Driven by Tenterfield Shire Council in conjunction with a number of other regional municipalities, the study will be developed to determine whether a regional W2E pilot plant is warranted.
It will also assist participating organisations to make more informed decisions about waste in the future.
Mayor Chris Bilkey said waste to energy was one of a range of solutions that may be able to assist in decreasing the amount of waste going to landfill.
“Councils are increasingly coming under pressure on waste, whether it be problems with recyclables, costs of implementing new waste systems or simply costs of disposal – either locally, or shipping waste elsewhere,’’ he said.
“A number of industry experts have spoken about the benefits of W2E technology so we see this study as a real opportunity for councils to look at how they may deal with the issue of waste in a more cost effective manner.’’
Waste-to-energy describes a process where energy and resources are retrieved from waste through processing — resulting in the production of useable energy products.
Tenterfield Shire Council have undertaken significant research into how W2E could be applied on a local scale, providing a comprehensive overview of their work thus far at the Country Mayors Association held last year.
Following the presentation and to progress the W2E matter further, the Country Mayors Association subsequently requested financial assistance from NSW councils to enable the completion of the comprehensive feasibility study.
The study is expected to cost $540,000 with outputs to be owned and available for use by all contributing councils.
“This comprehensive study will provide council with not only a framework for assessing any future waste-to-energy proposals, but a number of suggestions regarding the direction of our waste services activities,” Cr Bilkey said.
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