Projects | Regional Victoria Circular Scan & Upstream Resource Mapping, Australia

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A circular economy shifts society’s current ‘take, make, waste’ mindset towards a circular ‘design out, retain, regenerate’ system.

This concept was explored in regional Victoria by Aurecon and Lifecycles (lifecycle assessment specialists), working in partnership with nine councils across the Loddon Mallee and Loddon Campaspe regions. The focus was on mapping the circular economy landscape in three key local sectors: construction, consumer and household goods, and agriculture.

The project achieved a shift in thinking away from circular economy solely being about kerbside waste and recycling. The consumption and transformation of how primary and secondary materials are used represent even greater opportunities for circularity.

The team identified nine immediate circular economy opportunities able to be implemented by (or with support from) the local councils. These, combined, will divert up to 688,000 tonnes annually of waste materials otherwise sent to landfill, reducing regional greenhouse gases by up to 418,000 tonnes per year of equivalent carbon emissions.

The opportunities ranged from high-value upcycling of pre-farmgate wasted food to modular construction solutions for new buildings, and introducing local circular economy manufacturing processes.

Landscape mapping from data inputs

Aurecon began the project by gathering data on current levels of waste produced by each sector, the percentage of waste recycled, each sector’s asset lifecycles, population housing stock in the regions, their potential business economic growth, and capital expenditure projections.

This was combined with council strategies and targets, and an understanding of a circular economy, to determine which data was going to be valuable for the landscape mapping exercise.

We then investigated circular economy opportunities based on the project’s defined benefit criteria of:

Maximum circular economy benefits from each opportunity
Economic assessment: the capital investment required to realise each opportunity, and the likelihood of job creation, value creation and cost savings
Impact and scale of each opportunity from the perspective of who it benefits, such as a single business, cross-region or entire supply chains
The potential carbon emissions savings of each opportunity

Location

Dja Dja Wurrung, Wemba Wemba, Kureinji, Baraba Baraba, Wergaia Country
Regional Victoria, Australia

Client

City of Greater Bendigo

Partners

Lifecycles, Campaspe Shire Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Gannawarra Shire Council, Buloke Shire Council, Swan Hill Rural City Council, Loddon Shire Council. Funded by City of Greater Bendigo, Sustainability Victoria and Recycling Victoria.

Aurecon's Role

Circular economy advisory, stakeholder engagement

Expertise

Circular Economy, Sustainability & Climate Change

Complete

2023

6 team members from Aurecon's Circular Economy team. L-R: Emily Hendrikx, Audrey Christiansen, Leann Feng, Izzat Majid, Chase Wieland, Jodie Bricout.

A circular economy framework can be applied to modular construction of new and revitalised buildings.

High-value upcycling of pre-farmgate wasted food was identified as a circular economy opportunity.

Introducing local circular economy agricultural processes.

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6 team members from Aurecon's Circular Economy team. L-R: Emily Hendrikx, Audrey Christiansen, Leann Feng, Izzat Majid, Chase Wieland, Jodie Bricout.

Collaboration was key

This project took circular economy beyond targets, towards identifying immediate actions that make a significant change to the net zero achievements of the regions.

Collaboration between the councils, in close partnership with state government bodies and industry, will be central to the implementation of identified opportunities in order to reduce waste and primary materials inputs.