The Pyrmont-Ultimo Precinct scale organics management scoping study

ISF collaborated with Sydney Water, the NSW Environment Protection Authority and other enthusiastic stakeholders in the vibrant Pyrmont-Ultimo Precinct (PUP) corridor, in the heart of Sydney, to help drive innovation in organics waste management.

Within the City of Sydney council area, the PUP corridor, encompassing the iconic Central Park development, is a diverse area comprising residential, educational, office and commercial/retail properties. It is one of the densest urban areas in Australia, set to increase further in the coming years. With such urban densification waste is becoming a pressing problem to manage.

This study identified, at a high level, the diverse organic waste volumes in the PUP corridor from residential and non-residential food waste and sewage through to fats, oils and grease from grease traps. It involved the collation of various disparate datasets, including detailed investigations of large sites such as Central Park, the Fish Markets, TAFE and UTS to help develop geospatial ‘hot spot’ maps of the organics in the PUP corridor. These hot spot maps provide for the first time a more detailed and holistic picture of the organics waste in the area and a first step towards how to manage it more sustainably.

The study also collated a range of international examples of innovative urban organics waste management. These were used to develop illustrative options for the PUP corridor across scales and sectors, showcasing what might be possible in the PUP corridor. The options also show what might be possible within a new paradigm of organics management that crosses sectoral boundaries of stakeholders, policies, funding arrangements and business models.

The illustrative options were used to engage a group of diverse stakeholders – from state and local government, public and private utilities, tertiary institutions and technology providers – to discuss the barriers and opportunities of the innovative options and criteria to consider in a deliberative workshop environment. The study and workshop discussions inspired other ISF research projects in the Greater Sydney region including: