A plan to build a centre focused on the development of circular economies has been announced for Bega, New South Wales.
Key points:
- Advocates hope that Bega will have the state’s most advanced circular economy by 2030
- The Bega Group says some businesses in the area are already adopting circular economic strategies
- The architecture firm that designed the centre says it will be a “unique” building
The state government has committed $14 million to the $19m National Circularity Centre (NCC) project and the Bega Group will contribute the remaining $5m and the land for the Cox Architecture-designed building.
The centre will be a hub for the research and development of economic models based on sustainability, but the Bega Group says will also offer food, information for visitors and events.
It is hoped that the centre will help the Bega Valley become home to the state’s most advanced circular economy by 2030.
“This project is a great example of government, education, private businesses and Indigenous organisations working together in a multi-purpose space to create smart jobs and new businesses opportunities for people living and working in Bega and surrounding areas,” Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said.
Bega Group executive chair Barry Irvin said the centre would attract domestic and international visitors.
“It will be a great centre of collaboration where we bring together people from all walks of life, with the best of technology, education and resource management and say, ‘This is how you run a region that is truly focused on a sustainable future,'” he said.
“It’s actually very hard to show people sustainability — you can talk about a wetland or you can talk about a solar farm, but it’s very hard to show people.
“What we intend to do is, in real time, be able to live stream from a number of these project sites into the circularity centre using the best technology.
“We can actually show people what sustainability in practical terms looks like and how it can actually improve both environmental, economic and social outcomes.”
‘Unique building complex’
Mr Irvin says there are businesses adopting circular models in the region already.
“The Bega Valley is the perfect place to do these proof-of-concept type projects,” he said.
“We’re an enclosed valley, we’re a community that’s used to working together, but we’re large enough so we can prove something works here and then it can be shared elsewhere.
“Ocean2Earth are taking fish waste and timber waste and turning that into a really high-grade, high-value fertiliser, which is then being used on local gardens.
“But also we’re seeing it being used now from an experimental point of view on some of our dairy farms, and that’s just getting great outcomes.”
Cox Architecture founder Philip Cox said the concept designs and model showed the building would be unlike any other.
“That’s a unique building complex … that demonstrates a whole heap of ideas and metaphors,” he said.
“It’s essentially an education centre.
“It’s a place where people will realise the aspects of circular philosophy that apply to manufacturing and daily life.”
According to not-for-profit group Circular Australia, NSW has high resource consumption and average-to-poor recirculation and recycling rates.
It says 35 per cent of the 20 million tonnes of waste generated in the state per year goes to landfill.
The body said a lack of understanding about circular economies was a challenge and that incentives were needed to get people on board.
It also said that businesses had “change fatigue” and that regulators did not always recognise sharing and reuse business models.
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