A new circular economy metrics platform launched by NSW Circular will help councils, precincts, industry and communities track their transition to zero waste.
The dashboards, with consistently updated data, provide key performance indicators on the progress of the circular economy in Australia, how much waste we are generating, what types of waste, and where circular economy opportunities may be growing.
“The circular economy is a $2 trillion opportunity in Australia - these metrics will help government, councils, industry and all of us track how we are progressing to unlock new business opportunities, jobs and investment,” said NSW Circular CEO Lisa McLean.
“As we enter the resource and carbon-constrained economy, recycling, reusing and designing out waste will provide exciting new circular economic opportunities.
“These metrics will help identify areas where waste can be used as a resource, how new emerging circular industries and jobs can be measured and help us all get on with building a strong zero-waste, zero-carbon circular future.” said McLean.
The two new dashboards from NSW Circular include the Australian Circularity Benchmarks and the My Circular Community.
The Australian Circularity Benchmarks is a new portal by NSW Circular where business, government and communities can track Australia’s progress to a circular economy, while My Circular Community is a bespoke peer benchmarking reports and interactive metrics dashboards for local councils and their community to visualise key waste management and recycling metrics and trends to expand services and solutions.
Councils and professionals who work with councils can work with NSW Circular to obtain a specific report for their local government area with My Circular Community..
Dr Kar Mei Tang
NSW Circular chief circular economist Dr Kar Mei Tang said: “Measuring our progress towards a circular economy begins with knowing how we are tracking, both historically as well as against our peers.
“We hope these metrics will be important tools for councils, government agencies, researchers and companies working to reduce waste and carbon emissions," said Dr Tang.
NSW Circular is a unique cross-sector innovation network set up to accelerate the pace of change towards a circular economy. Currently hosted by UNSW and governed by an Independent Board. Funded through NSW Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) grants and external revenue, NSW Circular empowers government, industry and people to transition to a circular economy through impactful research and collaborations.
