Shaping a more sustainable Maitland: Council marks two years of key environment strategy

Maitland City Council says it has “made great strides” towards shaping a greener, more sustainable city in the two years since councillors and the Maitland community greenlit its first comprehensive environment strategy.

Adopted in October 2023, Maitland City Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2030 is a first-of-its-kind roadmap for Maitland, informed by more than 1,000 phone and online conversations with the community.

From switching to 100 per cent renewable energy sources across all Council facilities as of 1 January 2025 to upgrading 5,000 streetlights to LEDs, Maitland City Council Manager Environment and Sustainability Catherine Pepper said, “the steps [we’ve] taken show continuous, gradual improvements can build and form broader, transformational change.”

“This is an opportunity for us to reflect on the runs we’ve notched up over the last two years,” Ms Pepper said.

“We’re well on our way to halving operational emissions by 20301, and we’re moving in the right direction across other targets outlined in the strategy too, such as increasing sustainable transport opportunities.”

Over the last two years, Maitland has installed EV charging stations at five Council facilities, and this financial year will develop a net zero emissions plan. Since October 2023, more than 13,000 native seedlings have been planted across Maitland’s network of biodiversity corridors, through a strengthening partnership with local Landcare groups, with more than 1,100 volunteer hours tallied across a series of community planting events.

Resource recovery has and will continue to form a big part of Maitland Council’s work in the sustainability space. The introduction of a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) service in June 2025 and a bulky household waste service in June 2023 moves Maitland closer to achieving the NSW Government’s target landfill diversion rate of 80 per cent by 2030, underlining a broader shift away from landfilling resources that could otherwise be reused, recycled and recovered.

The Maitland Resource Recovery Facility is currently undergoing a $31.5 million, multi-stage transformation to support Maitland’s long-term waste needs and strengthen Council’s focus on resource recovery and the circular economy.

“Two years ago, our community told us they’d like to see a greater push towards a circular economy, healthy green and blue natural spaces, more resilient and liveable communities, and a stronger focus on sustainable living practices – and I believe we’re moving in the right direction, as we work in partnership with our community and other groups to forge a more sustainable Maitland,” Ms Pepper concluded.

For more information on Maitland Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy and to download the full two-years scorecard, visit mait.city/ESS-Scorecard.