More trees, less waste: Highlights of 2022 Environment Report Card

More trees on public land and less food waste dumped in landfill are key highlights of the City of Marion 2022 Environment Report Card.

Released this week, the council report card aims to provide a snapshot of environmental initiatives and an update on the progress of the Council’s projects and partnerships.

“This is Marion Council’s third Environment Report Card and it shows that we are continuing to focus on increasing our street tree canopy and delivering on our commitments to reduce carbon emissions and divert food waste from landfill,” Mayor of Marion Kris Hanna said.

“We planted 4,759 trees last year, so we are on target to plant 30,000 trees by 2028 with 8,946 trees planted since 2021.

“We’ve also planted 15,000 local native seedlings to improve habitat in public reserves and parks. Around half were planted by 284 volunteers.”

An audit of Council's kitchen caddy rollout in 2021 has also shown that nearly five times more households are doing the right thing by putting food waste in the green bin, increasing from five per cent before the introduction of the caddies to 29 per cent.

“This has led to a 16 per cent decrease in the volume of food waste going to landfill, with some 1,144 tonnes diverted, saving ratepayers $162,334 in landfill costs and cutting 2,174 tonnes (CO₂e) of greenhouse gas emission.

“Overall, across council operations, there has also been a 51 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from our 2015/16 baseline of 5,617 tonnes (CO₂e) to 2,793 tonnes (CO₂e).

“Environmental sustainability and taking action to address climate change are important to our community and the City of Marion is committed to collaborating with our community and our partner organisations to address these issues.”

Other highlights outlined in the report card include:

• 31 reserves irrigated with recycled water from Oaklands Wetland99kW of solar installed on the Marion Leisure and Fitness Centre.
• Five CoastSnap stations installed across Hallett Cove and Marino as part of a citizen science coastal monitoring initiative.
• 75 tree inlets installed to water street trees.
• 40 Urban Tree Warrior volunteers trained to care for City of Marion street trees.
• 107 sessions for sustainability and recycling education.

A link to the City of Marion’s Environment Report Card 2022 is available on Council’s website and you can collect a copy at the Council’s Administration Centre at 245 Sturt Road, Sturt SA 5047.

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