Waste + Water Management Australia V42.6 - April 2016

WASTE + WATER MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA APRIL 2016

V42.6

ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY PUBLIC HEALTH SINCE 1973

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contents

April 2016 Volume 42 Number 6

Published by:

Editorial and Publishing Consultants Pty Ltd

ABN 85 007 693 138 PO Box 510, Broadford Victoria 3658 Australia Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Int’l: +61 3 5784 3438 Fax: +61 3 5784 2210 www.epcgroup.com Publisher and Managing Editor Anthony T Schmidt Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0414 788 900 Email: ats@epcgroup.com Deputy Editor Rex Pannell Mobile: 0433 300 106 Email: rex@epcgroup.com National Advertising Sales Manager Yuri Mamistvalov Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0419 339 865 Email: yuri@epcgroup.com Advertising Sales - SA Jodie Chester - G Advertising Mobile: 0439 749 993 Email: jodie@gadvertising.com.au Advertising Sales - WA Licia Salomone - OKeeffe Media Mobile: 0412 080 600 Email: licia@okm.com.au Graphic Design Annette Epifanidis Mobile: 0416 087 412

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ISSN 1838-7098

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Industry News

10 Cover Feature: JR Richards & Sons 14 Built Environment

4

16 Climate Change 18 Waste Management 20 Equipment Focus: Garwood MINER 22 Innovative Solutions 24 Waster Water Treatment

26

28 IPWEA NSW Case Study: Gold Coast Waste Facilities

32 Tarpomatic Top 10

38

34 Focus on Water 38 Pipes and Pipelines 40 Renewable Energy 45 Special Report: Food for Thought

45

About the Cover Established in 1958, JR Richards & Sons is an Australian-owned family company that has built its success and reputation on a commitment to quality, customer service and reliability.

From its humble beginnings as a small family business in Tuncurry on the NSW mid-north coast, JR Richards & Sons has grown to employ over 400 people, and has a fleet of over 300 heavy vehicles used in its operations.

Turn to Page 10 for the full story.

EDITORS COLUMN

Drowning in a sea of

non-recyclable plastic film Dear Readers, While the past decade has seen the tide turn on plastic shopping bags – with an array of effective and highly successful plastic bag reduction initiatives now operating throughout Australia (in SA, Tasmania, NT and ACT, as well as a myriad of other 'plastic bag free' towns and precincts) – I believe that the time has come to once again turn our attention to another ‘environmental disaster’ involving the use and disposal of non-recyclable plastic film.

By this, I am of course referring to the continuing high level use of lightweight, non-recyclable clear plastic film for mailing magazines and promotional materials - in place of paper envelopes.

For those of you who are long-time readers of Waste + Water Management Australia (WWM) magazine, you'll know that this has been a long-term 'soapbox' issue of mine... and while I'll now apologise for revisiting the subject yet again, I believe that the results of my most recent 'mail audit' have once again highlighted just how much of a problem non-recyclable plastic film still is.

In short, in an attempt to demonstrate the continuing severity of the problem, I decided to repeat a monitoring exercise that I first conducted some twelve years ago - which was to keep a running tally of the number of items that I received through the mail that had been packaged using lightweight non-recyclable plastic film. Importantly, as I am also unable to effectively recycle the 2

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

array of ‘Eco-Friendly’ plastic films through my normal kerbside recycling service (or by any other convenient method), I have also included this wrapping in the count. After all, it is all still ending up in landfill.

Although this is clearly a fairly basic and unscientific investigation, as was the case on numerous occasions over the past twelve years, the results were extremely alarming to say the least - and I was expecting the tally to be high!

In a four week period I received no less than 82 separate mailed items wrapped in plastic film. Granted, this is 14 items less than my last tally in 2014, but I still consider it to be extremely high - especially given the overall reduction in traditional mail that has occurred in recent years.

Most alarmingly, despite the apparent growth in concern relating to packaging and non-recyclable plastic film, and the significant reduction in traditional mail over the past 12 years, this figure still represented an increase of nearly 10% in the number of plastic wrapped items received when compared to the results from our initial 'mail audit' in 2004, which netted a total of 75 items over the same 4 week period.

From magazines and reports through to promotional brochures and special offers, my mailbox continues to be a seemingly never-ending supply of non-recyclable light-weight plastic film. What’s more, I don’t consider that I receive an inordinate amount of mail for a company director.

With that in mind, I ask you to consider the immense quantities of non-recyclable

plastic film that continue to be distributed throughout Australia on a daily basis. Most importantly, consider the devastating environmental costs and consequences associated with disposing of this burdensome waste stream.

As is the case with our other two publications ‘Highway Engineering Australia’ and ‘Construction Engineering Australia’, I am proud to say that ‘Waste + Water Management Australia’, has always been packaged in high-quality, fully recyclable paper envelopes for mailing.

Whereas admittedly there were not many other options available during the first twenty years that these magazines were published, our decision to continue using paper envelopes for our mailing distribution is purely and simply made on the grounds of ‘environmentally and ecologically responsible product stewardship’ - despite the relatively low cost and ready availability of plastic film wrapping. Needless to say, this is a tradition that I intend to continue.

After all, I would hardly consider it appropriate behaviour to distribute one of the country’s leading environmental and waste management magazines in such ‘environmentally unfriendly’ packaging.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Environment Ministers move against plastics

Funding for mechanical bushfire fuel reduction trials Expressions of interest for funding are being assessed under a $1.5 million national tender process to finance three mechanical bushfire fuel reduction trials.

Funding of the trials will be available through the $15 million National Bushfire Mitigation Program, a three-year initiative designed to reduce the impact of bushfires and build a more disaster resilient Australia.

"By undertaking trials and incorporating the learnings from them we will be able to use evidence-based prevention and management methods in the future,” said Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston.

"Our hope is that the trials will give us alternatives to those we currently have, like planned burning, especially around key assets or high conservation value areas where planned burns pose too high a risk.

"Developing the tools has strong potential to benefit communities which currently deal with smoke haze during planned burns, state and territory forest managers and potentially the front line – our hard working fire management agencies and volunteers.

"Through this tender we want to fund at least three mechanical bushfire fuel reduction trials in different parts of the nation."

New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, said the state would work with the Australian Government to deliver better bushfire mitigation tools for communities.

"We know the devastating impact bushfires can have on the community and on our precious environmental and productive resources," Minister Blair said.

"Mechanical fuel reduction is about finding effective and efficient ways to reduce fuel loads whilst retaining important forest values and reducing the potential for high intensity bushfires.

“The trials provide another example of innovative, active and adaptive management approaches to forest and fire protection across the landscape.

"We're always looking for ways that do the least harm to the forest and produce the most benefit in mitigating the risk of bushfires."

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

The Australian Government is toughening its stand on the detrimental impact of plastics on the environment.

Last December, Commonwealth, state and territory Environment Ministers announced plans to achieve a voluntary phase-out of microbeads by no later than July 2018.

Now, Australia’s Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, has announced a stronger stance on microbeads.

“We will continue to work with companies towards a voluntary phase out of microbeads. However, if by 1 July 2017 it is clear the voluntary phase-out will not achieve what is effectively a widespread ban, the government will take action to implement a ban in law.”

“We are also committing $60,000 of priority funding under the National Environment Science Program (NESP) to kick-start research into the major sources of marine plastic waste and determine the most cost-effective options to reduce its volume.”

“I am aware of concerns about biodegradable plastics being used as a substitute for regular microbeads. Some companies are, instead, using natural alternative products due to concerns that biodegradable plastic microbeads do not break down in water.”

“The NESP will undertake research into this and I look forward to hearing about their findings.”

In a related development, Queensland’s Environment Minister, Steven Miles, and his NSW counterpart, Mark Speakman, announced a steering group would be set-up to investigate growing scientific evidence about the ongoing detrimental effect of plastic bags on the environment and regulatory approaches to reduce plastic bag litter.

About 30 to 50 million plastic bags are littered annually in Australia.

“There has been a lot of discussion on single-use plastic bags over the years, and as the Environment Minister, and Minister for the Great Barrier Reef, I have made sure the issue is back on the table,” Dr Miles said.

“Plastic bags are often used once, maybe twice, but have a long lasting effect on our wildlife, at a time when the government is doing so much to protect the Great Barrier Reef.’’

Mr Speakman said he and Dr Miles were committed to working towards a harmonised approach to reducing the amount of plastic that made its way into the marine environment.

He said the steering group – which would include NSW, Queensland, Victorian and Commonwealth members – was a significant step towards achieving their aim.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Upgraded monitoring of risky air particles in South Australia The South Australian Government has upgraded its LeFevre Peninsula Primary School air monitoring station as part of an ongoing $200,000 improvement of air quality monitoring in the state.

The upgrade marks a decade of air monitoring in the region since the first station was established in 2006.

Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Minister, Ian Hunter, said the station played an important role in monitoring Particulate Matter (PM) – the mixture of small particles emitted into the air that impact human health when inhaled.

“This station – LeFevre 1 – was first set up to measure average exposure to PM10 particles, but now can detect the more problematic, finer PM2.5 particles, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.”

Mr Hunter said the impacts of PM2.5 had been shown to be a risk to human health,

particularly in urban areas through traffic emissions, domestic sources and industry.

“This upgrade will help improve our understanding of health outcomes, as well as bring wider benefits for the Port Adelaide area through greater awareness of air pollution sources, improving our ability to manage them.

“This work builds on the success of the EPA’s monitoring program and its work with local residents and businesses to improve environmental performance and reduce exposure to air pollution.”

Five new monitors have been deployed at existing air quality monitoring stations around the metropolitan area as part of a program to increase capacity for measuring PM2.5 particles.

The new $30,000 housing at LeFevre 1 holds PM2.5 and PM10 continuous monitoring instruments, and its data is available to

anyone through the state’s EPA website.

Mr Hunter said the EPA provided advice to the development of a National Clean Air Agreement, which for the first time, would provide a consistent framework across all states and territories towards the management of air quality.

“A meeting of Environment Ministers late in 2015 led to an agreement to vary the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure, to provide for a more stringent reporting standard for pollution of PM2.5 and PM10,” he said.

“This agreement will establish it as a full compliance standard, in addition to a new requirement for all jurisdictions to report on population exposure to PM2.5 by 2018.”

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

INDUSTRY NEWS

New green energy fuels Perth garden business A facility at Jandakot in Perth’s southern suburbs that converts food and organic waste into electricity has started generating green energy.

The new anaerobic digester at the garden supplies company, Richgro, converts food and organic waste from outlets, such as supermarkets and fast food stores, into methane gas and then into electricity.

Western Australia’s Environment Minister, Albert Jacob, said the plant was generating power for all of Richgro's needs, diverting 150 tonnes of food and organic waste from landfill daily, and was also generating enough additional energy to power the equivalent of 150 houses an hour.

"Residue produced during the conversion process provides nutrients for compost, while heat and carbon dioxide supply a garden hothouse where blueberries are grown. The residue is certified organic so it can be used in the compost, resulting in zero waste," Mr Jacob said.

Of the 1.2 megawatts the plant generates, point-four megawatts is used by Richgro and the remaining point-eight megawatts is exported to the grid.

Mr Jacob said the opening of the plant marked a major milestone for an emerging sector.

"The launch is particularly satisfying because it marks the start of a new focus in Western Australia; one which will offer significant environmental benefits."

The anaerobic digestion process also has a possible future use in the creation of renewable vehicle fuel. Methane produced during the conversion can potentially be purified and compressed to produce compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.

Energy Minister, Mike Nahan, said the government continued to lead the way in renewable energy technology.

"The government is supporting various projects that are at the forefront of clean

and innovative energy solutions and I am pleased to see another project generating green energy right here in Perth."

West Australian Environment Minister, Albert Jacob, (left) with Richgro Managing Director, Geoff Richards, at the anaerobic digester.

INDUSTRY NEWS

New Chair for Sustainability Victoria New environmental zoning for NSW Far North Coast Environmental zoning reforms for the Far North Coast of New South Wales have been finalised by the State Government.

The reforms will take effect through a Ministerial Direction that ensures environmental zones will be applied fairly and equitably across the five Far North Coast councils.

The measures will mean councils can identify appropriate zonings for different areas, based on existing primary use of the land including fallow agriculture.

Councils will be required to notify private landowners affected by a proposed zoning change. Landowners will also be able to have proposals for new environmental zones independently reviewed by the NSW Chief Planner.

The Department of Planning and Environment will work with the councils to implement the reforms. Councils have been requested to ensure their development control plans are consistent with the final environmental zoning reforms.

Planning Minister, Rob Stokes, said implementation of the Ministerial Direction would enable councils to confirm the most appropriate zone for environmentally important areas while ensuring agricultural land is protected.

“Good planning involves balancing environmental, economic and social considerations. These environmental zoning reforms will help us achieve that balance on the Far North Coast.”

Public consultation on enhancing marine biodiversity The New South Wales Government has called for public feedback on initiatives that aim to enhance marine biodiversity conservation along the coast and in estuaries between Newcastle and Wollongong.

The eight initiatives also aim to achieve balanced outcomes for other uses of the bioregion such as boating, fishing, shipping, diving, swimming, education and research.

