NSROC Regional Waste Strategy

The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) Regional Waste Strategy was adopted by Council on 7 March 2023. NSROC have worked cooperatively at a regional scale for many years to address waste issues affecting the member Councils. With the release of the NSW Government 20-year Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 (WASM) in 2021, all Councils are required to demonstrate how they will meet the objectives of the State strategy. In response a NSROC Regional Waste Strategy has been prepared. The Strategy outlines initiatives and actions consistent with the WASM.

In 2011 a regional waste processing contract was implemented for the five councils which became to be the Northern Sydney Councils Waste Services Alliance. Mosman joined NSROC in 2017 and became a member of the Waste Alliance in 2020.

In 2021 the Government announced the 20-year Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 (WASM). The EPA required all regional groups to prepare new strategies as a response to the WASM. The 10-year targets for waste in NSW as drafted in the WASM include:

• Reduce total waste by 10% per person by 2030
• 80% average resource recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030
• Introduce a new overall litter reduction target of 60% by 2030
• Triple the plastics recycling rate by 2030
• Halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030
• Net zero emissions from organics to landfill by 2030

Framework of the Strategy

The framework of the new NSROC Regional Waste Strategy is segmented into five themes with consistency to the WASM themes. They are:

1. Avoid and Reduce Waste 
2. Recover Resources 
3. Protect the Environment 
4. Strategic Collaboration 
5. Education and Engagement 

For each theme there are regional objectives which also reflect one or more of the three WASM priority areas of:

1. Reducing carbon emissions;
2. Future infrastructure and service needs and
3. Protect environment and human health.

Summary of Strategy

The key initiatives and outcomes are detailed in Section 5 of the document. They are summarised below: 

1. Avoid and Reduce - Reduce the waste generation and carbon emission per capita through actions such as education, and decision making around future Council tenders. 
2. Recover Resources - Improve the resource recovery of waste by looking at organic and bulky waste processing and further research on plastic waste. 
3. Protect the Environment - Reduce local dumping and litter and identify options for CRC. 
4. Strategic Collaboration - Identify regional options for transfer stations and organic processing. It also looks to align procurement and improve resilience of the area. 
5. Education and Engagement - Engage and educate as a region and utilise the scale of the organisation to advocate to the State and Federal Governments.