When the Hunter experiences severe natural disasters, pressure is placed on communities, local infrastructure, and waste services. Each event leads to a surge in disaster waste posing health risks, environmental threats, and increased costs for councils and community services.
Our Goal:
To help the region better prepare for, manage, and recover disaster waste while protecting our landfills and increasing material recovery.
Project Overview
The Disaster Waste and Resource Recovery Project was delivered in two key phases:
Phase I: Regional Analysis and Risk Assessment
- Mapped current disaster waste flows and regional processing capacity
- Assessed risks by disaster type (e.g. flood, fire, storm, tsunami)
- Estimated waste volumes and materials likely to arise from each disaster
Phase II: Regional Support Package
- Developed Regional and LGA-specific Disaster Waste and Resource Recovery Management Plans
- Created a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for council collaboration
- Identified and assessed temporary waste transfer sites with EPA input
Project Deliverables
- Constraints Maps: Visualise natural disaster risks across the region and each LGA
- Regional Risk Assessment: Identify impacts and mitigation strategies for disaster-related waste
- Material Flow Analysis (MFA): Track how disaster waste is currently managed
- Type V Materials Composition Matrix: Estimate waste types and volumes based on disaster scenarios
- Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) Tool: Evaluate temporary waste transfer sites against best-practice guidelines
- Regional and LGA Management Plans: Detailed and summary “Plan-on-a-Page” disaster waste plans
- Draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): Framework for council collaboration during and after disasters
- PPRR Framework Flowchart: Shows how disaster waste planning aligns with Prevention, Preparation, Response, and Recovery stages
- Temporary Transfer Site Assessment: Two potential sites identified for pre-approval testing (outside this project)
Resources
Please contact resilience@hunterjo.nsw.gov.au if you would like access to any of the following resources:
- Constraints Mapping
- Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) Tool
- Draft Memorandum of Understanding
