Waste Management Review July 2020 (DNU)

JULY 2020

Beating the drum Agsafe’s Dominique Doyle on a unique approach to safety and stewardship.

FEATURES Onshore manufacturing Tyre transition Waste in the age of big data Organics action-plan

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COVER STORY

12

BEATING THE STEWARDSHIP DRUM As drumMUSTER celebrates its 35 millionth container return, Dominique Doyle, Agsafe General Manager, outlines Agsafe’s multipronged approach to safety and stewardship.

38

TASMANIAN TOPTURN As Dulverton Waste Management embarks on a three-stage facility upgrade, product manager Matthew Layton details stage one: the purchase of a Komptech Topturn.

“WE DELIVER OUR SERVICES WITH THE MINDSET OF SAFETY AND STEWARDSHIP, HAND IN HAND. WE’RE NOT JUST FOCUSING ON THE PACKAGING OF THE MATERIALS, BUT ALSO ENSURING SAFETY ALONG THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN.” - Dominique Doyle, Agsafe General Manager

In this issue

Features

DRIVING SECTOR 17 RESILIENCE

WMR explores how onshore processing and local manufacturing will likely play an increasing role in building a resilient waste sector.

22 TYRE TRANSITION

With the export ban on whole used tyres fast approaching, TSA has launched a Baler Transition Program to support market evolution.

26 BEYOND DESTRUCTION

Shred-X diverts almost 40,000 tonnes of paper per annum from landfill, partnering with Australian recycling organisations to recover and repurpose.

32 FUTURE FACILITIES

With waste managers facing increasingly complex operating environments, Mandalay Technologies outline the streamlining capabilities of cloud-based facilities management.

200 MILLION 36 BOTTLES

Alex Fraser has commissioned a new glass additive bin at its Clarinda recycling plant, boosting its reprocessing capacity.

ORGANICS ACTION40 PLAN

AORA’s new National Strategic Plan outlines action points for sustainable growth in the accelerating sector.

FUEL 42 RTOEPURPOSED THE FIRE

Robust systems by Alvan Blanch are repurposing materials to benefit Australian industries beyond the waste sector.

46 POWERING ANROCHTE BIOGAS

Hitachi Zosen Inova explains how a new Kompogas plant in Germany is generating carbon-neutral biogas to inject electricity into the grid.

Regulars

50 P RODUCT SHOWCASE 57 LAST WORD

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 3

PUBLISHER

Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

MANAGING EDITOR

Melanie Stark melanie.stark@primecreative.com.au

EDITOR

From the Editor

An essential service In the face of growing supply chain disruptions, onshore processing and local manufacturing will likely play an increasing role in building a robust waste sector – with our current environment further highlighting the need to grow Australia’s onshore infrastructure capacity.

As commented by Infrastructure Victoria’s Elissa McNamara, developing facilities focused on priority materials is a no-regret investment for the Victorian economy.

The advisor body’s recent advice to government suggests that to meet Victoria’s stated resource recovery targets, the state needs 87 new or upgraded processing facilities. This comes against the backdrop of the COAG export ban, which was delayed until 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions impacting the Federal Government’s ability to pass legislation.

As highlighted by Tyre Stewardship Australia CEO Lina Goodman on page 22, the effects of COVID-19 have given industry a sneak peak of what may eventuate when the ban comes into effect.

Volumes of waste are changing across the sector and end markets are becoming increasingly challenging. However, the waste industry has demonstrated its resilience and flexibility during ongoing challenges.

The Coffs Waste Conference pivoted to online webinars to keep industry engaged and up to date of ongoing developments. Likewise, a driver exchange program was set up by the Victorian Transport Association, allowing companies to share drivers should the need arise.

As highlighted by the United Nation’s call for global governments to recognise waste management as an urgent and essential public service, the waste sector touches every Australian home, dwelling and business.

While the full effects of COVID-19 are yet to be fully realised, the sector’s willingness to adapt and face challenges head on suggests significant opportunities lie on the road to recovery.

Finally, Managing Editor Toli Papadopoulos has moved on from the publication and we wish him all the best on his new journey.

It’s an exciting time to be stepping into the Editor role, and I look forward to covering stories about our resilient and growing industry.

4 / WMR / July 2020

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News

$1B investment could transform Victoria’s waste sector Victoria could recover up to 90 per cent of its waste if $1 billion is spent on recycling infrastructure in the state by 2039.

Advice from Infrastructure Victoria (IV) suggests upgrading or building 87 new processing facilities for six priority materials including plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, organics, tyres and e-waste, would achieve the recovery target in the state coming the next two decades.

The advice on recycling and resource recovery infrastructure, prepared for the Victorian Government by IV, found that Victoria will need to boost its recycling capacity by more than three million tonnes by 2039 to meet targets and address the issues of stockpiling and illegal dumping.

“Regional Victoria stands to benefit most from significantly increased processing capacity, with the advice recommending 52 out of 87 new or upgraded facilities be located outside of metropolitan Melbourne,” IV said in a statement.

Elissa McNamara, IV Resource Recovery & Recycling Advice Project Director, said waste infrastructure that focuses on the six priority materials is a no regret investment for the Victorian economy.

“There is pressure at the moment because of COVID-19 related manners, but this is a long term sustainable investment that is going to reap rewards for years to come,” McNamara said.

The director said that along with the state government, IV is also encouraging waste organisations to help transform to

6 / WMR / July 2020

a circular economy by developing new uses for recycled products.

McNamara said the first steps to increasing processing capacity is for the state government and public agencies to be clear about what their investment priorities are and where investments should be located.

“We can be strategic in our facilitation of investment. Next is about having the right infrastructure in place at the household and business level, so materials are more attractive to the waste sector and supporting the investments made,” she said.

IV has made 13 recommendations, including standardised kerbside recycling across all councils to limit contamination to make it easier for Victorians to recycle correctly.

“We’re calling on the Victorian Government to work with local councils and regional waste and resource recovery groups to come up with a roll out that will actually work,” McNamara said.

She said collaboration will be key to providing a consistent service across the state.

“For example, if someone lived in Melbourne, but then moved to Mildura, they will be putting the same waste in the same bins,” McNamara said.

“That will be essential to reduce contamination and really support a strong recycling sector, “Following the national export ban that comes into effect in July, Victoria is the first cab off the rank in terms of getting this detailed recycling and recovery infrastructure planning done.”

Victoria already recovers more than $1 billion worth of resources each year, but IV said in a statement that there is huge potential to achieve and grow this figure by reprocessing and reusing materials locally or by selling them internationally.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio welcomed the report, and said the government was on track to “transition to a circular economy.”

The IV report follows the $300 million Recycling Victoria package, and McNamara said the authority’s 13 recommendations were developed in consultation with government and industry stakeholders to align with the policy.

“We have also developed the most comprehensive and up-to-date data of current and projected waste generation in Victoria and infrastructure capacity and capability,” IV stated in the report.

“Our work shows there is not one single approach to achieve these outcomes.

“All levels of government, business and households will need to work together if we are to realise the huge opportunity before us.”

Infrastructure Victoria CEO Michael Masson said the advice delivered by the authority contains all the elements for Victoria to develop a world-class recycling and resource recovery system within the next two decades.

“We need to use less, recycle more and collect our waste smarter so that we are recovering its value and not relying on export markets to deal with our waste,” Masson said.

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News

Fed Govt delays glass waste export ban

Export ban legislation will be introduced into parliament later this year.

COAG’s export ban on unprocessed glass has been delayed due to restrictions related to COVID-19, and will now commence 1 January 2021.

According to Environment Minister Sussan Ley, COVID-19 restrictions made it “impossible” for parliament to pass legislation in time for the original 1 July 2020 deadline.

“We will introduce new legislation later this year to implement the waste export ban, giving interested stakeholders an opportunity to review the draft legislation,” she said.

The schedule for implementing the export ban on waste plastic, paper and

8 / WMR / July 2020

tyres remains unchanged.

As part of the national response to the COAG export ban, the Federal Government is asking industry and state and territory governments to work together to bring forward project proposals that deliver a national solution for mixed-paper recycling in Australia.

“Australia has a once in a generation opportunity to improve waste management and recycling through national leadership and by funding infrastructure investments and encouraging new technologies,” Ley said.

Assistant Waste Reduction and

Environmental Management Minister Trevor Evans said Australia exports approximately 375,000 tonnes of mixed wastepaper and cardboard each year, but the ban will see a shift to recycling these materials domestically by 2024.

“The Federal Government is particularly interested in paperrecycling facility proposals that adopt new innovations for recovered paper and generate new jobs in rural and regional Australia,” he said.

Applications to the Federal Government are due 31 July, with a decision on successful projects expected at the end of August.

