Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee

Agenda

4 February 2020

Notice is hereby given, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993 that an Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee meeting of ORANGE CITY COUNCIL will be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Byng Street, Orange on  Tuesday, 4 February 2020.

David Waddell

Chief Executive Officer

For apologies please contact Administration on 6393 8218.

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                             4 February 2020

Agenda

1 Introduction.. 3

1.1 Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests. 3

2 Committee Minutes. 5

2.1 Minutes of the Companion Animals Community Committee of 2 December 2019 5

2.2 Minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee Meeting - 9 August 2019. 25

2.3 Minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee - 18 October 2019 57

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                             4 February 2020

1       Introduction

1.1     Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests

The provisions of Chapter 14 of the Local Government Act, 1993 (the Act) regulate the way in which Councillors and designated staff of Council conduct themselves to ensure that there is no conflict between their private interests and their public role.

The Act prescribes that where a member of Council (or a Committee of Council) has a direct or indirect financial (pecuniary) interest in a matter to be considered at a meeting of the Council (or Committee), that interest must be disclosed as soon as practicable after the start of the meeting and the reasons given for declaring such interest.

As members are aware, the provisions of the Local Government Act restrict any member who has declared a pecuniary interest in any matter from participating in the discussion or voting on that matter, and requires that member to vacate the Chamber.

Council’s Code of Conduct provides that if members have a non-pecuniary conflict of interest, the nature of the conflict must be disclosed. The Code of Conduct also provides for a number of ways in which a member may manage non pecuniary conflicts of interest.

Recommendation

It is recommended that Committee Members now disclose any conflicts of interest in matters under consideration by the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee at this meeting.

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                             4 February 2020

2       Committee Minutes

2.1     Minutes of the Companion Animals Community Committee of 2 December 2019

RECORD NUMBER:       2019/2718

AUTHOR:                       Rosemary Reid, Draftsperson    

EXECUTIVE Summary

The minutes of the Companion Animals Community Committee held on the 2 December 2019 are provided to the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee for adoption.

Link To Delivery/OPerational Plan

The recommendation in this report relates to the Delivery/Operational Plan strategy “6.1 Live - Provide services and facilities that enable Council to fulfil its obligations under the Companion Animal Act”.

Financial Implications

Within planned budget.

Policy and Governance Implications

Nil

Recommendation

1        That Council acknowledge the reports presented to the Companion Animals Community Committee at its meeting held on 2 December 2019.

2        That Council determine recommendations 3.1 and 3.2 from the minutes of the Companion Animals Community Committee meeting of 2 December 2019.

           Item 3.1

That Council provide Responsible Cat Ownership brochures to the Ploughmans   Wetlands Care Group for distribution.

Item 3.2

          That Council progresses the naming of this new parkland area including the Off Leash Area.

3        That the remainder of the minutes of the Companion Animals Community Committee at its meeting held on 2 December 2019 be adopted.

Attachments

1        Minutes of the Meeting of the Companion Animals Community Committee held on 2 December 2019

2        CACC 2 December 2019 Agenda, D20/3461⇩

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ORANGE CITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE

Companion Animals Community Committee

HELD IN Councillors Workroom, Civic Centre, Byng Street, Orange

ON 2 December 2019

COMMENCING AT 5.33pm

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1      Introduction

Attendance

Cr S Nugent (Chairperson), Mr Neil Jones, Mrs Anne Reith, Mrs Susan Sanders, Ms Jan Tallents, Acting Director Development Services,  Companion Animal Registrar

1.1     Apologies and Leave of Absence

RESOLVED                                                                                             Ms A Reith/Mr N Jones

That the apologies be accepted from Ms Debra Coleman, Mrs Pam Davis, Ms Adrienne Hiskens, Ms Helen Wood,  for the Companion Animals Community Committee meeting on 2 December 2019.

1.2     Acknowledgement of Country

1.3     Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests

2       Previous Minutes

RESOLVED                                                                      Mr N Jones/Ms S Sanders

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Companion Animals Community Committee held on 2 September 2019 (copies of which were circulated to all members) be and are hereby confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the Companion Animals Community Committee meeting held on 2 September 2019.

3       Presentations

3.1     Updates from Committee members

TRIM Reference:        2019/2615

The RSPCA support group mentioned the successful microchipping and vaccination day held in October where 130 dogs were implanted. Their funds are used for subsidised desexing vouchers and support to the Animal Shelter in Orange. The Committee discussed the need for welfare groups to ensure microchip identification numbers of animals are immediately uploaded onto the NSW Companion Animals Register rather than forwarding the paper work to Council at a later date for uploading.

