Kingston – leading the way on waste
Kingston is helping tackle Australia’s waste crisis by supporting the innovative South East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing Project.
Kingston joined a range of other Councils to explore opportunities to build an advanced waste processing site to dramatically reduce the amount of rubbish being sent to landfill.
Kingston Mayor Steve Staikos said Council was proud to commit to a contract to ensure the project’s success and looked forward to other Councils signing on.
“There will be no more landfill space in the south-eastern or eastern suburbs of Melbourne by 2025, so something significant needs to be done, and fast” Cr Staikos said.
“We can’t sit back and do nothing when we can clearly see a crisis in the near future. Kingston is taking positive action by committing to the project and calls on other Councils to join.”
Hallam landfill is set to close in 2025 and a number of councils in Melbourne’s south-east have been working together to find a viable alternative to landfill for their household rubbish.
Cr Staikos said that whilst fairly new to Australia, advanced waste processing facilities have been used safely and reliably around the world for decades.
“The project will deliver a vital alternative to landfill that will transform how household rubbish is managed by converting it into energy, instead of burying it in the ground,” he said.
The Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group has said that advanced waste processing solutions will play a significant role in achieving the Victorian Government’s new target to divert 80 per cent of household rubbish from landfill by 2030.
To support the project and ensure it is viable, Councils have been asked to commit to sending household waste to the advanced waste processing facility for the first 25 years of operation.
Cr Staikos said Kingston is committed to increasing recycling and diverting waste from landfill, and the advanced waste processing project was just one part of Kingston’s approach to tackling the waste crisis, which also includes:
- The introduction of the food waste recycling service in mid 2020, which has already diverted 5000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill
- The successful Aspire program that helps reduce landfill and cuts business costs by matching businesses that produce waste products with other businesses who can use those products.
