The Queensland government will partner with Smart Precinct North Queensland (NQ) to deliver a new circular economy aimed at creating a “zero-waste society” by 2050.
Smart Precinct NQ will offer information and support for local businesses to put circular economy principles into their operations.
It comes as the government aims to reuse, recycle, and remanufacture more materials and produce less waste.
“To achieve this, we have implemented a framework for our transition to a circular economy, where materials are retained in the economy for as long as possible at their highest practicable value,” she said.
She said retaining materials through recycling is the first step businesses consider when transitioning to a circular economy.
“Recycling certainly has its place, but we encourage industry to also think beyond recycling and focus more on the circular economy principles of designing out waste throughout production and a product’s usable life,” she said.
She said thinking beyond recycling would also help society better conserve precious resources and reduce waste in landfills.
“On any given day, particularly in major population centres, you will see tonnes of waste sent to landfill centres – multiply this by our country’s population and the coming seven years to 2030, and it can be seen how imperative it is that we act now,” she said.
In a circular economy, reducing landfills also creates jobs while reducing carbon emissions and pollution.
Further, a solid circular economy could generate $1.86 billion in direct economic benefits over 20 years while reducing carbon emissions, according to government estimates.
Member for Townsville Scott Stewart said the economic benefits include three jobs in recycling and remanufacturing for every one job in landfill.
“I am keen to see Townsville and North Queensland at the forefront of this economic benefit,” Mr. Stewart said.
Shifting Away From ‘Take-Make-Waste’
Smart Precinct NQ CEO Cassandra Cazzulino added practical implementation of a circular economy through businesses was critical.“I thank the Queensland government for deploying a localised roll out of this transformative program, allowing us to embrace the unique opportunities of our people, ideas, and the environmental attributes of our regions,” Ms. Cazzulino said.
She added that the program was a significant opportunity for industry and the community to implement circular solutions with global opportunity.
“That is why Smart Precinct NQ is proud to be a supporting delivery partner to the Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) program, which will help Industry and community uncover new ways of doing things, and that will be transformative,” she said.
The $4 million pilot program will support industry-driven research and innovation to assist in the transition away from “take-make-waste.”
The other regional centres involved in the program are the Resources Centre of Excellence in Mackay and Agribusiness Connect in Toowoomba.
If the concept proves successful, it will be rolled out to other locations.
Australia Generated 12.7 Million Tonnes of Construction Waste: Expert
The latest initiative comes after Queensland’s Bond University found the construction industry was also producing large amounts of waste.“Australia generated 12.7 million tonnes of construction waste in 2018,” Dr. Ogunmakinde said.
He added when that waste ends up in landfills, it threatens human health and biodiversity.
Still, he mentioned the industry could significantly enhance sustainable development if it applied a circular economy approach.
However, he was concerned about the lack of attention to research.
“There has been plenty of research on the circular economy’s potential for waste reduction, but much less consideration has been given to its relationship to construction waste management,” he said.
He said the university informed construction professionals and stakeholders to implement a circular economy approach across all construction phases.
“It will benefit both the industry and the planet in the long run.”
