off alone we saw people drop off 182 tonnes of items, and we managed to recycle or re-use 116 tonnes of items which would otherwise have gone to landfill.
Another successful waste reduction initiative has been encouraging the repair, re-use or exchange of clothes.
Council is hosting another Clothes Swap Party in June as part of our Environment Day activities, and we’ve added a Visible Mending workshop to help you give new life to old clothes.
