Councils and Rubbish: carbon footprint problems
Tuesday, 16 October 2007 03:37
“Councils need to come to grips with this issue if they are to make genuine contributions to avoiding dangerous climate change,” said Jeff Angel, Director of TEC.
"When councils prepare an inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions as the basis for a policy on carbon neutrality, they should include where they send municipal waste. The study by consultants NetBalance* shows councils usually only consider pollution produced by car fleets and energy used in council buildings. However, councils also directly influence what happens to an area’s waste – they make the decision about whether to landfill waste or send it to a modern facility that can recycle and produce green power”.
"If they send waste to landfill, it means they have a much bigger carbon footprint; if it is recycled and produces green power it can cancel out their car fleet and energy greenhouse pollution. It’s also been revealed recently that landfilled waste will pollute the atmosphere for decades to come, creating a long term climate liability,*” stated Mr. Angel.
Creating an inventory of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) is swiftly becoming essential for improving councils’ and residents’ understanding of GHG emissions. GHG inventories provide greater transparency into managing GHG risks, markets and opportunities, as well as giving Councils the opportunity to be recognised for early voluntary action.
While Councils are providing their GHG emissions in annual State of the Environment or sustainability Reports, there is little evidence that it is being done in accordance with a set standard or including all possible sources of GHG.
Furthermore, a recent report from Griffith University’s Urban Research Program suggests councils that fail to take into account climate change in their approval and regulation of polluting activities could very well be setting themselves up to face significant legal challenges in the future.
* NetBalance (2007) Greenhouse Gas Implication for Councils in Managing Municipal Waste
