Reducing the impact of waste emissions has resulted in significant greenhouse gas emission reductions. Green­house gas emissions reduced by 70% across Council opera­tions in 2021-22.

Brighton Council has worked to reduce the environmen­tal impact of its operations – buildings, parks, commu­nity halls, sporting facilities, streetlights, waste services (including community waste) and the vehicle fleet. Brigh­ton Council has invested in 25 measures over the last decade that have saved money on bills, which has flow on impacts for better service delivery.

Brighton Council has rec­ognised the need to urgently and significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to human induced climate change.

The corporate greenhouse gas emissions footprint was over 13,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) in 2020-21 and reduced to 4,000 tCO2-e in 2021- 22. Current emissions are equivalent to the emissions from 862 passenger vehicles driven for one year.

The rapid fall in emissions is largely a result of commu­nity waste being sent to the Copping facility, managed by Southern Waste Solutions, that captures, flares methane gas, and generates electricity from biogas, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions from landfill waste signifi­cantly.

In addition, the introduction of a Food Organics and Gar­den Organics (FOGO) waste service diverted organic mat­ter away from landfill, saving further emissions. In the initial year of FOGO waste service provision over 1,300 tonnes of organic matter has been removed from landfill and recycled into compost.

Other significant mea­sures Brighton Council has undertaken to reduce its environmental impact include:

• Switching over 1000 streetlights to energy efficient LED’s
• Converting heating, lighting, and hot water systems to better per­forming systems
• Installing four rooftop solar systems
• Purchasing two hybrid electric vehicles and procuring an all-electric vehicle
• Investing in biodiversity and habitat restoration through street tree plant­ing and Natural Resource Management

For further information visit www.brighton.tas.gov.au/community/environment.