Anne Parisianne
The buy recycled northern council showcase in Broadmeadows brought together 20 councils from Melbourne and northern Victoria.
The event, which was held on June 13 at Town Hall Broadmeadows, aimed to empower councils to make confident decisions when purchasing recycled materials and support Victoria’s transition to a circular economy.
Organised by Sustainability Victoria, the showcase provided a platform for councils to discuss strategies for increasing the use of recycled materials in infrastructure, landscaping, parks and gardens within their municipalities.
In addition to the discussions, the full-day event featured a mini-trade show featuring recycled product suppliers from the northern region and tours of local recycled material facilities.
Sustainability Victoria markets acceleration manager Shannon Smyth said the event not only provided the councils with a learning opportunity, but also allowed them to network with their local suppliers.
Innovative Plastic Solutions (IPS) technical director Louw van Tonder said the event was an excellent opportunity for IPS to demonstrate its current products to councils and encourage the councils to challenge their suppliers to consider using recycled materials.
IPS supplies councils with high-quality, recycled plastic materials, like tactile pavement.
Tactile paving on the road helps pedestrians with visual impairments by providing raised, textured surfaces that can be detected by touch or underfoot, allowing them to navigate streets and sidewalks safely.
“By using recycled material and manufacturing in close proximity to where the councils are using it, so it’s also reducing the carbon footprint by reducing the logistics chain, (as) you’re not importing something from, say, China or Southeast Asia,” Mr van Tonder said.
Hume mayor Naim Kurt said he appreciated the showcase held in Hume and that his council got a chance to show how it uses recyclable products in its supply chains.
“We’re a leader in the circular economy space. We see the circular economy as a way to transform our manufacturing industry in Hume for the future after, you know, the closure of some big businesses,” Cr Kurt said.
The circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
It emphasises keeping materials, products and services in circulation within the economy for as long as possible.
An example of this is using recycled materials to create new products, which reduces the need for virgin materials and minimises environmental impact.
“We did a study with KPMG, which found that circular economy space can provide $903 million to our city’s Gross Regional Product, and it could lead to the creation of 1500 jobs per year in Hume by 2040. So, based on that research, we’ve really tried to position ourselves as a council to try and promote the circular economy,” Cr Kurt said.
“The Buy Recycled Showcase helps to build on council’s global leadership in partnering with Dutch cities on how to advance the circular economy in Hume.”
The Netherlands ambassador visited Hume in March to discuss circular economy initiatives and how they can benefit business opportunities between the two countries.