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News

$20M for NSW AWT industry and councils affected by MWOO Councils and the alternative waste treatment (AWT) industry can apply for $20 million in funding from the NSW Government to improve kerbside waste recycling.

According to Environment Minister Matt Kean, the funding is part of the state government’s $24 million AWT transition package, designed to help councils and industry achieve better food and organics waste separation and innovate how they recycle.

The funding follows the NSW EPA’s 2018 decision to restrict the use of mixed waste organics outputs (MWOO).

“It aims to support councils and the industry to plan and introduce separate food and organics waste services at the kerbside, making the most of the valuable resource that is household food and garden waste,” Kean said.

“This is about the government supporting innovative, sustainable resource recovery of general waste that will be environmentally, socially and economically beneficial.”

Available funding includes $12.5 million via the Organics Collections grants program, $5 million in Local Council Transition grants and $2.51 million in Research and Development grants for new or alternative uses for general waste.

Local Government NSW President Linda Scott said councils want to work with the NSW and Federal Governments to save recycling, minimise waste and build a circular economy.

“This much-needed funding will assist councils and council-led AWT industries to help keep food

Applications for an additional $3.75 million in funding for processing infrastructure is scheduled to open this month.

and garden waste out of landfill – a goal that we share with Environment Minister Matt Kean to support our environment,” she said.

“I welcome this new NSW Government funding to support recycling in our communities, as only in partnership can we ensure we save recycling in NSW.” The Organics Collections grants program aims help councils impacted

by MWOO regulatory changes switch to garden only or food and garden organics collection services, with individual grants of up to $1.3 million.

A total of $16 million is available under this funding round, with an additional $3.5 million available to nonaffected councils.

Similarly, Local Council Transition

grants aim to support councils impacted by MWOO regulatory changes with a range of project options, including strategic planning, options assessment, community engagement, rolling out new organics collection services or improving their existing organics services.

Research and Development grants are designed to support initiatives to develop alternative end markets or new products for general waste, either to accelerate or enhance existing projects or fund new research and development.

An additional $3.75 million for processing infrastructure is scheduled to open for applications this month through the Organics Infrastructure Large and Small program.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 11

COVER STORY

Beating the stewardship drum AS DRUMMUSTER CELEBRATES ITS 35 MILLIONTH CONTAINER RETURN, DOMINIQUE DOYLE, AGSAFE GENERAL MANAGER, OUTLINES AGSAFE’S MULTIPRONGED APPROACH TO SAFETY AND STEWARDSHIP.

W

hile the discourse around single-use plastics often conjures up images of empty drink bottles and discarded shopping bags, in the bush, resource recovery-minded farmers face an additional challenge.

Namely: what to do with empty agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemical containers. drumMUSTER, a product stewardship program operated by Agsafe, has been working to address the problem for over 20 years – recycling upwards of 40,000 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste that would otherwise have been sent to landfill, buried or burned on farms.

According to the 2017-18 Australian Plastics Recycling Survey, only seven per cent of agricultural sector plastics are recovered. Of that seven per cent, drumMUSTER is responsible for 3.5 per cent, meaning approximately half of all agricultural plastics recycled in Australia is done so through the program.

In March this year, drumMUSTER, saw its 35 millionth agvet chemical container collected. The container was delivered to the Renmark Refuse Depot in Renmark, South Australia, marking an important milestone for one of Australia’s oldest product stewardship schemes.

Remark Council has been working

12 / WMR / July 2020

Agsafe has recycled more than 40,000 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste since 1999.

with Agsafe since 2000, recycling over 163,000 drums.

According to Dominique Doyle, Agsafe General Manager, 349 regional and rural councils across Australia operate drumMUSTER collections, at over 800 sites.

Funded through an ACCC authorised levy, drumMUSTER provides Australian agvet chemical users with a recycling pathway for eligible empty agvet chemical containers. The program collected its first agvet chemical container in Gunnedah, NSW in 1999.

The Trustee for the levy program is

AgStewardship Australia.

The levy is imposed at the point of sale, thereby coming into effect as soon as the container enters the supply chain.

“Manufacturers of the agvet chemicals voluntarily sign up to the levy program. The industry is leading the way in stewardship” Doyle says.

She explains that AgStewardship Australia is a trustee organisation.

“This works as an assurance to farmers that the funds are being held appropriately and only used for the drumMUSTER and ChemClear stewardship programs,” Doyle says.

SAFETY AND STEWARDSHIP Agsafe was formed in 1993 as an industry-led non-profit organisation.

The purpose: to ensure safe supply, use and disposal of agvet chemicals and containers across the supply chain.

“I’ve served as Agsafe General Manager for just over two years, having previously worked with CropLife Australia,” Doyle says.

As Agsafe operates a number of programs including training, premise consulting, drumMUSTER and its sister program ChemClear, Doyle’s role involves ensuring all those programs work effectively.

What makes Agsafe unique, she adds, is that the organisation doesn’t look at product stewardship in isolation.

“A lot of the discussion of stewardship in the waste sector talks about packaging recycling, which means that when people are thinking about stewardship, they are generally thinking about packaging and recycling issues,” she says.

“Agsafe is unique because we are looking at those issues, but also believe that safety issues are key and can’t be considered in isolation from each other.

“We’re not just focusing on the packaging of the materials, but also ensuring safety along the whole supply chain,” Doyle explains.

As part of its commitment to addressing safety and stewardship holistically, Agsafe operate a range of agvet reseller training programs designed to ensure best practice adherence.

Agsafe training programs are recommended for people working in the agvet chemical supply chain.

This includes sales representatives, agronomists and warehouse managers.

Doyle says Agsafe training provides participants with the knowledge to safely and legally transport, handle and store chemicals in their state or territory.

“Chemical manufacturers wanted to ensure that retailers and anyone along the distribution supply chain understands that many of the chemicals are dangerous goods and need to be handled appropriately,” she says.

While the transport and use of the products is federally regulated by the APVMA, Doyle says it’s equally critical to ensure that state regulations are understood across the entire supply chain.

Roughly 1400 retail premises are engaged in the program.

“We train their workforce, which is around 6000 people every year,” Doyle says.

“We also work with operators that warehouse chemicals, ensuring they understand that they need to segregate incompatible chemicals.

“You can’t have an alkaloid and an acid chemical stored together, for instance, as it could end up in something as serious as an explosion.

“This is why the chemical manufacturers industry set up Agsafe, to deliver these programs and minimise any critical incidents along the way.”

COLLECTING CONTAINERS While Agsafe training addresses chemicals pre-use, drumMUSTER is responsible for the collection and recycling of agvet chemical containers post-use. The drumMUSTER logo and program is highly recognisable in the bush, Doyle says, highlighting a legacy that stems from the programs 1999 establishment. She adds that when drumMUSTER was first developed, marketing was primarily geared towards engagement.

“We work hard to engage farmers to use the program, and in every state and territory have regional consultants that attend field days and engage with communities and councils to ensure maximum return back into the drumMUSTER program.” drumMUSTER’s regional consultants are key to the program’s success Doyle says. She adds that because the consultants are locals, they understand the localised needs of farmers in their region.

“What’s happening in Central Queensland won’t be the same as what’s happening in South West WA,” she explains.

Dominique Doyle says Agsafe is committed to addressing safety and stewardship holistically.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 13

COVER STORY

drumMUSTER operates over 800 collection sites around Australia, with the majority being located in local council compounds and waste transfer stations.

“It’s important to engage with councils on an executive level, but also at the ground level in the waste transfer stations,” Doyle says.

“We also work with over 110 community organisations, paying them a piece rate for inspecting the drums before they enter the program.

“This allows them to fund community programs such as sporting groups, school activities and Lions clubs.”

Containers must be triple rinsed to ensure no residue is left in the drums, with containers that don’t meet drumMUSTER cleanliness standards rejected.

“We do this to minimise risk for our processors, their employees and the entire supply chain,” Doyle says.

Eligible containers feature the recognisable drumMUSTER logo, she adds, which acts as an assurance to farmers that the container can be recycled at the point of purchase.

Once drums are collected, certified processors pick up the material from an Agsafe compound, with most containers shredded, granulated or heat extruded back to a resin that is suitable to enter the recycling stream.

“After the containers are collected the processor retains ownership of the plastic, so it’s a unique model in that way,” Doyle says.

PROCESSING PLASTIC Weston Fence is an Agsafe accredited processor that uses resin from recycled drumMUSTER containers to manufacture fence posts.

Operations Manager Duncan Abbey says the idea came out of necessity, with the family farming business wanting a strong product to manage its livestock.

14 / WMR / July 2020

“We’ve been a registered company for 20 years and have always used a proponent of recycled HPE in our posts. Then, about five years ago, we were frustrated with the inconsistency of the product we were getting and searched for a solution,” he says.

