In 2014, Noosa council, in Queensland, Australia, convened a community jury on organic waste management in order to reduce landfill waste. The jury was one of two deliberative processes initiated to improve the council's community engagement.
Problems and Purpose
Noosa is a town and suburb on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. In 2013 Noosa council de-amalgamated from Sunshine Coast authorities and made a commitment to give more decision-making power to the local community. As part of this commitment, the council trialled two community juries to consider complex local issues.
The first Noosa community jury was convened in February 2015 and was tasked with deciding: "What is the best option for minimising organic waste sent to landfill?"
Background History and Context
In an effort to decrease the amount of organic waste sent to landfill, a number of countries and Australian states now employ a 'three bin system' - one for inorganic rubbish, one for recyclable materials and one for 'green waste' (grass clippings, food waste etc). The three bin system reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill as it encourages recycling, and green waste is separated and does not go to landfill. In reality it's not perfect - plastic bags are the most common contaminant of recycling bins, and recyclable packaging often still gets thrown in with the general waste. Although this system was in place in parts of Noosa, it did not cover the whole area comprehensively. Furthermore, Noosa's current waste management practice was seen as lacking by the jury on several fronts. The local landfill site is responsible for 70% of the council's emissions, and has a lifespan of only 33 years. Establishing a new landfill site would be a considerable expense to the council, so if the amount of organic waste sent to landfill could be reduced, the lifespan of the existing site could be extended [1].
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The jury was convened and funded by Noosa council. It was organized and managed by newDemocracy Foundation, an independent research organization, and facilitated by an independent professional facilitator.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
newDemocracy Foundation, an independent research organisation, recruited participants for the jury from a random draw of 3,000 residents. nDF then selected a jury of 24 to make a sample representative of gender and age range in the community.
Methods and Tools Used
This initiative used a citizens' jury, broadly defined as a small group of randomly-selected individuals who come together to deliberate on an issue after hearing from experts in order to provide recommendations on future action for decision-makers.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The jury met monthly over a period of six months. During that time, the processes followed a citizens' jury format, with jurors hearing from range of experts on the matters at hand. The wider community was also invited to make submissions to the jury for consideration. The jury also visited the local Eurmundi Road Waste Transfer Station to gain a better understanding of how waste management operates in Noosa. Alongside the jury, Noosa Council also ran online forums for wider community engagement.
The jury agreed unanimously on nine key recommendations, summarized in their report and presented during a council meeting in August 2015 as follows:
- expand three bin system
- minimise cost to ratepayers for green and organic waste collection
- move to fortnightly collection
- construct a local composting facility
- design and implement a long-term education campaign on reducing waste
- reward good waste management
- monitor compliance with new waste management systems
- ban non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2017
- direct large producers to divert all their organic waste from landfill by 2030 [2]
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The council adopted the jury's recommendations in principle and proposed two workshops to discuss costs and timing. Workshops were held in September and in December 2015 the council began the implementation of the jury's recommendations with the launch of a 'Towards Zero Waste' education campaign. As a result of the jury's recommendations, the council will provide all new homes with a green waste bin and are working towards making this a service for all coastal homes. The council decided to focus its efforts on increasing recycling uptake and deferred decision on rolling out a full food waste collection service [3].
Analysis and Lessons Learned
Noosa Council conducted an internal assessment of the community jury process, details of which are included in the report of their August 18th meeting. They noted that the level of local media coverage had been good and feedback from the jurors themselves was overwhelmingly positive [4]:
“I found it a most enjoyable and rewarding experience although a little frustrating and confusing along the way. The question itself was much more complex than I first anticipated, and I was very proud with the quality of our final report, and so grateful to that small band of co-jurors who so skilfully initiated that task. I would certainly commend the process for the future where appropriate.”
“I was amazed that 24 people from all walks of life could arrive at a sensible conclusion that would benefit future generations to come."
However, the council also perceived that the process could be more successful in future if council staff had greater involvement. This dissatisfaction can be attributed at least in part to the way in which the jury - and indeed any citizens jury - is run. newDemocracy Foundation, who organised the juries, ensures that the jury are free from pressure exerted by the council (or government, etc). This maintains the integrity of the jury so that they are not unduly influenced by the council. This also means the council cannot be accused of trying to orchestrate the process. Protecting jurors in this way also facilitates wider public trust in the process. However, Noosa Council received feedback that 'this model can be challenging to work with' [5].
The council also reflected that a better job could have been done to engage the wider community with both the community panel process, and the issue of waste management. In future, they recommended that the public be further encouraged to attend jury sessions as observers and create more opportunities for the wider Noosa community to get involved.
Overall, the council concluded that the first Noosa community jury had been a success, and that it had put Noosa Council on the map as an example of genuine collaboration with citizens. The council's internal evaluation can be found here, starting on p107.
See Also
Marrickville's Citizens' Jury on Infrastructure
References
[1] Noosa Council (2015) Planning and Organisation Committee Agenda [online], Noosa Council, available at: http://newdemocracy.com.au/docs/activeprojects/noosa2015/2015_08_18%20Pl...
[2] Ibid.
[3] Noosa Council (2015). Council's Decision on Jury Recommendations. Available at: https://yoursay.noosa.qld.gov.au/the-future-for-noosas-organic-waste/news_feed/councils-decisions-on-jurys-recommendations
[4] Noosa Council (2015) Planning and Organisation Committee Agenda [online], Noosa Council, available at: http://newdemocracy.com.au/docs/activeprojects/noosa2015/2015_08_18%20Pl...
[5] Ibid.
External Links
newDemocracy Foundation: http://newdemocracy.com.au/ndf-work/178-noosa-community-jury
Noosa river management jury report: http://www.newdemocracy.com.au/docs/activeprojects/noosa2015/Noosa%20River%20Community%20Jury%20final%20recommendations%20(final).pdf
Reports, video footage and documents used during the organic waste jury process can be found here: https://yoursay.noosa.qld.gov.au/the-future-for-noosas-organic-waste
Noosa Council Website: https://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/who-is-the-community-jury