The initiatives focus on: • improving water quality and reducing marine litter; • on-ground works for healthy coastal habitats and wildlife; • spatial management for biodiversity conservation and use sharing; • marine research to address shipping and fishing knowledge gaps; 8

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

• • • •

improving boating infrastructure; reducing use conflicts in Pittwater; improving accessibility; and land use planning for coasts and waterways.

The feedback will help further evaluate the management responses and final recommendations to the government later this year. Submissions close on 24 April 2016.

A business woman with more than 25 years’ experience in the areas of environment and sustainability, waste minimisation and energy efficiency is the new Chairperson of the Board of Sustainability Victoria (SV).

Heather Campbell is currently the CSIRO’s General Manager of Health Safety and Environment. She was the CEO of Landcare Australia for about three years and held executive and senior managerial roles with Amcor and Cheetham Salt spanning more than 20 years.

Ms Campbell also has extensive experience as a board director and advisory committee member across government, education and the not-for-profit sector.

Her appointment as Chairperson of SV is for five years.

Sustainability Victoria recently launched its new strategic plan, SV2020, which is a five-year vision to help communities develop practical, local action on climate change, resource efficiency and waste.

SV2020 will support new job opportunities by having a strong focus on innovation, the development of new markets for recovered resources and encouraging investment in waste and resource recovery technologies and infrastructure.

Sustainability Victoria, Chairperson, Heather Campbell

INDUSTRY NEWS

Melbourne University moves to reduce energy use The University of Melbourne is borrowing up to $9.1 million from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to finance emissions and costsaving initiatives.

The initiatives are designed to reduce the university’s energy bills and increase productivity and sustainability.

The University of Melbourne has about 47,000 students and the energy requirements of a town the size of Warrnambool on Victoria’s southwest coast.

It is seeking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and is one of the leading universities across the sector working to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases, cut energy use and adopt more renewable and sustainable energy sources.

University Vice-Principal, Administration & Finance, and Chief Financial Officer, Allan Tait, said the technologies being installed would provide a practical demonstration of its strengthening commitment to sustainability.

“As a public-spirited university, Melbourne is committed to promoting

sustainability through our operations, as well as in our research and education programs, particularly as we have an obligation to show leadership in critical global issues such as climate change and sustainability.”

CEFC Executive Director – Corporate and Project Finance, Paul McCartney, said the corporation’s finance would enable the university to accelerate its implementation of innovative energy efficient and renewable energy technologies, including voltage optimisation, freezer upgrades, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal and micro-turbines.

Mr McCartney said the university expected these to reduce its grid electricity use by some eight per cent and deliver carbon emissions abatement of over 9,000 tonnes per year upon project completion.

“Australia’s 39 universities make a major contribution to the national economy and to the community,” Mr McCartney said.

“Yet they face the ongoing challenges of public budget restraint, intensifying global competition and the need to use cutting edge

technologies to meet increasing student expectations.

“Clean energy installations like those being undertaken by the University of Melbourne can help universities meet these challenges through an investment that results in reduced environmental impact, higher productivity and stronger financial performance.”

As part of its Investment Mandate, the CEFC has a focus on financing emerging and innovative renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency for cities and the built environment.

Mr McCartney said universities consumed significant amounts of energy in delivering their services to students and communities, through operating large campuses and facilities, as well research facilities.

“The CEFC is looking to work on similar innovative projects with other Australian universities to help them achieve increased sustainability through energy efficient and renewable technologies that reduce energy costs,” Mr McCartney said.

COVER FEATURE

JR Richards and Sons A COMPANY BUILT ON QUALITY, SERVICE AND RELIABILITY

E

stablished in 1958, JR Richards & Sons is an Australian-owned family company that has built its success and reputation on a commitment to quality, customer service and reliability.

From its humble beginnings as a small family business in Tuncurry on the NSW mid-north coast, JR Richards & Sons has grown to employ over 400 people, and has a fleet of over 300 heavy vehicles used in its operations.

The company provides a wide range of waste and recycling solutions for customers throughout New South Wales. It contracts to numerous rural and regional Councils, with services covering a number of large regional centres including Taree, Port Macquarie, Grafton, Parkes, Dubbo and Orange.

JR Richards & Sons is also actively involved in diverting waste from landfill. The company operates several purpose built

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Material Recovery Facilities (MRF's) and diverts over 100,000 tonnes of recyclables annually.

In addition to waste management and recycling operations, JR Richards & Sons is also at the forefront of engineering and design within the waste and recycling industries.

Based at Tuncurry, the company's in-house engineering division manufactures a wide range of compaction equipment for its vehicles.

LONG HISTORY OF SUCCESS WITH RURAL & REGIONAL COUNCILS While JR Richards & Sons is active in all areas of waste management and recycling, one of the business’ core strengths undoubtedly lies within its residential kerbside service capability - particularly throughout rural and regional areas.

JR Richards & Sons currently provides residential kerbside collection services -

including waste, co-mingled recyclables and food and garden organics services - for over 20 rural and regional Councils across New South Wales.

Standing as testament to the quality and reliability of its services, it is interesting to note that of the contracts currently held by the firm, 20 have been held for over 10 years and 5 of these have been held in excess of 50 years!

Importantly, despite its outstanding longterm performance record, the company is not one to rest on its laurels - quite the contrary in fact. JR Richards & Sons Associate Director, Rob Marlow, commented: “Whilst we may have been working with some of our clients for over 50 years, we certainly don't take any of our contracts or customers for granted."

"Our reputation has been earned over many decades, providing a high level of service and partnering with Councils, but we also know

COVER FEATURE

“Even though we have been working with some of our clients for over 50 years, we don't take any of our contracts or customers for granted." past performance and reputation counts for little if the quality of service reduces."

"With this in mind, we always focus on providing the best possible service, while also building and maintaining strong lines of communication with all of our clients - large and small. This helps us ensure we can deliver quality services to meet the needs of our customers," Rob Marlow added.

WOLLONDILLY SHIRE CONTRACT Not surprisingly, this commitment to quality and long history of performance was also a major factor in JR Richards & Sons securing the municipal domestic contract for Wollondilly Shire Council.

Centred on the town of Picton, located some 90 km to the south-west of Sydney, Wollondilly Shire encompasses 2,500km2 of picturesque farming and grazing land, as well as significant areas of natural bushland and pristine conservation areas. Despite the fact it is now one of the fastest growing region's in NSW (due to its relatively close commuting distance to Campbelltown, Liverpool and Sydney’s outer south-west) Wollondilly Shire is still relatively sparsely populated - consisting of numerous small towns and hamlets, and an abundance of rural properties.

Needless to say, the distances between many of the properties, combined with the

Shire’s abundance of small rural roads, brings an added level of complexity to the planning and provision of kerbside residential collection services.

JR Richards & Sons were awarded the domestic services contract for Wollondilly Shire in June 2015. The service utilises a 3-bin system incorporating: • weekly rubbish collection (80L, 120L & 240L options) • fortnightly co-mingled recyclables collection (240L & 360L options) • alternating fortnightly green organics collection (240L) The services are provided using a fleet of seven new collection vehicles, operating out of a new purpose-built depot facility in Picton.

Opened in January this year, the Picton depot incorporates a new administration / operations facility, workshop, wash bay, truck parking and bin yard.

JR Richards & Sons also provides a scheduled, twice-yearly 24 zone domestic Council clean-up service of kerbside hard waste using two dedicated rearloader units and an 8-tonne rigid truck.

As with the other services, the clean-up service places an emphasis on maximising resource recovery, with metals and whitegoods separated for recycling/ reprocessing.

CONNECTED VEHICLES In keeping with the company’s focus on maximising services efficiency, the new Wollondilly Shire collection fleet utilises the latest in state-of-the-art GPS routing and driver reporting systems.

Together with the latest Fleetmax GPS-based fleet tracking technology, the Wollondilly collection vehicles have also been fitted with the 3Logix data collection and reporting system.

Operated via an in-cabin touch-screen unit (which is also used to display the reversing and operation camera output), the 3Logix system provides the driver with a highly efficient ‘one-touch’ method of recording and reporting service exceptions along the route, including: •

•

missed services (non-presented bin) /refused services (overfull bin, contamination, etc.) bin faults (broken bin, missing wheel, broken lid, etc.)

Once activated, the 3Logix system provides a date and time stamped report including photographs as evidence of the service exception.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

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COVER FEATURE

WINGECARRIBEE SHIRE CONTRACT JR Richards & Sons also provides the residential waste and recycling services for the neighbouring Wingecarribee Shire; a contract it was awarded in July 2014.

Covering an area of 2,700 square kilometres some 90 minutes to the southwest of Sydney, Wingecarribee Shire encompasses the area commonly referred to as the NSW Southern Highlands and includes the main towns of Bowral, Moss Vale, Mittagong and Bundanoon. This Shire is an important catchment area for water supply to Sydney, Wollongong and the Northern Shoalhaven.

As with Wollondilly Shire, Wingecarribee Shire consists mostly of small towns and villages, separated by a semi rural landscape. While this makes for a challenging environment for residential collection services, it is one in which JR Richards & Sons clearly excels.

The Wingecarribee Shire contract incorporates a weekly garbage service (120L) together with alternating fortnightly

co-mingled recyclables (240L or 360L) and garden organics (240L) services. Under the contract, JR Richards & Sons also operates the Council-owned transfer station at Moss Vale, transferring the waste using a fleet of prime movers and 48’ ‘walking floor’ transfer trailers. An average of six full trailer loads of waste and recycling are transferred to Eastern Creek in Sydney’s outer west every day.

For further information, please visit: www.jrrichards.com.au

COMMERCIAL WASTE & RECYCLING SOLUTIONS As one of Australia’s leaders in sustainable waste management, JR Richards & Sons can provide its customers with fully-integrated waste management solutions for all business, industrial and commercial wastes.

From small commercial MGB (wheel bin) services, through to front lift, hook lift and skip bins, JR Richards & Sons provides a full range of commercial and industrial waste and recycling services, including:

FAMILY TIES In 1932 JR (Joe) Richards assisted his father when he established JJ Richards & Sons in the Tweed area of northern New South Wales. This move into the Waste Management Industry followed a career in mining and initially was based on the collection of sanitary pans. This firm still operates today and is one of the largest in the industry, with major contracts in nearly all capital cities as well as many regional sites.

In 1958 Joe left the family business to start his own company, JR Richards & Sons

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at Tuncurry on the NSW mid-north coast.

To this day, JR Richards & Sons truly remains a family Company, with Joe’s children Ken, Joe Jnr and Sharyn, along with grandson Chris, all directly involved in management and operations.

The basis of the company has always been service and stability and this will continue to be the case.

JR Richards & Sons is a solid family company built on traditional values and a focus on providing high quality, costeffective waste and recycling solutions.

• general commercial / industrial waste • paper & cardboard recycling • co-mingled recycling • organics recycling • metal recycling • timber recycling The company's team of specially trained staff work with customers to assess their waste streams and develop solutions focusing on delivering the best possible outcomes to help increase recycling levels, reduce disposal, reduce overall costs and maximise environmental outcomes.

LIQUID AND INDUSTRIAL SERVICES Together with its strong performance in waste collection and recycling, in recent years JR Richards & Sons has also gained an enviable reputation for quality and performance in the liquid and industrial services sector.

Based at Rutherford in the NSW Hunter Valley, JR Richards Liquid & Industrial Services division currently service clients throughout New South Wales, providing a wide variety of liquid and related services using a modern fleet of specialised vehicles, equipment and technicians.

From pipe-jetting, stormwater pit cleaning and CCTV asset inspection and reporting services; to collection and disposal of liquid waste (including oily water, effluent, sludge and grease traps) and specialist heavy-duty wet and dry industrial vacuum services, JR Richards Liquid & Industrial Services division provides a ‘one stop shop’ for Councils, Utilities, mining and heavy industrial clients.

JR Richards Liquid & Industrial Services division offers a full range of liquid and industrial services, including: • sewer and stormwater pipe-jetting • Gross Pollutant Traps (GPT’s) - industrial vacuum cleaning

COVER FEATURE

• •

CCTV pipe inspection and asset reporting liquid waste collection and disposal - oily water / waste oil & hydrocarbons - household & commercial effluent pump outs - sludge and sediments - grease trap pump outs • specialist heavy-duty wet and dry industrial vacuum services

ORGANICS RECYCLING AND COMPOST

Operating under the banner RichEarth, JR Richards’ organic recycling and compost business is also going from strength to strength, with two Organics Recycling Facilities (ORF’s) now fully-operational and producing high quality mulch and compost products.

Launched in 2012, the RichEarth business grew out of the development of the Grafton Organics Recycling Facility (ORF) on the NSW Mid-North Coast, which was established as part of Clarence Valley Council’s kerbside organics collection service contract. This was followed by the establishment of the Molong ORF (near Orange in Central West NSW) as part of Orange City Council’s organics processing contract. Combined, these two state-of-theart in-tunnel composting facilities have the capacity to produce over 30,000 tonnes of high quality RichEarth compost per annum.

The RichEarth facilities utilise computercontrolled composting tunnels to provide a fully-enclosed, controlled composting environment, capable of producing a high quality end-product that meets the Australian Standard AS4454 for Soils, Mulches and Composts.

