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’s the second Queensland council to receive carbon neutral certification and 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. It says around 353,000 tonnes were reduced over the past four years.
Mayor, Darren Power (pictured) said the certification, awarded by the Australian Government’s Climate Active initiative, 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,” Mayor 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.”
The Mayor said 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.
He said more solar panels were planned for Council buildings, while the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant solar farm has more than doubled solar output.
Other emission reducing initiatives across the City of Logan include:
- City-wide, 16% 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.
It 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.
