Lake Macquarie City Council is on a roll.
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The council’s pioneering approach to waste management has been recognised with another national industry award.
The council took out the most outstanding metropolitan local government category at the inaugural Waste and Resources Recovery Awards.
Lake Macquarie beat Sydney-based finalists Inner West Council and Penrith City Council, as well as Casey Council, in Victoria, to claim the award.
The council’s submission to the awards covered its new, greener 3-bin system introduced earlier this year, its new Awaba composting facility, and the recent trial of recycled glass “sand” in civil works projects.
Council’s sustainability manager Alice Howe said Lake Macquarie was at the cutting edge of innovative, effective solutions to Australia’s growing waste crisis.
“We feel very lucky to have a community that has embraced our greener, more efficient waste management practices,” Dr Howe said.
“In the past financial year, we diverted almost 50 per cent of the waste we collected for beneficial reuse. This successful result is due largely to the diligence and environmental awareness of residents and businesses across Lake Macquarie.
“We expect this figure to increase even further with the recent introduction of our weekly green bin service and the city’s new ability to convert domestic food waste into compost.”
Council’s recycled glass sand trial took out the 2018 Sustainable Procurement Achievement category at last month’s Local Government Procurement Awards.
In August, council won a Hunter Business Award for its long-term water-saving strategy.
Meanwhile, its Awaba composting facility, operated by Remondis, was also a finalist in the best facility over $10 million category in the Waste and Resources Recovery Awards.
And this week, the council hopes to defend its Local Council of the Year Award crown at the NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony.
