Our Circular Economy and Waste and Resource Recovery team has been working on a range of great projects and programs in the first two months of 2022. These include:

Circular Procurement Project

The Hunter JO is developing a coherent, evidence-based approach to circular procurement, building on the examples of good practice that already exist across our Member Councils. The Circular Procurement Program enables our councils to put circular procurement into practice, supporting the Hunter and Central Coast Region in creating a thriving circular economy that benefits our community and environment.

This program will benefit our region and strengthen our circular economy. Further information on this project to come.

Circular Economy Conferences

In the beginning of this month our Regional Policy and Programs Manager, Tim Askew, spoke at the City of Newcastle Sustainnovation Challenge. This is a community capacity building project involving education, industry, community, and city leaders who volunteer their expertise and mentor students to help develop and workable and sustainable future for the city.

Tim is also presenting later this month at EMRC’s How to Accelerate Circularity in Local Government webinar. EMRC are collaborating with Circular Economy Western Australia to host this webinar to showcase the benefits and value that circularity can bring to Local Government. It will include examples of processes/practices applied internationally and nationally to catalyse a transition to a more Circular Economy.

Register for this webinar HERE.

Cert III in Waste Management

The Hunter JO is subsidising training for 12 staff across the region to undertake a Certificate III in Waste Management as part of our capacity building work. The councils that are involved in this include Cessnock City Council, Dungog Shire Council, Maitland City Council, Singleton Council, and Muswellbrook Shire Council. The training starts this month and is being provided by Academy Green.

Green Caffeen

As part of our Green Caffeen program, we recently visited cafes in Cessnock and Pokolbin to talk to café owners about the return-and-go coffee cup scheme. As a result of these efforts, we have had five new cafes in the Cessnock region sign up!

Cessnock City Council’s Sustainability Officer, Karinda Stone, joined our Regional Policy and Programs Officer (Environmental Education) in visiting these cafes. Karinda said that she felt “the fact we were from council, rather than from a private industry trying to make a dollar, made a difference. You really just can’t beat face-to-face engagement.”

Cessnock City Council has also been promoting the scheme on their socials, newsletters and in the media. A promo for the scheme was featured in Newcastle Weekly, which can be read HERE.

Green Caffeen offers a wealth of resources to help councils and cafes promote this exciting scheme. Check them out at Green Caffeen – Swap & Go Coffee Cups

For more information about our partnership with Green Caffeen, please contact Susan MacDonald, Regional Policy and Programs Officer (Environmental Education), on susanm@hunterjo.com.au or (02) 4978 4028