Left: The Grafton RichEarth Facility was recently selected as a location for filming an EPA funded “Compost Rocks” market development program featuring Dirtgirl, Scrapboy and Costa, from Gardening Australia. The 12-month dirtgirlworld-led social media campaign will feature the ORF and follow the organic process from collection to processing into RichEarth compost, and finally to an Organic Farm where the RichEarth product is used to enhance existing soils.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT

BILL TO PROTECT INTERESTS OF SMALL-SCALE ENERGY GENERATORS

DEVELOPING PERTH’S URBAN FOREST PLAN Research conducted over the past 12 months has informed the development of the City of Perth’s Urban Forest Plan.

A draft of the plan will be made available in coming months for public consultation.

It assesses how the city’s urban forest is performing against a range of key indicator, including the extent of canopy cover, the diversity of trees, their age and useful life expectancy, and their health.

Through methods such as aerial mapping, thermal imagery and street and parkland auditing, some of the findings include: • the city’s urban forest has more than 14,800 trees in its streets, parklands, and open spaces; • 92 per cent of the trees are in good or excellent health; • over 10 per cent of the city is covered by tree canopy and approximately 19 per

cent of its streets and parkland spaces are covered; • the amenity value of street and parkland trees is estimated at $98 million; • 12 per cent of street and parkland trees will need to be replaced on a staged basis over the next 15 years; and • over 60 per cent of street and parkland trees consist of native species.

Perth’s Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi, said the Urban Forest Plan would provide a strategic framework to protect existing urban forest and manage and grow the forest into the future.

“Our urban forest is a valuable resource that delivers environmental, social and economic benefits to the community, including providing shade, cooling streets and buildings, improving air and water quality, and physical and mental health.”

Legislation before the Victorian Parliament is designed to make it easier for small-scale energy generators, including households with rooftop solar panels, to connect to the electricity grid.

The aim of the National Electricity (Victoria) Further Amendment Bill 2015 is to switch Victoria to national arrangements for connection, which require electricity distributors to follow tighter timeframes when they receive a connection request.

Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said under the bill, distributors must have a basic contract available to small customers and generators who want to connect to the grid.

Any customer who asks to connect must get a firm connection offer within 10 business days. For solar customers, this will reduce connection waiting times by up to 55 business days. If the connection process is complex, distributors have to provide clear information on the process to customers and still have to operate within a time limit.

“This bill supports the government’s election commitment to provide fairer access to the grid for small customers who are providing renewable energy, said Ms D’Ambrosio.

MELBOURNE LIGHTING UPGRADE TO ACHIEVE MAJOR CARBON ABATEMENT The City of Melbourne will replace more than 15,000 street lights with energy efficient LED bulbs as part of an Emissions Reduction Fund project.

The $14.4 million Public Lighting Upgrade Project is part of a $30 million program of initiatives the council is undertaking using finance from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

"It is good to see an iconic city like Melbourne leading the way by engaging in the Emissions Reduction Fund,” said the Chair of the Clean Energy Regulator, Chloe Munro.

“Their project demonstrates that small changes, like replacing light bulbs, can make a big difference to overall energy use.

"We're keen to see other councils become sustainable as they move to a more energy efficient way of operating their core services. Councils should be considering the 14

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

range of opportunities now available under the Emissions Reduction Fund," Ms Munro said.

"Prospects for councils are broader than just energy efficiency with methods available that can credit certain improvements in transportation and waste management."

The City of Melbourne project has been registered under the commercial and public lighting method.

The method credits emissions reductions from projects that improve the energy performance of lighting systems in commercial and industrial buildings or, in council’s case, public areas such as pedestrian, street and traffic lighting.

Chair of the City of Melbourne's Environment Portfolio, Cr Arron Wood, said the project was expected to create 10,000 tonnes of carbon abatement each year.

"We're pleased to have our first project

registered under the Emissions Reduction Fund. Public lighting accounts for nearly half of the City of Melbourne's energy use, so we expect to save more than $1 million a year on our electricity bills," said Cr Wood.

"This project is just one of the initiatives we are undertaking to help fast-track progress towards our municipal goal of zero net emissions by 2020."

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CERTIFIED CARBON NEUTRAL PRECINCTS FOR AUSTRALIA’S CITIES The certification system which recognises carbon neutral businesses, products, services and events throughout Australia will be expanded to include cities, precincts and buildings.

Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, said the government had listened to requests from the community, cities and business to expand the National Carbon Offset Standard – which enabled businesses, products and events to be certified as carbon neutral.

“We are establishing an Expert Committee for carbon neutral precincts and cities; the aim is for Australia to have our first officially certified and operating carbon neutral precinct or city by January 2017,” said Minister Hunt.

“This is an exciting development.

Australia’s cities consistently rank amongst the most liveable in the world and the

government is committed to ensuring this continues.

“The committee will also work towards a carbon neutral certification for Australia’s buildings.”

Mr Hunt said the first meeting of the Expert Committee was planned for April 2016 and members would include representatives from big cities, Barangaroo Delivery Authority, the Green Building Council of Australia, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System and the CRC for Low Carbon Living.

According to the International Energy Agency, Australia’s cities account for 80 per cent of the nation’s total national energy consumption.

Mr Hunt said the government was helping cities to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency by supporting

projects through the Emissions Reduction Fund and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

“The government is also increasing the use of renewable energy through the Renewable Energy Target and energy efficiency through the National Energy Productivity Plan.

“As part of the National Carbon Offset Standard, certified organisations reduce their emissions through using renewable energy and lowering energy use through energy efficiency measures or reducing waste and increasing recycling.

“They offset the remaining emissions through the purchase of abatement units, such as for native vegetation restoration.”

For more information on the National Carbon Offset Standard, contact: ncos@environment.gov.au

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15

CLIMATE CHANGE

DROUGHTS TOP LIST OF INCREASING CLIMATE RELATED DISASTERS An analysis of 2015 by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has confirmed that weather and climaterelated disasters now dominate disaster trends linked to natural hazards.

The analysis, released in February 2016, found that 98.6 million people were affected by disasters last year and that climate – often aided by a strong El Niño phenomenon – was a factor in 92 per cent of the disasters.

The events with the greatest impact were the 32 major droughts recorded throughout the year, which amounted to more than double the 10-year annual average and affected 50.5 million people.

“The main message from this trends analysis is that reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change is vital for countries seeking to reduce disaster risk now and in the future,” said Robert Glasser, the Head of UNISDR.

The analysis found the five countries hit by the highest number of disasters in 2015 were China with 26 disasters; USA with 22; India with 19; the Philippines with 15; and Indonesia with 11.

UNISDR said that following droughts, floods had the second-greatest impact in 2015, with 152 floods affecting 27.5 million people and claiming more than 3,300 lives.

This compared with the 10-year average of 5,938 deaths and 85.1 million people affected.

In addition, Asia and the Pacific, in particular, bore the brunt of the 90 storms reported, which included 48 cyclonestrength storms, attributable to rising sea levels and sea surface temperatures.

Globally, storms resulted in 996 deaths and affected 10.6 million people in 2015, compared with a 10-year average of 17,778 deaths and 34.9 million people affected.

IMPROVING LOCAL GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE A second round of scholarships aimed at helping Victoria’s local government staff prepare for the impact of climate change on council services has been launched by the State Government.

Following the success of 40 scholarships offered in 2015, 32 new scholarships are on offer to help council staff better understand the impacts and opportunities of climate change.

Minister for Local Government, Natalie Hutchins, and Minister for Climate Change, Lisa Neville, said local governments were at the forefront of delivering services to the community and climate change impacted on the services, including health, planning, emergency management, roads, and infrastructure.

“Climate change impacts are felt by all Victorians, and we have a collective responsibility to take action and help reduce the impacts,” Ms Hutchins said.

The second round of scholarships is being offered due to high demand from councils and the success of the training course in helping staff to improve efficiencies and provide a whole-of-council approach to incorporating an understanding of climate change in their service delivery.

The scholarships cover up to 55 per cent of the cost of the university accredited course.

The Centre of Local Government, University of Technology Sydney, will deliver the course and training to local government on 3-5 May in Melbourne and 17-19 May in Wangaratta in Victoria’s north east.

Scholarships are open to executive and senior management council staff, and applications were due to close on 7 April.

LATEST EL NIÑO FADING BUT IMPACT STILL BEING FELT The 2015-2016 El Niño, one of the strongest on record, has passed its peak, but its humanitarian and economic impacts will continue for many months to come, according to the United Nations weather agency The latest update from the World Meteorological Organisation said the El Niño was expected to weaken in the months ahead and fade during the second quarter of 2016.

“In meteorological terms, this El Niño is now in decline, but we cannot lower our guard as it is still quite strong and in humanitarian and economic terms, its impacts will continue for some time to come,” said WMO Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas.

“We have just witnessed one of the most powerful ever El Niño events which caused extreme weather in countries on all continents and helped fuel record global heat 16

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

in 2015,” Mr Taalas said.

Parts of South America and East Africa are still recovering from torrential rains and flooding. The economic and human toll from drought is becoming increasingly apparent in southern and the Horn of Africa, Central America and a number of other regions.

Eastern and central tropical Pacific Ocean surface temperatures were more than 2 degrees Celsius above average in late 2015, providing evidence that the 2015-16 El Niño was comparable with the devastating 1997-98 and 1982-83 events. It is, however, too early to establish conclusively whether it was the strongest.

Mr Taalas said the world was better prepared than ever before for an El Niño and scientific research conducted during this event would enhance understanding of

El Niño and the inter-linkages between the phenomenon and human-induced climate change.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is the result of the interaction between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central Equatorial Pacific. It has an irregular recurrence period of between two and seven years. Typically, El Niño peaks late in the calendar year.

CLIMATE CHANGE

VICTORIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE ACT UNDER REVIEW An independent review of Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2010, has made more than 30 recommendations on how the Act can be strengthened.

The 33 recommendations put forward by the review committee include a five-year Climate Change Strategy and improved decision making across government to best prepare Victoria for a low carbon economy.

The Chair of the Independent Review Committee, Martijn Wilder, is head of Baker & McKenzie’s Global Environmental Markets practice.

Mr Wilder focuses on climate law and finance, federal and international environmental law, environmental and clean energy infrastructure projects and agribusiness.

“Our Review found that the current Climate Change Act does not meet the current and future needs of Victoria, when responding to climate change.

“We would like to thank the Victorians that took the time to submit to the review.

The review committee received 103 unique submissions and a further 1,556 campaign submissions, all of which were taken into consideration when we developed the review recommendations.”

Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, said the review was a key element in restoring the Climate Change Act. “This was an important review that will ensure Victoria is well positioned to deal with the challenges of climate change and I thank the Independent Review Committee for its comprehensive and thorough work.”

“We want to transition our economy to reduce emissions in ways that help Victoria grow and increase jobs, and this review will help us identify these opportunities.

“We will make sure we protect communities and the environment, avoid costs to the economy, drive innovation and strongly position Victoria in a low-carbon economy.”

STREET SWEEPINGS & DRAIN WASTE RECYCLING SYSTEMS

Waste Water Management Oz Feb 16.indd 1

Ms Neville said Victoria had ruled out a state-based emissions trading framework because this was a Commonwealth responsibility – she said a shadow carbon price had also been ruled out.

To complement the Act’s review, the Minister said, the government was also working on a whole-of-government Victorian Climate Change Framework to be released in 2016.

The framework will be developed through community consultation and will help support the government’s response to the Climate Change Act 2010 review.

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

17

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Initiative to reduce organic waste in landfill Businesses can now seek support from the Australian Government for projects to keep greenhouse gas producing organic waste out of landfill.

Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, said a method to benefit organisations that dealt with food or garden waste was now available under the government's Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

Mr Hunt said the ERF provided positive incentives for businesses to adopt smarter practices that went beyond their “business as usual” to cut the amount of greenhouse gases they created.

“Participants can earn carbon credits by setting up a project under an approved method, which sets out the rules for the activity including how the abatement is to be measured.”

Minister Hunt said the Source Separated Organic Waste method would help to reduce the more than 6.6 million tonnes of organic waste, including food and garden waste, which was dumped each year in landfill.

“Local councils, retailers, charities, hospitality businesses, manufacturers, waste processors and composting facilities will be able to take advantage of this new method.

“It covers new projects that separate organic material from other waste types and divert it away from landfill to eligible alternative treatments such as composting.”

In landfill, organic waste breaks down to release methane, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes considerably to climate change.

Mr Hunt said the Source Separate Organic Waste method joined a growing suite of opportunities for eligible participants right across the economy in the Emissions Reduction Fund auction in April 2016.

Other recent innovative methods announced provide for projects in beef cattle, refrigeration and high efficiency commercial appliances to register under the fund.

“This new method will build on the success of the ERF in helping to meet and beat Australia's 2020 target and in working towards our 2030 target to cut emissions by 26-to-28 per cent.

Under the ERF to date, 275 projects have been contracted by the Clean Energy Regulator through the two auctions in 2015, resulting in 92.8 million tonnes of abatement, including: • 51.3 million tonnes from vegetation projects; • 20.4 million tonnes in the waste sector; • 8.3 million tonnes from agriculture; and • 7.1 million tonnes in savanna burning projects.

