Turning Hunter Rubbish Into Trees

Thursday, 20 January 2000 10:00

Former mine sites and degraded agricultural lands will be transformed into viable hardwood plantations and wildlife corridors. TEC says the annual waste stream from the Hunter, Newcastle and Central Coast will support a 30 year program to rehabilitate land which has been massively degraded over the last 200 years.

Jeff Angel, Director of Total Environment Centre, said "This proposal offers a real win-win situation. Diverting waste from landfill to land restoration avoids the need for further megatips and the burning of waste in power stations, enhances biodiversity, improves water catchment quality and creates local jobs."

The proposal has been sent to the Premier, relevant Ministers and Hunter agencies, and the Government's.

It involves 200,000 tonnes of organic waste per annum, diverted from landfill. Total Environment Centre recomends establishing a speical taskforce to oversee the programs including funding, new infrastructure and locations for regeneration.