Recycling is a "lost opportunity" across our region with a service only being conducted in some parts of the region according to the Alliance of Western Councils.

As a new parliamentary review pushes for new recycling innovation across the state and government investment in the sector continues to escalate, local councils are left wondering what options will be available to smaller more remote communities.

"Recycling is only partially in place in some places," a spokesperson for the Alliance of Western Councils told the Western Plains App.

"Kerb-side collection is only in Cobar at present. The problem as it stands it that it is not commercially viable to recycle most material because of the costs of taking it down to the eastern seaboard".

Picture: NSW Government.

The spokesperson person said that there needed to some fresh-thinking in the way we recycle.

It is hoped innovation in recycling and reuse will be fast-tracked as the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has supported all 22 recommendations made in an independent review of the current resource recovery framework.

The review, led by former Victorian EPA head Dr Cathy Wilkinson found that the “The EPA should seek to work with relevant agencies across government to develop a resource recovery innovation pathway to support the development, demonstration and assessment of new and innovative technology and processes”. 

It further suggested that “This could include consideration of approaches across the environment protection and environmental planning legislation”.

Wilkinson’s report tasked The EPA with investigating a pathway to enable an “end-of-waste” outcome for suitable common, low risk recovered materials.  

While also recommending “A scientific expert external to the EPA should review and provide advice on the NSW approach to management of asbestos contaminants in waste and recovered materials”.

The report said that more needed to be done to ensure a circular economy - an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way

NSW EPA CEO Tony Chappel welcomed the recommendations.

“Our industry should have access to the best technologies and systems to drive circularity and best practice waste management and we will work with other government agencies to find pathways to do this" he said.

“In 2020-21, more than 22 million tonnes of waste was generated in NSW and about two-thirds of this was recovered or recycled within the state – while we are making progress there is more work to do and we’re supporting industry to be trail blazers."

Chappel also specifically said the EPA was investigating a pathway to enable an "end of waste" outcome for suitable common, low-risk recovered materials.

Stakeholders Criticise Current Framework

A large number of submissions to the inquiry said that the current framework is holding back the ability of NSW to shift to this circular economy. 

Stakeholders said there was a problem with the definition of waste and in particular there needed to be an emphasis on resources.

The spokesperson for the Alliance of Western Councils said that councils in the region could only really start to look at shift towards recycling if it was seen as commercially viable or if subsidies were provided to counter the transportation costs.