ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
The Hills Shire Council ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16 71
QUICK FACTS
JUNE 2016 JUNE 2015 JUNE 2014 JUNE 2013
OUR PERFORMANCE
111 5%
16,650 11.15
WASTE GENERATED PER HOUSEHOLD PER WEEK (KG) TONNES OF WASTE RECYCLED
COUNCIL’S TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION HAS DROPPED TONNES OF
ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLED
0.55%
152 16,730
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
* 2016 result of -2.9% for energy consumption is due to unavailability of gas data for 2015 therefore gas data was not included in the previous year.
Council’s energy consumption has reduced by 7.3% in the past four years.
STRATEGY 8.1
Council puts much effort into educating our community about how we can manage our behaviour and ecosystems to live sustainably. A variety of programs and workshops are in place.
LIVING SUSTAINABLY WALKS & WORKSHOPS Supported the Habitat Stepping Stones and Aussie Backyard Birdcount projects which educated residents on encouraging local wildlife to their gardens.
35 workshops were provided as part of the Living Sustainability Series together with 13 guided bushwalks through the Shires nature reserves. The series proved very popular with residents and included:
• Energy efficiency - practical advice on household energy savings
• Backyard permaculture - sustainable and self- sufficient that emulates patterns in nature.
• Pickling & preserving - maximising the use of in-season produce and making the most of any excess garden harvest.
• Various cooking workshops with an emphasis on avoiding food waste. eg. cheese making, bread making, jam making
• Sustainable homes
• Sustainable eating
• Compost and worm farming - sessions also run for residents from non-English speaking backgrounds
• Keeping backyard chickens
• Recycled kitchen garden
• Waste avoidance - living with less
• Reverse garbage
• Living with less chemicals
• Op Shop tour
• Beauty and pamper product making
• Various walking tours to identify plants and animals SUSTAINABLE FOOD TOUR - This was the first
sustainable food tour attended and it was a huge success.
Three sites were visited including Kimbriki Eco House and Garden, The Nook Whole Food Café (lunch stop) and New Leaf Nursery. Participants learnt about the importance of managing our resources more effectively, growing food in the backyard and reusing and recycling items where possible.
SCHOOLS PROGRAM
The Hills Shire Council’s Environment and Health team, in conjunction with the Resource Recovery team, provides Environmental Education (EE) programs and support for the more than 70 schools and colleges in and bordering the Hills Shire.
The following are the ways that the council supports EE programs and resources in local schools:
Council supports and facilitates the SCHOOLS GREEN NETWORK - a network of school teachers, school ancillary staff, parents and other educators, who are interested in encouraging and promoting environmental education in our local schools.
Council currently sponsors two opportunities for schools to access environmental education services and resources.
1. ENVIROMENTORS - The program is offered each year and is free to the primary schools that apply. This education package includes a range of environmental modules such as ‘Sustainability’ and
‘Saving Water’.
12.26 16,530
104
12.05 11.21 16,839
2.5
-2.9%
*5.8%
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
OUR PERFORMANCE
ACHIEVEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS
2. Council also encourages the long-term engagement of schools in education for sustainability through the sponsorship of the ECO-SCHOOLS PROGRAM. This sponsorship enables local schools to register and participate in the Eco-Schools program for zero cost.
WASTE & RECYCLING SCHOOL PROGRAMS The Hills Shire Council’s Resource Recovery and Environment and Health teams provide Environmental Education programs that are in line with curriculum objectives and are available to all schools in the Local Government Area.
Council’s waste collection contractor - Transpacific Cleanaway, offer an education program for pre-schools, primary schools and high schools. The kNOw WASTE PROGRAM focuses on sustainable waste management and encourages children to develop responsible environmental values.
The WASTE FREE LUNCH DAY event encourages students and teachers to pack a lunch which contains zero waste and supports the use of reusable food and drink containers, utensils and fresh fruit and veggies. Thousands of students from 18 Hills schools opted against using paper and plastic wrappers on their lunches to celebrate Waste Free Lunch Day in June 2016.
Students from across The Hills celebrated World Environment Day by taking part in SPEAKING 4 THE PLANET at The Hills Shire Council Chambers in June.
The theme for this year’s event Green Cities: Plan For The Planet saw participants presenting their ideas in a variety of creative ways.
30 Students from Rouse Hill High School, Baulkham Hills High School, Crestwood High School, Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School and Cumberland High School conveyed ideas via prepared speeches, impromptu speeches or mini-drama productions.
Students spoke about the importance of reducing human impact on the environment, and planning for the future sustainably.
WASTE 2 ART COMPETITION
The Waste 2 Art Competition provides an opportunity for local high schools and primary schools to create a work of art which is made entirely from ‘waste’ items. The art forms can be either 2D or 3D and must convey an environmental message. The event celebrates National Recycling Week.