The Ploughmans Wetlands Care Group have distributed letters to adjoining owners reminding them of their responsibilities regarding cats.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Ms S Sanders/Ms J Tallents

That Council provide Responsible Cat Ownership brochures to the Ploughmans Wetlands Care Group for distribution.

3.2     North Orange Off Leash area

TRIM Reference:        2019/2616

An update on the progress of the North Orange Off Leash area was provided to committee members. The fencing has been completed and water bubblers, seating and signage are to be completed in the next few weeks.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                          Mr N Jones/Cr S Nugent

That Council progresses the naming of this new parkland area including the Off Leash Area.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                            Ms A Reith/Mr N Jones

That thanks be extended to the Companion Animal Registrar Rosemary Reid on her involvement in managing the North Orange Off Leash Area project.

3.3     Pound Construction progress

TRIM Reference:        2019/2617

The pound construction in Astill Drive is progressing slowly with an estimated completion of the shed portion being 10 February 2020. Advertising for the Pound Co-Ordinator to be done in January 2020.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Ms J Tallents/Ms S Sanders

That the report be accepted.

3.4     CRM Statistics - September -November 2019

TRIM Reference:        2019/2620

RECOMMENDATION                                                                            Mr N Jones/Ms A Reith

That the report be accepted.

3.5     Cr Stephen Nugent - Meeting Dates for 2020

Meeting dates for 2020 were discussed with a change made to the week held.

Dates for 2020

Monday 10 February 2020

Monday 11 May 2020

Monday 10 August 20202

Monday 9 November 2020

The Meeting Closed at 6.46pm

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                                                     4 February 2020

Attachment 1      CACC 2 December 2019 Agenda

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                             4 February 2020

2.2     Minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee Meeting - 9 August 2019

RECORD NUMBER:       2020/96

AUTHOR:                       David Waddell, Chief Executive Officer    

EXECUTIVE Summary

The Environmental Sustainability Community Committee met on 9 August 2019 and the recommendations from that meeting are presented to the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee for adoption.

Link To Delivery/OPerational Plan

The recommendation in this report relates to the Delivery/Operational Plan strategy “7.1 Preserve - Engage with the community to develop plans for growth and development that value the local environment”.

Financial Implications

Nil

Policy and Governance Implications

Nil

Recommendation

1        That Council acknowledge the reports presented to the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee at its meeting held on 9 August 2019.

2        That Council determine recommendations of Matters Arising from the minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting of 9 August 2019 being:

MATTERS ARISING

1        Council should investigate the heating side of the airconditioning units on the Council building now that the chillers have been replaced to increase efficiency in the cooler months. The Acting General Manager (now CEO) will put Robert Alford in touch with Damian West in regards to this.

2        Committee to speak to Essential Energy regarding the street light control wire, the point where they trim trees back, and if this will change due to the Southern Lights Project.

MATTER ARISING

That Council staff follow up on the recommendation from ESCC to reduce Council’s Energy use by 20%, which was adopted by Council at the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee Meeting, and report back to the Committee with a progress update.

3        That the remainder of the minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee at its meeting held on 9 August 2019 be adopted.

further considerations

Consideration has been given to the recommendation’s impact on Council’s service delivery; image and reputation; political; environmental; health and safety; employees; stakeholders and project management; and no further implications or risks have been identified.

Attachments

1        Minutes of the Meeting of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee held on 9 August 2019

2        ESCC 9 August 2019 Agenda, D20/3426⇩

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ORANGE CITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE

Environmental Sustainability Community Committee

HELD IN Committee Room 3, Civic Centre, Byng Street, Orange

ON 9 August 2019

COMMENCING AT 8.00am

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 1      Introduction

Attendance

Cr S Nugent (Chairperson), Ms Shahreen Alford, Mr Robert Alford, Mr Ronald Finch, Mr Gavin Hillier, Mrs Kate Hook, Mr Nick King, Mr Cyril Smith, Ms Kate Willoughby, Mr Ken Freedman, Acting General Manager, Manager Waste Services and Technical Support

1.1     Apologies and Leave of Absence

Mrs Melissa Brown handed in her resignation for the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee due to conflicting commitments. The Committee would like to thank Mel for her contributions during her time as a member.

