Central Australian Legacy Waste Project - WRINT receives grant
The Waste Recycling Industry Association of the Northern Territory (WRINT) has received a government grant to research potential employment opportunities from the creation of management systems of remote and regional communities legacy waste within the Northern Territory (NT).
Initiated and led by the WRINT, the project is in collaboration with the Alice Springs Town Council, Central Desert Regional Council, MacDonnell Regional Council, waste and recycling organisations, NT authorities, and Charles Darwin University (CDU).
The grant, provided by the Department of Water, Agriculture and Environment (DAWE), will enable strategic alignment with the National Waste Action plan.
Local councils will be able agree upon and implement measures that will resolve the ongoing challenges of removing old legacy waste such as: car bodies, tyres and scrap building materials currently impacting local community environments.
"The councils selected to be a part of this project have responsibility for a combined area of more than 550,057 square kms and have demonstrated a keen interest in how community waste and recycling is managed both individually and collaboratively in the future," said National Waste and Resource Industry Council (NWRINT) Northern Territory state affiliate CEO Rick Ralph.
"The project scope will review operations in an area incorporating 68 separate formal waste facilities across 25 Community and Homeland areas and will stretch from the Western Australian border with the NT across to the Queensland / NT Border through Central Australia, and include Alice Springs," Mr Ralph continued.
The project will also document current waste and recycling practices in this region which will inform the development of the NT's new waste strategy.
Over several months' information will be captured from each community confirming the exact locations, the estimated volumes identified as being legacy waste, and reporting how waste and recycling is currently being managed.
CDU will oversee the draft report recording the baseline information and a workshop with all stakeholders will be convened later in the year in Alice Springs to agree the specific actions to be presented for consideration to both the Territorial and Federal Governments.
National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read has welcomed the funding to ensure that legacy waste is being processed in a responsible and sustainable way.
"This government grant is integral in increasing access to resource recovery and waste management infrastructure for regional, remote, and indigenous communities in the Northern Territory," said Ms Read.
"The three central Australian councils selected will act as the benchmark for improving current measures in the Territory and will help ensure regional and remote communities not only have future employment opportunities, but their community's recycling and waste management performance improves overall."
WRIQ in the media
Waste and Recycling Industry of Queensland (WRIQ) is calling for a broader discussion on the role of grants and funding to ensure private investment has a role to play in driving confidence and growth in the sector.
https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/under-review-securing-qlds-waste-and-resource-recovery-sector/
NWRIC State Affiliates in the news
Read the latest monthly update from NWRIC's State Affiliates here
https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/nwric-state-affiliate-update/
