Council to set 2026 zero emissions target

Noosa Council aims to achieve its zero emissions goal by 2026 under a new strategy it is set to adopt this month.

The draft organisational strategy follows a facilities and operations audit by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) experts Dr Stephen Bygrave and Michael Lord.

“That audit gave us a baseline from which to set an achievable, yet ambitious, target,” says Mayor Tony Wellington. “BZE’s audit confirmed that our landfill and the way we manage waste are our biggest greenhouse gas contributors.

“This is why Noosa Council is taking steps to increase recycling and reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfill. Organic waste produces methane as it decomposes.

“Currently we flare – or combust – the methane before it is released into the atmosphere. While this reduces its environmental impact by a factor of 20, powering the flaring process also produces greenhouse gas. So the less we need to flare, the better.”

Cr Wellington said Council was investigating alternatives to flaring, including the potential to power garbage trucks from landfill gas. “This is happening overseas and our waste staff are talking with stakeholders about how we might trial something similar as part of our new waste contract,” the Mayor said.

“In line with Council’s Towards Zero Waste initiative, the new waste contract will also provide an expanded garden waste collection service to divert more organic waste from landfill. This will see a three bin system introduced across our urban areas.”

Council is currently working with Unitywater to develop a way of creating useful compost from organic waste, sewage sludge and commercial food waste. 

“Of course there are many other actions that Council will need to take as we head towards our 2026 goal,” Cr Wellington said. “After waste, the next highest emitter of greenhouse gases are our Council buildings. 

“The next stage in this process will be to detail a set of actions to ensure we achieve our 2026 zero emissions target. That action plan will look at how, for example, we reduce emissions from our facilities and also street lighting. 

“This is complicated by the fact that most of our street-lighting is actually owned by Energex. So we’ll be holding discussions with them about transitioning to LED ‘smart’ lighting.”

Council hopes to ratify its Zero Emissions Noosa Strategy on October 20.

11 October 2016