Silverwater. Expansion of recycling plant

Smartskip NSW has received approval for an expansion of its recycling facility at Silverwater which would divert up to 56,000 tonnes of construction waste a year away from landfill. “The current handling capacity will increase from 21,000 to 70,000 tonnes of waste a year with up to 80 per cent of this incoming waste will be recovered for recycling,” said the Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly.

Region. Honour for UWS academic

Professor Christine Halse, director, of the University of Western Sydney's Centre for Educational Research (CER), has been appointed as an ethics expert to the European Commission on Framework Program for Research and Technological Development. Professor Halse, who is also President of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), is one of only two Australian academics to be appointed to the international expert panel. Professor Halse is based at the UWS Bankstown Campus.

Region. UWS students assist local councils

Final year management students from the University of Western Sydney, enrolled in "Contemporary Management Issues", are putting their business skills into practice and working with councils in Auburn, Bankstown, The Hills and Holroyd in order to help raise awareness of sustainability in the local business communities. The students provide councils with researched consultation reports that will enable councils to assist local businesses to be sustainable. The students will present their business sustainability reports to each council at the end of November.

St Marys. $209 million recycling plant opened

Premier Kristine Keneally has opened a $209 million recycling plant at St Marys. Following the plant’s successful commissioning period, the plant will now start providing up to 18 billion litres of recycled water a year – 3.6 per cent of the needs of Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. The project takes wastewater from plants at Quakers Hill, St Marys and Penrith “The St Marys Water Recycling Plant is a pioneer in its field – nowhere else in the world is such high quality recycled water being used for the environment,” Ms Keneally said.

Region. Unemployment rates

Parramatta-South, 13.7 per cent, Blacktown-South West, 12.8 per cent, and Bankstown-North East, 12.7 per cent, had the highest unemployment rates in Western Sydney, in the June quarter 2010. The lowest rates were in Camden, 3.0 per cent, Blacktown-North, 4.1 per cent, Baulkham Hills-North, 4.3 per cent and Parramatta-North West, 4.5 per cent. The figure for the Sydney Statistical Area was 5.6 per cent.

Parramatta. Interest in electric vehicles

Parramatta City Council has resolved that Better Place Australia make a presentation regarding how Parramatta could be the first city in Sydney or NSW to begin electric vehicle infrastructure and the business opportunities from such infrastructure. Council also resolved that “for reasons of commercial neutrality, council be not exclusively bound to Better Place Australia but also be open to other electric vehicle infrastructure providers”.

Region. Marginal seat campaign

The NSW Business Chamber will back a campaign with $500,000 and a commitment to publish in local newspapers, prior the NSW poll in March, the full responses by Premier Kristina Keneally and Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell to investment proposals raised by business groups in marginal seats.