Official Publication of the
ISSUE 96 | JUN/JUL 2020
www.insidewaste.com.au Associations, entities and policymakers that underpin the industry have explained to Inside Waste how they have marshalled their own resources and reshaped operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
INSIDE 24 Waste 2020 Conference 28 Waste-to-Energy feature 37 Why we need to be loud
UK takes the lead in meeting plastic targets
Agile and adaptable: WARR industry stares down disruptor wasn’t keeping services going, but keeping governments committed to the reforms they have recently pledged. “Dealing with COVID is critical, but it should not stop the agenda to grow domestically sustainable recycling through infrastructure investment, public procurement and better standardisation of services,” Schmigel said.
Core Communications WMRR has focused on a core communications function to ensure its members were kept fully informed of all changes, rescheduling and delays that impacted their operations. The association moved all the faceto-face events that were previously scheduled, to be held nationally onto Zoom. It was fairly seamless, Sloan explained as the association had already been developing a Zoom communications platform as direction for 2020. “This had been on our business plan and we had already purchased Zoom, so were prepared. The benefit of running the events digitally is that members from interstate who usually couldn’t attend the event were able to be involved. “So, we get a really rich level of audience participation and it enables
members to start to see things from a national perspective. “We really see this new approach as a long term rather than a shortterm strategy for us, “she said. As part of its communications strategy, WMMR increased the frequency of its email communications by adding a new weekly Resource Bulletin to its schedule. “Engagement, knowledge and advocacy is just as important at these difficult times, and we have focused on giving members a means of staying connected. This also supports them in building their business continuity plans for 2020 and beyond,” Sloan added. “The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for Australia to build a resilient domestic economy as this creates bountiful opportunities, and the WARR industry stands ready to continue working with governments to capitalise on these opportunities and create remanufacturing jobs and investment throughout Australia. “This is a sector where the well will not run dry because where there are people, there are and will be waste (resources) ready to be remanufactured back into the products they once were,” Sloan said. (Continued on page 20.)
PP: 100024538
ISSN 1837-5618
THE WASTE and resources recovery industry has demonstrated its resilience and adaptability during the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The heads of the associations that guide their members and the industry have explained to Inside Waste how they how they have marshalled their own resources and reshaped operations. The Waste and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) CEO Gayle Sloan was pragmatic and encouraging when she stated: “The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for Australia to build a resilient domestic economy as this creates bountiful opportunities, and the WARR industry stands ready to continue working with governments to capitalise on these opportunities and create remanufacturing jobs and investment throughout Australia. “This is a sector where the well will not run dry because where there are people, there are and will be waste (resources) ready to be remanufactured back into the products they once were,” Sloan said. The Council of Recyling CEO Pete Schmigel, underscored Sloan’s position, telling Inside Waste that the challenge for ACOR and its members during COVID
As Australia begins to pick up speed towards setting and meeting sustainable targets, the UK is being hailed as a leader within the global WARR industry. During one of the first presentations within The Plastics Revolution session at the National Plastics Summit in March, Nextek managing director Ed Kosior detailed what Australia could learn from the UK. Nextek is a UK consultancy firm specialising in the recycling of plastics packaging from waste up to food-grade quality. He pointed to the UK’s national Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which was set up in 2000 to promote sustainable waste management. WRAP describes itself as a catalyst for positive economic and environmental action. “We work uniquely, and by design, in the space between governments, businesses, communities, thinkers and individuals – forging powerful partnerships and delivering groundbreaking initiatives to support more sustainable economies and society.” In 2018, WRAP established The UK Plastics Pact and late last year, it published its first annual report and baseline data for the Pact, indicating members’ starting position towards its targets. It also pointed out where the challenges lie including one billion problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic items. (Continued on page 22.)
See Gary Moore from UNTHA UK present on ‘RDF and PEF Australia’s future resource?’
info@focusenviro.com.au