RECOMMENDATION

That the apologies be accepted from Mr Andrew Kennedy, Cr J McRae, Cr M Previtera, Mrs Neina Campbell, Miss Anwen Carney, Mr Daniel Fock, Dr David Mallard, Ms Melanie McDonell, Mrs Anne Salter and Mr Peter West for the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting on 9 August 2019.

1.2     Acknowledgement of Country

1.3     Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests

2       Previous Minutes

RECOMMENDATION

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee held on 14 June 2019 (copies of which were circulated to all members) be and are hereby confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting held on 14 June 2019.

3       Presentations

3.1     Sustainable Living Week - John Mills (Rotary)

TRIM Reference:        2019/1647

RECOMMENDATION

That the report presented to the Committee, by Mr John Mills of Rotary, be acknowledged.

3.2     Update Reports - Acting General Manager

TRIM Reference:        2019/1646

National Tree day at Lake Canobolas was a huge success with 184 in attendance.

A meeting was held with Matt Kean, the Minister for Energy and Environment, GM of Cabonne Council and the Mayor at Mt Canobolas regarding the bike track. Matt Kean will be the decider on updating the current plan of management, which dictates whether we can or cannot lodge a DA for the site.

Wangarang has been commissioned to clean up the Northern Distributor Road, a project which is currently underway. There is more media planned in regards to this. They will be focusing on the NDR from the highway to Forbes Road.

The replacement of the airconditioner chillers at the Council building is underway.

Council approved the Southern Lights in Orange on Tuesday 6 August. The project will change 8500 bulbs, all the street lights in Orange, to LED. This means the entire light fixture at the top of the pole will be replaced. The new fixtures are fitted with smart controllers which means the lights can be dimmed, brightened and switched on and off remotely. Essential Energy will control these changes, at request of Council. This change saves approximately $500,000 as well as having huge savings in CO2 and kilowatt-hours. One issue arising is the catenary lighting (overhanging).

Electricity Procurement is still on track, with the minimum 20% renewable being adopted. This figure can be changed at any time, by vote of Council, but the idea is to run it for a year or so to see how it goes. It is likely it will be completed as early as Christmas time this year.

A tour of the Environmental Zone in Clifton Grove is proposed for some time in the future, with the assistance of Peter West. The hope is that more effort can be made to protect areas like these in the LGA.

The NSW Drought Committee met yesterday. There were talks of lowering the pump threshold to use the Macquarie pipeline and lowering or completely stopping the Environmental Flow from Suma Park to Summer Hill Creek.

The first Electric Fleet Vehicle purchased by Council arrived last month.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Cr S Nugent/Mr D Waddell

That the verbal report by the Acting General Manger be acknowledged.

MATTERS ARISING

1        Council should investigate the heating side of the airconditioning units on the Council building now that the chillers have been replaced to increase efficiency in the cooler months. The Acting General Manager will put Robert Alford in touch with Damian West in regards to this.

2        Committee to speak to Essential Energy regarding the street light control wire, the point where they trim trees back, and if this will change due to the Southern Lights Project.

4       BIODIVERSITY

4.1     Biodiversity Update from Council

TRIM Reference:        2019/1658

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Cr S Nugent/Mr D Waddell

That the discussion by the Committee on Biodiversity be acknowledged.

4.2     Biodiversity Sub-Group Update - By Peter West

TRIM Reference:        2019/1645

Mr Peter West was an apology for this meeting, however, Ms Shahreen Alford presented his update to the Committee.

Emily from Envirofactor presented on Biodiversity, her presentations were well received. A commitment has been made by Council with Emily to undertake the next steps in the project.

Emily has collated a variety of information from different sources to help create better and more accurate resources for Council, and possibly other organisations, to utilise when it comes to recognising and understanding Biodiversity in the Orange LGA. The information is focused on plant and animal species, as well as habitats in the LGA.

The Committee discussed collecting and collating data on Biodiversity specific to the Mt Canobolas National Park.

Council’s Heritage Coordinator, Alison Russell, has put together a register of, items and areas in Orange which have heritage significance. There are calls for the Committee members to offer suggestions as this is updates regularly. The suggestion was that these items/areas are included in Councils plan to manage and protect biodiverse areas.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                         Cr S Nugent/Ms S Alford

That the verbal report, presented by Shahreen Alford, be acknowledged.

5       ENERGY

5.1     Energy Update from Council

TRIM Reference:        2019/1660

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Cr S Nugent/Mr D Waddell

That the verbal report from the Acting General Manager be acknowledged.

