ENVIROSMARTENVIROSMART: :

REROC’S COMMITMENT TO REROC’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMESSUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES

Riverina Eastern Regional Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of CouncilsOrganisation of Councils

What does REROC do?

The primary purpose of the Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of Councils (REROC) is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of local government through the creation of resource sharing opportunities by utilising economies of scale, shared corporate knowledge and shared staff - whilst retaining the individuality and relevance of each member council to its own community.

REROC MembersREROC Members

� Bland� Coolamon� Cootamundra� Corowa� Greater Hume� Gundagai� Junee� Lockhart� Temora� Tumbarumba� Tumut� Urana� Wagga Wagga� Goldenfields Water County Council� Riverina Water County Council

REROC covers an area of approximately 43,000 sq. kms and a population base of 140,000 people

REROC ActivitiesREROC Activities

� Anything that councils are involved in that would make more sense to undertake as a group, REROC is involved in.� Group tenders for purchasing e.g.

Electricity, bitumen emulsion, collection of scrap metal, household hazardous waste collections

� Lobbying activities – health, transport, economic development, skills shortages. Responding to inquiries at Federal and State level and representing members to State and Federal Governments.

� Delivery of programs – road safety, environmental education, sharing staff.

� Operational – environmental programs, development of policy documents, e-delivery opportunities e.g. Start Your Business Here,

� Regional Solutions for Local Problems –YouthROC, Build a Bridge and Get Over It!, Where on Earth? C Change Bureau, Riverina First.

�� OutcomesOutcomes� Generated savings for member

councils of almost $20 million over the last 10 years

� In the last 2 years REROC has attracted almost $6 million in grant funding for infrastructure projects across the region

� Most recently REROC’s lobbying activities resulted in a drop of almost 40% in street lighting maintenance costs to councils or approximately $500,000 p.a. across the region

REROC Environmental InitiativesREROC Environmental Initiatives

� Environmental issues don’t stop at LGA boundaries

� It makes sense to take a regional approach to developing programs that address environmental performance

� The REROC Waste Forum was established in 1997

� The Forum represents all the REROC members and specifically implements activities that improve waste management in the region

� In the last 5 years the Forum has increasingly has broadened its approach and has moved from a waste focus to activities that support and promote environmental sustainability

� Waste as a resource – that should be recovered for reuse.

REROC Environmental InitiativesREROC Environmental Initiatives

� REROC has over the last 10 years undertaken numerous programs that have targeted both businesses and households with the aim of improving environmental outcomes.

� Those activities fall into two main areas:� Council Infrastructure and Operations

� Community Education

REROC Environmental InitiativesREROC Environmental Initiatives

�� Infrastructure/OperationsInfrastructure/Operations� Regional collection of scrap metal

� Installation of Waste Oil Collection Facilities

� Regional Organics Management Plan

� Closed Loop Organics Recycling

� Cluster Organics Trial

� Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collections

� Yours2Take

� Rural Landfills Strategy

�� Community EducationCommunity Education� Paper Chase

� Your Future is in the Bag!

� Riverina its a Living Thing

� Waste as Recycled Art Project

� Safe Sharps

� Butts Out Campaign

� Waste Oil Recycling

� No Waste in my Lunchbox

� GardenSmartWorkshops

� WaterSmart

� Yours2Take

� EnviroSmart

REROC REROC EnviroSmartEnviroSmart

� Current initiatives in sustainability� Yours2Take

� EnviroSmart Business

� WaterSmart

� Safe Sharps

� Sustainable Events

� Cluster Composting Trial

� No Time to Waste Conference

Yours2Take.com.au Yours2Take.com.au

� A landfill diversion project.� Every tonne of waste diverted from landfill = 1 tonne of CO2

� On-line resource exchange that allows people who have items they no longer want to give them away to people who do want them.