Mr Hunt said a key obligation of all projects under the scheme was to deliver the agreed emissions reductions on time – payment was on delivery only.

The current list of methods is available on the ComLaw website and organisations wanting to apply for an emissions reduction project should visit the Clean Energy Regulator website: www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Crackdown on illegal transport of waste in Queensland More than 100 investigations have been launched into alleged unlicensed waste industry operations since August last year when the Queensland Government set-up the Waste Industry Compliance Investigation Taskforce.

The taskforce has carried out the investigations under an operation codenamed TORA. Environment Minister, Steven Miles, said the operation had helped the Department of Environment and Heritage (EHP) increase its “compliance response” across the board when it came to illegal waste storage, transport and disposal.

“Under the operation, EHP has investigated 102 cases of allegedly unlicensed waste-business operations, with another 32 investigations still underway,” Dr Miles said.

“The waste industry has expressed ongoing concerns about unlicensed operators who break the law and gain an advantage over responsible operators, by not complying with regulations or paying applicable fees.

“Unregulated waste transport may result in human health and environmental impacts – undermining our waste management regulations.”

Since the introduction of the taskforce, 55 enforcement actions have been taken against waste operators, in accordance with EHP’s published enforcement guidelines.

Examples include EHP fining a company more than $11,000 for illegally storing regulated waste oil and other hydrocarbons, and fining an individual more than $2,200 for illegally transporting asbestos-containing material.

Joint operations have been conducted with Queensland Police as part of the crackdown on the illegal transportation of regulated waste. Sixty-four heavy vehicles were inspected during two joint activities in March.

“Vehicles were variously carrying grease trap and septic waste, tannery waste, asbestos, construction and demolition waste, paper pulp waste, food waste and poultry waste,” Dr Miles said.

Waste Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) CEO, Rick Ralph, said Operation Tora and the initiatives it supported, such as the joint action with Queensland Police, went a long way towards stamping out illegal waste transport activities and facilities.

“We thank the State Government for committing to the Operation Tora taskforce, which will help industry in its fight to shut these licence loopholes,' Mr Ralph said.

“WRIQ looks forward to working further with both the police and EHP to make sure illegal waste and recycling operators find it harder to conduct their illicit activities, and facilities.”

The transport of regulated waste is managed under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008.

EPA conducts trials to resolve waste legacy Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) will oversee a small-scale trial to safely destroy chemical wastes that have been stored in Melbourne for over 15 years following the introduction of new treatment methods.

Following the 2001 Stockholm Convention - an international treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent pollutants - the use of certain pesticides, fungicides and other veterinary chemicals were banned in Victoria.

EPA Major Projects Manager German Ferrando-Miguel said the collection of these chemicals from across Victoria at the time, mainly from the agricultural and veterinary sectors, totalled 235 tonnes.

“Most of the collected chemicals were able to be treated, disposed of or destroyed safely and easily however EPA, on behalf of the State Government, currently manages the remaining 80 tonnes that were unable to be treated due to them being a complex mix of pesticides,” Dr Ferrando-Miguel said.

“Until recently, there has not been a viable and safe solution for the treatment and destruction of these chemical wastes and they have been securely and safely stored in Melbourne over the past 15 years.

“Fortunately, technology at waste management facilities has since evolved to now allow these chemical wastes to be treated and destroyed safely.”

Dr Ferrando-Miguel said following a rigorous and extensive process, Sterihealth in Laverton, Victoria, and Toxfree in Narangba, Queensland, had been selected to trial their proposals.

“EPA, together with an independent technical expert, will assess the results of the trial to determine the most effective treatment methodologies and determine the most appropriate solution to treat the remaining waste,” he said.

“EPA will oversee the trials to ensure they are conducted according to best practice methods that also apply to the treatment and destruction of similar chemicals. The aim is to ensure that minimal end products remain following treatment.”

Both facilities will be given approximately half a tonne of the waste to treat as part of the trial. The trials are expected to commence in early 2016 and will be run for three months.

For more information, visit: www.epa.vic.gov.au

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

19

EQUIPMENT FOCUS

Introducing The World’s Smallest Rearloader!

“Miner” Series Low Profile Rearloader From Garwood International When it comes to waste and recycling collection in inner-city high and medium density areas - to coin a phrase - size really does matter.

What’s more, it’s definitely not a case of ‘the bigger the better’!

Put simply, the combination of small laneways, extremely busy, often congested streets and, critically, low-height access into utility/ bin service areas and loading bays (many of which are located under the buildings and have low height limitations), can severely limit access for waste collection vehicles.

Daniel McHugh, Managing Director with equipment specialists Garwood International Pty Ltd, commented: “Waste is often forgotten about when these buildings are designed and erected. In fact, for many buildings, it’s simply been a case of allocating an area in the car park where the bins are out of the way – with no thought whatsoever given to how the bins can be emptied.”

“Questions of where to put the bins for collection and how to empty them in a safe and efficient manner are left to the waste contractor to sort out,” Daniel added. “It has been a real challenge for the industry; and it’s not just a matter of inconvenience - it can also be a real OH&S nightmare.”

“Together with apartment blocks, where there can be as many as 50 bins lined up on the side of the road awaiting collection, which can present a major hazard for pedestrians and motorists alike, in many other large buildings, due to the design, the building managers are left with no choice other than to drag heavy bins up ramps to get them out from underneath the building to a position where larger trucks can pick the bins up.”

“Needless to say, dragging heavy bins up ramps presents a very real chance of injury, especially in wet weather. What’s more, these bins often have to be left in driveways or on roadways or footpaths so they can be emptied – blocking access and presenting an added hazard,” Daniel said.

“With that in mind, we set out to design a waste collection vehicle that could overcome these issues – simply by having a low enough profile to get into the car park or underground access where the bins are kept. Emptying the bins where they are kept and eliminating the need to move them out from under the building for servicing,” he added.

The result is the Garwood ‘MINER’ series. An innovative 5m3 low profile, rear loading refuse compactor with a maximum overall height of just 2.080m.

“The whole design concept of this unit is to go underneath apartments, office blocks, shops and even sports stadiums & exhibition halls – basically anywhere with a height restriction of 2100mm. This is the first and only mobile garbage compactor in the world that can get into these sites and collect the waste from the underground storage areas, and it has revolutionised the way waste is being collected at these sites,” Daniel said.

The 5m3 Low profile Garwood MINER unit can pick up the full range of mobile wheelie bins (120L, 240L, 360L) as well as 660L and 1100L capacity 4-wheel bins, using Garwood’s specially designed wide comb lifter. Importantly, Garwood’s innovative engineering, has also resulted in a bin lifter design that allows all of these bin types to be 20

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

lifted and emptied within 2100mm underground height restrictions, without hitting fire sprinklers, pipe lines, electrical cables etc.

The Garwood MINER is suitable for use with all waste and recyclables streams, including general waste, comingled recyclables, paper and cardboard, or green organics.

Fitted to the Hino 616 Automatic cab chassis – which, with a cab height of just 2080mm is the lowest-profile 5500 GVM cab chassis on the market – the Garwood MINER low profile 5m3 compactor delivers ‘full-scale’ performance, in a low profile compact unit. The unit’s 3400mm wheelbase and tight turning circle make it extremely manoeuvrable, while the Bisalloy body and tailgate and simplified electronic and hydraulic systems make it robust enough to deliver years of reliable service.

For further information, please contact Garwood Engineering, Ph: (02) 9756 3756, or visit: www.garwoodinternational.com.au

See the video of the Reverse Smart AEB in action: www.reversesmart.com.au/how-does-it-work

The state-of-the-art Reverse Smart AEB system has been speciďŹ cally designed to reduce the incidents of large vehicles or mobile plant impacting workers or objects while reversing.

1

By providing an additional level of protection, including an engineering control that can stop the vehicle by automatically applying the brakes, the Reverse Smart system can signiďŹ cantly reduce the risk of impacts, injuries and workplace fatalities.

2

Step 1 : Object detected while reversing. Step 2 : Vehicle continues to reverse towards object. Step 3 : Reverse Smart AEB system automatically applies the brakes and stops the vehicle.

For further information, or to arrange a demonstration, please visit:

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or A1 Reversing Systems Pty Ltd Ph: 03 9765 9444

3

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

The Ultimate in Renewable Energy “Why didn’t I come up with that…it’s so obvious?” Pretty much all of us have seen a new product or service and wondered why it took so long for someone to finally do something with an opportunity that had been sitting right under everybody’s nose.

International Wastewater Systems a Canadian firm based in Vancouver refused to let such an idea get away, founding in 2010 to make a difference for customers and the environment by recycling something most of us discard on a regular basis without even thinking.

Warm water from showers, kitchen sinks and other sources cascades down the drain in huge volumes every second of every day, the energy initially used to heat that water being lost completely, or in some cases, actually becoming a detriment by reaching our oceans and introducing unneeded heat to them.

International Wastewater Systems, or IWS as the company calls itself for short, recaptures that energy using technology that is a century old, quickly sending it back up the chain to be used again. It is a simple concept and it works - with users in Canada, the United States and Europe addressing their energy needs in a responsible way and saving money at the same time.

IWS invented what they call the SHARC technology - a sewage heat recovery system specifically designed to recapture a third of the energy used in the world that finds its way down the drain. They refer to the SHARC as the “ultimate in renewable energy”. It is the same energy – used one day, re-captured, and then used again the next day.

The company did all of its original SHARC system installations in and around Vancouver so it could access them easily for monitoring and tweaking. A couple of years ago product refinement had reached the point it was decided that SHARC was ready for global release.

Not surprisingly, the reaction has almost been more than the company can handle, with the past 24 months best characterised as a “blur of growth”, with interest from all over the world including Australia One of the major benefits of the SHARC technology is that it is eminently scalable. SHARC units are custom-designed for each installation and can handle anything from a single building to a district energy system.

The key to the success of the SHARC, lies within its simplicity.

The easiest way to understand the SHARC technology is to visualize it in stages. The first stage filters out waste within the sewage that streams into the unit, returning it to the sewage flow so it can continue on its way. What’s left is water that is clean enough to put through a heat exchanger, which extracts the heat energy for reuse.

Put simply, the SHARC temporarily intercepts the flow, cleans it up, and uses it for your heating needs, and then it goes off to the sewage treatment plant. It has just had a thermal effect on it and nothing else. It has not done any chemical processes or altered it in any way other than recovering the heat.

On the other side of the heat exchanger is the Heat Pump. A heat pump is just a glorified refrigerator. If you put warm food or beverages into a refrigerator, a few hours later your food is cold but the back or your refrigerator is warm – that is a heat pump in action, 22

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

moving heat from the warm product into the refrigeration system and then by means of that heat pump it is rejected outside.

Within the realm of IWS’s technology, that warmth is most often directed back into a building or used to heat water.

One of the installations of which IWS is most proud can be found in Sechelt, a small city popular with tourists and retirees on British Columbia’s picturesque Sunshine Coast. Sechelt built what is claimed to be the world’s cleanest and most efficient water treatment plant. The philosophy at the treatment plant was to be completely sustainable. Energy recovered from the sewage using the SHARC heats and cools the entire building, so it uses no fossil fuels. The system has worked flawlessly now for two years and people come from all over the world to see it.

A key part of IWS's sustainability strategy is to manufacture and employ people where they do business. Rather than building things offshore, they want to be a functioning, active part of every community where they operate. For example, they have appointed Air Solutions International Pty Ltd as their Australian Agent and intend to manufacture the units in Australia - creating jobs and becoming a functioning part of a sustainable, local community.

SEWERAGE

THE ULTIMATE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE Importantly, the company's sustainability goals are not only reflected in its commitment to respecting local communities, but also in the efficiency of the SHARC system. IWS’s equipment is not something developers install just to make themselves feel good. The units reportedly run at somewhere between 400% and 500% efficiency, meaning that for every dollar spent operating the system, the owner gets back around $4-5.00 worth of heat.

At its core, the company's message is that the SHARC system can retrieve energy efficiently and without effort, so there is no reason to throw it away.

Reducing fossil fuel usage is a major component of moving to a carbon free economy and the SHARC system can play a major role in achieving this goal - providing a high performance, high efficiency renewable energy solution that can be scaled to suit any building in the world For further information, please contact the Australian Agent, Air Solutions International Pty Ltd, Phone: 03 9753 2677 or 02 9979 7299, Email: info@airsolutions.com.au or visit the website: www.airsolutions.com.au

In the search for new and sustainable energy sources few people realise that there is a energy source flowing beneath the surface of our cities SEWERAGE! This abundant, free energy source remains mostly untapped.

The “Sharc” is a Waste Heat Recovery & Heat Rejection System suitable for a range of applications including, multi-unit apartments, aged care, hospitals, commercial buildings and district energy.

 Energy savings and primary energy cost reductions  Reduce building CO2 & GHG  Easy Install into New or Existing infrastructure  Trouble free operation & maintenance  Long product life- cycle

HOT WATER SERVICE Using the waste water from the building the Piranha is a self-contained HEAT PUMP specifically designed to extract thermal energy from waste water for Domestic Hot Water Heating.