MATTER ARISING

That Council staff follow up on the recommendation from ESCC to reduce Council’s Energy use by 20%, which was adopted by Council at the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee Meeting, and report back to the Committee with a progress update.

5.2     Strategies for Low Carbon Communities Webinar - By Cr Stephen Nugent

TRIM Reference:        2019/1644

The NSW Government held a Webinar on Low Carbon Communities on Wednesday 31 July 2019.

The main goals where outlined, which are to reach net 0 emissions by 2030 and limit global warming to 1.5°C.

There were various case studies presented by other Councils, presenting their goals, projects and financial savings. Two projects that stuck out where EV Expo and Sunspot.

An EV Expo has already been organised for Orange through Future in Orange. Sunspot is a Council funded project which identifies roofs suitable for solar installation. While this is not a project in Orange, a community owned renewable energy source, a solar farm, has been proposed for Orange.

Cr Nugent will circulate the link of the recording of the Webinar to committee members.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Cr S Nugent/Mr D Waddell

That the verbal report by Councillor Nugent be acknowledged and the link be circulated to members

7.2     Transitioning to a Water Sensitive City - By Cyril Smith

TRIM Reference:        2019/1643

A report was distributed and discussion had regarding this item.

RECOMMENDATION

That the report distributed to Committee Members and the verbal discussion lead by Mr Cyril Smith be acknowledged

**Mr Cyril Smith left the meeting with the time being 9.30am**

6       WASTE

6.1     Waste Update from Council

TRIM Reference:        2019/1661

Orange Waste Project- 2013, saw the construction of a new waste recovery centre on Euchareena Road. It also saw the introduction of the green organics bins and collection and the compost facility.

Every 5 years, an Independent Environmental Audit of the facility is conducted. Out of 421 Conditions of Approval, there were only 6 issues, which have since been rectified, landmarking Orange as the benchmark in NSW for establishment of a new landfill. The results have been sent to the Department of Planning.

Also at Euchareena Road, Cell 3 has been completed, adding a further 6 years to the lifespan of the landfill site and solar panels are set to be installed on the site.

Bin and Truck audits have been undertaken by Envirocon, results pending.

The curbside recyclables (yellow bins) collected in Orange are received by Busy Australia. 6 Council’s, including Orange, come through Orange’s transfer facility.

Orange has a 50/50 arrangement with Busy for the 10c refundable recyclables. The pricing cost of processing recyclables has increased by approx. $60/tonne which equates to about $200,000/year.

The Hazardous Waste Annual Collection day is approaching, and will occur at a date to be announced in October.

Netwaste is doing an evaluation with 30 Councils looking at Mattress Recycling. The plan for Orange is the introduction of a cage to collect the mattresses. From there, the materials can be recovered and recycled. The time frame for this is looking like sometime in September.

Victoria has banned all E-Waste from going into landfill. Orange has the facilities for the recovery of electrical waste, however it is not widely advertised. There was a suggestion to include an E-Waste bin at the Expo.

Mrs Kate Willoughby has introduced a school group competition, called Litter Free Lunchboxes, aiming to reduce soft plastic waste in schools, such as chip packets, bottle lids and cling wrap etc. The competition may outreach to preschool/childcare centres with kitchens to have litter/waste free kitchens. Tidy Towns and ESCC are working with other organisations to determine prizes for the best school canteen, individual and childcare kitchen that does the best. The aim is to get the competition running in November for Sustainable Living Week.

A tour of the Euchareena Road facility has been organised for Friday 27 September 2019. Committee members who wish to attend are asked to meet at the Civic Centre carpark at 8.30am, Council vehicles will be used to carpool to the site. The tour will last approximately 3 hours, concluding at 11.30. An invitation will be sent to all members.

RECOMMENDATION                                                               Cr S Nugent/Mrs K Willoughby

That the verbal report from Council’s Manager Waste Services and Technical Support be acknowledged.

6.2     Plastic Free July Event Debrief - by Kate Hook

TRIM Reference:        2019/1649

The event was not as successful as last year, having been swamped by the Climate Emergency.

No pop-up stalls occurred, however as the name has changed to Plastic Free Orange, the suggestion was to have information circulated to the community all year round.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                         Cr S Nugent/Mrs K Hook

That the update presented by Mrs Kate Hook be acknowledged.