� Operates in a way that is similar to ebay except no money changes hands� Last financial year the site had 32,000 visitors.� There are almost 6,000 registered users and hundreds of items have been

given away.� Items are listed in categories that include categories for business and

office items.� It’s simple and FREE!� Promotes the concept of waste as a resource.� Our biggest issue is keeping up with demand for items – quality products

are usually gone within a couple of days sometimes a couple of hours!

Yours2Take.com.au Yours2Take.com.au

� Demonstration

EnviroSmartEnviroSmart BusinessBusiness

� EnviroSmart Business is an on-line tool designed to assist small businesses to assess and improve their environmental performance.

� Participating businesses are able to assess their environmental performance across the following areas:� Water

� Energy

� Waste

� Chemical Use and Air Quality; and

� Sustainability Practices

EnviroSmartEnviroSmart BusinessBusiness

� Participants step through three levels of activities and you can choose your level of participation from the following:� The EnviroSmart Diagnostic - asks a series of straightforward questions about the

business’ environmental practices and policies. On completion the business person is able to print a report based on the answers provided. The report gives assistance and guidance on improving environmental outcomes.

� The EnviroSmartAssessment - asks the business person to enter quantitative information about water and energy usage. The Assessment produces a second Report on energy and water use.

� The Environmental Footprint Model - this links to the Australian Greenhouse Gas Office. It requires very specific information about energy and water usage and once completed will allow the business person to measure their business' environmental footprint.

� The Reports produced by EnviroSmart Business are saved in a My Business Account which can be accessed, printed and updated at any time.

� EnviroSmart Business is a free service but you must be a registered user in order to participate

EnviroSmartEnviroSmart BusinessBusiness

� Demonstration

WaterSmartWaterSmart

� This project is part of REROC’s Total Urban Water Management in the Eastern Riverina project.

� The aim is to assist business people to reduce their water usage

� Businesses and schools in the region can take advantage of a free water audit. The audit results in a written report that provides advice on actions and technologies that can be taken or introduced to reduce water use. Over100 business and schools will participate in the program

� REROC has formed a strategic alliance with the local provider of the Energy Efficiency in Small Business program which means that small businesses can also benefit from an energy audit as well as a water audit

Safe SharpsSafe Sharps

� A new website safesharps.org.au

� Aims to remove used sharps from the waste stream.

� There are almost 400 sites now included on the website, most in NSW.

� 18 million used sharps are disposed of each year in NSW.

� The information is available via a iPhone, iPad and mobile web.

� Consumers and providers can upload their own information to the site and also report inaccurate information.

� The site is receiving around 200 visits per week.

EnviroSmartEnviroSmart EventsEvents

� Aims to reduce waste at events

� Initially we targeted recyclables and we are now moving to organics

� We have been doing this on a Trial basis

� It has included the purchase of a filtered water dispenser so that patrons can fill water bottles at the event.

� We collected 1.75 tonnes of recyclables at the Wagga Food and Wine Festival.

� In 2012 the Festival will use compostable plates and cutlery with all the organic waste going to the Community Garden for processing.

� Looking to roll out the program across the region with supporting materials

Cluster Composting TrialCluster Composting Trial

� The Trial is running from August 2011 to January 2012.

� Coolamon, Cootamundra, Gundagai and Junee are participating.

� A fortnightly organics collection has been introduced with all the collected organics going for processing at Cootamundra

� Residents were given a benchtop bin and a 240 litre greenwaste bin.

� We collected almost 4 tonnes of organic waste from Coolamon and Junee in August with almost no contamination.

� The compost that is produced will either be used by councils on parks and gardens (“closing the loop”) or sold to recoup some of the costs of the project.

� An economic analysis will determine whether the project’s future.

No Time to WasteNo Time to Waste

� Annual Conference held in Wagga Wagga in June

� Aimed at council staff and councillors.

� Goal is to showcase innovative and dynamic responses in resource recovery and waste management.

� Provides an opportunity for staff and councillors from rural and remote locations to find out the latest developments in the field.

� Includes trade stands as well as speakers in order to provide the widest possible professional development experience.

� Draws attendees from across southern NSW and northern Victoria.