The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) has welcomed the NSW Government’s long-term Sydney Plan, urging policymakers to prioritise waste management alongside housing development.
With Greater Sydney expecting 1.3 million additional residents and 800,000 new homes over two decades, NSROC warns that essential waste capacity is lagging. The Region faces an estimated 1.1 million tonne annual shortfall in putrescible waste capacity by 2030, threatening household services and driving up local costs if unaddressed.
In Short
- Greater Sydney faces a massive 1.1 million tonne annual shortfall in putrescible waste capacity by 2030.
- NSROC warns that essential rubbish processing and recycling facilities must be prioritised alongside the 800,000 new homes expected in the Sydney Plan.
- Local councils are demanding protected zoning for waste sites and a fairer reinvestment of the nearly $1 billion NSW waste levy.
NSROC President and Willoughby City Mayor Tanya Taylor stressed that waste transfer, recycling, and processing facilities are just as crucial as transport, water, sewer, and schools. “If metropolitan planning is about thinking decades ahead, waste infrastructure is exactly the type of essential service that needs that long-term planning,” Taylor noted.
While NSROC commends the Sydney Plan and the 2025 Waste and Circular Infrastructure Plan for protecting industrial land and recognizing location-dependent waste operations, the organization insists that more direct action is required.
Key NSROC Demands:
- Greater Sydney Waste Infrastructure Delivery Plan:Â Establish a concrete roadmap defining facility locations, processing capacity, project sequencing, and operational timeframes.
- Site Protection:Â Secure strategic locations and adequate zoning buffers for transfer stations, processing hubs, and Circular Economy Precincts to prevent encroaching development.
- Waste Levy Reinvestment: Increase direct funding to local councils. The 2026–27 NSW Budget forecasts $998 million in waste and environment levy revenue, yet current five-year funding packages direct less than 10% of annual levy returns toward council and infrastructure support.
NSROC is calling on state leaders, councils, and the waste sector to collaborate swiftly, ensuring Greater Sydney’s rapid growth is backed by a clean, sustainable, and fully integrated waste network.
