Turning cyclone green waste into energy

IN A new partnership with Cape Byron Power, thousands of tonnes of Tweed green waste from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be turned into renewable energy.

Council’s acting director of sustainable communities and environment Jane Lofthouse said the initiative was helping to manage the significant amount of green waste generated from the severe weather event.

“While Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre processes green waste and garden organics, the sheer volume of waste from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred exceeds the facility’s capacity,” Lofthouse said,

“Since Monday, 17 March, the community clean-up has collected around 4,000 tonnes of green waste, equivalent to the weight of around 2,000 cars. This has demonstrated the need for an alternative solution.”

The green waste collected and chipped by Tweed Shire council crews is also being transported to the Condong Cogeneration Plant, operated by Cape Byron Power.

Alongside the sugar mill, the plant works to generate electricity from biomass – an organic, sustainable energy source.

Cape Byron Power general manager Anthony Lount said the company was proud to be an innovator in generating clean, renewable energy.

“We are pleased to be working with council to provide a solution to a problem created by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred,” Lount said.

“Our employees and contractors were all impacted by this event so being able to help with the clean-up and restoring the beautiful Tweed back to its pre-cyclone condition is important to all of us,” he said.