6.3     Bioplastic Policy - By Kate Willoughby

TRIM Reference:        2019/1641

Report:

The Committee has requested that Council look into a Policy for Bioplastics integrating into the waste recovery processes.

Currently Wagga Wagga allows bioplastic bags in their greenwaste and have 3% contamination.

Response:

Orange currently does not accept bioplastic bags. The waste recovering process for greenwaste was developed here prior to grant funding being made available, which other Council’s like Wagga and Dubbo have had, to establish education programs and distribution of products etc.

The current contamination in Orange’s greenwaste compost is under 0.5%. The compost has taken 6 years to get to Australian Standard and it is organically certified. Allowing bioplastics creates room for error, as manufacturers are creating plastics to appear bioplastic and it becomes difficult or impossible to distinguish.

Dubbo has had issues with contamination in their green waste from plastics.

RECOMMENDATION                                                               Cr S Nugent/Mrs K Willoughby

That the verbal report from Mrs Kate Willoughby and the response from Council’s Manager Waste Services and Technical Support be acknowledged

MATTER ARISING

The Global Climate Strike is on Friday 20 September 2019.

7       WATER

7.1     Water Update from Council

TRIM Reference:        2019/1663

ECCO has made a submission against the Macquarie Pipeline and Summer Hill Creek decisions (See item 3.2). More discussion next meeting (Item 7.4).

Currently the Cadia Mine case regarding the receival of water is in the Courts, however the case is addressing whether they should be paying for it rather than whether they should be getting it at all.

The Committee has requested more information in relation to the above in order to make an informed decision regarding item 7.4.

The Committee has suggested gearing the Climate Emergency talk towards water to try and engage more of the active Council. Currently only 3 are on board with the Climate Emergency, with the other 9 having been unable to attend briefing sessions regarding the matter.

The Committee has requested that contingency plans for the day when we may hit ground zero with water be developed and advertised to the community. This could help in calming fears members have about what will happen if we do run out of water.

A Networking group, facilitated through ESCC by Members Robert Alford and Nick King be created, engaging members of the community to be involved in the discussion in water and climate etc. Robert to send invitations to Council Staff, John Francis and Wayne Beatty. Kate Hook will be the representative from Future in Orange.

RECOMMENDATION

That the verbal information presented to the committee be acknowledged.

DUE TO THE QUORUM NO LONGER BEING MET THE MEETING CLOSED AT 9.50AM.

THE REMAINING ITEMS HAVE BEEN DEFERRED TO THE NEXT MEETING.

7.3     Water Saving Measures - by Cyril Smith

TRIM Reference:        2019/1662

Deferred to future meeting date

7.4     Water Issues - Macquarie Pipeline and Summer Hill Creek - by Nick King

TRIM Reference:        2019/1664

Deferred to future meeting date

7.5     Population Growth and Water Supply - by Nick King

TRIM Reference:        2019/1666

Deferred to future meeting date

8       OTHER BUSINESS

8.1     Community Education Working Group Update

TRIM Reference:        2019/1665

Deferred to future meeting date

8.2     Gosling Creek Plan of Management Review - by Nick King

TRIM Reference:        2019/1667

Deferred to future meeting date

8.3     Impact of Changing Weather Conditions in Orange - by Robert Alford

TRIM Reference:        2019/1640

Deferred to future meeting date

8.4     Climate Change Education - by Nick King

TRIM Reference:        2019/1668

Deferred to future meeting date

8.5     Action Items Update

TRIM Reference:        2019/1648

RECOMMENDATION

Deferred to next meeting

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                                                     4 February 2020

Attachment 1      ESCC 9 August 2019 Agenda

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                             4 February 2020

2.3     Minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee - 18 October 2019

RECORD NUMBER:       2020/97

AUTHOR:                       David Waddell, Chief Executive Officer    

EXECUTIVE Summary

The Environmental Sustainability Community Committee met on 18 October 2019 and the recommendations from that meeting are presented to the Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee for adoption.

Link To Delivery/OPerational Plan

The recommendation in this report relates to the Delivery/Operational Plan strategy “7.1 Preserve - Engage with the community to develop plans for growth and development that value the local environment”.

Financial Implications

Nil

Policy and Governance Implications

Nil

Recommendation

1        That Council acknowledge the reports presented to the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee at its meeting held on 18 October 2019.