Weston Fence came across a supplier that was using a blend of drumMUSTER drums, and after trailing the product, were happy with the consistency, availability and durability of the posts they were able to produce.

Abbey adds that there is currently more than 20,000 kilometres of Weston Fence across Australian.

“We’re taking a product that has a shelf life of one year when it contains chemicals. It then becomes waste, and we’re able to turn it into something that will last 20 to 25 years as a fence post, which can then be recycled again.”

Andrew Smith of Astron Sustainability is another drumMUSTER processor. He highlights that Astron, Pact Group’s Sustainability Service Division, has been an active participant in the program for over 15 years.

“As a both a manufacturer in the agrichemical supply chain and also the largest recycler of post-industrial resin in the Southern Hemisphere, we considered this a very positive product stewardship program. And therefore, a natural fit for our Sustainability Services Division,” Smith says.

While drumMUSTER facilitates recovery options for empty containers, the dilemma of leftover chemicals is similarly significant to the agricultural industry. Given the safety imperatives of proper chemical disposal, Agsafe developed drumMUSTER’s sister program ChemClear in 2003, using funds from the drumMUSTER levy.

ChemClear operates as a collection and disposal service for obsolete chemicals from farmers and the

wider community. Farmers and other agricultural industry professionals register their waste with the program and relinquish chemicals for safe removal.

Once pre-registered chemicals reach critical mass in an area, Agsafe arrange a “milk run” collection service.

“Our contractor has a biochemist on hand, and they receive and appropriately store the chemicals after eligibility has been confirmed,” Doyle says.

“All the staff are trained to ensure safety and segregation when doing these runs. Plus, we use a single contractor for the whole of Australia, which makes the program much easier to run and manage.”

One of the challenges for ChemClear, Doyle says, is that while farmers carry many drumMUSTER eligible products, they also possess a lot of other chemicals.

“Some of them may be legacy chemicals from changes in farming practices or generational changes, and some of the products may have been sitting on the farm for decades,” she says.

Group one chemicals, including those housed in their original container with a readable label and drumMUSTER logo, are eligible for free collection. Group two chemicals, such as those no longer registered, unlabelled or expired, have a variable per-litre fee applied for disposal.

Agsafe work with regional councils and state and national farming organisations to ensure farmers engage in the program as much as possible.

“The support from the farming organisations, as well as those local community groups, is so important to the success of the program. The individuals in those organisations really are the champions of our work,” Doyle says.

Rinse them out Round them up Run them in drumMUSTER provides Australian agricultural and veterinary chemical users with a recycling pathway for eligible empty agvet chemical containers.

Rinse them out Round them up Run them in Agsafe’s drumMUSTER program is a national product stewardship program that is supported by agvet chemical manufacturers, industry stakeholders including member and farming associations as well as state and local governments.

Connect with us

drummuster.org.au Remember, every container counts.

SPECIAL REPORT – AUSTRALIAN MADE

Australian Made to drive sector resilience IN THE FACE OF SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS, WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES HOW ONSHORE PROCESSING AND LOCAL MANUFACTURING WILL PLAY AN INCREASING ROLE IN BUILDING A RESILIENT WASTE SECTOR.

“

T

his isn’t about being insular or shutting ourselves off to the rest of the world. This is about embracing the incredible quality of Australian-made products – products that nations around the world associate with being top-notch,” Karen Andrews, Federal Industry Minister says.

During the COVID-19 pandemic businesses around the globe faced massive disruption to their supply chains. For companies dependent on products coming in from overseas, the halt of imports and exports sent a domino of delays through various industries across the nation.

Now, Australian businesses understand the complexities of the Island’s oceanic location more than ever.

The need to diversify supply chains is shaking up Australia’s manufacturing sector as more companies explore onshore processing and leveraging the benefits of local manufacturing.

On June 1 this year, a multi-media campaign was launched by Australian Made Campaign Limited to promote local manufacturers and brands to capitalise on a renewed interest in their products.

So, where does the waste management sector sit in Australia’s

Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews says the sector should prioritise value over cost.

manufacturing capacity?

According to Andrews, Australia has historic strengths in mining and resources, which has boosted development in a number of other industries.

In her address to the National Press Club on May 20, Andrews said that includes plastic and waste recycling.

She is encouraging sector decision makers to have comparative and competitive strengths.

“The focus is to grow the Australian manufacturing sector, and by doing that, they will need to focus

on the value concept rather than the cost focus themselves,” she says.

One of the big trends in Australian manufacturing over the last decade has been the sheer difficulty of competing with China on cost.

However, when China and other neighbouring Asian nations stopped the import of contaminated recycling, industry and governments across the world had to look within their borders to find solutions for ever growing waste management needs.

Federal and state governments have offered incentives to encourage

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 17

SPECIAL REPORT – AUSTRALIAN MADE

By choosing products containing recycled Australian materials, individual consumers can generate larger markets for recycled goods.

high quality recycling, including the Federal Government’s $4.9 million export hub grants scheme, which will advance manufacturing and capitalise on new onshore capabilities by establishing a stronger market beyond the nation’s border.

“In my time as a minister, I’ve never had as many people contact me as I have in recent weeks supporting our government’s push to grow Australian manufacturing,” Andrews says.

She believes it’s important to shift the mindset so that Australia is not trying to compete on cost.

Andrews says Australia’s niche is its capability to transform quickly and make manufacturing agile and nimble.

“So, for us to be competitive, we have to start looking at manufacturing on value, not on cost. Price is a part of the value equation, but it is not the only part of it,” she says.

Waste manufacturers are critical

18 / WMR / July 2020

for driving markets and designing products that maximise recycling opportunities, which can be translated to export success.

From February this year, all Cleanaway Daniels’ reusable sharps collectors and related spare parts are now 100 per cent Australian-made.

The complete onshoring of manufacturing capabilities represents the single largest investment made by Cleanaway Daniels last year, and is an example of re-shaping operations onshore to enable rapid production, more flexibility to meet changes in customer demand and supporting and driving the local economy.

Larger commercial businesses like Cleanaway have the advantage of already beginning onshore investments, but the opportunity is present for small and medium sized manufacturing businesses too.

Trends indicate that local

manufacturing can also improve recovery rates and reduce contamination through single-stream recycling.

By choosing products that contain Australian recycled materials, individual consumers can also generate bigger markets for recycled goods.

Refashioning waste manufacturing post COVID-19 calls for recognising and protecting value drivers, prioritising breakthroughs, collaborating on shared problems, mitigating risk through co-funding programs and building resiliency through local supply chains.

And while COVID-19 has created new optics through which the community needs to view both risk and opportunity, there has arguably not been a more compelling time to build a resilient waste sector, with a new, attractive and outward local manufacturing future.

WHOLE TYRE EXPORT BAN. WE CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS CHALLENGE

The COAG ban on the export of whole used tyres from December 2021 reflects concern on behalf of all Governments in Australia that improved environmental outcomes are required for end-of-life tyres in Australia.

OUR TIME STARTS NOW. To register email

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) is reaching out to all organisations exporting baled tyres to register to participate in TSA’s Balers Transition Program where you will benefit from our support, including liaison with relevant local and state Government departments on licences, applications and approvals requirements.

getonboard@tyrestewardship.org.au

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SPECIAL REPORT – AUSTRALIAN-MADE

Not just another oil company PETER MCCOLL OF GULF WESTERN OIL EXPLORES THE ROLE OF EFFECTIVE LUBRICATION TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND ROBUST WASTE SECTOR.

W

hile the full ramifications of COVID-19 are not yet fully understood, conversations around post-pandemic recovery are largely focused on building on-shore manufacturing and domestic markets.

In the waste and resource recovery sector, much of this discussion has centred on building new facilities and processing capacity.

According to Peter McColl of Gulf Western Oil (GWO), while this macro focus is important, building a sustainable and resilient waste sector also requires a micro approach. He explains that without steady machine operations on the ground, large scale facility investments might fall short of

their intended objectives.

GWO has been supplying lubricant solutions to waste and recycling facilities for over 30 years, and in the process, has developed an extensive range of purpose-built products for various applications within the sector.

As one of the largest Australian owned lubricant manufacturers, GWO operate a comprehensive distribution network throughout Australia and the Pacific Rim. “The waste sector, as with all industries, relies on its machinery to ensure efficient operations, and that requires lubrication,” McColl says.

“That is what GWO does every day – we work hard to constantly improve

Gulf Western Oil’s five warehouses are fully stocked with millions of litres of lubricants ready for dispatch.

20 / WMR / July 2020

the longevity and service times of operators equipment.”

McColl adds that lubricants are often first off the mark when budget cuts are made, which is a common mistake.

“Lubricant replenishment costs are relatively minor when compared to the initial infrastructure cost, and the expense and consequences of unplanned equipment failure will not only be inconvenient, but can lead to a greater environmental footprint,” he explains.

