The 10 member councils of the Hunter Joint Organisation of Councils and partners in New South Wales have been awarded $349,000 funding to continue phase two of their work on circular solutions.
The Hunter JO councils intend to reduce the impact of the materials they consume as an organisation, and instead look at how they can re-use and reduce their environmental footprint.
Phase one of the project built a strong foundation where all councils of the Hunter region worked together to understand what circular procurement is, and the opportunities that could exist to reduce their material consumption.
The new funding is part of a second round of grants from the Local Government Waste Solutions Fund (LGWS), that provides support for New South Wales councils and regional waste groups to implement circular practices in their day-to-day business operations.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) has awarded almost $1.9 million in grants in the latest round to help fund 10 projects across 25 local government areas.The projects will run between August 2024 and March 2026.
Round three of the LGWS fund is scheduled to open in September 2024. Individual councils, council groups and regional waste groups in the waste levy paying area are invited to apply.
Individual councils can apply for up to $200,000 in funding, and groups of two or more councils can apply for up to $400,000.
Councillor Sue Moore, Chair of the Hunter Joint Organisation and Mayor of Singleton, said the combined value for products and services purchased by the 10 Hunter JO member councils is more than $500 million per year.
“Much of which has significant potential to be circularised in some way,” she said.
“That collective buying power has the potential to be used to create local markets for circular products and lower the environmental impacts of material usage by councils in the region.
“By enabling councils and suppliers to better understand each other’s needs, the project aims to identify and address the current barriers to better uptake of circular and sustainable alternatives.”
For more information, visit: www.epa.nsw.gov.au
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/councils/local-government-waste-solutions-fund
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