With ten years of regional waste management coordination and a strong circular economy focus, the Hunter JO brings experience and innovation to waste and resource recovery in the Hunter and Central Coast region. We are working hard towards circularising our waste economy, reducing waste generation, increasing recycling rates and increasing waste diversion from landfill. The Hunter JO facilitates joint action, cooperation and a shared strategic direction with the councils of the Hunter and Central Coast to deliver a range of programs and functions in this space, including:
- Coordinating development and implementation of our Regional Circular Materials Strategy
- Knowledge sharing and capacity building within and between Councils, State Government and other key stakeholders
- Researching new technologies, services and management activities to support Councils
- Delivering regional waste education
- Advocating with and on behalf of Councils to improve local and regional waste outcomes
Read on to find out more about our region-wide outcome focused projects being delivered as part of the Hunter JO’s Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Program:
Hunter Central Coast Regional Waste Managers Network
This group is a network of waste managers and other lead officers employed in waste management, waste education and operational areas within local councils in the Hunter and Central Coast regions. The purpose of the network is to promote knowledge sharing, collaboration and capacity building for best practice resource recovery and implementation of the circular economy.
The network meets quarterly to provide updates on individual council progress with waste management and resource recovery, and to hear from experts in the field. The group plays an important role in steering the delivery of the Hunter Central Coast Regional Circular Materials Strategy 2022-2027 and Annual Action Plans.
Resources | Regional Circular Materials Strategy – Hunter and Central Coast 2022 – 2027 |
This project is a NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.
Sustainability Educators Group
The Hunter JO hosts the Sustainability Educators Group, a monthly meeting with sustainability officers and educators from our member councils that began in October 2022. The purpose of these meetings it to foster collaboration through sharing of resources, knowledge and experience. These meeting enable staff from member councils to take a more regional approach to community engagement and education for community waste management and avoidance across the Hunter.
Community Recycling Centres
The Hunter JO works to promote Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) to our communities across the region to encourage the safe disposal and recycling of household problem wastes that have the potential to become a hazard to the environment or to public health.
In addition to our ongoing radio campaigns and distribution of our CRC Brochure, we have developed and promoted a series of bespoke videos highlighting the value of local CRC facilities for the community.
Waste Matters – How to use your local Community Recycling Centre
Residents across the Hunter can visit any CRC in the region with their problem wastes, including:
- Paint
- Gas bottles
- Fluoro globes and tubes
- Smoke detectors
- Motor oils and other oils
- Household and car batteries
These problem wastes should never go into household bins.
View our CRC Brochure.
There are CRCs in Central Coast, Cessnock, Gloucester, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton, Taree, Tuncurry and Upper Hunter.
There are also several small CRCs at local libraries and other public venues across the region where people can recycle fluoro globes, household batteries, as well as other items such as mobile phones, x-rays, eyeglasses and ink cartridges.
This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste Less Recycle More Initiative funded by the waste levy.
Circular Economy
A circular economy exchanges the typical cycle of make, use dispose in favour of as much re-use and recycling as possible, reducing waste and extending the lifetime of products by recycling them in new and innovative ways.
The Hunter JO’s Circular Economy Program, Hunter Circular, is a key strategic priority for the organisation.
Hunter Circular is a cross-sector collaboration led by the Hunter Joint Organisation (Hunter JO), on behalf of the councils of the region, in partnership with key organisations and industries.
In our region we have consciously tried to develop a collective impact approach to our efforts. This requires stepping away from usual organisation practices to work in new ways that help mobilise collaboration across sectors, with the aim of creating systems change.
Across the region, a variety of stakeholders across the public and private spheres have delivered:
- Capability programs
- Data and opportunity analysis
- Impact assessment tools
- Innovative circular products and services
Our Circular Economy Program incorporates a number of projects, to read more about what the Hunter JO’s strategy on Circular Economy, check out our specific project page.
Regional Illegal Dumping Program
The Hunter Central Coast Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Program 2022-27 is funded by the NSW EPA over five years to coordinate a co-funded program with 11 member councils in the Hunter/ Central Coast region. Currently, there are two similar programs in NSW, in Western Sydney and the Illawarra Shoalhaven region in southern NSW.
The objectives of the project are to:
- Work collaboratively to improve prevention, enforcement, monitoring and reporting of illegal dumping activity in our region
- Build Councils’ capacity to develop and deliver illegal dumping operations for prevention and enforcement, monitoring and reporting activities
- Raise community awareness of the impacts of illegal dumping and the Regional Illegal Dumping Program
A senior representative from each council sits on the Program Management Committee to decide strategic directions, budget and an annual action plan. Member councils receive additional funding to support their own RID officers and activities within their local government area.
The program will focus on priority actions each year, including:
- Specialist training courses covering legislative/regulatory frameworks
- Use of RIDOnline for data entry of illegal dumping incidents and investigations
- Best practice surveillance and monitoring technology, and equipment
- Community education campaigns and raising awareness of illegal dumping across the region.
Major benefits that flow from programs include an emphasis upon collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge, resources and experience in tackling illegal dumping of household waste in residential and bushland settings. More consistent use of the data collection platform (RIDOnline) will also provide better data to analyse this statewide problem.
Disaster Waste
The Hunter is predicted to experience increased extreme weather and natural disasters, with the effects of this already impacting the region. Many of the region’s communities are struggling to recover from the continual and combined impacts of more frequent and severe natural disasters. The Hunter JO’s resilience program aims to respond to the increasing risks and effects of climate change and enable Councils to increase resilience and embed place-based solutions and responses through the region.
When disasters strike, a significant and sudden increase in the volume and hazardous nature of waste occurs. This places communities at risk of health impacts, overwhelms local infrastructure, causes pollution impacts to local environments as well as placing additional financial burden on community services and councils.
Understanding disaster waste needs and risks in the Hunter and Central Coast and reducing regional disaster risk through early action will help us to target the prevention, mitigation, and management of disaster waste in the region.
Landfill Emissions Data Management Program
An emissions data management program will be developed in 2023/24 to accelerate emissions reduction activities for council-owned landfills in the Hunter. The project brings together measurement, reporting, and communications to better understand landfill emissions profiles and inform climate mitigation strategies.
The project aims to support councils on their journey to decarbonise landfills, including improving the calculation and understanding of landfill emissions data and informing opportunities for reduction.
A Landfill Emissions Working Group and Steering Committee have been established to lead and deliver the project in partnership with Hunter JO and NSW EPA. The outputs delivered will be open source, enabling adoption by councils across NSW and Australia.
Small Acts Big Change
Small Acts Big Change (SABC) is a previous digital education program aimed at empowering our community to improve their waste avoidance, reuse and recycling habits that wrapped up in 2023. Through content sharing across digital platforms, we drew a strong connection between community building, community spirit and improving waste behaviours; using the approach of – each small action we take, if made over and over, can create big change – and what a great way to address an often overwhelming issue for the community.
While the SABC program has been officially finalised, we do still use the online channels and content for community education.
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