“A major emphasis for GWO is to provide waste and recycling plants less downtime of machinery by creating longer lasting, higher load bearing products. The intention is to enable recycling plants to operate as efficiently as possible by protecting machinery life and saving clients money.”

GWO offer a range of five different hydraulic blends, with more than 30 different grades carried in stock.

“In fact, we have 88 different part numbers specific to hydraulic applications and our laboratory can custom formulate blends to specific customer applications,” McColl says.

Furthermore, GWO offer unique products such as a Super Clean Hydraulic cleaner, which removes varnishes and other foreign matter from hydraulic systems to extend service life.

“Beyond these initiatives, GWO also make environmentally sound products.

We have a large range of biodegradable hydraulic fluid,” McColl says.

McColl highlights the Gulf Western Biodraulic range, which is a series of hydraulic fluids designed to operate under high operating temperatures and extended service applications.

“The range provides superior oxidation resistance, allowing longer service life and a very high natural viscosity index, which means that the oil remains more constant in viscosity across a wider temperature range as found in high-stress applications.”

Extending the range is Superdraulic Indestructible, the first of its kind within the Australian market to offer a 6000-hour oil life, McColl says. He adds that the product is formulated with full synthetic base oil technology, the latest ultra-sheer stable viscosity

modifiers and enhanced levels of antiwear and antioxidants. Superdraulic Hi Temp is another product in GWO’s range of premium grade, high viscosity index, anti-wear hydraulic oils.

“The range has been formulated for use in hydraulic power or control systems, either mobile or stationary, which are subject to temperature extremes, or are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature,” he says.

With an array of equipment including gearboxes, pumps, chains, blowers, compressors, slides and guides, McColl says it’s important to get lubrication right. He adds that this is especially significant in severely corrosive environments such as those common to the waste industry.

“Our diesel family includes Top Dog Indestructible, a heavy-duty diesel engine oil containing the latest in indestructible additive technology

designed to protect high-powered, heavy-duty diesel engines,” he says.

“The unique formulation contains performance enhancing and superior wear protection technology that exceeds the requirements of the current lubricant specifications. This allows improved efficiencies.”

Striving to stand out from their competitors, GWO offer next day delivery to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s greater metropolitan areas.

The company also operate a night shift service, meaning orders can be taken and processed up to 9pm for next day delivery.

“Our five warehouses located across Australia are fully stocked with millions of litres of lubricants ready for dispatch. GWO strives to offer un-paralleled service to our customers and make doing business with us as seamless and easy as possible.”

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FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Tyre transition WITH THE EXPORT BAN ON WHOLE USED TYRES FAST APPROACHING, TYRE STEWARDSHIP AUSTRALIA HAS LAUNCHED A BALER TRANSITION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT MARKET EVOLUTION.

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n late May, the Council of Australian Government’s ban on waste exports was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. In a statement at the time, Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the effects of COVID-19 made it “impossible” for parliament to pass legislation in time for the 1 July deadline. However, Ms Ley assured industry that the Federal Government would not waiver on its commitment to the ban, with the delay set to solely impact the proposed timeline for unprocessed glass.

Despite the pandemic’s effect on ban legislation, the waste and resource recovery industry has demonstrated great resilience and adaptability.

Many, including Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) CEO Lina Goodman, are using the unprecedented global environment as a learning opportunity and time for reflection.

“The impacts of COVID-19 have almost given us a sneak peak of what may eventuate when the ban comes into effect,” Goodman explains.

“Today, we are seeing the detrimental impact reduced markets, both on-shore and off, are having on the sustainable disposal of used tyres.”

When the ban was first announced, Goodman notes that some argued a ban on baled tyres could come into effect immediately. The reasoning: there is already enough local processing capacity, so the market would be fine. In Goodman’s view, however, this line of thinking is too simplistic.

“Having the infrastructure and

22 / WMR / July 2020

ensuring material gets to the gate at a competitive price to ensure it is processed safely are two very differing concerns,” she says.

“Also, as the recent past has evidenced, you can process all you want, but you’re still in trouble if the product has nowhere to go.”

As such, Goodman says domestic market demand is now more critical than ever. She adds that if foreign tyre derived fuel demand falters, Australia, and the global sector, will be critically exposed.

“As global demand for used tyres shrinks, and nations close down manufacturing and grapple with the management of COVID-19, the consumption, collection and disposal of tyres continues,” Goodman says.

As collectors start to emerge from the impacts of COVID-19 and the diminished value of their material, TSA hopes two things will happen.

“Firstly, recyclers can survive the recent set back, secondly, there is enough will and determination to get back on to their transition plans in the lead up to the December 2021 deadline,” Goodman says.

“TSA is concerned that a change in collection prices will encourage unscrupulous behaviour to enter the market, this may result in increased illegal dumping, stockpiles and unnecessary burden on reputable recyclers.”

Presently, Australia, like many nations including the UK and parts of Europe, is finding it difficult to move

collected material to countries that were traditionally a home for these products.

Late last year, India’s National Green Tribunal directed the Central Pollution Control to restrict the import of waste tyres. In 2018-19, India received 47 per cent of Australia’s tyre exports.

“There is no easy fix to this problem – particularly as this may be a persistent trend with declines in oil and coal prices reducing demand for tyre derived fuel – which is often a substitute for such commodities,” Goodman says.

“However, Australia does have something that many other nations lack – a growing market for crumb rubber across a range of sectors.”

Since inception, TSA has committed $6 million to support projects designed to increase the use of used tyres in Australia. Goodman notes particular progress in the roads sector, with collaborative TSA projects seeing WA’s crumb rubber consumption double in two years.

When the export ban on all whole used tyres commences, approximately 70,000 tonnes of material is set to be directly affected. According to the Phasing out Waste Exports Response Strategy, Australian businesses that rely on the export of whole baled tyres have expressed concerns about the impact of the ban on their viability.

To support those operators, TSA began a new baling transition program in April. Open to all TSA and non-TSA participants, the program is designed to help operators engage more broadly on their current business model, and the

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changes required to remain in business beyond the December 2021 deadline.

“The support TSA can offer includes co-ordinating “virtual” round table discussions with relevant state-based authorities to help navigate through approval process requirements, provide guidance on possible solutions and connect organisations with other commercial entities,” Goodman says.

According to Goodman, balers that have an appetite to transition towards greater recovery efforts require support in multiple ways. First, lengthy timeframes for approvals needs to be addressed. And second, there needs to be an increased understanding of issues such as power, suitable site location and the importation of additional recycling equipment. Importantly, Goodman says regulators managing approval processes need to understand that the

tyre recycling sector is proactively attempting to get business ready.

In addition to the baler transition program, TSA has been actively contacting affected parties to discuss the scenarios, business impacts and potential changes the ban will deliver.

“Upon the announcement of the export ban, TSA immediately engaged with relevant stakeholders to understand the implications, support required to assist exposed businesses and impacts of the proposed ban on the sector more broadly,” Goodman says.

TSA is also engaging with responsible authorities to communicate how the ban and other emerging factors are influencing current market circumstances. As reported by WMR in May, TSA’s Used tyres supply chain and fate analysis report suggests recent decreases in stockpiling are partially

attributed to increased volumes of baled tyres being exported.

“There’s no doubt that baling over the years has substantially influenced the orientation of the market locally and globally. If it didn’t, why would the industry have pushed to ban it? Conversely, it would be hard to deny that once baling is removed from the market, that there will be a big adjustment to these changing dynamics,” Goodman says.

There is an expectation, Goodman explains, that this will occur when the ban is enacted.

“However, in a sense, the ban is somewhat superfluous at the moment.

With decreasing Indian demand for bales through policy changes and global trade disruption via COVID-19 – we’re already seeing the bale market disrupted to the point of cessation, as there is a lack of trade outlets for baled material,” she says.

“Now, this is a point in time due to multiple global market factors – but the end result is a curtailing of bale outlets from Australia – which in effect, is the same impact as a ban. Unfortunately, we are seeing extreme stress on the market with blocked outlets to foreign end markets. This is leading to businesses under stress, finding it difficult to deal with accumulated feedstock.”

Goodman adds that these circumstances may not prevail and may be alleviated should markets open up and COVID-19 be better managed globally.

“However, what it does demonstrate is that the resource recovery industry, regulators and organisations such as TSA need to work together proactively.

“We need to use technology to better manage sites. We need to work across jurisdictions in a coordinated way – because each state is affected by global circumstances in common ways, so we need a common and coordinated approach.”

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 23

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

In 2019, Ecycle Solutions collected over 11,000 tonnes of ewaste for recycling.

Reverse logistics ewaste ECYCLE SOLUTIONS IS HELPING BUSINESSES REDUCE THEIR WASTE TO LANDFILL RATE THROUGH INNOVATIVE EWASTE COLLECTION, RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL SERVICES.

