Environment and Sustainability Projects

Biogas Generator

A stand-out sustainability initiative has been the installation of a Biogas Generator at the Hyland Highway Landfill.

The Biogas project will generate clean, low emission energy though utilising captured landfill gas, offsetting over 80% of Council’s electricity needs.

While conventional flaring, under EPA requirements, converts methane gas into carbon dioxide and reduces landfill CO2 emissions by a factor of more than 20, harnessing the methane gas and converting it to an energy source has the added benefit of providing a new localised energy source that can be fed back into the electricity grid.

Hyland Highway Education Centre Refurbishment

The Hyland Highway Landfill Education Centre is undergoing refurbishment and has rebranded to support and promote this Biogas generator technology across the industry and with local education providers.

The centre has been used by school groups as part of Council’s ‘WasteSmart’ tours of its waste and recycling facilities for the past 10 years and is being redeveloped to include information and resources about sustainability and renewable energy technologies.

A highlight of these tours is now to explain how the Biogas Generator fits within the Circular Economy.

Building partnerships with local schools and tertiary institutions to showcase both economic and sustainable energy opportunities is an important part of building a strong energy future for the region.

Geothermal heating of the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre

A cutting-edge project delivered early in 2021 was the heating design of the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre in Traralgon. Geothermal heat is used to heat the entire facility, including five pools, a state-of-the-art indoor gymnasium, a café, and office space.

By choosing Geothermal instead of gas heating, 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide are avoided annually.

Total 2020/21 Installed Capacity 554 kW

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Council has been driving the installation of PV solar panels on a number of Council and community buildings bringing the current installed capacity to 554kW. The project aims to install a further 376.5 kW of solar PV panels by the end of 2021.

Council solar generation in 2020 was estimated at 708,844 kWh from solar sites, which significantly contributed to reduce 759 tonnes of annual CO2-e emissions.

Public Lighting Upgrade

Council is currently progressing upgrades to lighting within public buildings and spaces. Lighting accounts for 30% of Councils total electricity consumption.

A recently completed Audit identified the opportunity to provide electricity savings of 20-40%, allowing these funds to be redirected into other valuable projects while further reducing Latrobe City Councils greenhouse gas emissions.

Lighting System Upgrade Lighting System to LED at Morwell Headquarter

The Morwell Headquarters is the primary office space supporting our valuable employees. The building is also amongst the top 10 highest energy-using buildings of all Latrobe City Council’s assets.

Replacing the current light fittings with LED lights will save close to $9000 per year as well as reduce emissions.

Strzelecki-Alpine Biolink

The Strzelecki-Alpine Biolink is an ambitious council and community group driven project that seeks to protect and enhance important habitat corridors extending from the Strzelecki Ranges in the south to the Baw Baw / Alpine Ranges in the North.

Provision of wildlife corridors and habitat stepping-stones are important to allow animals to move freely throughout the landscape, find food, shelter, and breeding partners or new areas to live.

Movement is essential to the transfer of genes and nutrient flow between populations of plants and animals, making strong networks of healthy habitat integral to creating diverse and resilient ecosystems.

The Biolink area encompasses both public and private land and we are always looking for community members who are eager to get involved.

For more information visit the Strzelecki-Alpine Biolink Website or email RRE@latrobe.vic.gov.au to get involved.

Greater Glider Nest Box Project

The Greater Glider Nest Box Project is joint initiative with Latrobe City Council, Landcare Victoria, Greening Australia and Federation University and will be part of a string of projects within the Strzelecki-Alpine Biolink footprint.

The project aims to install 20 specially designed nest boxes, with trail cameras, in the Boolarra area to support Greater Glider population growth.

Alongside this the aim is to conduct a study of nest box use by Greater Gliders and other threatened species. With opportunities for community involvement by implementing primary school photo monitoring and community spotlighting tours.

Offsetting Council Vehicle Fleet Emissions by Planting Trees

During 2020, Council exceeded its annual target of 7,000 trees to offset its fleet vehicle emissions by planting over 22,000 trees and shrubs across urban waterways and reserves.

This was enabled by the Victorian Government’s ‘Working for Victoria - COVID Response Plan’.

This is an ongoing initiative, with plans to continue offsetting emissions with tree planting through Latrobe City.

Morwell Landfill Rehabilitation

20,000 planted tube stock are slowly reaching out their roots and waving their little green leaves in the wind on what was once a dumping ground for rubbish.

The revegetating of the former Morwell Landfill will not only help keep down erosion, sequester carbon but will one day become a bushland reserve in the Latrobe City Area, giving a sustainable future to a former Landfill.

Ollerton Reserve Revegetation

Ollerton Committee of Management have funded a revegetation project of about 500 plants in a disused walkway in the reserve.

A bare pathway has become populated with a range of indigenous plants supporting local diversity.

Burgan Removal Crinigan & Ollerton Reserves

Crinigan  and Ollerton Bushland Reserve have just undergone their annual clearing of “Burgan”. A weedy native that rapidly grows and out competes its fellow native plants and soon colonises large spaces.

Latrobe City Council in conjunction with the CFA have removed huge patches of Burgan in 2021.

Some of the Burgan removal will reduce fuel loads in the reserves and serve as a fire break, other areas in the reserve will be revegetated with indigenous plants, with the aim to outgrow the Burgan and return the reserves back to as close as to pre-European conditions as modern life will allow.

Crinigan Bushland Reserve Waterbird Viewing Platform

Ken Smith a passionate conservationist, bird watcher and Indigenous plant expert and long-term member of the Crinigan Bushland Reserve, donated funds in his will to provide a waterbird viewing panel.

This has recently been erected at what is colloquially called the “Hospital Dam” that is being revegetated into a healthy habitat for waterbirds.

Ken’s passion and knowledge of the local flora and birdlife is still sorely missed and remembered.

Hyland Highway Landfill Revegetation Project

Latrobe City Council is supporting an extensive revegetation project on a former Blue Gum Plantation.  

What was once an anthropocentric and commercial orientated site will become an indigenous bushland reserve over a massive 94 hectares.

This site will become habitat to a range of local wildlife, such as the Greater Glider and Strelecki koala, and hopefully we will see a sighting of an echidna or two digging for her dinner.

Wildlife refuges provide habitat but also safe connectivity to nearby native bushland reserves on public and private property, especially in our fragmented modern landscape.

National Tree Day

Each year Council organises a National Tree Day event. Planting trees with the community to help offset our emissions.

Unfortunately, in 2020 and 2021 we have been unable to go ahead with this worthwhile community event.

Tree Planting at Crinigan Reserve

We are planting over 1500 indigenous plants throughout the Crinigan Bushland reserve in 2021 to enhance habitat and biodiversity.

Take a stroll through the woodland and keep an eye out for the lyre bird and seldom seen koala.

More information about the September 2024 Bio Blitz can be found on Visit Latrobe.