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The City of Melbourne will invest more than $19.1 million in capital works projects over the coming year to respond to the impacts of climate change, manage parklands and urban forests, and conserve and recycle water.

Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood and Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Environment portfolio, Councillor Cathy Oke, announced that the draft Annual Plan and Budget 2019/20 includes major investments in assets to create a more sustainable city.

Acting Lord Mayor Wood stated “we’re investing more than $19.1 million in capital works projects to make our city more sustainable and resilient. This includes investing $7.1 million in infrastructure upgrades across 480 hectares of Melbourne’s internationally acclaimed parks and gardens.

“We will invest $4.2 million to plant at least 3,400 trees this year and care for the more than 80,000 trees we manage in the public realm. We will continue to plant a variety of new Australian and international species that are suited to warmer temperatures.”

“This summer was Melbourne’s hottest on record so it’s important we conserve our water. That’s why we’re investing $4.2 million in our strategy to collect and re-use rainwater across the city. Our projects to renew drains and harvest stormwater will protect our iconic gardens from drought and extreme weather conditions.”

Acting Lord Mayor Wood went on to say that the Council is proud to be using renewable energy to power all of its facilities through the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project, commenting "we’re proud to be using energy from the Crowlands 80MW windfarm near Ararat to power our street lights, recreation centres, libraries and Town Halls. We will also look to help other progressive organisations to combine their energy demand to drive new investment in renewable energy."

Councillor Oke said the draft Budget includes $1.9 million to implement the first year of the Green Our City Strategic Action Plan, adding "we will work with the Victorian Government to create a demonstration green roof in the central city and increase the quality of green roofs and vertical greening across the municipality. There are currently around 40 green roofs in the municipality."

Alongside the investment in capital works, the City of Melbourne spends $24 million each year on waste and recycling services and will invest $900,000 to deliver the first year of their Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy.

Councillor Oke continued “we will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support businesses by rolling out more Resource Recovery Hubs in the central city and expanding organic waste collection services. More than 400 businesses have already signed up to use our laneway compactors and are helping to reduce the number of bins on our streets."

Council also wants to help residents to reduce the amount of waste they consume as this cuts down on greenhouse gas emission and pollution.

Councillor Oke concluded “there are so many items that we use for only a few minutes that can have an impact on the environment that lasts thousands of years. Rather than trying to recycle its better if we can avoid using these products in the first place.

“We’re proud that the Queen Victoria Market will go plastic bag and straw free from today as part of the market’s commitment to sustainability. We need to reduce the amount of plastic and waste flowing into our rivers and the bay.”

Fast facts on waste from 2018/19

• 30,000 tonnes residential waste collected
• 11,000 tonnes residential recycling collected
• 3500 tonnes collected from street sweepers
• The emptying 2000 street bins and solar compactor bins each day
• 5742 mattresses collected
• 312 km of roads swept every week

Public submissions on the draft Annual Plan and Budget 2019/20 are now open until Friday 7th June. Submissions will be considered at a special meeting of the Future Melbourne Committee on Thursday 13th June 2019.

For more information go to participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au

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