Singleton’s approach to sustainability has been celebrated as industry leading after taking out the Local Sustainability Award (Division A - for councils with a population less than 30,000) in the Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards 2022.

Held annually, the Awards recognise outstanding achievements by NSW councils in managing and protecting the environment.

Singleton Council was recognised for its State of the Environment Report 2021. More than a requirement of the Local Government Act for end of term reporting, the State of Environment is a checklist of the tangible actions taken by Council and the local community in living out the ethos to value, protect and enhance a sustainable environment.

The report showcases a long list of achievements including a 31 per cent reduction in Council electricity usage, 29 per cent reduction in Council's greenhouse gas emissions, and a more than doubling of Council's use of renewable energy.

Justin Fitzpatrick Barr, Council’s Director Infrastructure and Planning Services said these outcomes reflect the substantial shift in Council's organisational approach to sustainability with a course of actions to lead by example.

He said the Local Government NSW Environment award – Council’s second in as many years – was due recognition for the wide range of projects, programs and initiatives in a continued emphasis on sustainability across the local government area.

“Sustainability initiatives so far have helped to cut energy usage and emissions, made sustainability a key consideration in Council’s procurement process and put Singleton at the forefront of conversations about the economic evolution of the Hunter region – to name but a few,” he said.

“These achievements cover the results of our organisation’s efforts to minimise our consumption, and significantly, it also demonstrates our community is acting alongside us. Add them all together, and that’s a lot of ripples.

“But most importantly, the results highlighted in this State of the Environment Report showcase how we all have a role to play in leading changes in sustainability in all its forms – however small our actions as individuals may seem.

“I’m extremely proud of how Singleton Council is acting every day not only to create community, but to create a sustainable community that people will be proud of for decades to come.”

Singleton Council highlights include:

• 31% reduction in Council’s electricity usage
• 29% emissions reduction
• 51% decrease in water usage and the installation of two water recycling projects
• 2.4% increase in renewable energy
• Council’s 15 biggest energy-using buildings are all solar powered
• Implementation of the Singleton Seed Library, Toy Library and Cake Tin Library for the local community

Community highlights include:

• One in five homes in Singleton have solar panels
• 99% of streetlights have been upgraded to energy efficient LEDs, reducing energy use by 78%
• Tidy Towns NSW Winner 2021
• 18% increase in total recycling rate
• 43% increase in garden organics recycled
• Turning soft plastics collected by our community into infrastructure for our community, from recycled roads to 14,000 fence pickets
• 18% decrease in residential water usage