COP’s of 5.0 for 50-200 Apartments, Aged Care, and Hospitals to produce 7500-15000 litres of Hot Water per Day

www.airsolutions.com.au | info@airsolutions.com.au VIC: 03 9753 2677 | NSW: 02 9979 7299

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

23

WASTE WATER TREATMENT

Aquago establishes permanent presence in Australia

24

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Building on the success of the initial Australian installation of its SUNGO® and SUBMIX® technology over the past 18 months, internationally-renowned water and wastewater treatment specialists Aquago Techsub has established its first permanent Australian office. A wholly-owned subsidiary of French water and environmental services company Techsub, Aquago has developed a enviable global reputation for the development of innovative, high performance solutions to treat, rectify and manage lagoons and other bodies of water.

Based in Melbourne and headed up by Xavier Delattre, Aquago's new Australian office will provide a local point of contact for clients across the country.

"This represents a major step forward for our operations in Australia," Mr Delattre said. "It will enable us to provide shorter lead times and an even higher level of service to our Australian customers."

"With the first four units now approaching their second year of successful operation, we're now in a position where we can demonstrate performance and results for an extended period under Australian operating conditions."

"That 'local performance' data is generally a major consideration for companies and authorities that are looking to install the technology, but want to be sure that it will cope with Australian conditions," he added.

Importantly, while the patented SUNGO® and SUBMIX® technologies are only relative newcomers to the Australian market, they have been delivering outstanding results at numerous locations around the globe for well over 15 years. Indeed, the technologies are widely considered to provide one of the most efficient and least costly methods of treating and rectifying lagoon dysfunctions and improving their purification capabilities.

Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and MASE, SUNGO® and SUBMIX® mixers are vertical circulators which have been specifically designed to aid the process

of self-purification of water bodies and lagoons.

Extremely energy efficient - and in the case of the solar-powered SUNGO®, completely autonomous - the units are based on the principle of vertical mixing, which allows them to mobilise all of the water column; as opposed to a conventional system which only mobilises a portion of the water column.

The solar units are powered by a solar array, which is either mounted on a purpose-built mini-pontoon or at the edge of the lagoon.

Designed with a focus on long-term reliability, the principle of action of the SUNGO® and SUBMIX® units is to aspirate the deep waters up to the surface. They spread on both sides of the machine and reoxygenate by contacting with the air, before diving back towards the bottom - creating cells of convection allowing the regeneration of the water column.

Capable of circulating 2,500m3/hr, the flow velocity in the propeller output is about 0.5 m/s at the surface and less than 0.15m/s at 0.6 m below the surface. This design enables it to avoid the re-suspension of sediments if the water depth is greater than 0.7m.

The units are highly effective in addressing and rectifying a range of common problems in dysfunctional lagoons, including: • Duckweed • Odour Pollution • Purifying Yield • Purple Bacteria • Lagoon in under-load • Lagoon in over-load • Anoxia • Bacteriological thresholds exceeded For further information on the full range of Aquago Techsub products and services, including the SUNGO® and SUBMIX® technology, please contact Xavier Delattre, T: 0449 851 971, E: australia@aquago.fr or visit the website: www.aquago.fr

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The AQUAGO® team has designed and developed the SUNGO® and SUBMIX® known as the most efficient and least costly solutions to treat and rectify lagoon dysfunctions while improving their purifying capabilities.

M E D I A C R O B A T •B A R O U X • A B B A S • L TD / 2016

• Reduced maintenance • No connexion to the grid • Total autonomy in solar version • Low energy consumption in electrical version • Optimal mixing capacity • Easy to install on all sites • Robustness and durability • Non resuspension • Non additional mud production • Up to 50% COD / BOD treatment SUNGO is a vertical mixer which allows it to mobilize all of the water column as opposed to a conventional system which mobilizes portions thereof.

Operating principle : WITHOUT AQUAGO NO SURFACE LAMINAR STREAM

SURFACE LAMINAR STREAM

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WASTE WATER TREATMENT

Good Vibrations:

Alternative Technology for Primary Waste Water Treatment Across the world, the struggle with our common foes; rag and grit, is about to get a shake-up, explains Philip McGlade, Senior Technical Engineer at CDEnviro.

In the wastewater treatment industry the age old problems associated with rag and grit have troubled operators for years. The chronic effects are excessive wear, lost production, bypass effects, and the resulting cleanout costs. Northern Ireland company, CDEnviro is tackling this issue head-on using high frequency vibrating technology.

Solving the Rag Problem High frequency screening addresses a number of core issues that are apparent within conventional screening solutions: • Surface Tension: Surface tension has meant that screening flowrates in static or slow moving screens has hit an upper limit. With only the incoming slurry pressure working to overcome surface tension, screening flow rates are reduced to what can be forced through the screen under pressure. However, high frequency screens aren’t bound by this glass ceiling of flowrate.

Pictured below: S:MAX G is the next evolution in grit and rag removal as independent outputs. The technology offers maximum grit recovery from waste water – maximising product yield and minimising waste volumes.

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

• Blinding: Blinding is vigorously discouraged within high frequency screening. With a high frequency screen, rag is encouraged to be repeatedly lifted off the screening surface. Therefore rag is disinclined from blinding or pegging on the screening media. Furthermore, through the force of vibrations alone, rag is moved forward towards the discharge point.

• Retention Rate: The retention rate of rag on the vibrating screen is high. With the prior concerns of flowrate and blinding removed, the specification of the screening size, and type, can be relaxed.

This allows for 2 dimensional screening, rather than the spiral slots previously required.

The consequence of improved rag capture, at higher screening rates has been noted Europe-wide. The UK in particular is now using this technology widely for sludge screening.

Simultaneous Grit Recovery The development of high frequency vibrations is not limited to rag recovery.

CDEnviro can recover grit in a simultaneous process.

Many of the grit recovery systems in use today will achieve a grit recovery cut point around 400-500microns. However, most of the residual grit in any system is between 100-500micron in size; grit that is larger would be removed by current screening systems, and any grit that is smaller would take a long time to settle, ultimately being removed through the final dewatering processes.

Ultimately once it’s in the process, it will have to be specially cleaned which can be a costly exercise. The only way to prevent this is to stop these 100-500micron particles getting into the slurry stream in the first place.

Hydrocyclones are the grit recovery medium that is the solution to many of the industry’s current grit problems as they accurately recover inert grit down to 50-70microns.

Recovered grit can be finally dewatered on a separate section of the high frequency screen that is in place to screen rag therefore the S:MAX G from CDEnviro can recover rag and grit in a simultaneous process within the same system.

The S:MAX G will be at IFAT from May 30June 3 in Munich. You will find CDEnviro in Hall A1, Booth 147/246.

For further information, please visit: www.cdenviro.com

IPWEA CASE STUDY

Flexibility the key

in Gold Coast's success in tackling waste issues "Flexibility is the key when designing new waste management facilities" was the key message, Peter Challenger of the Sydneybased consultants, Complete Urban, delivered to the 2015 IPWEA Conference.

Having been involved in designing the new Reedy Creek Recycling Drop of Centre (RDOC) and Waste Transfer Station (WTS) for the City of the Gold Coast, he advised conference delegates to "think modular and allow space for new infrastructure or operational practices to be incorporated" as "today's technology will change".

Mr Challenger noted that Gold Coast City was one of Australia's fastest growing local government areas with its current population expect to grow from about 550,000 to 670,000 by 2023.

"That means another 56,000 households putting rubbish in bins each week," he said.

Mr Challenger pointed out that the Council operates within a national and state waste management framework that is continuously changing.

"In making waste decisions, councillors have to abide by the Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy 2014-2024, the Waste Reduction & Recycling Act 2011, the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2023 and the National Waste Policy," Mr Challenger told the IPWEA Conference, which along with the annual CIVENEX Expo (to be held this year on May 18-19 at the Hawkesbury Showground in Richmond) provide the Associations two main infrastructure events each year. CIVENEX 2016 has attracted a broad range of water and waste management exhibitors ranging from Daimler Trucks, Westrac, Panasonic, Hatz Diesel, Mitsubishi Materials, Ausfleet Software and Local Government Procurement to GCM Enviro, Hygrade Water ,Exceloo, Aspel Cleaning Equipment, Lets Clean Pty Ltd and the Sewer Equipment Company.

He said the current housing infill planning strategy would see 43 percent of households living in medium or high density accommodation in the next decade.

Mr Challenger said that as waste landfills were finite and opportunities for new landfill sites limited, Council needed a long lead time to plan waste infrastructure to match demand.

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

"For the Gold Coast, part of the solution was to build the Reedy Creek Recycling Drop Off Centre (RDOC) and Waste Transfer Station (WTS).

Gold Coast Council estimates saving $22 million over ten years by delivering an integrated Waste Facility Network strategically positioned close to the M1 Motorway, including three large Waste Transfer Facilities - Reedy Creek, Molendinar (existing) and Coomera (in the future).

While the City has low household waste rate charges compared with nearby councils, rising operational costs added pressure on the financial model. He said costs were driven by the need to: • meet the rising capacity requirements; • fulfil environmental licence and safety requirements; and • invest in new or updated infrastructure to meet best practice and improved operating procedures.

Some 70% of direct carbon emissions from the City's operations are generated through waste related activities, with landfills the main emitter.

"Currently, 70-percent of direct carbon emissions from the City's operations are generated through waste related activities, with landfills the main emitter. Meeting community expectations of cutting carbon emissions and other environmental risks, through optimal management of landfill gas and leachate, is costly," Mr Challenger said.

The Gold Coast Council also believes the lack of diversion from landfills and recycling through the waste stream are key issues.

"Before the Gold Coast grew into a large city, the area’s coastal villages and rural communities were served by a series of small waste facilities, some of which continue operating today," he said.

"There were three landfills, 14 waste and recycling centres and one bin station servicing a resident population of over 550,000 and 11 million tourist visitors annually. Thankfully, 99-percent of the Gold Coast population lives within 20 minutes of a Waste Recycling Centre, however a significant number of Waste Transfer Stations in the network had minimal recycling and material separation capabilities, particularly at some older facilities. Site restrictions at these facilities limited the number of bins that could be provided for separate waste disposal. This resulted in recyclable materials being disposed with mixed waste," Mr Challenger said.

"Another problem was that aging and small waste and transfer facilities were not equipped to cope with higher user numbers during peak periods."

"Site limitations resulted in considerable delays and traffic extending onto neighbouring roads during peak periods, leading to poor environmental outcomes, such as less opportunity for waste separation and recycling plus reduced customer service due to temporary closures of facilities to eliminate these queues at times of peak traffic flow," Mr Challenger said.

Powering a Sustainable Future

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He noted that the key limitations at the Transfer Stations were; • vehicle queueing distances • limited number of vehicle bays for waste disposal • bin capacity • upgrades were not feasible

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

29

IPWEA CASE STUDY

access, staff operations, storage of hazardous wastes.

The Reedy Creek facility has been designed to maximise capacity while minimising traffic congestion.

Mr Challenger said the solution was to upgrade and enlarge major facilities to handle more waste and to close, in stages, costly, under-performing facilities and to extend the waste services area.

Central to this plan was an integrated Waste Facility Network positioned close to the M1 highway with three Waste Transfer facilities - the upgrading of the existing Molendinar facility and building of one at Reedy Creek and a further one later at Coomera which would provide: • Recycling drop-off and resource recovery area • Green waste and construction and demolition waste pad • Residual waste transfer station (surge pit, saw-tooth or other configuration) • Recycling storage area (hardstand) • Recycling retail store and retail yard with staff and customer car-parking

The main Concept Design parameters were: • a layout that included a drive through resource recovery shed, fenced salvage yard and recovered goods shop near the front to maximise recycling and allowing the public to use the facility without entering the main waste areas; • large spaces for truck manoeuvrability and tipping; • a residual waste and secondary recycling area at the rear of the site that adopted the standard 60 cubic metre bins to complement operational practices at other facilities; • adopting a saw tooth configuration for residual collection bins as the exiting land form did not allow a large hardstand area; • to maximise the number of bulk bins, which would require a horseshoe configuration; • allow 48 car spaces; • split level design to segregate operation vehicles from the public; • RDOC hardstand area to allow future flexibility in operations (separated from fixed roof over structure). The middle lane would allow free flowing vehicle movements, with unloading occurring in the two outside lanes; • dual weighbridges with bypass lanes, one dedicated to green waste and another to assist with traffic during peak flows (Future user pays); • full cover of residual bulk bins with steel awnings.

Key features for consumers were: • large recycling drop-off centre with 60 car spaces • modern facility using the best available design and technology • 6,000 square metre green waste recycling pad • 40 car spaces and multiple bin bays for general waste • Reedy Creek Recycle Market selling quality, reusable items at a bargain price.

The Recycle Market is operated by the Endeavour Foundation charity. Here people can donate reusable goods, as well as browse through the shop to find a bargain.

Mr Challenger said resource recovery and diversion was significantly enhanced by offering customers greater accessibility and improving the range of services, including recycling.