Students from Beaumont Hills Public School, Dural Public School and the Australian International Academy won
materials, workshops and practical information sessions for the benefit of local residents. The environment centre with its sustainable home and waterwise garden demonstration facilities provides an engaging learning environment for visitors and volunteers. The new organic vegetable garden demonstration site is a great interactive and co-operative space to share and learn a broad range of practical sustainable living skills.
There are opportunities for members of the community to volunteer at the Community Environment Centre in a number of capacities.
There are also opportunities to arrange guided bushwalks to view the various vegetation communities and wildflower species found nearby in Annangrove Reserve.
STRATEGY 8.2
Stage 1 of the mapping and condition assessment of stormwater channels adjoining Council waterways has been completed. These assessments provide an indication of the condition of our waterways in relation to vegetation, stability, risk and ability to convey water.
Council received a grant for $2.3M over six years to carry out restoration works along the headwaters of Cattai Creek. Bush regeneration and revegetation has occurred in Council reserves and in industrial properties.
In response to the drive of the Parramatta River
Catchment Group to improve the water quality in the river and perhaps reintroduce swimming in some areas the Environmental Health Team commenced an environmental audit program of some selected industrial businesses located within the Parramatta River Catchment.
The program aims to assist business meet their environmental responsibilities and proactively check potential problems and reduce the risk of future pollution.
No further work has been done in North Rocks due to the transfer of this area to City of Parramatta Council.
STRATEGY 9.1
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL CLEANOUT
A free Household Chemical Cleanout event was held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2015 enabling residents to safely dispose of their unwanted chemicals. 70 tonnes of chemicals were collected with 1,818 cars turning up over the two days.
MATTRESS COLLECTION PROGRAM
Council has partnered with Mission Australia to deliver a mattress collection program to facilitate the effective recycling of old and unwanted mattresses. The program aims to decrease the number of mattresses that are sent
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
The Hills Shire Council ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16 73
ACTION PROGRESS STATUS PERFORMANCE
Finalise studies to identify stormwater backlog or renewal works and address the backlog.
After preliminary assessment it has been determined that the stormwater assets are in satisfactory condition and, under the new Draft Code Of Accounting Practice Definitions, that there is no stormwater backlog. As such this initiative can now be closed. However studies are continuing to determine the current hydrological level of service in many of our older suburbs, and where these systems will require renewal/upgrade in the future.
OUR PERFORMANCE
HOW WE PROGRESSED OUR FOUR YEAR ACTIONS
To achieve our strategy of active, safe and culturally rich people enjoying community life together, we focused on the following actions:
COMPLETE
ON TRACK
NOT STARTED DEFERRED
• As part of the Parramatta River Catchment Group, we’re hoping to see the Green Army’s fantastic work extended along the Toongabbie Creek Catchment Area. In 2015, the Green Army, a federal government program which gives work to people aged 17-24, began their quest to regenerate native plants along Cattai Creek.
LOOKING AHEAD
see valuable items ending up in landfill, when there’s really someone out there who would love that item. On 24 October 2015 The Hills had 113 registered sales, five of which are group garage sales. The Hills ranked 6th out of all local government areas in NSW.
FRIDGE BUYBACK SCHEME
3,500 fridges and freezers have been collected from residents in The Hills saving more than $1M worth of electricity, while disposing of fridges in a sustainable manner.
310 tonnes of metal have been recycled from The Hills alone, which is the equivalent of six railway carriages. The fridge is pulled apart, with all materials set aside to be re-used.
MULCHING DAYS
Free mulching days are held on the first and third Saturday of every month (excluding January) at the Bidjiwong Community Nursery at Ted Horwood Reserve in Baulkham Hills. Residents bring along their pruned trees and shrubs and have them mulched to take home and use on the garden.
BATTERY RECYCLING
Council supports a battery recycling program with the batteries collected and sorted into their respective technologies and recycled locally where possible. Residents drop off batteries to Council’s libraries and administration centre.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Council Health & Environment officers attended a number of community events to promote sustainability throughout the year, including:
• Reverse Garbage Workshop - Australia Day Festivities - Bella Vista Farm (p80);
• Lunar Festival: A variety of activities targeting the Chinese community were undertaken (p80);
• The Hills Home Show and Life Style Expo: 12 & 13 March at Bernie Mullane Sports Complex.
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY
46 sites were cleaned up over three separate days in March by an army of volunteers intent on making our Shire more beautiful. There were more registered sites this year than we had in 2015 showing how much our residents care about where they live.
SUSTAINABILITY
Council retrofitted and replaced the lighting in the Castle Hill Library ‘Reading Room’ which improved the quality and energy efficiency of the lights while retaining the lighting style and architectural features of the semi-circular room.
FERAL PEST CONTROL
Fox baiting program held over March/April 2016 in Bidjigal Reserve, Eric Mobbs and Excelsior Reserve.
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
STRATEGIC DIRECTION -