2        That Council determine recommendations 3.3 and 3.4 from the minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting of 18 October 2019 being:

Item 3.3 Particle Pollution

That Council’s Chief Executive Officer follow up regarding placing a link for the Air Quality Monitoring data on Council’s Website

The Council’s Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer contact Public Health in regards to Orange v Bathurst particle pollution levels.

Item 3.4 Water Matters

That:

1        The verbal report presented by Council’s Water and Sewerage Strategic Manager be acknowledged.

2        The Committee request Water Update Signs, like those in Dubbo, are put in place in Orange to keep the community informed.

3        That the remainder of the minutes of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee at its meeting held on 18 October 2019 be adopted.

further considerations

Consideration has been given to the recommendation’s impact on Council’s service delivery; image and reputation; political; environmental; health and safety; employees; stakeholders and project management; and no further implications or risks have been identified.

Attachments

1        Minutes of the Meeting of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee held on 18 October 2019

2        ESCC 18 October 2019 Agenda, D20/3406⇩

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ORANGE CITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE

Environmental Sustainability Community Committee

HELD IN Councillors Workroom, Civic Centre, Byng Street, Orange

ON 18 October 2019

COMMENCING AT 8.01am

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 1      Introduction

Attendance

Cr S Nugent (Chairperson), Cr J McRae, Cr M Previtera (8.14am), Ms Shahreen Alford, Mrs Neina Campbell, Miss Anwen Carney, Mr Ronald Finch, Mr Gavin Hillier, Mr Andrew Kennedy, Ms Melanie McDonell, Mrs Anne Salter, Mr Cyril Smith, , Ms Kate Willoughby, Mr John Mills (Guest Presenter - Rotary), Chief Executive Officer, Acting Director Development Services, Manager Waste Services and Technical Support, Water and Sewerage Strategic Manager, Senior Planner, Health and Building Surveyor, Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer

1.1     Apologies and Leave of Absence

RECOMMENDATION                                                                     Cr S Nugent/Mr D Waddell

That the apologies be accepted from Mr Robert Alford, Mr Daniel Fock, Mrs Kate Hook, Mr Nick King, Dr David Mallard, Mr Peter West and Mr Ken Freedman  for the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting on 18 October 2019.

1.2     Acknowledgement of Country

1.3     Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests

Nil

2       Previous Minutes

RECOMMENDATION                                                                       K Willoughby/Ms S Alford

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee held on 9 August 2019 (copies of which were circulated to all members) be and are hereby confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the Environmental Sustainability Community Committee meeting held on 9 August 2019.

3       COUNCIL UPDATES

3.1     Cities Power Partnership and Energy Matters

TRIM Reference:        2019/2167

Energy noted as a critical issue for Council, with no Key contact point/group, however the report noted the creation of a “Sustainability Officer” role within Council.

Recruitment of the position has begun and it should be advertised next week.

Committee noted that main areas for focus should be:

- The chiller in the Civic Centre

- Lighting

- Energy Procurement.

RECOMMENDATION                                                              Ms M McDonell/Mr A Kennedy

That the report by Council’s Chief Executive Officer and Committee discussion be noted.

**Councillor Previtera arrived with the time being 8.14am**

3.2     Waste Management Facilities Tour

TRIM Reference:        2019/1664

The Private Committee Tour was facilitated by Kylie Tomlinson with four members of the Committee on Friday 27 September 2019. The members who attended said the Tour was very informative and allowed them to come away knowing more, and being able to be an advocate for the Resource Recovery Centres run by Council.

There was also a Public Tour, facilitated again by Kylie Tomlinson, on Thursday 10 October 2019 at 9.15am. 18 People responded to the Event and 13 showed up on the day. They were shown the entire process of the waste recovery from receiving the materials at the centre, to the end product.

Two notable processes are the Red Waste materials and Green Waste materials.

Red waste is collected, sorted and bailed. Bailed waste is stacked in a pyramid form and covered in dart. Items that need to go to landfill but are too large for bailing are put in amongst the bail pile. Approximately 50% of the material that comes to the centres in the Red Bins is “resource loss” materials, i.e. materials that should have been put in the Yellow or Green bins instead. This is a similar statistic to what most Councils would report. Council has previously had a report regarding reducing the frequency of Red Bin collection to fortnightly, rather than weekly. Originally, 60% of the Community were accepting of this proposal, however at the time it wasn’t resolved. The Manager Waste Services and Technical Support will present a report on Waste Diversion to the Council in 2022/23, at the end of the 5 year period that was proposed when the change was first recommended, which will assess whether Council is meeting State standards and reducing the collection frequency if not.

