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The Resource Recovery Centre:
Last modified: September 11, 2009 - 12:10 AM
Working Towards Sustainability
Wingecarribee Shire Council’s Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) is on the road towards zero waste and as such is contributing to greater environmental sustainability within the Shire. The RRC is designed to sort and extract as many re-usable/recyclable materials (other than kerbside recycling) and items from the waste stream as possible. These materials and items are repaired and sold from the Reviva shop, processed on site and sold as RRC Products, or sent away to other businesses for re-use/recycling. The recovery process is controlled by a recently adopted Quality Assurance Program ensuring that materials meet relevant standards. The remaining inert material (residual) is sent to landfill. Domestic waste and recycling from kerbside collection is transported to WSN’s new Ecolibrium Facility at Narellan for processing. Recovering resources is an important part of sustainability as it reduces waste in general (including water, energy and other resources) by capturing material and sending it back into the system again to be made into the same thing or something else. Energy, water, and ecosystems can be saved as a result of this re-use of materials, as a consequence of not having to harvest and extract virgin materials as intensively to make new products. In this consumer society resource recovery is critical to reducing our footprint on the earth and reducing our Greenhouse Gas Emissions. With commissioning of WSN’s new facility, the RRC has achieved a recovery (or diversion) rate of more than 85% (Domestic Waste Stream). The Centre also recovers over 60% of material from the commercial and industrial sectors. This is significant in that the NSW target for resource recovery is 66% (Domestic Waste) by 2014 and most facilities are presently well short of this target. The RRC is also seeking funding for a Sustainability Education Training and Exhibition Centre (SETEC) on site which will involve office space, educational facilities and exhibition areas for semi-permanent displays of sustainability. SETEC has been designed with environmental sustainability in mind incorporating water capture and re-use, renewable energy, passive solar design and thermal mass wherever possible. The education and training programs within the building will focus on sustainability with an emphasis on resource recovery and there will be display space for sustainable technology / innovation. This project was always a part of the original vision for the RRC. Through our Education Program, the RRC assists other organisations and businesses in the Shire to improve their resource recovery through waste assessments and reports. Our Education Officer has assessed and reported on schools, retirement villages, TAFE and other businesses, with reports recommending changes for improved resource recovery and a quote for services that the RRC can offer. These assessments are currently being used in conjunction with the Business Treading Lightly (BTL) program of the Southern Councils Group for participating businesses in the Southern Highlands. BTL assists businesses to improve their overall environmental sustainability and usually increases efficiency of resource use and saves money in the process. Finally, the Resource Recovery Centre is working toward ‘Carbon Neutrality’ (by 2011) and is ready to react to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) when introduced by the Federal Government.
Contact details
Wingecarribee Shire Council
02 4868 0888 (ph)
02 4869 1203 (fax)
wscmail@wsc.nsw.gov.au
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