Landfills were reduced from three to two, waste and recycling centres dropped from 12 to 8. The design intent parameters planners had to deal with were: • Configuration of the facility is attractive and easy for the public to visit; • Optimise on site vehicle queueing capacity and minimise congestion; • The layout encourages segregation of materials wherever possible, with a high level of recycling and vehicle directional signage / high visibility road markings; • Minimise reversing where ever possible; • Recycling and residual bins ordered and positioned to promote best use; • Operational vehicles are separated from the public; • Split level sites usually provide the best layout for high throughput facilities; • Heath and Safety Issues are considered, taking into account public 30

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Reedy Creek RDOC and WTS site map.

Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast

Traffic Analysis The designers had traffic flow front of mind: • The split level design allows the segregation of operational vehicles from public traffic.

• RDOC hardstand area allows future flexibility in operations (separated from fixed roof over structure). There is a middle lane to allow free flowing vehicle movements, with unloading occurring in the two outside lanes.

• Dual weighbridges with bypass lanes, one dedicated to green waste and another to assist with traffic during peak flows (Future user pays).

• Full cover of residual bulk bins with steel awnings.

• Safety & traffic management

Clear and easy-to-follow signage also help to increase efficiency across the site.

• Greatest possible number of bulk bins is achieved through a horseshoe configuration (12) , 9 bulk bins possible in a linear arrangement. This will allow 48 car spaces.

• Split level design to segregate operation vehicles from the public.

• RDOC hardstand area to allow future flexibility in operations (separated from fixed roof over structure). Middle lane allows free flowing vehicle movements, with unloading occurring in the two outside lanes.

• Dual weighbridges with bypass lanes, one dedicated to green waste and another to assist with traffic during peak flows • Full cover of residual bulk bins with steel awnings.

Storm water management With any such facility water management is crucial so there is: • a storm water capture and reuse system to cut potable water demand, reduce peak discharge and improve water quality; • systems to capture and filter storm water pre-discharge to bioretention basins which will filter water prior to release off site.

At the 2015 Australian Landfill and Transfer Stations Conference in Canberra the project was the Category Winner for: • Leadership in Environmental Controls • Demonstrated Minimisation of Waste • Most Improved Operations and Management Procedures • Community Acceptance and Appearance

• Most innovative Utilisation of Equipment, Systems, Facilities, and new Technologies.

Mr Challenger said the main lessons learnt from the project were: • Waste recovery facilities have long service periods with complex issues impacting the effectiveness and the financial model.

• The operational component is by far the largest cost element (i.e.

20 year service life). The front end planning and design stage is the time where it is easiest to influence operational success and therefore reduce whole of life costs.

• It is important to maximise front end segregation of, and opportunities for, recycling and to incorporate a hierarchy of activity (high value collection at the front through to residuals) • The ultimate design must be developed to accommodate known or anticipate future requirements and performance expectations.

Flexibility is the key. Today's technology will change. Think modular and allow space for new infrastructure or operational practices to be incorporated.

Reduce labour time and increase productivity across all models Ideal for leaf and litter collection for councils, land fill sites, transfer stations, schools, cleaning contactors, facility managers.

Littermaster Diesel or petrol models, 5 hours run time per fuel tank,9000cfm airflow, clean fan system no fan wear/snagging, 400 litre capacity, collects waste in biodegradable 400 lire bags , 10 metre 203mm vacuum hose and alloy wand stainless steel body, fit to trailer or utility tray.

WBV 240 2 stroke Husqvarna engine,4 hours run time per fuel tank, 125mm vacuum hose and wand,2400 cfm of air flow adjustable hand throttle control, collects in to 240 litre Wheelie bin, ergonomic trolley with swivel castor, washable filter bag.

Glutton 2411 Electric/Battery operated zero emissions , 54 dba ,2650 cfm of air flow, 10 hour runtime, collects waste into 240 litre wheelie bin, self propelled, 24 square meter of filter filtering to 1 micron, on board smart charger, charge from 240 volt 10 amp power points.

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The

TOP 10

10 Reasons to Change the Way you think About Daily Soil Cover

1

Airspace In landfills, airspace equals money: and in an economy where landfill space is becoming scarce and landfill disposal charges are on the increase, making the most out of the available airspace is of the utmost importance. With the common use of 150mm of soil each day, most landfill operators are

2

Revenues & Cost The most interesting part of this wasted air space is the cost. Not only is this airspace not generating revenue, it is also costing money to fill. What’s more, in landfills where the daily cover has to be shipped to the site (especially those in states with an additional levy for ‘imported’ cover material) this cost is horrendous. If you multiply your average

3

losing more than 1 metre of valuable airspace each week to daily cover material. For a landfill with a daily work face of around 500m 2, this equates to a staggering 500 cubic metres of airspace wasted each week!

gate rate by your daily workface, it soon becomes clear just how much the Tarpomatic ATM can save you.

As an example, a landfill with a daily workface of 500m 2, multiplied by the average gate rate of $150 per cubic metre, would save some $75,000 per week!

Speed & Productivity Deployment and retrieval of Tarpomatic tarps is significantly faster and more efficient than daily soil cover.

In fact, on average it takes approximately 15 minutes to deploy Tarpomatic tarps across the tipping face – a significant time saving when compared to the time taken to place and spread daily soil cover which can

often take 3 people, using three machines, an average of three and half work hours to complete.

Retrieval of the tarps is also is quick and easy – taking approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Fuel Savings Machine hours cost money – and lots of it!

The speed and ease with which Tarpomatic tarps can be deployed and retrieved – by one person, using one

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

4

machine - delivers significant fuel and machine hour savings when compared to traditional daily soil cover operations.

0

Odours

5

Odour issues can be a real problem for landfills. Bad odours from the tipping face are unpleasant for all - and a major source of complaints from people living in the vicinity. As well as significantly reducing the time that

6

the tipping face is exposed at the end of each day, the Tarpomatic ATM’s fullyintegrated deodorising system helps to neutralise odours when deploying or retrieving the tarps – significantly reducing odours, and the impact of your landfill on the surrounding environment.

Dust Issues relating to dust from nearby landfill operations are consistently one of the top reasons for complaints from neighbouring businesses and residents.

Traditional daily soil cover is one of the main causes of dust.

The Tarpomatic Alternate Daily Cover

Leachate Tarpomatic heavy duty waterproof tarps help to improve run-off and minimise leachate across the covered area.

Landfill Gas By reducing the number of daily soil cover layers in the landfill cell, Tarpomatic will significantly increase the efficiency of landfill gas collection from the finished cells.

9

System minimises the need to collect, stockpile, transport, place or spread daily soil cover – reducing costs, improving productivity and, most importantly, eliminating the associated dust problem!

7

8

Longevity Tarpomatic tarps are manufactured from an extra high-strength polyethylene fabric featuring a flame retardant and UV-protective coating to ensure a longer life-span for the tarpaulins. The tarps also incorporate

10

a special easyclean anti-bacterial coating to minimise contamination and assist with cleaning and maintenance.

Coverage Designed with a focus on providing landfills with maximum flexibility, each Tarpomatic tarp covers an area of 234 square metres, with each spool holding up to three tarps - providing a total coverage

of 700m 2 per spool. Tarp spools can be connected and disconnected quickly and easily, enabling a single ATM to be used to link a series of tarps together across the landfill's tipping face - providing the potential for unlimited coverage.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

33

FOCUS ON WATER

Basin Plan a ‘very large structural reform’ The Chief Executive of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, Phillip Glyde, says there are clear signs of progress as well as clear signs of stress associated with the roll-out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Commenting on the release of the second full report on how state and Commonwealth agencies were tracking to implement the plan, Mr Glyde said the stress was related to industries and communities adjusting to its reform and to drying conditions. He said the plan was progressing well and milestones were being met through the hard work of state and Australian governments.

"This is a very large-scale structural reform, which is being rolled out gradually.”

Mr Glyde said last year’s work to monitor social and economic effects of water reforms was now helping to build a clearer picture of the multiple changes experienced by industries and communities.

Some irrigation-dependent towns were finding it challenging to adjust to different pressures, while other areas were adjusting well.

"Dry conditions in some areas have contributed to the pressure on some communities and industries.

"The lack of significant inflows into many of the basin’s catchments during the year means we’ve seen a rise in temporary water prices and we’ll continue to monitor the operations of the water market to ensure it remains fair and transparent.

"But no matter whether times are dry or water is abundant, the Basin Plan is our best insurance policy for the river system into the future."

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Mr Glyde pointed to the environmental benefits arising from the plan, including successful watering activities by all basin governments in 2014–15, guided by the first ever basin-wide watering strategy.

"Careful reuse of water meant that more than 2,000 gigalitres reached sites right across the basin.

“Watering has been directed to refuge areas in the north where drought has persisted, as well as for wetland and floodplains in the south, providing important habitat for fish and waterbirds and helping to maintain water quality."

Mr Glyde welcomed the additional $550 million invested by the Australian Government last year to help water delivery systems and farm infrastructure become more water efficient.

"Not only does this investment help make the most of every drop, it puts money into basin communities during these years of adjustment."

The annual report recognised that state governments last year had continued developing projects that could reduce the amount of water recovery needed to bring extraction back to a more sustainable level.

Mr Glyde said an independent stocktake last year found it was plausible to reduce that volume by around 500 gigalitres, and potentially more with refinements to the projects, but this would depend on the quality of the projects developed by the governments.

Salinity management has remained one of the big success stories, with all river users benefiting from improved water quality. A cooperative government approach has led to a renewed 15-year strategy to continue improvements to 2030, Mr Glyde said.

Agreement secured on State Priority Project funding The Federal and South Australian Governments have reached agreement to progress delivery of $93 million of State Priority Project funding.

The agreement has unlocked up to $2.7 million of Federal funds and $300,000 of State funds to develop proposals for $90 million of funding to increase irrigation productivity, boost economic development and return water to the environment.

The $2.7 million for the development of South Australian project proposals has been allocated this financial year – all proposals put forward by South Australia will be subject to Federal due diligence prior to being approved for funding.

SA Water and River Murray Minister, Ian Hunter, said the state was working on proposals to help river communities, irrigators and businesses use water resources even more sustainably and efficiently.

“This agreement will provide $3 million for the State to develop business cases to help us secure the remaining $90 million of Murray Futures funding for our river communities.

“The projects being developed will see us continue to modernise our irrigation sector through infrastructure and a new licencing system to support the rapidlyexpanding water market.

“There is also an Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges project exploring the potential to return flows to the environment in dry times, to help protect nationally-listed wetlands and species.

“We have invested significantly in drought-proofing South Australia through water infrastructure for irrigators and residential users,” Mr Hunter said.

“It’s essential this investment continues while delivering the Murray Darling Basin Plan in full and on time, to ensure the sustainability of River Murray irrigators and communities.

Safeguarding Victoria’s water security A draft water plan for Victoria, released for consultation on 16 March, outlines the need to balance agricultural, industrial, recreational and environmental needs, to get the most out of one of the state’s most precious resources.

The Water for Victoria Plan also recognises that the sector needs to work more closely with local communities when making critical decisions about their water supplies.

In releasing the plan, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, invited community feedback to ensure Victoria had the best possible plan to prepare for critical challenges such as climate change, population growth, an increased demand for water and water security.

“We know that by 2051 Victoria’s population will almost double, that we will continue to face drying conditions and that there will be an increased demand for water,” said Ms Neville.

“Water for Victoria is about community and government working together to plan for those challenges – recognising how critical water security is to our economy, jobs and our liveability.

“It’s about how we can best balance agricultural, industry, urban, recreational and environmental uses – maximising shared benefits wherever possible and recognising the economic importance of the agricultural sector, environmental and community values.”

Minister Neville said the government would not change entitlements, but wanted to work with farmers to identify the best way to support them adapt to reducing water availability and build resilience of water supply.

For the first time, she said, the plan proposed to establish an Aboriginal Water Program which would help identify Aboriginal values and uses of water. It would help to build the capacity of the sector to ensure the involvement of Traditional Owners.

The Minister said the government would work to ensure it respected and recognised the cultural connections Aboriginal communities had to land, water and resources through their associations and spiritual relationships with Country.

The plan is being tested with Victorian communities through online and face-to-face consultations.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

35

FOCUS ON WATER

Lower water bills ahead for consumers in SA and NSW A draft determination on water prices by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) should lead to lower water bills for South Australians.

ESCOSA’s draft determination on water revenues for SA Water proposes an overall revenue reduction of three per cent – or $160 million over four years – which would be passed onto consumers through lower water bills.

The four-year period is from 2016 to 2020.

Treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis, said further consultation would now be undertaken before a final determination

by ESCOSA and the release of water and sewerage prices for 2016-17.

“What we can see from this process is that independent regulation of SA Water

by ESCOSA is clearly working to reduce SA Water bills for South Australians.

“The first determination delivered a reduction in water prices of 6.4 per cent in 2013-14, with price increases of no more than CPI for the following two years.

“In addition, as part of the government’s State Tax Review, we

abolished the Save the River Murray Levy – giving annual savings to most households and businesses of more than $40 and $182 respectively.”

Water Minister, Ian Hunter, said easing cost of living pressures for South Australians – particularly the most vulnerable – was high on the government’s agenda.

“Our introduction of independent economic regulation is reducing cost of living pressures, with the draft determination proposing a further $40 million annual revenue reduction for SA Water.

“Together with the $50 million annual revenue reduction from the first determination, SA Water customers would be saving $90 million per year compared to 2012.

