Lower Hunter councils could reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill under the $455 million Waste Less Recycle More scheme.
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About 100 people attended a conference at East Maitland on Thursday to sharpen their grant applications and earn a bigger share for such recycling initiatives.
Minister for the Environment and Heritage Robyn Parker said the commercial systems existed to convert food and other organic waste into agricultural fertiliser or mine fill.
“There are a number of these plants, but not around here,” she said. “It depends on what the Hunter [councils] want and what they apply for, but they could do something similar.”
The information sessions at East Maitland Bowling Club provided an overview of the Waste Less, Recycle More initiative and specific information on the new grants programs.
This included guidance on the purpose and objectives of the grant program, eligibility and selection criteria, expectations of successful applicants, and important dates within each grant program.
The information sessions are an important way of attracting quality applications that meet the objectives of the government, as well as the objectives of prospective applicants.
“The councils are talking about increasing their drop off centres for waste like chemicals, batteries and fluorescent tubes,” Ms Parker said. “Things that can be recycled instead of going to landfill.”