Green Waste is collected, processed and tested before being sold in bulk or locally by the Recovery Centre and JR Richards. The processing involves the collected waste being shredded and pasteurised, being heated to 55°C to kill any insects or germs etc. Moisture and air is then added and the “compost” spends about 3 months in the sun, where it is churned intermittently. Once it has broken down, the compost is sent to a facility to test against the Australian Standards and can be sold if it meets these. Buyers include vineyards and orchards as well as individuals.

Bioplastics are another area of concern. They require being heated to 50°C to break down, so they are hard for people to utilise in their own backyard compost piles. In terms of Council’s process there are a few issues integrating bioplastics into the system. Many businesses had keyed onto the idea of bioplastics and are marketing regular plastic as such. The actual bioplastic products are hard to distinguish from regular plastic to be sorted effectively and avoid contaminating the compost. Bioplastics also take a lot longer to fully breakdown, therefore increasing “visible contaminates” in the compost for longer. This means that the time in the sun composting etc. would need to be longer to allow for these products to decompose.

A suggestion was made to try and integrate separate waste “streams” into the current collection system, similar to Sydney Councils, i.e. paper and cardboard stream, other plastics stream, bioplastics stream etc. At the moment, cost is a factor in assessing this proposal. The current contract for Waste Recovery was established in 2012 and will be up for renewal in 2022/23.

RECOMMENDATION                                                              Mr A Kennedy/Ms M McDonell

That

1        The efforts of the Staff involved in the Private Tour of the Facility, particularly Council’s Research and Projects Officer, Kylie Tomlinson, for running the day, be acknowledged by the Committee

2        The verbal report by Council’s Manager Waste Services and Technical Support be acknowledged

ACTION ITEM

That the Manager Waste Services and Technical Support extend the acknowledgements from the Committee to Kylie Tomlinson on their behalf.

3.3     Particle Pollution - by Greg Perry

TRIM Reference:        2019/1669

The data provided to the Committee is in its early stages, to gather a sufficient baseline, study would need to be done and the data recorded over a few years.  The study is predominantly to show the effects wood smoke has on particle pollution in Orange. It also tracked bushfires and hazard reduction burning. 

Notably, winter as a season generally has a higher rate of combustible particles, such as but not limited to particles from wood smoke etc. The data collected for winter 2019 shows that despite it being a mild winter, the number of combustible particles was still at a high level when compared to previous years with colder winters. Fine particulates, those of PM2.5, levels rose as well over the timeframe. These are the particulates that cause respiratory issues as they are small enough to inhale into the lungs.

The policy implications involved in studying particle pollution specifically relating to wood fires could see and enforced ban, however that is not an outcome sought by the Council. A suggestion was to try and better educate the users of woodfires in regards to what they are burning, getting better quality, dry wood, keeping the fireplace clean etc.

The OEH Air Quality Monitoring station in Orange is set up at Jaegar Reserve on Hill Street. The data has been requested to be linked on Council’s website for residents of Orange to access. The Automatic Weather Stations are funded by the Bureau of Meteorology and Orange’s is out at the Airport. The data from this is available online. The ESCC Members were advised that, should they wish to, they can go and have a look at the station at Jaegar Reserve.

Council’s Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer, Greg Perry, will continue doing his research for the next 12-18 month and an official report will be given to the Acting Director Development Services soon. He will be speaking to the Public Health regarding Orange’s levels being much higher to Bathurst’s over the same period.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                           Cr J McRae/Ms S Alford

That the report presented by Council’s Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer and the Committee discussion be acknowledged.

ACTION ITEMS

That Council’s Chief Executive Officer follow up regarding placing a link for the Air Quality Monitoring data on Council’s Website

The Council’s Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer contact Public Health in regards to Orange v Bathurst particle pollution levels.

3.4     Water Matters

TRIM Reference:        2019/1666

Council has established an operational team and comprehensive management strategy to focus on the current water situation. The team is comprised of Council staff from various areas, such as Tech Services, City Presentation and the Communications Team, and will assist with community engagement for both residential and business sectors in town in regards to reducing their water usage, particularly coming into the warmer months.

Council has done presentations on water usage internally, to inform all staff, and externally to organisations such as ECCO and at events like Sustainable Living Week. Community engagement efforts have also been made via our website. The biggest gains in terms of water saving measures etc. are to be had in the Residential Sector. The current usage is 130-140L/person per day, the aim over summer is to keep this down, i.e. reduce water use.