“In the 2015-16 State Budget, we introduced a new Cost of Living Concession, enabling about 205,000 households to put up to $200 towards their greatest needs.

“This is on top of existing concessions such as water and sewerage concessions which provide relief of up to $295 per year and $110 per year respectively.

“This brings the maximum amount in concessions available to pensioners and eligible low income earners for utilities and living costs to up to $866 per year.”

Households in Sydney, the Illawarra and Blue Mountains will save around $100 a year on their water bills from July this year.

The savings follow the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s release of its draft pricing determination, which will lower water bills over four years.

New South Wales Minister for Water, Niall Blair, said the state’s water businesses had become more efficient without compromising the quality of service they provide.

“I am pleased to see the significant gains Sydney Water has made are now being passed on to customers,” Mr Blair said.

Upgrade to lift capacity of Sunbury Recycled Water Plant The Sunbury Recycled Water Plant is undergoing a $53 million upgrade.

Downer is delivering the design, build, operate and maintain component of the project for a period of 10 years.

The upgrade will increase the volume of wastewater the plant is able to treat from 5.9 to 9.2 million litres a day, catering to the high population growth expected in Sunbury and Diggers Rest.

Despite the significant increase in treatment capacity, the design means the upgrade will remain within the footprint of the existing treatment facility. It will also reduce the amount of energy consumed per megalitre of effluent treated.

The upgrade will see more than 50 full and part time jobs during construction,

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

including apprentices and trainees, and is scheduled to be finished in early 2018.

Recycled water produced at the plant is already used for irrigating crops and

keeping sports grounds green yearround. Improvements to the treatment process will result in the plant producing higher quality recycled water, widening its potential uses, including for watering household gardens.

This will save potable water supplies and the plant upgrade will be a key element in Western Water’s Integrated Water Cycle Management plan for Sunbury.

The Integrated Water Cycle Management plan will support the Victorian Water plan - a draft of that plan has been released for consultation.

Local residents and stakeholders are closely involved in the project, via the Project Reference Group which has been set up to provide input and feedback.

FOCUS ON WATER

SA Water's Adelaide desalination plant at Port Stanvac Photo courtesy of SA Water

Investigation into desalinated water for SA irrigators An independent cost-benefit study will be undertaken to determine if water from Adelaide’s Desalination Plant should be used to boost irrigation allocations during times of low water availability.

The study has been commissioned by the South Australian Government.

Water and the River Murray Minister, Ian Hunter, said the plant (ADP) was built on the back of the Millennium Drought and provided the necessary water security to underpin the state’s economic and population growth to 2050.

“The ADP is a critically-important state asset that offers a drought-proof alternative source of water, in addition to the state’s reservoirs and the River Murray,” Mr Hunter said.

“It has been supplying water since midOctober 2011, and has provided about 130 billion litres (130 GL) to metropolitan Adelaide customers so far.

“El Nino conditions have brought hotter and dryer conditions across the MurrayDarling Basin – this has affected storage volumes and water resources will be limited at the start of 2016-17.

“For River Murray water users, this is likely to result in less than 100 per cent starting allocations next year.

“With this developing risk, irrigation and business communities are asking about the possibility of using desalinated water to offset possible cuts in irrigation allocations.

“Increasing the production of desalinated water beyond the level required to supply drinking water state-

wide would make more water available for productive use, but would also increase operating costs for SA Water.

“It’s important that any consideration of the increased use of the desalination plant takes into account costs, considers who pays, and aims to maximise overall economic benefit for our state.

“To inform our response to the suggestion from irrigation and business communities, the government has commissioned an independent costbenefit analysis, with the findings to be available by May 2016.

The study and long term allocation policy were sought by stakeholders during consultation on the draft Water Allocation Plan for the SA Murray, expected to be finalised later this year.

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PIPES AND PIPELINES

Drummy Concrete

Brick & Masonry voids

Larger Profile Rehabilitation Tunneline technology sets a benchmark for large profile structural insitu lining In today’s modern age, the requirements on our sub surface infrastructure networks is impacting on serviceability and operational functionality to a degree that was never envisaged when the original networks were designed. Increased frequency of transits and heavier loading, together with aggressive environmental conditions, has a direct consequence on some of the older network which through demographic growth of our towns and cities is mainly in high density high value land margins.

Up to 70% of existing infrastructure is under excessive load considered to be at the limit of or beyond the optimal design efficiency. Whilst there are now a number of technologies that address the smaller ranges and profiles of our infrastructure, the technologies that can address the degradation of our larger assets to provide a fully self-supporting solution to Australian standards is limited.

ITS Pipetech have successfully pioneered the introduction and development of a system first developed in Europe into Australia and this technology: Tunneline is now recognised as a benchmark for large profile structural insitu lining with many Authorities and asset owners across the country.

Tunneline is a structural rehabilitation process specifically designed to replace decaying and dilapidated Sewers, pipes, culverts and tunnels.

Tunneline has been designed as standalone structural rehabilitation to Australian 38

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Standards AS5100, AS3725, AS3610 & AS3600, or as a composite member to International WRC codes.

Originally invented in 1984 to rehabilitate a collapsing brick sewer in Blackburn, Lancashire, Tunneline has been successfully utilised to reline sewers, storm drains, storm culverts and water transfer tunnels, as well as access tunnels, small bridges, shafts, tanks and pressure relief vents -regardless of aspect or profile.

Size range & Profiles – What will it fit?

Tunneline can be designed to suit any profile from 900mm nominal access to 9.0m, including circles, egg-shape and oviform profiles, box culverts, elliptical and parabolic culverts and is suitable for use in full or partial profiles, inverts and infills.

Tunneline can accommodate: • • • •

Shape and size transitions Vertical and horizontal bends, Missing brickwork and drummy concrete Holes and voids external to the host structure • Random shape profiles Tunneline can be used horizontally or vertically and as such is an ideal format for lining shafts, manholes and tanks, due to its unique design Tunneline can also be used to line underground reservoirs using the same principle as used in the lining of box culverts.

Collapsed arches

Random shapes

Tunneline can also be designed to incorporate Headwalls integral in the design.

The Tunneline system delivers a range of key benefits, including: • One pass structural rehabilitation system • 120 year design life • Full Structural design to road and rail loadings • Hydraulically more efficient • Accommodate aspect and profile transitions, curves and bends Tunneline and Headwall Reo into monolithic structure

For further information, please visit: www.itspipetech.com.au

Tunneline

CCTV + Robotics

Berolina CIPP UV Cured

Pipe Bursting

Pressureline

Repairs + Maintenance

RENEWABLE ENERGY

BILLION DOLLAR CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION FUND CREATED

A $1 billion Clean Energy Innovation Fund is being established to support emerging technologies transition from demonstration to commercial deployment.

The fund will be jointly managed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), drawing on their complementary experience and expertise. It will provide debt and equity for clean energy projects.

Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, said on 23 March that the government would also retain and reinvigorate CEFC and ARENA as part of its commitment to supporting jobs and innovation through investment in clean and renewable energy.

Mr Turnbull and Mr Hunt said the refocused agencies would work together to provide capital investment in Australian businesses and emerging clean energy technologies.

“We are promoting innovation and new economic opportunities, enhancing our productivity, protecting our environment and reducing emissions to tackle climate change.

“By offering innovative equity and debt products, the Clean Energy Innovation Fund can accelerate the availability of new technologies to transform the energy market, and deliver better value for taxpayers.”

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Mr Turnbull and Mr Hunt said there was growing maturity in the clean energy market, but early stage projects could have trouble growing to the size and maturity needed to attract private equity.

“We will help plug this investment gap.

The Clean Energy Innovation Fund will target projects such as large-scale solar with storage, off-shore energy, biofuels and smart grids.

“Clean energy is central to the government’s strategy to address climate change and meet our emissions reduction targets.”

Mr Turnbull and Mr Hunt said ARENA would continue to manage its existing portfolio of grants and deliver the $100 million large-scale solar round. It would be given an expanded focus beyond renewable energy to enable energy efficiency and low emissions technology.

“This will provide greater alignment with the CEFC and ensure that ARENA is able to support the full spectrum of emerging clean energy technology options.

“Once the large-scale solar round is complete, ARENA will move from a grant based role to predominantly a debt and equity basis under the Clean Energy Innovation Fund.

The $1 billion Clean Energy Innovation Fund will be established from within the CEFC’s $10 billion allocation. This fund will

make available $100 million a-year for 10 years.

Chief Executive Officer of the CEFC, Oliver Yates, said the fund’s creation would help innovative entrepreneurial companies build their commercial strength, so they could make a positive contribution to the economy and the national emissions challenge.

“The CEFC is a flexible policy tool. It is pleased to be able to assist government in supporting complementary initiatives and policies through Investment Mandates that are consistent with the CEFC Act. “Innovation and entrepreneurial business activity is vital across all sectors of the economy, especially in growth sectors such as clean energy, energy efficiency and low emissions solutions.

“Since we were created, the CEFC has supported businesses working with innovative technologies across many areas.

"This includes our support for Western Australia’s Carnegie Wave Energy, South Australia’s Sundrop Farms, the Northern Territory’s Epuron, Queensland’s Landfill Gas Industries and the Moree Solar Farm in New South Wales.

“We look forward to working even more closely with entrepreneurial businesses that are striving to bring innovative low emissions, energy efficiency and clean energy solutions to market through the support of the new Clean Energy Innovation Fund.”

RENEWABLE ENERGY

CONTRACT FOR MINI HYDRO POWER STATION AT LAL LAL RESERVOIR Tamar Hydro Pty Ltd has been selected to design and build a mini hydro-electric power station at Lal Lal Reservoir, southeast of the major Victorian regional centre of Ballarat.

The contract for the $846,000 project was awarded to the Tasmanian-based Tamar Hydro following a detailed tender process run by Central Highlands Water.

The Victorian Government will provide $500,000 towards the project and, as joint managers of the reservoir, Central Highlands Water and Barwon Water will pay the balance of the cost.

The mini hydro-electric power station is expected to save more than 500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Its generator will produce up to 526 megawatts of electricity – enough to power about 80 homes – which will be used to run the Lal Lal Water Treatment Plant. Any excess electricity will be fed back into the grid.

Tamar Hydro is the largest manufacturer of hydro turbines in the Australasia/Pacific region and has designed and built more than 200 turbines, with extensive experience in the sector over the past 30 years.

Construction of the hydro plant is due to begin in May and will be completed in late 2016.

Lal Lal Reservoir is fed by the West Moorabool River catchment and currently supplies Ballarat and Geelong.

Geelong has an interconnecter which means it will be able to access water from Melbourne’s water pool. Such an arrangement would allow Ballarat to access more water in the Lal Lal Reservoir.

Victoria’s Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, said the reservoir was an important part of Victoria’s water grid which provided the government with flexibility around how to provide water security to the Ballarat and Geelong communities into the future.

$250 MILLION FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT COMMUNITY HOUSING A $250 million program under the auspices of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will help provide affordable energy efficient housing to low income earners.

The Community Housing Program is designed to help drive the construction of market-leading energy efficient community housing in 2016, contributing to the greening of Australia's cities and built environment.

The CEFC expects the program to contribute to the construction of as many as 1,000 new energy efficient dwellings Australia-wide, via Australia’s network of Community Housing Providers.

At the same time, Community Housing Providers will be able to access finance to retrofit existing buildings to improve energy efficiency for tenants.

This could include measures such as switching to LED lighting, updating household appliances, installing solar panels and improving insulation.

The CEFC finance will fill a funding gap, providing Community Housing Providers with access to long-term debt finance aligned to their portfolio needs, according to CEFC Community Housing Sector Lead, Victoria Adams.

Finance provided under the Corporation program can be used to complement funding or finance sourced from other state government initiatives or co-financiers.

“Community housing is already a substantial part of Australia’s overall housing stock, and is expected to experience strong growth in the years ahead because of high tenant demands,” Ms Adams said.

“Community Housing Providers have typically faced financing constraints which has limited their ability to invest for the long term.

“We see this finance program as an important way to help ensure new dwellings are built to meet this growing demand

and that new buildings have stronger energy efficient standards, so tenants can experience the benefits of lower energy costs over the longer term.”

As part of its new Investment Mandate, the CEFC has a strong focus on financing emerging and innovative renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency and cities and the built environment.

Buildings with a seven-star NatHERS rating may use a range of measures to improve energy efficiency, such as using more energy efficient building materials in their construction, featuring double glazing on their windows or including high quality insulation and ventilation to reduce heating and cooling needs.

The CEFC has also released its new Market Report: Financing Energy Efficient Community Housing which identifies strong demand for new community housing over the next decade, requiring significant private sector investment.

It notes, however, that community housing organisations have limited sources of revenue to fund new building and have generally faced challenges sourcing private finance.

Ms Adams said: “Over the next year, our goal is to help finance the construction of 1,000 new dwellings, built to an average seven-star rating under the Nationwide Housing Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS).

“With this standard, energy use can be reduced by an estimated 25 per cent, delivering significant savings benefits to tenants and building owners.

“In our discussions with the sector there is widespread recognition that energy costs can be a substantial burden on low income tenants. By giving providers access to longterm debt finance, we are helping them unlock the benefits of energy efficiency through better construction options.”