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illions of electronic devices such as televisions and computers are discarded in Australia every year, with ewaste now the fastest-growing waste stream in the country.

Established in 2011, the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) provides Australian households and small businesses with access to free industry-funded collection and recycling services.

According to Chris Tangey of Ecycle Solutions, the NTCRS is properly designed and works well mechanically.

He adds that it has regulations that demand compliance and prescribe penalties for non-compliance.

“All stakeholders signed off with a positive assessment for the continuation and expansion of the scheme during the 2018 Statutory Review,” Tangey says.

24 / WMR / July 2020

More than 1800 collection services have been made available to the public since 2011, with over 290,000 tonnes ewaste collected and recycled.

The scheme is operated by four government-approved Co-Regulators on behalf of industry, including Ecycle Solutions.

Ecycle Solutions collects end-of-life ewaste via free drop-off and collection points at participating retail stores such as Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and Radio Rentals.

Since its launch in 2013, Ecycle Solutions’ ewaste service has grown significantly. The company now works with over 300 manufacturers and retailers, and in 2019, collected over 11,000 tonnes of ewaste.

According to Tangey, the NTCRS requires all importers of electronic goods into Australia to recycle 66 per

cent of the mass they bring in.

Beginning at 30 per cent in 2011, Tangey say the recycling rate increases by two per cent each year.

He adds that the rate is capped at 80 per cent due to a belief recycling beyond that level is challenging.

At the heart of the Ecycle Solutions’ system is parent company QLS Logistics, a national transport company that regularly visiting metropolitan, regional and country retail stores throughout Australia.

“As NTCRS partners, when QLS drivers deliver new white and brown goods to retail stores, they collect purpose-built ewaste bins full of end-of-life televisions and computers, which are then recycled,” Tangey says.

“This ultimately functions as a reverse logistics network, facilitating a sustainable closed loop system.”

Under the scheme, Co-Regulators such as Ecycle Solutions are required to provide reasonable access for the general public to recycle their ewaste, with approximately 300 collection points across Australia. Tangey says in metro areas such as Melbourne and Sydney, reasonable access equates to one collection point per 250,000 people. He adds that in Melbourne, that equates to a minimum of 17 collection points.

“When a member of the public or a small business visits one of our participating retailers they can drop their goods off free-of-charge, and are not required to buy anything.

“We audit those sites each year to ensure they are providing a compliant, accessible and streamlined service.”

Once collected by Ecycle Solutions, Projekt1 03.06.20 10:52 Seite 1 the ewaste is sent to third party

specialist ewaste recyclers where greater than 90 per cent become reusable materials.

Ecycle Solutions use 10 recyclers in total, with four located in NSW and Victoria respectively, and another three across Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia.

“We tend to aim at small-to-medium recyclers, which are often family run businesses. They are all accredited and audited to ensure they comply with all relevant regulations,” Tangey explains.

As the sole co-regulated product stewardship scheme, the NTCRS stands out within the wider product stewardship ecosystem. The scheme is effective, Tangey says, because of its extended producer responsibility focus.

“If a company is importing a future waste material into the country, they have to pay for that waste to be dealt

with. That is why the scheme is so successful, as often times people need a regulatory push to transition to more sustainable practices,” he says.

As the industry continues to wait on the Federal Government’s Product Stewardship Act Review, Tangey says he would like to see the NTCRS expanded to include more products such as batteries and photovoltaic solar panels.

“We need to expand the scheme so that more waste is regulated, and resource recovery rates grow,” he says.

“The NTCRS is really starting to close the loop in Australia, with more commodities such as metals, plastics and motherboards recycled onshore.

“It’s a great example of resource recovery in action, one that would benefit from an expanded material focus.”

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Beyond the destruction SHRED-X DIVERTS ALMOST 50,000 TONNES OF PAPER PER ANNUM FROM LANDFILL, PARTNERING WITH AUSTRALIAN RECYCLING ORGANISATIONS TO RECOVER AND REPURPOSE THE MATERIAL IT COLLECTS. Shred-X’s Med-X operations ramped up during COVID-19, with the company’s investment in robotic technology encouraging contact-less waste recovery.

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ustralians throw out 2.7 million single-use coffee cups every day, adding up to almost one billion coffee cups a year.

Van Karas, General Manager at Shred-X, says to efficiently recover and repurpose products, there has to be flexibility to enable current business capabilities to increase landfill diversion.

“It’s in our DNA to ensure wherever possible, following the required destruction process, the products we collect are recycled or repurposed,” he says.

Although Shred-X started out in the document destruction and paper recycling industry 20 years ago, Karas says the company has since expanded,

26 / WMR / July 2020

pursuing recycling for an array of products other than paper including used coffee cups, QSR waste, e-waste and textiles.

Karas stated that following some recent tests, it has partnered with an Australian packaging company to collect and process their 100 per cent recyclable coffee cups.

“We’ve also invested in new ways of processing millions of ‘non-recyclable’ coffee cups, partnering with another Australian company that’s leading the way finding innovative solutions for recycling and repurposing use coffee cups aiding a circular economy,” Karas says.

Shred-X is continuing to align itself

with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), which were first implemented into the global sector in 2016.

“One of the SDG’s Shred-X is actively working towards is building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation,” he says.

By 2025, Australia has committed to National Packaging Targets ensuring 100 per cent of packaging is either reused, recycled or repurposed. Further to this, an Australian chain of quick service restaurants (QSR’s) are also aiming to recycle its customer packaging and waste.

According to Karas, Shred-X has

always been a business that collects and processes specialised waste in line with recyclers needs.

“We’re working very hard with resilient partners to achieve common goals. Following an upcoming trial, we will be looking at smart innovations that add value to processing QSR waste, ensuring it goes to recyclers that will continue to add value to the waste product,” he says.

“It’s pretty impressive that we’re able to help companies achieve national targets by finding a new home for waste besides landfill. Shred-X are working with a range of partners and have begun undertaking trials with quick service restaurants to achieve their sustainability targets.”

Shred-X has achieved the highest industry certifications for its secure destruction facilities and operations located in every state and territory which incorporate the latest and most environmentally sustainable shredding technologies. Through the company’s partnership with Australian recyclers, Shred-X recovers 98.5 per cent of the material collected and processed through its facilities. Shred-X has also introduced a range of innovative secure destruction solutions for textiles and uniforms, high-end garments and accessories, seized goods, recalled items and liquids with an aim to ensure ethical disposal and landfill diversion whenever and wherever possible.

Environmental Policy and recycling partnerships reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to improving the sustainability and resilience of the business, while also ensuring its services remain cost-effective and best practice.

The company has applied these same foundational goals of sustainability and innovation to the medical waste industry through its Med-X Healthcare Solutions brand. Shred-X and Med-X have continued to invest in technology and innovation that

support the reduction of landfill and promote recycling, even amid essential operations during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karas says Med-X operations ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic, spotlighting the company’s investment in robotic technology to encourage human contact-less waste disposal and recovery.

“Plastic is infinitely recyclable and we like to think if people choose us, they know they’re part of a sustainable chain that positively impacts the wider community and environment,” he says.

On the other hand, the e-waste sector has its challenges. Shred-X pioneered IT asset management, destruction and recycling solutions when Australian businesses were beginning to go paperless.

“People thought we were just taking their paper and not doing anything with it, but beyond secure shredding, we’ve been a firm leader in removing all information contained on electronic and IT assets and responsibly recycling or repurposing the end components.”

As more offices convert to digital only businesses, Shred-X has been continually exploring further opportunities with ewaste, textile and fibre recycling and repurposing partners, plastic product developers and waste-to-energy processors.

“Shred-X works with our partners to recycle all electronic components of ewaste including precious metals, glass and plastic, as well as repurposing assets once the confidential information contained on the assets is removed,” he says.

“We’ve been led to so many avenues from beginning with just pieces of paper. Our exploration of sustainable recycling and destruction is undertaken in the most ethically responsible manner, to suit even the most stringent sustainability targets and government regulations.”

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Managing OTR in the Pilbara A NEW JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN TYRECYCLE AND KARIYARRA CONTRACTING WILL SPECIALISE IN END-OF-LIFE OFF-THE-ROAD MINE-SITE TYRE PROCESSING WITHIN WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S PILBARA REGION.

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stablishing partnerships and joint venture opportunities that will create wealth and employment for Kariyarra people is one of eight key outcomes listed in the Kariyarra 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.

Since the plan was released, a new joint venture has been formed between Tyrecycle and Kariyarra Contracting.

The venture will focus on processing end-of-life (EOL) off-theroad (OTR) mine-site tyres within Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Thereby linking to the Strategic Plan’s mission to create opportunities

and effectively manage the land of the Kariyarra People.

