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Yarrabilba plans to become Australia’s first circular economy community

Last updated: Feb 8, 2021

Summary

Yarrabilba, meaning ‘a place of song’ in the language of the traditional owners, the Yugambeh people, is a master planned community 40km south east of Brisbane. On completion in 2042, its population is projected to be approximately 45,000, making it a similar size and scale to regional cities Bundaberg and Gladstone.

In 2019, Lendlease released the circular economy strategy for Yarrabilba which acts as a roadmap to guide the course of the development. With a focus on materials, energy, water and transport, the team at Lendlease is empowering residents to engage with the circular economy in an actionable and practical way.

Problem

The United Nations has identified building sustainable and resilient cities as a key objective for urban development across the globe. 68% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050 and over 60% of the land set to be urbanised by 2030 has not been developed.

Solution

According to the Circular Economy strategy for Yarrabilba, the vision is for the project is to be Australia’s first circular economy community that integrates social, economic and environmental values to provide a dynamic and empowered community that fosters sharing, access, connection, diversity and control.

Some of the ways the community will be empowered include:

- Water awareness campaigns and smart water meters linked to smart phones

- Recycled water infrastructure

- Solar panels and energy storage systems

- Cycle networks

- Autonomous vehicles and on-demand transport

- Electric vehicle charging stations

- Large scale composting

- Leasing of appliances for homes

- Local market scale gardens

- Collection of waste materials from home builds for reuse