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

WA FIRST FOR OFF-GRID POWER IN ESPERANCE Five solar-powered, stand-alone energy systems are being developed in a Western Australian-first project following the devastating Esperance bushfires in November 2015.

Lithium ion batteries will store solar power generated in the stand-alone power systems, which will be backed up by diesel generation.

The Esperance bushfires destroyed more than 320 power poles and hundreds of kilometres of powerlines, with the vast majority of the network being rebuilt and more than 400 customers being reconnected within 10 days of the fires.

Instead of being reconnected to the grid, four customers across five properties affected by the bushfires will partner with Horizon Power on the solar project.

Energy Minister, Mike Nahan, said the State Government was committed to harnessing the latest developments in renewable energy technology to find innovative power solutions.

"The Esperance project is applying an offgrid solution to customers affected by the devastating bushfires in those areas of the network which had previously supplied only one or two customers along long stretches of powerline," Mr Nahan said.

"This is one of the many innovative projects the government is currently exploring to power regional and isolated Western Australian communities more efficiently and reliably.

"Western Power is also partnering with Horizon Power and Synergy to undertake a pilot project to evaluate the use of standalone power systems in other parts of regional WA." The Minister said Horizon Power expected to use the knowledge gained from the standalone power systems in Esperance to apply to other suitable parts of the network in regional WA.

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HISTORIC MINE HOME FOR GREEN ENERGY PROJECT A $580 million energy project to be sited at a former gold mine in north Queensland has been granted special status as a prescribed project by the State Government.

The project is being developed by Genex Power at the old Kidston Gold Mine, 280 kilometres north west of Townsville.

Its prescribed project status will enable Queensland’s Coordinator-General to assist Genex Power to progress the project, including ensuring timely approvals across government departments.

The project, which will create more than 500 local jobs, incorporates: • a 150 megawatt solar power generation farm; • a 330 megawatt pumped storage hydroelectric scheme, using the former mine pits and their stored water; and • a 185 kilometre transmission line to carry power to the coast and the main Powerlink line between Townsville and Cairns.

Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Anthony Lynham, said the project would support government policy to generate 50 per cent of Queensland’s electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030.

Dr Lynham said the project was a first in terms of co-locating large scale solar with large scale energy storage.

“And it’s re-cycling the infrastructure of the former Kidston gold mine which closed in 2001, a world first by using a disused mine site for hydro-electric power generation.”

The $300 million solar farm involves installing solar PV on the former mine’s 300 hectares of rehabilitated tailings storage area.

It is one of 10 Queensland solar projects shortlisted earlier in 2016 by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

The pumped storage hydroelectric project, which is being developed in parallel, is proposed to be Australia’s third largest hydro power generator, at 330 megawatts.

Construction starts on the solar farm in the final quarter of 2016 and on the hydroelectric project and transmission line in 2017.

“The project has the potential to meet all the peak power generation demands of north Queensland and some of central Queensland,” Dr Lynham said.

The design of the hydro project proposes for water to be released from one of the former mine pits into the other through reversible turbines. This is similar to Wivenhoe Power Station, 90km north-west of Brisbane, and the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme in New South Wales.

During off-peak power consumption periods, the turbines will function as pumps and pump the water back into the upper reservoir to repeat the cycle.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

MOREE SOLAR FARM FEEDING INTO THE GRID The 280 hectare Moree Solar Farm in northern New South Wales successfully achieved first generation at the beginning of March.

The $164 million solar farm, developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), is now feeding 56 megawatts of renewable solar energy into the National Electricity Market, enough to power 15,000 average homes.

FRV is one of the leading global operators in photovoltaic and thermosolar energy with more than 530 megawatts fully developed.

CEO, Rafael Benjumea, said the company was proud to have delivered the first utility

scale single axis tracking and largest polycrystalline solar farm in Australia on time and on budget.

Single-axis tracking is being used to capture more of the sun’s energy as it moves across the sky.

“First generation at the plant is a great achievement and represents more than six years of continued work from our Australian office through the development, financing and construction activities,” Mr Benjumea said.

“FRV believes there is strong market support for large-scale solar in Australia and is looking forward to celebrating

first generation from some of our other developed sites in the coming years.”

The solar farm’s 66 kilovolt substation will be connected to Transgrid’s existing substation in Moree via a 13 kilometre dual circuit overhead power line.

The overhead line works consist of four kilometres of new line and a nine kilometre section of existing line that is being upgraded.

The project was awarded 2014 Asia Pacific Solar Transaction of the Year by IJ Global, an award which recognises excellence, achievement and innovation in energy and infrastructure finance.

The solar farm is scheduled for full completion in April 2016 and once it has been fully commissioned, it is expected to have an operating life of 30 years and generate approximately 4,000 GWh over that time.

ARENA is providing $101.7 million funding support to Moree Solar Farm as well as driving knowledge sharing about the lessons learned during planning, design and construction. The CEFC has provided a debt finance commitment of $46 million.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

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SPECIAL REPORT

Food Waste – the New Last Frontier

(food for thought)

by Terry Daley, CEO Wastedge.com As we get better at collating and analysing the data, we’re seeing claims emerge about food-waste or food-loss being the largest component in the waste stream to focus on reducing.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation recently released figures that claim one third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. This also has a major climate impact being equivalent to 4.4 Giga-tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year and is almost equivalent to the amount of emissions produced by all road transport.

Food Related Greenhouse Emissions Food Loss and Waste related greenhouse emissions can come from: • On farm energy and fertiliser used to produce the food, • Rejected farm food – due to vegetables being bruised or wrong shape, size or colour • In factory electricity and materials used to package and process the food • The fuel and transport emissions it takes to get the food from paddock to plate • Poor transport, handling or packaging failures (and the waste of packaging materials) • Food storage losses due to insects, mould, deterioration, shrinkage or spoilage • Disposal from retail outlets due to passing best-use-by dates • Food waste from restaurants and food outlets • Household food waste • Landfill emissions from decaying food Food waste or loss per family in the USA is estimated at US$1,600 per year per family, or £700 in the UK and $1,036 in Australia. (The latter represents AUD$8 billion per year!)

So reducing food loss and waste is good for the climate and good for the economy.

No wonder the UN has specifically targeted food loss and waste in its Sustainable Development goals to halve food waste by 2030.

France first to make food destruction illegal France has recently taken the lead by becoming the first country to pass a law that makes it illegal to destroy edible food, and requires supermarkets to establish partnerships with food bank and not-for-profit food recovery organisations. MPs united in rare cross party consensus to battle the “epidemic” of wasted food and highlighted the divide between giant food firms and the masses of underprivileged people below the food poverty line. In France the organisation representing big supermarkets claim that of the food wasted each year, 67% is binned by consumers, 15% by restaurants and only 11% by shops. Yet there is still some supermarkets that douse binned food in bleach to prevent potential food poisoning by eating food from bins.

UK Food Waste Footprint Factors In the UK the Government only has a voluntary agreement with the Grocery and Retail Sector, but corporate giants such as UK’s largest supermarket chain Tesco is under increasing pressure to drop “multi-buy” discount promotion deals that result in binge buying and subsequent food wastage increase.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

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SPECIAL REPORT

Tesco is working with WRAP to now track and reveal an overall food waste footprint for each of its top 25 selling items to the public, and correspondingly dropping some of its related food promotions.

Many supermarkets in the UK are now working with food banks run by charities such as FareShare and Trussell Trust.

Using Technology to Reduce Waste Spoiler Alert is the first company in the USA (produced by two Sloan MIT graduates: Emily Malina and Ricky Ashenfelter) to come up with a technical solution to connect business to business in this realm using an iPhone app. Others like Rubicon in the USA are suggesting an Uber style trash-taxi booking system as an emerging way to deal with the logistical problems of economical local pickup and delivery.

Increasing regulations in the USA in Massachusetts and soon in New York City (which has a new Commercial Food Waste Ban) will effectively make Food Waste destruction illegal.

Other companies like Pulpmaster in Sydney are introducing technology into chefs kitchens that can reprocess foodwaste and send container full alerts when ready for collection.

Australian Food Rescue, Recovery, Reuse Programs

In Australia, according to the NSW EPA website www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au, NSW businesses donate some 6,500 tonnes of food to charity each year, yet 800,000 tonnes of edible food are still thrown away by NSW households each year.

According to www.foodwise.com.au Australians discard up to 20% of the food we purchase and if you add up all the food Australia wastes each year it's enough to fill 450,000 garbage trucks.

Educating the consumer is a big part of the prevention process, as well as supporting and participating with those organisations trying to “Do Something� about resolving the problems.

The major food retailers here in Australia, Coles, Woollies and Aldi already have collaborative collection agreements in place with not for profit organisations like secondbite.org and ozharvest.org

"In a recent 2015 survey done for WasteMINZ by WasteNot Consulting, over 50% of the household foodwaste was attributed to fresh vegetables and fruit. " NZ Food Waste Percentage variances In a recent 2015 survey done for WasteMINZ by WasteNot Consulting, over 50% of the household foodwaste was attributed to fresh vegetables and fruit. The study showed New Zealand has a higher proportion of fresh fruit and meat and fish waste than in the UK or Victoria. Victoria has a higher proportion of bakery and dairy waste than in the UK or New Zealand. The UK has a higher proportion of drink waste.

Australian not-for-profit organisations like Secondbite.org and Ozharvest.org play a critical role in helping to reduce foodwaste, while at the same time helping to feed many thousands of people in need every week.

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SPECIAL REPORT

USA Haulers and Bodymakers Pushback

In a November-2015 Waste360 article, it was pointed out that waste truck and body manufacturers were faced with increasing concerns on the handling of segregated food waste given “...whenever you try to run a packer panel or push-out blade or anything through that kind of payload, it goes everywhere, squishes out, comes around, gets in the cylinders, it’s hard to seal these things. Extra plates need to be added to control the slop from getting out of the truck”. Food waste is acidic, and that can lead to changes in the containers from corrosion, and lifting systems to cope with the extra weight. “Trying to make an existing truck into an organics truck isn’t a good fit.”

Other concerns relate to heavier weight of food waste, requiring change to lifting systems, and less compaction needed before truck legal weight is reached. Differing socio-economic districts will also produce different participation rates and payloads – so harder to balance routes to weight capacity.

The more specialized the truck systems, the more the assets cost, and adding an additional truck to residential runs for segregated food waste just adds more emissions and transport costs, while truckers baulk at the thought of picking up “a few pounds of lettuce trimmings and chicken bones” every few households, making it more expensive to collect food waste than MSW.

The challenge is seen to be how quickly the changing government and environmental regulations will scale up the requirement for technology evolution of related containers and specialized truck systems.

Increasing USA Corporate Climate-Conscience The need to be seen by its customers and shareholders as good climate-conscious corporate citizens has also prompted large companies like Starbucks to pledge donation of all of its unused food items to the needy within 5 years.

The coffee retail giant‘s “FoodShare” program will use refrigerated vans to pick up unsold food from its 7,600 U.S. company-operated stores and distribute it through food banks. Starbucks claims the initiative will deliver almost 50 million meals by 2021 and help divert food waste from landfills. The main complexity here to solve is how to connect the retail collection points with refrigerated vehicles that can retain what little food-life is left in the goods till it can get to local food-banks and nonprofit food recovery organisations to facilitate delivery to the needy.

Coffee Culture Capsule Consumption Paradoxically, the popularity of a barista made coffee-to-go in a portable plastic lined cardboard cup with a PBA-content plastic lid to suck through could be the next big health and plastic disposal problem to focus on – not to mention the plastic pods proliferation from home expresso machines.

SPECIAL REPORT

are getting through greywater filtering systems in ocean outfalls.

This seemed to be even more prevalent than the microbeads and was traced back to the filtering systems on washing machines being inadequate to sift out the fibres being shed from the growing percentage of synthetic clothing now on the market.

“Researchers are worried not only about the physical impact of consuming a chunk of plastic, but also about potential chemical contaminant hangers-on.�

Plastics becoming part of the food chain?

(Fish with Plastic Chips?)

Plastics are coming more and more under focus in the microscope as we hear stories emerging about microbeads in make-up products like facial and body scrubs. Microbeads are minute pieces of plastic defined as 0.1 to 0.5 millimetres in size, used to give beauty products a grainy texture for exfoliation. These get washed down drains but are too small to be filtered by our sewage systems, then are ingested by marine life because they resemble fish eggs (so far more dangerous than a plastic drink bottle).

A recent ABC Catalyst TV documentary programme showcased how a CSIRO research team spearheading the Marne Debris Survey, is showing a considerable amount of microscopic plastic threads

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April 2016

Researchers are worried not only about the physical impact of consuming a chunk of plastic, but also about potential chemical contaminant hangers-on. The contaminants that are bound to that plastic can still come off during the digestion process and include a group of chemicals known as 'persistent organic pollutants' or POPs. These are very high on the list of dangerous environmental toxins, as they don't break down and accumulate in the bodies of animals all the way up the food chain. Many are known to impact the health of large numbers of species, including humans.

According to a report just published from the World Economic Forum, if we keep going at the current rate, oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Alarming, but perhaps not surprising given that a reported 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year.