SSROC has welcomed the opportunity to serve on the Local Government Advisory Group, which was formed by the NSW EPA in 2020 to facilitate collaboration between state and local governments.

Chaired by EPA CEO Tracy Mackey, the purpose is to:

1. Contribute to environmental policy, legislative and regulatory reforms
2. Advise on the implementation of these reforms, including early identification and troubleshooting of systemic or collective challenges
3. Engage with the best evidence of the day to drive continuous improvement to waste and resource recovery
4. Drive a circular economy for waste in NSW.

SSROC has played a key role in organising membership, encouraging equal representation among metro regional organisations of councils (ROCs) and joint organisations (JOs), alongside regional representatives. Membership will be reviewed every 12 months to ensure equity of representation.

Central on the agenda of all 3 meetings in 2020 has been the NSW 20 Year Waste Strategy, which will determine the direction of waste and resource recovery in NSW for the next quarter-century. Guided by findings of major SSROC projects, such as Sydney Waste Data and Infrastructure Need Analysis, Legislative and Regulatory Reforms for Achieving a Circular Economy, and Paving the Way, we have been actively contributing to ensure our member councils’ experience and expertise are properly reflected in the strategy.

For further details, please see the meeting communiques below:

Meeting 1 – 29 September 2020

LG Advisory Group communique 29 Sept 2020

Meeting 2 – 30 October 2020

Communique - LGAG Meeting - 30.10.20

Meeting 3 – 27 November 2020

Communique - LGAG Meeting - 27 November 2020