The venture is a 50 per cent Indigenous controlled joint partnership, with direct input from the traditional owners of the Port Hedland area.

Kariyarra Contracting is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation, which is the Registered Native Title Body Corporate for the Kariyarra People.

Stephen Stewart, Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation CEO, says caring for the environment is important to all Traditional Custodians

Almost 100 per cent of the Kariyarra-Tyrecycle workforce will be comprised of people from the Kariyarra community.

28 / WMR / July 2020

in the Pilbara region.

“The responsible reclamation and processing of waste that would otherwise be disposed on country will help care for the land in a way that preserves it for future generations,” he says.

According to Jim Fairweather, Tyrecycle CEO, the venture provides a strong economic development opportunity for the region and the Kariyarra People.

“It’s a commercial operation, so it will be providing new opportunities for revenue and employment, while also tackling an important environmental issue,” he says.

“The project will not only prevent land from being destroyed, but will also repurpose all material for use across a range of end-markets.

“The recent developments in the expansion of local Pilbara-based ports, along with new opportunities to ship non-bulk commodities into and out of Port Hedland, have made this partnership possible.”

Fairweather says the Kariyarra People have well established relationships with the ports, which has advanced arrangements to ship processed waste rubber directly out of the region.

“It’s a local solution towards recycling EOL OTR tyres, which is now economically viable,” he explains.

“It avoids the cost-prohibitive

alternative to transporting the processed material over long distances to Fremantle Harbour for export, which simply isn’t a feasible option.”

The EOL OTR tyres will be transported to Kariyarra-Tyrecycle’s soon to be constructed secure processing facility in Port Hedland.

The tyres will then undergo primary processing and be containerised for direct export from the region.

With strict documentation and process controls to ensure full chain of custody requirements, the size reduced material will be supplied into Tyrecycle’s overseas processing facility.

From there, the material will be converted into rubber crumb for repatriation back into Australia for domestic consumption, or sold into other markets.

“What this delivers is a local Pilbara-based approach towards the

environmentally and socially conscious management of OTR waste,” Fairweather says.

In Australia each year, OTR tyres from mining represent one third of EOL OTR tyres, amounting to well over 100,000 tonnes of waste rubber.

Currently, only four per cent of these tyres are recovered for recycling, due to a lack of viable recycling options available to mining companies.

“One of the most commonly adopted practices is to manage the waste ‘in-pit’, essentially referring to burial of the waste rubber,” Fairweather says.

“Recent political, commercial and environmental developments have shown that maintaining the status-quo concerning the low-rates of recovery for heavy duty waste rubber is simply unsustainable.”

Fairweather adds that both state and

Federal Governments have expressed their aspirations for a sustainable, lowwaste, circular economy.

Almost 100 per cent of the Kariyarra-Tyrecycle workforce will be comprised of people from the Kariyarra community, with Kariyarra Contracting providing a key point of access to the local labour market.

Brenda Alex, Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation Chair, says the project will provide stable, high-quality employment opportunities.

She adds that the project will also provide the community with an ongoing revenue stream to help support the long-term sustainability of the Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation.

“It will enable us to reinvest in other activities, as well as support the philanthropic programs that directly support the Kariyarra People,” she says.

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

A rubberised archetype WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW SPEAKS WITH MOLECTRA TECHNOLOGIES’ JOHN DOBOZY ABOUT HIS UNIQUE APPROACH TO TYRE RECYCLING AND NICHE PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT.

W

hile innovation and new technologies are abound in the waste and resource recovery sector, in the age of regulation, trials and collaborative research, the Jungian artist-scientist archetype is rarely discussed.

Distracted by thought, impulsive yet cautious, the artist-scientist functions as a source of change.

While like all archetypes, the artistscientist is an abstraction of real life, John Dobozy, innovation architect and founder of Molectra Technologies, comes close.

Established as a private company in Queensland in 2000, Molectra’s unique processing technology transforms discarded tyres into their component parts.

Molectra’s technology extracts high quality resources from tyres to produce fuel, carbon for diamonds and other commodities including over 50 value-added products.

These include, Dobozy says, uncontaminated rubber, high tensile

Molectra’s technology origins date back to the late 1970s.

30 / WMR / July 2020

wires and useful fibres “stronger than steel.”

“We also use a unique microwave processor to distil jet fuel, diesel and lubeoil from decontaminated ground rubber, which powers the recycling and manufacturing process of Molectra.

“The residual carbon is 97.4 per cent pure and can be crushed to form carbon black, which is used to manufacture new tyres, plastics, paints, inks and batteries,” Dobozy says.

Alternatively, he adds that the carbon can be converted into activated carbon for water purification, gold extraction and air filtration.

“Another clever development is to fuse fertilizers and soil microbes into biochar,” Dobozy says.

This process activates inert char and turns it into biochar, or what Dobozy calls, CarbonEater Fertiliser.

“This product locks up fertilisers

within the soil, preventing washout into waterways,” he says.

“The greatest ecological and social benefit is replenishment of carbon poor soils and increased food production capacities.”

The technology’s origins date back to the late 1970s, when Dobozy first discussed the problem of discarded tyres with tyre companies and suggested a recycling solution.

After early rejections, Dobozy says he became impassioned, developing novel machines and clean rubber product powders.

“Despite these early achievements, recycling was shunned by industry and the population in general. The watershed realisation came when quality rubber was rejected by tyre companies world over,” he explains.

“What needed to be done was not just developing an integrated recycling system, but innovating processes

to manufacture other rubber-based products besides tyres.”

From there, Molectra developed a series of machines and a unique processing technique that extracts rubber in a fine powder format.

“After examining the rubber at a molecular level, I noticed that the molecular structure of the rubber was not damaged during Molectra designed recycling processes,” Dobozy says.

“Typically, granulated rubber was mixed with adhesives to form it into a useful product. That is too expensive for fine powders, as the uptake of adhesive is excessive and subsequently cost more.”

As a result, Dobozy says other methods had to be trialled to produce products from powdered rubber.

“Molectra has perfected a bonding mechanism at a molecular level, with no glue required,” he explains.

Molectra Technologies has since developed a three-part process to extract up to 13 base commodities from each tyre, he says. Dobozy adds that the process comprises mechanical, chemical and microwave treatments.

“As all the base products are uncontaminated, they are suitable to replace virgin raw materials at a fraction of the cost when using them to produce new products,” he says.

“The most important thing in recycling is to produce high quality marketable products with competitive pricing.”

According to Dobozy, independent testing has been conducted by universities, rubber, carbon and oil laboratories, Bridgestone Rubber, Allied Rubber and others.

He adds that the cost and environmental efficiency of Molectra’s technology is key, with its processes designed to lower the cost of tyre processing and value-addedproduct manufacturing.

John Dobozy says Molectra Technologies’ CarbonEater Fertiliser can prevent washout into waterways.

“Molectra is marketing integrated tyre recycling and value-addedproduct manufacturing plants, with the capacity to process two to 10 tonnes of processed tyres per hour,” Dobozy says.

“These plants incorporate mechanical and microwave processing equipment with production machines for in-house manufacturing of selected value-added-products.”

Due to the flexibility of Molectra’s technology, Dobozy explains that commodities can be produced in various ratios according to the market demand for each.

Of his 50 products, Dobozy highlights Molectra’s capability to mass produce fine rubber powders.

He adds Molectra’s technology can produce rubber sized from five to 140 mesh, the equivalent of 4000 to 100 microns. Additional recycled products include puncture proof CaviTyre’s, irrigation and agricultural pipes, construction blocks for equestrian stable and playgrounds and printed floor tiles and pavers.

John demonstrates that the replacement of virgin rubber with Molectra rubber can be used to

manufacture new rubber products for niche markets.

Molectra’s turn-key-plants are tailored to meet the requirements of their clients under a licence/royalty agreement. Molectra will design, supply and commission each plant, providing training, technical support and long-term maintenance and spare parts service.

“In several geographical areas of Australia, the plants will be supported by already operating distribution agencies, currently serviced by our small capacity plant in Queensland,” Dobozy says.

Regulatory support and change paves the way for a viable future for the recycling industry, Dobozy adds.

“Molectra’s niche ability to be flexible allows us to work with industry designers and developers to design and produce purpose-built products as an environmental solution for rubber, fuel and carbon alternatives for applications normally produced from other virgin materials,” he says.

“The art of recycling is to emulate nature’s process of recreating useful compounds from the resources of planet earth.”

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 31

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SOFTWARE

Future-proofing your facility WITH WASTE MANAGERS FACING INCREASINGLY COMPLEX OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS, MANDALAY TECHNOLOGIES’ ROSEMARY BLACK OUTLINES THE STREAMLINING CAPABILITIES OF CLOUD-BASED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT.

