The Hunter Circular Knowledge Hub project, supported with funding from the NSW EPA, aimed to make circular economy information more readily accessible across the region by collecting and analysing data, and publishing it on the Hunter Circular website.
Designed for council staff, businesses, and the wider community, and continually updated by the Hunter JO, the Hunter Circular website aims to provide clear, local information about circular services and resource recovery options. This information can be used to identify opportunities and support the implementation of solutions to develop downstream markets and reduce waste generation.
This project improved the Hunter Circular website by creating and embedding two tools targeting two user groups: council staff and the broader community.
- The Knowledge Hub, accessible only by Hunter JO member council staff, is a data portal to support the implementation of circularity best practices in council-managed waste streams. It contains a dashboard of waste and resource recovery data and a regional material flow analysis. It has been designed to be expanded on over time, and now also includes a range of other waste related information like landfill emissions projections for 10 council owned landfills.
- ReUse Hunter is a platform featuring an interactive community map that connects residents in the Hunter region with circular businesses offering services like repairs, donation, hire, and second-hand sales, helping the community take action to reduce waste generation.
Through this process, a clear opportunity to divert plastic waste from council waste streams led to the Circular Plastics Pilot. The Pilot involved working with councils to separate HDPE waste items for delivery to local company Resourceful Living, who manufacture a range of plastic products from waste materials. During the 6-month pilot, 29 tonnes of waste was diverted to Resourceful Living, and this led to ongoing and expanded agreements with councils across the region.
The Knowledge Hub project made important additions to the Hunter Circular website as a repository for circular economy information. Visit the Hunter Circular website to explore these features or reach out to ce@hunterjo.nsw.gov.au for more information.
