Blacktown City Australia Day Awards Now Open For Nomination?

 

Shoalhaven City Council Picks up Top Honours in the NSW Excellence in Environment Awards - Shoalhaven City Council - Media Release

 18 November 2021

Shoalhaven City Council has walked away as winners in two Award categories at this year’s Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards announced earlier this week.  

Council was awarded an overall winner in the Water Management category for the Reclaimed Water Management Scheme Stage 1B and overall winner in the Transition to Circular Economy category for the Glass recycling facility. 

The Excellence in the Environment Awards recognise outstanding achievements by NSW Council’s in managing and protecting the environment. 

Shoalhaven City Council Acting CEO, Paul Keech was delighted to receive the news and congratulated all involved in the two projects.  

“For Shoalhaven City Council to receive top honours in two categories in the NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards is a fantastic outcome and one that the Shoalhaven community should be proud of”, Mr Keech said.  

“Council’s investment in both the Reclaimed Water Management Scheme and the new recycling glass facility demonstrates our ongoing commitment to using innovative and cutting-edge technology that will help reduce our impact on the environment”, Mr Keech said. 

Council’s Reclaimed Water Management Scheme (REMS) 1B is one of the largest, complex water recycling schemes undertaken by a Local Water Utility. Following the success of the first stage, which was commissioned in 2002, Stage 1B works were initiated and included major upgrades to Bomaderry and Nowra wastewater treatment plants, construction of a dedicated reclaimed water transfer main beneath the Shoalhaven River, extensions to the existing REMS distribution network, as well as UV disinfection upgrades to the original works. The upgrades have resulted in more treated effluent being reclaimed for beneficial reuse, and significantly less effluent being directed to the Shoalhaven River and associated waterways. 

The construction a new glass recycling facility in West Nowra will allow Council to recover previously rejected glass fines and return it to a usable form as part of the circular economy. In January 2020, Council began laying the slab for an in-house designed glass processing plant at its recycling and waste facility in West Nowra. Commissioned in May 2021, the washed glass sand has attracted interest from multiple customers, with nearly 1,000 tonnes returned to the circular economy every month. 

For more information about Excellence in the Environment Awards visit the Local Government NSW website.

 council staff at the REMS site

Shoalhaven City Council Clean Up at State Awards in Environmental Excellence -- Shoalhaven City Council - Media Release

 

22 October 2020

Shoalhaven City Council was the overall winner in the Towards Zero Net Emissions and Bushfire Recovery categories at the Local Government NSW 2020 Excellence in Environment Awards.  

The State Awards, held on Tuesday 13 October via an online ceremony, highlighted outstanding environmental initiatives introduced by Local Governments in the past year.  

Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley applauded Council staff for their commitment to introducing sustainable projects to protect the environment across the region.  

“I commend Council staff for their hard work and dedication to environmental excellence”, Clr Findley said.   

“For Shoalhaven City Council to win in both categories that it was nominated as a finalist in is a remarkable achievement and reflects on the outstanding initiatives introduced in the past year”, Clr Findley stated.  

“These two projects demonstrate that even by taking small steps a local Council can make a big difference to the environment for generations to come”, Clr Findley said.  

Council won in the Towards Net Zero Emissions Category for its adoption of a series of sustainable energy projects aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  

Some of these projects included trialing three fully electric vehicles in its fleet, installation of over 400 kW of solar panels across 10 sites, commencing a revolving energy fund, replacing 4,200 street lights with energy saving LEDs and supporting Repower Shoalhaven’s community energy solar farm.  

Council also won in the Resource Recovery category for its adoption of a temporary bushfire demolition waste recovery facility aimed at preserving capacity of its only putrescible waste landfill.  

Following the destruction of homes and properties in the bushfires of the 2019/2020 summer, any demolition waste that was unaffected by asbestos contamination was able to be recycled.   

In the three months of operation, the facility processed nearly 18,000 tonnes of demolition waste from 313 homes, recovering a staggering 96% of the material for reuse. 

The Shoalhaven City Council waste team are presented with the award from Mayor Amanda Findley and CEO Stephen Dunshea 

For more information about the Awards visit the Local Government NSW’s website.

In Your Neighbourhood - This Week

 

The TERRA within exhibition opens

The TERRA within is a major exhibition at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, and explores the themes of impact and survival in relation to the 250th Anniversary of Cook’s voyage to the East Coast of Australia, featuring powerful artworks by more than 30 Indigenous artists. The exhibition is now open and will run until 5 December 2020.

WATCH VIDEO

 

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Call for Australia Day award nominations Nominations are now open for 2021 Shoalhaven Australia Day Awards. Do you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to making our City a better place to live, work or play? Nominate them for an Award or find out more on our Australia Day project page. NOMINATE

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2020 Climate Awards Council has been named as a finalist in the Energy Efficiency Achievement Award category for the Cities Power Partnership 2020 Climate Awards.   The Climate Awards recognise the outstanding council-led initiatives all over Australia and celebrate the exceptional achievements of member councils striving to lower greenhouse gas emissions and embrace clean energy and transport.  FULL ARTICLE

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Indoor Sports Centre success Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre has been announced as a finalist in two categories the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW Crown Group Awards for Excellence in Urban Development 2020. The awards are designed to highlight innovation, sustainability, industry leadership and excellence in urban development across NSW and the ACT. A date to announce the Awards is yet to be determined. DETAILS

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Water safety skills for summer A study conducted by Royal Life Saving Australia has revealed a 25% decline in swimming lesson enrolments compared to the same time last year. If your child is unable to reach the benchmark for their age, Royal Life Saving is recommending that they are enrolled in lessons prior to Summer. Learn more about our Shoalhaven Swim Sport Fitness 'Learn to Swim' programs. CONTINUE

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Her sport her way Shaping the future of womens sport in NSW, the NSW Office of Sport Her Sport Her Way program has a strong focus on initiatives that reduce barriers to participation and promote inclusive sport experiences that women and girls want. LEARN MORE

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Collingwood Beach restorative works Our two-year trial to restore and manage the dune vegetation system at Collingwood Beach, Vincentia is complete and we now invite you to have your say on the project. START SURVEY

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Avoid getting into a lather over recycling

In Part 2 of ‘Recycling from the Bathroom’, Wombat takes the confusion out of the things that are often mistaken for being recyclable through your kerbside bin.

Answers to what goes in your yellow bin are in our UPDATED yellow bin guide.

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