Cleaner, greener outlook for city

Council celebrates brighter future with carbon neutral certification

Logan City Council’s ongoing efforts to support a cleaner, greener future have received national recognition with certification that the organisation is now carbon neutral.

It is the second council in Queensland to receive carbon neutral certification and is among just 15 carbon neutral councils nationwide.

Council reduced emissions by 86,216 tonnes last year on its way to meeting a target first identified in 2018.

Around 353,000 tonnes were reduced over the past four years.

Logan City Council’s carbon neutral organisation certification was awarded by the Australian Government’s Climate Active initiative.

Council targeted electricity use and landfill gas – two of its largest carbon-emitting sources – to help reach net zero carbon.

Solar PV systems installed on Council libraries, aquatic and sports centres and a water reservoir contributed to the certification and generated a record 2.6 gigawatt hours of renewable energy in 2021-22.

Council also generated electricity by capturing more than 4 million cubic metres of gas from organic waste in 2021-22, via a series of underground pipes at the Browns Plains Waste and Recycling Facility.

More solar panels are planned for Council buildings, while the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant solar farm has more than doubled solar output.

Mayor Darren Power said the certification was an outstanding achievement and underlined Council’s strong green credentials.

“We have had our eye on this important target for four years and it is fantastic to have reached our goal,” Cr Power said.

“Council takes climate change very seriously and is committed to protecting the environment for future generations to enjoy.

“Most importantly, this is not the end of our efforts to lessen our impact on the environment.

“Council is already investigating new methods to even further reduce our emissions in coming years.”

Council will continue to review its emission reduction targets over time to maintain its carbon neutrality.

Other emission reducing initiatives across the City of Logan include:

• City-wide, 16 per cent of streetlights are now LED, with total electricity use from streetlighting now stabilising.
• Fuel use from Council vehicles is steadily declining – down 15 per cent on four years ago and still falling through Council’s innovative Green Fleet Strategy.

Council has also taken the first steps towards further reducing its electricity consumption with plans now underway to expand the solar farm at the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to 4MW.

Council will also proceed with plans to expand the operations and output of its biosolids gasification facility, which is also based at the Loganholme WWTP.

The innovative and Australian-first facility, which opened in April 2022, converts sewage sludge into an environmentally-friendly biochar and is expected to reduce Council’s carbon emissions by about 6000 tonnes per year.

Council continues to reach new environmental milestones in support of its climate change efforts.

Another 250 hectares of environmentally significant land has been acquired in the past two years, adding to more than 5,430 hectares of conservation reserves and parks across the city.

A further 6,170 hectares of wildlife habitat continues to be managed and protected through Council’s Environmental Conservation Partnerships.

Council has also planted or provided more than 110,000 native plants through its river recovery and conservation programs in the past two years.

Council’s environmental efforts were recognised on the world stage in October when the organisation picked up a merit certificate and a highly commended at the World Green City 2022 Awards, South Korea.

More information on Council’s carbon reduction strategies is available at: Sustainability initiatives – Logan City Council.