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egulatory environments are constantly changing and are variable state-to-state. As such, it can be challenging for waste managers and councils – often dealing with external pressures – to keep on top of changes and how they affect their day-to-day operations.

In June, for instance, the Queensland Government announced a six-month deferment to the waste levy increase, which was set to begin in July. The deferment falls in line with industry requests to temporarily halt regulatory changes in the wake of COVID-19. However, the 11th hour notification raised concerns, with industry given little time to adapt to pricing impacts.

“Reporting data to meet state and national regulatory requirements is complicated and involves a lot of manual work,” explains Rosemary Black, Head of Customer at Mandalay Technologies.

“Added to this is the often-rapid nature of change, as illustrated by the Queensland levy, which highlights the complex operating environment faced by waste managers and councils.”

To mitigate these challenges and ensure facility compliance, Mandalay has integrated levy and chain of responsibility reporting that matches legislation requirements into its Facility Product Suite.

“We believe in approaching facility

32 / WMR / July 2020

Rosemary Black says data is critical to the success of an organisation.

management from the front foot, providing practical solutions to take the pain away from clients,” Black says.

“Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite complies with various state and national regulatory bodies and regulatory requirements, and as requirements change, the system is updated to suit.”

In today’s digital economy, data functions much like oil in the 18th century – an immeasurably untapped valuable asset. In the waste sector, data extraction benefits extend beyond economics, with the role of big data increasingly understood within the context of positive environmental outcomes.

The NSW Government’s March 2020 Cleaning Up Our Act issues paper, for example, suggests significant

opportunities exist for data and analytics to drive improvement in waste management efficiencies.

According to Black, the role of data towards a successful circular economy transition is well understood by Mandalay.

“Mandalay is committed to a world without waste – where materials generated by the community transition from a cost centre to a revenue generator,” she says.

“The right data is critical to the success of an organisation and so too are the processes that utilise and audit that data.”

An awareness of the latent value hidden in waste data was the central driver behind the development of Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite, Black explains.

“The system integrates a range of products for waste and facility applications to capture and process vehicle movements in and out of sites, delivering critical functions including hardware interfaces, transaction capture and point-of-sale payment processing,” she says.

Designed for landfills, transfer stations, resource recovery facilities, tip and buy back shops, recycling centres and material recovery facilities, the Facility Product Suite can be configured to suit all facility situations.

Black adds that software products can operate with or without a

Extracting the latent value hidden in data was the central driver behind the development of Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite.

weighbridge and be configured for automation at unmanned facilities.

“Facilities located in remote locations often require site access and transactions to be managed through automated systems,” she says.

“The Facility Product Suite enables automation by using various types of electronic IDs to identify preconfigured load attributes so only a ‘weight’ and ‘time’ requires capture once on site.”

By combining the functionality of a driver control station with Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite Extension Products, such as image capture and license plate recognition, Black explains that Mandalay can offer a fully automated experience.

“Including several extension products and services, the Facility Product Suite will not only drive efficient facilities, but offer detailed reporting, dashboarding and management capabilities,” she says.

Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite is more than simple weighbridge software, Black explains.

“It’s a cloud-based solution offering an interface to process transactions, capture data at manned and un-manned facilities and record data according to both state-based and national regulatory requirements,” she says.

“At the same time, the system provides admin and management teams with the ability to access and manage data across multiple facilities and locations.

“Working in conjunction with Mandalay’s range of extension products, waste data can be transformed into powerful information.”

With over 29 years’ experience as a sales professional, Black is well placed to understand the complex and localised needs of clients across the waste sector.

A key client pain point, she explains, is the issue of out of date software.

“Software deployed in places like a resource recovery centre or landfill can be 10 years old, and clearly, technology and software has advanced significantly since then,” she explains.

“With the Facility Product Suite’s cloud subscription, featuring deployment and release management tools, the latest developments, updates and new features are automatically added to users’ systems.”

An additional challenge for customers is a lack of trust in the data, and a subsequent unease about the accuracy of reported figures.

“Despite the idiom that data is more valuable than oil, many working outside the technology space are still

unaware of how data functions – and are often dealing with data setup structures that lack an alignment to the needs of their organisation,” Black says.

“By utilising client feedback, Mandalay has designed reports and dashboards with data security and accuracy built into the core system.”

Furthermore, Black highlights poor and inadequate reporting. She adds that the multiple sources of data that make up the waste landscape are separate and need to be manually integrated.

“There is a pressing need for appropriate and accurate reporting to the council, without accurate data, planning for the future in facilities, contacts and needs is impossible,” she says.

“We launched our new data and analytics suite this year to address this, developed from customer feedback which meets their needs and also has in-built flexibility to customise specific requirements if necessary.”

The inability to integrate software to finance systems is another concern, Black says. As numbers come from multiple sources, manual compilation of data is required.

“Transferring data to a finance system means there are often discrepancies when changes are made in either system,” she says.

“Mandalay has integrated into or created a finance export for every finance system requested by our customers. Where each one has been uniquely defined to match customers’ finance implementation.

“We understand that each organisations need is slightly different, and our approach is to deliver the right solution for the organisation.”

This article is the first in a three-part series exploring Mandalay’s Facility Product Suite. To find out more about how Mandalay can support your business, email: enquire@mandalaytech.com

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – TRANSPORT

A next generation solution

THE NEW 2020 AXTEC ONBOARD LOAD INDICATOR IS ENABLING WASTE TRUCK DRIVERS TO BE DIGITALLY SAVVY WITHOUT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON.

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ptimal routing is essential to making point-to-point pickups eco-friendly and financially viable, which is why companies are investing in advanced systems and optimisation software.

However, technological advancements are only truly valued when safety is enhanced. This is especially important for waste management companies whose load and weight distribution are constantly changing. This can catch drivers out and leave them at risk of an axle overload.

Onboard Load Indicators provide critical data by displaying individual axle and gross vehicle loads and have been praised by operators as an essential tool.

According to Chris Coleman of Transport & Waste Solutions Australia (TWS), a simple installation can go a long way.

He says constantly displaying axle and gross weights enables drivers to distribute their loads safely and legally at all times.

Having formed a strategic partnership with TWS, Axtec products are currently helping several state utility companies meet their Chain of Responsibility obligations.

Axtec OnBoard provides drivers with real-time information on axle and gross vehicle loads via an intuitive traffic light configuration.

Visual and audible warnings can

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prompt the driver when overloads are present, while load data can be simultaneously written to the built-in logger and transmitted to a tracker system.

In February this year, Axtec, a privately owned and managed UKbased leader in axle weighing and load monitoring solutions, launched its latest Onboard Load Indicator.

Coleman says the 2000 model Onboard Load Indicator is Axtec’s most advanced, accurate and reliable load indicator yet, and is already utilised by some of Australia’s most well-known waste and transport operators.

“We think the new Axtec OnBoard model offers several key advantages over the previous model,” he says.

“Axtec Onboard powers up with the vehicle and requires no driver input, reducing the risk of tampering or accidental damage, and eliminating the need for additional driver training,” Coleman says.

He adds that clients have noticed reduced driver distraction and fatigue, as the display can automatically dim when safe to do so.

Axtec’s OnBoard Axle Load Indicator was first introduced in 2007 and Coleman says he is impressed with advancements since the first model.

“The 2000 model Axle Load Indicator increases security, reduces

OnBoard provides real time information on axle and gross vehicle loads.

cab clutter, and with a clear 5 inch widescreen display, improves images from camera inputs and gives clearer information,” he says.

The widescreen display also boosts surveillance by accepting input from up to six vehicle mounted cameras.

“Not only can the display show the vehicle type, but the new touch cam facility also offers uninterrupted viewing of a priority camera,” he says.

Coleman credits the two-piece design with only a single cable input to the much sleeker drivers’ display.

“Automation is driven to guide driver precision. You don’t have to be tech savvy to benefit from all the features of this system, as you barely have to push a button, it is automatically user friendly.”

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – GLASS RECYCLING

200 million bottles A NEW GLASS ADDITIVE BIN AT ALEX FRASER’S CLARINDA RECYCLING FACILITY IS BOOSTING ITS REPROCESSING CAPACITY BY 40,000 TONNES A YEAR.

With the new additive bins, Alex Fraser are able to blend recycled glass sand and brick into a product that meets Vicroads specifications.

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rior to the of the Victorian Government’s February announcement that it would roll out separate kerbside glass bins from 2021, several councils had proactively implemented similar measurers.

The rational, largely, stemmed from an understanding that glass waste in the mixed recyclable bin is problematic – contaminating material when it inadvertently shatters.

Additionally, while most recyclable materials face the challenging problem of end-markets, the demand for glass waste reprocessed into road base is stark and significant.

Delivering on end-market demand is a central focus for Alex Fraser, with the company’s Clarinda recycling facility currently processing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of recycled products for use on road construction and maintenance projects across Victoria.

