Blue Mountains City Council has been awarded $180,000 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to help deliver innovative local waste and recycling solutions, supporting the state’s transition to a circular economy.
Council has been given $180,138 to help divert around 89,300 single use items from landfill annually. This will occur by reducing single use containers at events.
Council plans to bring in reusable containers and innovative solutions to minimise waste at events, like using on-site washing facilities.
The grant for the Blue Mountains Towards Zero Waste Events project is one of 13 successful projects, led by councils and regional waste groups, to share in $2.9 million as part of the EPA’s Local Government Waste Solutions (LGWS) fund program.
The funding source will help deliver circular waste solutions across a diverse range of projects like eliminating waste in construction works and council operations, trialing services to divert waste from landfill and researching new technology to help recover or reuse materials.
Many of the successful projects will help NSW in its aims to reduce total waste generated by 10 per cent per person by 2030.
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle said:
“It’s fantastic to see Blue Mountains Council awarded funding for this project which will help minimise waste, keep valuable resources out of landfill and drive NSW towards a circular economy.
“It’s critical we continue to invest in innovative local waste and recycling solutions to help tackle the state’s landfill crisis.”
“I look forward to seeing the exciting opportunities this opens for our community. Moving to a circular economy not only protects our environment into the future but also strengthens communities and local economies.”
Ms Doyle said other councils chose to look at reducing textile waste, improving waste sorting at tips, and repurposing solar panel waste. Expanding polystyrene recycling through targeted education and exploring local reuse opportunities, using recycled tyres to create a permeable pavement car park and improving the management of synthetic turf were other solutions being funded.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said:
“Council’s Towards Zero Waste Events project will provide much needed support to our local events and event organisers and enable them to be more sustainable and divert a significant amount of waste away from landfill.
“It builds on council’s long history of successful from our Towards Zero Waste Strategy – including free textile recycling, our re-use sheds, soft plastic and polystyrene recycling, and our Blue Mountains Repair network.
“Each and every one of these projects are designed to make it as easy as possible for our community to keep unnecessary waste out of landfill.
“I am excited to see the Towards Zero Waste Events project take shape over the coming months.”
NSW EPA Executive Director of Programs and Innovation, Alexandra Geddes:
“NSW is on the cusp of a waste crisis with Greater Sydney’s landfill space predicted to run out by 2030. We need to work with councils and communities to plan for, design and pilot new ways of managing, recovering and reusing waste.
“This funding aims to tackle local waste and resource recovery challenges by delivering innovative community-specific solutions.
“Councils and waste groups are at the forefront of managing waste for their communities and they are pivotal to our transition to a circular economy.”
Round four of the fund opens in September 2025.
Individual councils, a group of councils, or regional waste groups in the waste levy paying area are eligible 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 in funding.
The fund is administered by the EPA, with funding provided under the State Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy.
For more information on Round 3 grant recipients and to learn how to apply for Round 4 visit: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/councils/local-government-waste-solutions-fund.
