Region recognised for green initiatives

THIS year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards have a Bendigo flavour, with both the municipality and a local manufacturer nominated in the circular economy innovation category.

The City of Greater Bendigo has been named an industry leader finalist, with Sustainability Victoria acknowledging its push to transition the region to a circular economy.

A spokesperson for Sustainability Victoria said the City “has started to identify, develop and implement a number of circular economy and resource management solutions to handle, reprocess and recirculate end-of-life material resources.”

Municipal circular economy coordinator Scott Bryant said its pleasing to see the hard work of the last couple of years recognised.

He said developing a circular economy and finding ways to work with organisations and companies to recycle more material is crucial with the Eaglehawk Landfill set to close next year.

“I’d say we’re absolutely better positioned than where we were five or event three years ago,” he said.

“Nothing gets creativity and momentum [going] like a looming challenge like the landfill closure, it’s been a really positive response by broader colleagues in the council and across Victoria, supporting the work and exploration of what solutions could support us to replace that landfill.”

Mr Bryant said many local governments across Victoria are looking at ways to keep resources in use for as long as possible, rather than going to waste.

In the same award category, Golden Square-based wall and ceiling panel manufacturer Durra Panel has also been named a finalist.

General manager Ainslee Haslemore said the company makes “truly sustainable” building panels out of reclaimed wheat straw sourced from farmers within 150 kilometres of the factory.

“We work with farmers to give them a secondary income by purchasing this straw, rather than it being burnt off and all the carbon released back into the atmosphere,” she said.

“We’re lucky we’re located [in Bendigo] and it’s nice that we’re both nominated and aligned with similar values.

“It would be lovely to see us used around Bendigo as we are located in Bendigo [so] this will help reduce the carbon impact with transport, which is one of the biggest carbon contributors.”

The winners of the awards will be announced on Tuesday, 20 September.