Circular economy for Western Parkland City

Sydney Water has revealed its plans for a $1 trillion circular economy across the Western Parkland City, with the launch of its white paper, Unlocking the circular economy in the Western Parkland City.

Using input from 60 stakeholders from various sectors such as business, industry, government, academia and communities, the paper outlines how Sydney Water will introduce a circular economy with the collaboration of public and private sectors to foster a thriving, modern, liveable city.

“Transitioning to a circular economy ecosystem through thoughtful land-use planning and wider re-use of water, materials and waste will be critical for unlocking sustainable economic growth — but will rely on councils, governments and businesses working together to streamline approvals for technology and other vital investment,” said Sydney Water’s Managing Director Roch Cheroux.

“Western Sydney has the opportunity to be a global leader in circular economy implementation and with the extent of greenfield development being planned for now we must embrace this opportunity.”

The white paper sets out six recommendations in the report to enable the facilitation of the circular economy, including:

1. Setting targets and policies that help create a circular city.
2. Valuing circular economy outcomes in business cases for infrastructure investment.
3. Better collaboration with industry to make it easier to test new solutions and navigate regulatory processes in a timely and cost-effective way.
4. Creation of systems and incentives to connect circular supply chains.
5. Optimising water cycle management for a green, cool and climate-resilient city.
6. Expansion of biofuel production.

“Under the recommendations, turning food waste into energy is one of the largest economic opportunities for the Western Parkland City. Systems for collecting, transporting and converting waste into biofuel could be part of the earliest planning stages and built into new homes and surrounding communities,” Cheroux said.

Launching the white paper at Parliament House, Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade and Minister for Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres MP, outlined his vision for Western Sydney as the centrepiece of global circular economy leadership.

“The NSW Government has demonstrated its commitment to driving circular economy outcomes through NSW Circular and dedicated grant funding announced yesterday. We have a clear direction, and by working together we will create a national and global benchmark for a circular economy in the Western Parkland City,” Ayres said.

“Sydney Water is proud to have led this work which presents a joined-up view on what needs to happen if we are serious about the Western Parkland City becoming a global benchmark for a circular economy on the largest scale seen to date in Australia,” Cheroux said.

“The circular economy is a trillion-dollar economic opportunity for Australia, and we have the opportunity to become world-class leaders in this field.”

Image caption: Stuart Ayres MP