Brooklyn is home to the first Better Environment Plan in the state, as part of an innovative approach to local environment management from the Brooklyn Recycling Group.
EPA Victoria has approved the plan, which is seeking to support businesses in exploring innovative solutions for issues likely to impact human health and the environment.
Recycling and fertiliser businesses in the Brooklyn industrial precinct – Gypsum & Fertilizer Pty Ltd, City Circle Recycling Pty Ltd, Resource Co Pty Ltd and Delta Recycling Pty Ltd – are the first companies to sign on to the new scheme.
The plan commits the group to identify and implement strategies to reduce dust pollution and improve air quality in Melbourne’s inner west.
This includes establishing natural windbreaks, installing dust monitors in more locations and undertaking a comprehensive communications campaign to ensure key stakeholders, particularly the local community, are kept informed of milestones and progress.
Brooklyn Recycling Group spokesperson Christian Buxton said the initiative represents a significant step forward for the recycling industry and environmental management across the state.
“This Better Environment Plan is an ambitious project aimed at transforming waste management practices and enhancing the circular economy,” he said.
“Our primary objective is to reduce the generation of dust from our operations. Through this partnership, we aim to create a lasting positive impact on the environment while fostering economic growth in the region.”
EPA Victoria strategy executive director Suzy Neilan said the authority was pleased to have the first plan underway.
“These plans provide an opportunity to think outside the box when it comes to managing potential impacts on community and the environment,” she said.
“For EPA, it’s about providing guidance and information so we can all meet our environmental obligations; we need to think differently when it comes to protecting our environment.”
The objectives and actions outlined in the BEP were developed with the state government’s Clean Air for All Victorians Strategy (2022) and the recommendations of the Inner West Air Quality Community Reference report, Group Air Pollution in Melbourne’s Inner West: taking direct action to reduce our community’s exposure (2020).
