Mayoral Column 5th August 2020

Published on 04 August 2020

Re-Use Goulburn project approved

The upgrade of the Goulburn Waste Management Centre, also known as the RUG (Re-Use Goulburn), is an exciting project that will complete the site’s transformation from a traditional landfill to a modern Waste Management Centre.

Development approval for the project has now been gained, after it was ticked off by the Joint Regional Planning Panel recently.

It is important that we recycle as much as possible and that our community reduces the amount we dispose of in landfill. The new facilities will be constructed with this as the primary purpose, while also improving the experience for our customers visiting the waste centre who will be able to dispose of most waste streams in an undercover facility.

The upgrade will feature a Re-Use Hub located prior to entering the main waste disposal area. This will enable people to dispose of reusable items conveniently when they are on their way to the waste centre. Items will then be repaired if required, and on-sold. Items such as furniture and building products are expected to be popular. Based on feedback from other Council areas, these facilities generally run at around a break-even point, meaning the expenses of operating the shops is roughly offset by the income received. The biggest impact is in reducing waste to landfill and ensuring items are reused when possible.

The second component of the upgrade is a new recycling shed located near the current waste drop off bays. This will be an undercover, one-stop-shop for waste disposal with a Community Recycling Centre for hazardous wastes, drop off areas for recyclables such as mattresses, polystyrene and cardboard, plus facilities to allow the weighed disposal of items such as organic waste, co-mingled recycling and landfill waste. This will enable mixed loads to be separated at the point of disposal so that rather than having trailer load charges, we will be able to charge recyclables for example at a cheaper rate than waste disposed of in landfill.

The Community Recycling Centre component of the upgrade is supported by the Environmental Trust as part of the NSW EPA’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, funded from the waste levy.

Cookbundoon scores facility upgrade

It was brilliant to join members of Southern Tablelands Football Association and Federal Minister Angus Taylor at Cookbundoon last week to confirm a new amenities building to be built this financial year after $572,884 was allocated to the project through the Federal Government Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

Council will also contribute $500,000 to the project, and is bringing this amount forward from the 2021/22 budget to ensure work can get underway shortly. The project will focus on providing better change rooms, bathrooms and facilities for soccer players in the region.

Congratulations must go to the hard working committee of STFA along with all of the volunteers who have worked behind the scenes to get this on the agenda.

Soccer probably attracts more participants than any other sport in our region, and this upgrade is desperately needed. At the moment females have no specific change rooms at Cookbundoon, and we look forward to fixing that issue very soon!