In terms of new Developments in town, conditions are issued on the consent to ensure build sites are adhering to the water restrictions. Swimming pools are still being approved however they cannot be filled or topped up from the town water supply.

In terms of compliance, the current process is as follows:

1. A complaint is made and an internal investigation conducted

2. A letter is sent to the complainant acknowledging the issue and an initial warning letter is sent to Infringer

3. If they continue to infringe, the Rangers are sent for a face to face meeting/verbal warning

4. If the behaviour continues after the Rangers warning, a fine of $2200 is issued.

An Enforcement/Compliance Officer position has also been established and should be filled in the next 12 months.

All effluent water currently goes Cadia. The purple taps (dual water) is treated potable water. A fact sheet is available on Council’s website regarding the Dual Water system.

Moving forward, it is advised that is people witness someone doing the wrong thing regarding water restrictions that they report it to Council for action to be taken. A request has been made for more regular updates on the current water situation be put more prominently on the website. Also that town signs (like those in Dubbo) regarding water, are implemented in Orange.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                         Ms S Alford/Mrs A Salter

That

1      The verbal report presented by Council’s Water and Sewerage Strategic Manager be acknowledged.

2      The Committee request Water Update Signs, like those in Dubbo, are put in place in Orange to keep the community informed.

ACTION ITEMS

That the Dual Water Fact Sheet be distributed to Committee Members

5.1     Sustainable Living Week

TRIM Reference:        2019/1667

The Committee moved to deal with Item 5.1 earlier in the meeting, as the Guest Speaker, Mr John Mills, had prior commitments to attend.

Sustainable Living Week is scheduled to run from 27 October 2019 to 16 November 2019. In that time frame, a variety of events will take place such as a Wetlands Walk, School Cooking Competition, Reducing Plastic Waste Workshop at the E.L.F on 31 October 2019, Waratahs Revegetation etc. The big event is the Sustainable Living Expo. A copy of the program for the Expo was presented to Committee members, and is also available on the Rotary Facebook Page, as is their Sustainable Living Week Brochure.

This event has been established in partnership with Orange City Council. The hope is for it to become an annual or bi-annual event, with Council’s support. It has been requested that Committee members take the time to check the Social Media related to this event and to share and advocate.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                       K Willoughby/Mr C Smith

That the report presented by Mr John Mills be acknowledged.

**The Acting Director Development Services left with the time being 9.00am**

**The Health and Building Surveyor left with the time being 9.04am**

**The Trainee Aboriginal Environmental Health Officer left with the time being 9.09am**

**Mr John Mills left with the time being 9.13am**

4       PRIORITY PROJECTS

4.1     Combined ESCC Projects Report

TRIM Reference:        2019/1665

The Chair informed the Committee that in terms of the Priority Project Groups, these were formed in order to have more detailed discussions within themselves at intervals between the meetings and then report back to ESCC.

A request was put forward to assist in obtaining an OCC Mentor for each sub-committee as a point of call within Council. It was also requested that each sub-committee organise to meet before the next meeting and prepare a report on their current status to present at the next ESCC Meeting.

RECOMMENDATION                                                                  Mr A Kennedy/K Willoughby

That

1       The Committee reaffirms commitment to the priority project model and determines project areas/groups for 2019/20

2       The Committee clarifies role of priority projects compared to other items in formulating meeting agendas.

3        That the report presented by the Education Project Group be acknowledged.

MOTION                                                                                            Cr S Nugent/Mr C Smith

That the Water Report, as circulated by Committee Member Mr Cyril Smith in 17 October 2019, be noted.

5       EVENTS

**Ms Shahreen Alford left the meeting with the time being 9.25am**

**The Senior Planner left the meeting with the time being 9.30am**

**The Acting Director Development Services returned to the meeting at 9.33am**

**Miss Anwen Carney left the meeting with the time being 9.34am**

5.2     Climate Behind the Headlines Public Talk Series

TRIM Reference:        2019/1668

The Futuring Orange Facebook page is the best starting point for people wanting to be involved in the series. There has been good turn outs so far.

LGNSW passed a motion to declare a Climate Emergency on Tuesday 15 October 2019

RECOMMENDATION

That the verbal report presented by Councillor Stephen Nugent be acknowledged.

The Meeting Closed at 9.44AM

Environmental Sustainability Policy Committee                                                     4 February 2020

Attachment 1      ESCC 18 October 2019 Agenda