Turn human waste into energy and save ratepayers half a million a year
“Queensland’s Logan City is the first local government area in Australia to turn human waste into energy after trialling a state-of-the-art gasification plant at the Loganholme Waste Water Treatment plant.
The $17 million plant takes biosolids, a substance made from the treatment of sewage, and generates electricity. It also creates an inert substance called biochar that can be used for agricultural purposes.
The council believes the process will save Logan ratepayers $500,000 a year in the running costs of its wastewater operation.
It will help meet a goal for council operations to be carbon neutral by 2022 via renewable energy and the delivery of carbon offsets.”
ABC: Logan City turning human waste into energy in move to go carbon neutral within two years
Great initiative that might interest Barwon Water?
Exeter: Carbon neutral by 2030
How and when will we make our city a climatesafe city by 2030? What will it take?
For inspiration, have a look to the UK, where Exeter City Futures has launched a roadmap to enable the city to become carbon neutral by 2030: Roadmap launched in bid for Exeter to become carbon neutral by 2030
Entitled ‘Net Zero Exeter 2030’ the plan sets out a series of practical actions that local authorities, organisations and individuals can take. The plan comes with associated carbon savings and costs, all of which Exeter will need to put in place in order to become net-zero carbon.
The plan has been produced by Exeter City Futures and presented to Exeter City Council. The Plan is built on the understanding that success will only be achieved through a genuinely collective effort from everyone, to ensure Exeter remains one of the greatest places to live in the UK.
The plan been four years in the making with collaboration with the many different communities, institutions, organisations and individuals who make up our city. “Everyone across Exeter has a role to play, this isn’t something that can be delivered by any local authority alone,” said Liz O’Driscoll, managing director at Exeter City Futures.
Exeter City Council declared a climate emergency in July last year.
Councils’ rules and responsibilities
The Victorian Government has released guidance for councils on their roles and responsibilities when responding to climate change, a 24-page guidance brief to assist local government decision-makers to understand the scope and deliver on their roles and responsibilities for adaptation under current Victorian legislation.
The document states that “statutory authorities, including local government, have a duty of care in exercising their functions and powers to manage foreseeable risks. Secondly, climate change hazards and risks are significant and foreseeable, so decision-makers are accountable for considering these matters in making a decision as part of exercising their duty of care. Thirdly, good decisionmaking is enabled by acting as a ‘reasonable person’ in making decisions guided by law.
The guidance was developed based on expert legal review and the outcomes from four consultation workshops held with local government in different regions of Victoria in 2019.
→ Read or download the document