INSIDE: CONCERTS CELEBRATE 150 YEARS + PET OF THE WEEK
Council News CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2019
Issue No: 286
Weekly information from us to you COUNCIL’S MOVE TO COMPOSTABLE MAIL BAGS
The autumn edition of Wagga Wagga City Council’s What’s On Guide was sent out recently in green mail bags – made from vegetables. Visitor Economy and Events Officer Kimberly Parker said using the green compostable mail bags was another step to reduce Council’s environmental footprint. “Each year Council’s Visitor Information Centre sends out more than 1000 bags for our What’s On Guide, in addition to the various other publications we produce. Previously we’ve been using single-use plastic bags, which most probably would have been going straight into landfill. “We felt it was important to make a change,” Ms Parker said. Made from vegetable material, the Australian Certified Compostable bags will breakdown with organic waste into compost to nourish our soils. In turn the soil will support new vegetable crops, demonstrating a closed loop cycle. The bags can be put into Council’s green bin (for food and garden organic waste) after all labels have been removed. The bags have even passed the eco-toxicity and worm test, which is unique to the Australian Standard, the most stringent of all worldwide compostability standards. The composted bags can be used for organic farming, food contact, worm farms and in animal feed. Ms Parker hopes more local businesses will follow suit. “It’s a great initiative. It means fewer plastic bags going to waste, and it’s an easy way for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint,” she said. The bags are the latest step in a series of changes Council’s Visitor Economy & Events team has made to improve sustainable practices. Continued page 2.
Levee upgrade work complete Wagga Wagga now has a newly upgraded Main City Levee Bank.
The $23M major infrastructure project was completed this week and protects the city against a 1 in 100 year flood event. Council Director Commercial Operations Caroline Angel said the project was one of the largest undertaken by Council in recent times. “It was a $23M project which we delivered four weeks ahead of schedule,” Ms Angel said. “The significance of such an important
piece of infrastructure to the city cannot be understated. “The level of flood protection it now provides safeguards the city against a rare major flooding event.” Ms Angel said being able to utilise the levee bank for sections of the Active Travel Plan project is a win-win for the city. “It has been a long project and many people have been involved at various stages to bring it to fruition,” Ms Angel said. “We also recognise the patience and understanding of the general public – at times we needed to close access to areas
of the levee as work continued. “The result of that is a piece of infrastructure that will benefit the city for many years to come. We have also incorporated a fantastic walking and cycling pathway across the top of the levee which provides a fantastic public facility for everyone to enjoy.” Stage 1 of the Main City Levee project started in October 2017. The second stage was underway in 2019 and included six kilometres of levee bank, of which almost two kilometres required sheetpiling work. The upgraded levee consists of concrete
Weekly waste tip Doing some DIY? Building and construction waste should be taken to Gregadoo Waste Management Centre rather than being placed in your kerbside bins.
walls, sheetpiling, earthworks, crib walls and incorporates two spillways for extreme flooding events. Access to the levee has been significantly improved with disability compliant and smoother ramps at seven locations between Hammond Avenue and Travers Street. Indigenous artwork has been placed onto the sheetpile capping to highlight the strong link between the Wiradjuri people and the Murrumbidgee River. The $23M project includes contributions from Wagga City Council ($7.75M), the State Government ($4.1M) and the Federal Government ($10M).