SUPPLEMENTARY STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT FOR THE CITY OF BLUE MOUNTAINS Managing Our Heritage, Waste and Noise 2006-2007 1 Katoomba Office Mon – Fri 8:30am to 5pm Postal Address 2-6 Civic Place Locked Bag No 1005 Katoomba NSW 2780 Katoomba NSW 2780 Springwood Office Mon – Fri 9am to 5pm Document Exchange 104 Macquarie Rd DX 8305 Katoomba Springwood NSW 2777 Council Email [email protected] Telephone Lower Mountains (02) 4723 5000 (Local Call Cost) Upper Mountains (02) 4780 5000 Fax (02) 4780 5555 2 Why report on the state of the environment? Many communities locally and globally now recognise that humans and their activities impact on the state of their immediate environment and their natural surroundings. These human activities place pressure on our natural environment and therefore require a response, so that we can maintain and enhance the natural assets on which our quality of life depends. Monitoring and reporting on the state of the environment over time increases our understanding of these pressures and their impacts, which enables us to respond more appropriately and effectively. Reporting on the state of the environment ensures that important information is made available to those people and organisations whose activities impact on the environment positively or negatively. Local councils have an important responsibility and are required under the Local Government Act to prepare State of the Environment Reports and to show in their Management Plans and Annual Reports how they, as stewards of their local communities, are addressing the issues raised in the State of the Environment Reports. Comprehensive State of Environment reports are required every four years, with supplementary reports providing updates in the intervening years. The following table outlines Reports that are now available and those Reports that are planned for the next few years. Reporting Type of Report Available Year 2003-2004 Comprehensive Now available 2004-2005 Supplementary Looking After Our Water Now available 2005-5006 Supplementary Looking After Our Biodiversity, Land and Atmosphere Now available 2006-2007 Supplementary Managing Our Heritage, Waste and Noise Dec 2007 2007-2008 Comprehensive Dec 2008 Who can use the State of the Environment Reports? Individuals and communities, councils, government agencies and industry can all gain access and use the reports. That is, all the people and organisations whose activities impact on the environment positively or negatively can use this report to make informed, environmentally responsible decisions. 3 About this Report This supplementary Report focuses on our Heritage, Waste and Noise. Each area is presented as outlined in the table below. What are our heritage resources (Asset description)? Section 1 – Heritage What are the pressures on heritage (Pressure)? What is the current state of heritage (State)? Making a difference (Response). Trend data. Section 2 – Waste What is waste? What are the impacts of waste? What are the key management issues in relation to waste? Making a difference (Response). Trend data. Section 3 – Noise What is noise? What are the impacts of noise? What are the key management issues in relation to noise? Making a difference (Response). Trend data. Please refer to the comprehensive 2003-2004 State of Environment Report, particularly the Technical Appendix, for more detailed information on Heritage, Waste and Noise. Increasing our understanding Towards a more sustainable Blue Mountains In July 2003 Blue Mountains City Council adopted the community endorsed 25-year Vision for the City of Blue Mountains. The 25-year Vision and Map for Action present a way forward for the City that aligns with the values of Blue Mountains people and an increasing world-wide recognition of the need for us to live more sustainably. Understanding trends over time State of the Environment monitoring and reporting in the Blue Mountains is now a key component of tracking our progress in achieving our 25-year City Vision of becoming a more sustainable City (also known as State of City monitoring and reporting). State of City monitoring and reporting aims to build understanding not just about environmental trends, but also social and economic trends (pressure and response) that potentially might influence the condition (or state) of our City over time. The selected trends in this Report begin to tell some of the story about what’s happening to the environment in our City. Using indicators State of the Environment reports require councils to identify and apply appropriate environmental indicators where the state – pressure - response model has been used. The model has some acknowledged shortcomings, such as, the implied cycle of cause and effect is simplistic and often there is not clear evidence linking pressures with changes in environmental 4 state or condition. In addition, it is not always easy to categorise indicators as they may reflect aspects of ‘pressure’, ‘state’ or ‘response’ depending on the way the issue is approached. 5 Contents Acknowledgements.....................................................................................7 SECTION 1 HERITAGE Managing our heritage ...............................................................................8 What is heritage? ............................................................................ 8 Why is heritage important? ................................................................ 9 What are the pressures on heritage? ..................................................... 9 What is the current state of heritage in our region.................................... 9 Making a Difference .............................................................................. 14 Increasing our understanding ............................................................20 SECTION 2 WASTE Managing our waste ................................................................................ 21 What is waste? ..............................................................................21 What are the impacts of waste?..........................................................22 What are the key management issues related to waste? .............................22 Making a Difference .............................................................................. 23 Increasing our understanding ............................................................26 SECTION 3 NOISE Managing our noise ................................................................................. 28 What is noise? ...............................................................................28 What are the impacts of noise?...........................................................28 What are the key management issues in relation to noise?..........................28 Making a Difference .............................................................................. 29 Increasing our understanding ............................................................31 SECTION 4 ALERT The Paradox of Success: Reducing Waste to Landfill......................................... 32 Bibliography ................................................................................................ 37 6 Acknowledgements In recent community surveys, our community identified that the environment is of greatest importance to Blue Mountains people. We acknowledge the commitment of those people who for years have dedicated their time and effort to looking after the Blue Mountains environment and we thank those who are making choices to live more sustainably every day. We also thank those who have contributed to this report. 7 Section 1 – Managing Our Heritage SECTION 1 MANAGING OUR HERITAGE Our Heritage What is heritage? Heritage is those places, objects, religions, customs and cultures that have aesthetic, natural, spiritual, historic or social significance for present or future generations. Heritage links our past, present and future and reflects the values we put on the Blue Mountains as our place (BMCC Cultural Strategy, 2006-2016). Heritage can involve: • Aboriginal heritage – places, landscapes, items, stories, memories and elders • Natural heritage – ecosystems, landscapes, landmarks, water features, parks, gardens and trees • Built heritage – buildings, towns, civil infrastructure, factories and mines • Movable heritage – objects that people collect of artistic, technological or natural origin • Documentary heritage – books, maps, photographs, images • Local histories – spoken, written, visual • The Arts • Intangible heritage – beliefs, celebrations, customs and usages Indigenous heritage The Aboriginal heritage of the Blue Mountains include pre-European cultural sites such as campsites, stone tool workshops, grinding grooves, travel routes, art sites, ceremonial areas, scarred and marked trees, and artefact scatters. In addition, Aboriginal people place cultural and religious importance to landscape features such as rocky outcrops, hills and valleys, as well as areas important for their natural values such as the existence of particular plants or animals used for food, medicine or production. The Aboriginal cultural values of the Blue Mountains includes post-European sites such as areas, houses and institutions which have contemporary cultural significance to Aboriginal people. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is the country of the Darug, Gundungurra, Darkinjung and Wiradjuri people, who continue to affirm their kinship with this land. For example, Darug art can be seen at Red Hands Cave in Blue