Our Regional Waste Managers Network Meeting in December brought together waste professionals from across the Hunter and Central Coast to collaborate on emerging challenges and opportunities in the sector. 

Highlights included: 

• The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)’s Environmental Resilience Team providing an update on the region’s disaster-waste planning, including progress on establishing Temporary Emergency Waste Storage Sites (TEWSS) and the latest on our Disaster Waste and Resource Recovery Management Plans (DWRRMP). The plans outline how our member councils will coordinate to store, sort, divert and dispose of waste generated in natural disasters such as floods, storms, or bushfires. Allowing our region to be better positioned to respond quickly and safely during an emergency. 
• An insightful presentation from Gaia EnviroTech, a company specialising in bioenergy and organic waste management, delving into their modular, in-vessel composting solutions for Food Organics & Garden Organics (FOGO) and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) services for commercial and industrial waste streams. This approach demonstrated how organic and commercial waste streams can be transformed into valuable resources rather than simply disposed, aligning with our region’s circular economy initiatives.

The Regional Waste Managers Network meetings reflect the strength of regional collaboration, enabling councils to share knowledge, test new ideas, and work collectively toward improved waste, recycling, and disaster-resilience outcomes. We look forward to continuing this important work with our member councils, the NSW EPA, and industry partners. 

Visit our website for more information on our Waste and Circular Economy page