Albert and Logan News: Thursday, 23 May 2019 at 1.30pm
By Judith Kerr
One of the fastest growing suburbs in southeast Queensland has been chosen to come up with guidelines to build a community which is totally environmentally sustainable.
AN emerging housing estate in southeast Queensland will play a part in driving an Australian-first to reduce energy consumption and waste.
The Logan suburb of Yarrabilba, the fastest growing suburb in Logan City, was chosen to be part of a groundbreaking program to come up with guidelines to build a community which is totally environmentally sustainable.
The program, called the Circular Economy Lab, is the brainchild of the state Environment Department with input from businesses and think tanks across the state.
From Logan, input will come from the highly successful Kingston-based social enterprise Substation 33.
Substation 33 founder and entrepreneur Tony Sharp said residents would be consulted about how they wanted to reduce waste and what types of recycling would work best in their community.
“Different communities want and need different types of recycling,” he said.
“We are trying to come up with new ways to keep communities recycling.
“Do we try to recycle everything or do we try to reduce what we consume — or both?”
The Circular Economy Lab will meet with residents to pose questions such how to extend the life of white goods and whether to lease goods or buy them.
Mr Sharp said the trial aimed to get people to change their behaviours to cut waste and save money.
Other participating organisations from Logan include Yarrabilba’s developer Lendlease, RACQ, Fisher & Paykel, Access Community Services and industrial equipment supplier Movus.
The Yarrabilba workshop was expected to be some time in July, when residents will discuss new ways to cut waste, save money and benefit the environment.