The City of Casey is committed to leading the way towards a circular economy, with particular attention to the construction and demolition sector, due to its significant environmental impact. With an increasing number of residents calling the City of Casey home, Council is exploring solutions that improve resource management and reduce environmental harm, enabling a future-ready region and a thriving community.

The Collaborate to Thrive program completed in 2022 by City of Casey and Circular Economy Victoria produced an Opportunity Paper with recommendations to improve circular economy outcomes in the local construction and demolition sector. One of the key areas identified is the exploration of solutions around virgin expanded polystyrene (EPS), in particular EPS waffle pods which are widely used in residential housing developments and pose a significant environmental concern in the City of Casey.

With a grant contribution from Sustainability Victoria, the City of Casey was able to complete a six-month feasibility study in collaboration with RMIT Activator, RMIT University, and Circular Economy Victoria. The research outcomes include recommendations to mitigate the damage of current EPS management on site, as well as medium and long term opportunities to enable the broad adoption of more sustainable alternatives.

Find out more about the feasibility study and download the summary report here below.

The City of Casey has recently launched the Circular Economy Living Lab (Circular Casey), a Smart City and Innovation program aimed at testing and validating circular economy solutions in the municipality.

One of the projects will include a waste collection service from construction sites to enable landfill diversion and material valorisation through various local partnerships.

If you a developer, builder, or sub-contractor who wants to get involved in the Circular Economy Living Lab program please contact smartcity@casey.vic.gov.au to find out how you can participate.