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“Both glass fines and brick are priority and problematic waste streams, and our Clarinda recycling facility is a perfectly positioned outlet for these recycled products,” Peter Murphy, Alex Fraser Managing Director says.

“We are not only reprocessing waste materials, but ensuring that the material is recycled into a valuable resource that is needed and contributes toward Victoria’s growing circular economy.”

Late last year, Alex Fraser was among 13 recipients of the Victorian Government’s $4.67 million Resource Recovery Infrastructure Grants program.

It used the $336,500 grant towards the construction of the new glass and brick additive bins at its Clarinda facility recycling facility, where they are used to blend recycled glass sand and brick into a new, sustainable roadbase product.

This single piece of recycling infrastructure is markedly increasing the distribution of recycled glass and brick into road and rail projects throughout Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs.

Murphy says the project will help reduce the landfill and stockpiling of problematic glass by 40,000 tonnes per year – the equivalent of 200 million bottles.

“By reprocessing this priority waste into high quality sand, we’re able to supply rail and road projects with a range of high-spec, sustainable materials that cut costs, cartage and carbon emissions, and reduce the strain on natural resources,” he says.

“We’re pleased to be working with the Victorian Government to overcome one of the state’s biggest recycling challenges.”

Matt Genever, Resource Recovery Director at Sustainability Victoria, says

SV recognised the Clarinda recycling facility as an important site for resource recovery in Melbourne.

“Processing up to one million tonnes of recycling per annum, the site serves a dual purpose, both as a hub for C&D waste in the south-east and through supply of aggregate and sand into new construction activities,” he says.

“We are acutely aware of the shortage of quarried materials to supply the state’s significant infrastructure program and having a site of this scale located in close proximity to these major projects is essential in ensuring ongoing supply of recycled construction products and materials.”

Recently, the Southern Program Alliance opted to utilise almost 200,000 tonnes of tonnes of Alex Fraser’s recycled materials on the Mentone and Cheltenham Level Crossing Removal Upgrade (LXRA).

The project, expected to be completed in early 2021, is set to save 170,000 tonnes of material from landfill and will reduce the strain on natural resources by 185,000 tonnes.

Alex Fraser’s support on the LXRAs is coupled by the supply of major roads projects like the Mordialloc Freeway, Monash Freeway and Western Roads Upgrade – which include millions of glass bottles from kerbside collections.

With the additive bin now in full operation at the Clarinda Recycling Facility, Alex Fraser is increasing its handling of priority recovered materials – like glass fine and brick – to around 800 tonnes per week.

“Glass is a high-volume waste stream, so it is imperative its recycling facilities are well located close to the point of generation and close to its end-markets,” Murphy says.

He adds that as inner-metropolitan quarries deplete, natural sand is being trucked up to 100 kilometres, driving up costs, traffic congestion

and emissions.

The additive bin will not only help with Melbourne’s glass waste problem, but provide an inner city supply solution that reduces these impacts.

Alex Fraser’s Clarinda facility has the capacity to recycle a million tonnes of C&D waste each year.

Murphy explains that the reprocessed material typically goes out to road and rail projects as recycled aggregates, road base or asphalt.

moisture content is adjusted to meet Vicroads specifications and the specified percentage of cement is added.

“Projects demand high volumes, to accurate specifications, on tight timeframes, and these bins help achieve that,” Murphy says.

The facility is not simply reprocessing 40,000 tonnes of glass waste per year, but recycling 40,000 tonnes of glass waste that cannot be otherwise recycled.

“By reprocessing this priority waste into high quality sand, we’re able to supply rail and road projects with a range of highspec, sustainable materials that cut costs, cartage and carbon emissions, and reduce the strain on natural resources.”

Peter Murphy Managing Director, Alex Fraser

“With the new additive bins, we are able to blend recycled glass sand and brick into a product that meets Vicroads specifications for most road bases, which are being used in huge qualities on municipal works and Big Build projects throughout the south east,” he says.

When C&D waste material arrives at Clarinda, often as huge slabs of concrete, it is crushed by an excavator before moving to the processing plant.

The plant then crushes the material even further into an aggregate size.

From there, it is transferred to a conveyer that moves the material under the new additive bins.

“The additive bins slowly release the recycled brick and glass into the mix in a ratio approved by Vicroads. It then goes through to a pug mill where the

Thereby shifting it from a low value, high volume waste stream destined to accumulate in stockpiles or landfill, into a product of immense environmental and economic value.

In regard to the forthcoming Victorian kerbside glass bin rollout, Murphy says Alex Fraser is well placed to manage a likely influx of material.

There will always be a significant portion of glass waste that cannot be recycled back into bottles or containers and we are already seeing an increase in glass arriving at us for recovery,” Murphy says.

“While that may increase or decrease depending on what measures are put in place, whatever happens, Alex Fraser has the capability to manage it.”

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – ORGANICS RECYCLING Since operating a Komptech Topturn, Dulverton has seen a dramatic increase in turning efficiency.

Tasmanian Topturn AS DULVERTON WASTE MANAGEMENT EMBARKS ON A THREE-STAGE FACILITY UPGRADE, PROJECT MANAGER MATTHEW LAYTON DETAILS STAGE ONE: THE PURCHASE OF A KOMPTECH TOPTURN.

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n February this year, Kentish Council in north-west Tasmania approved a Development Permit Application from Dulverton Waste Management.

The permit allows the company to upgrade its existing compost facility and provide best practice leachate and odour control.

Development plans include the construction of an industrial compost cover and associated mechanical equipment to better manage aeration and moisture of existing compost windrow operations.

According to Matthew Layton, Dulverton Waste Management Project Manager, the improvements will control the effect of rain on organic input material, which includes council green waste and industry input stock from across Tasmania.

“We get 1000 millimetres of rain a year down here, which is very different to a lot of facilities on the mainland,” he says.

Dulverton, which in addition to its organics facility operates an awardwinning landfill, collectively processes upwards of 100,000 tonnes of

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material annually – with 40 per cent processed through an open windrow composting system.

“We’re a regional facility, so unlike many mainland composters, we need to accept everything in our region.

That includes product residues from food manufacturing and green and

of a specialised windrow turner with irrigation, which began operating on Dulverton’s existing open-air compost piles in January.

The Komptech Topturn X63 compost turner, purchased through Australian distributor ELB Equipment, has a throughput of up

“Not only is the Topturn process faster, but it also creates a better composting environment by introducing air right throughout each compost windrow. We are achieving exceptional material shrinkage rates.”

Matthew Layton, Dulverton Waste Management Project Manager

municipal waste,” Layton says.

He explains that the industrial compost cover is just one development in a three-stage facility upgrade plan.

Stage one, he adds, was the purchase

to 4500 cubic meters per hour. The combination of a large drum with thrower blades and powerful drive ensures the turner leaves a well-mixed windrow in its wake.

Before acquiring the Topturn, Layton says Dulverton used a traditional excavator to turn its compost piles.

With a view of consolidating cost and making its processes as efficient as possible, Dulverton went to market to look for a suitable turner to replace its excavators.

“In the lead up to our facility expansion, we wanted to ensure our operations were more cost effective and efficient,” he says.

“There are a number of turners on the market that could achieve that, but we went with the Topturn primarily because of the service support in regional Tasmania.

“There was also the added benefit of a commonality of parts, especially with the engine.”

The Topturn’s engine meets all relevant emissions standards, with a new cooling system keeping the system running under heavy loads and high outside temperatures.

Komptech’s X63 features a largedimensioned turning drum for high throughput and complete mixing, with easy maintenance access via ladders and platforms integrated into the body.

Furthermore, ELB offer the turner either wheeled or tracked, with engine power converted efficiently into

A key feature of Dulverton’s Topturn is the ability to add a lateral displacement device at a later stage.

forward movement.

Since operating the Topturn, Layton says Dulverton has seen a dramatic increase in turning efficiency.

“We’ve seen changes in our processes for the operators working with the machine, but also the biology of the compost,” he explains.

“Not only is the Topturn process faster, but it also creates a better composting environment by introducing air right throughout each compost windrow. We are achieving exceptional material shrinkage rates.”

The Topturn purchase, Layton says, was Dulverton’s first commercial

The Komptech Topturn X63 has a throughput of up to 4500 cubic meters per hour.

dealing with ELB. “They’ve been really good from a client support perspective, particularly in terms of information sharing and guiding us along the track to where we needed to be,” he adds.

“They also offer significant after sales assistance, which really supports the way we’re trying to modernise our facility.”

A key feature of Dulverton’s Komptech Topturn is the ability to add a lateral displacement device at a later stage, Layton says. He adds that in the future, this will give operators the ability to turn and move more compost at once.

When coupled with the turner, ELB’s lateral displacement device minimises transport distance and improves viability and monitoring.

By collapsing two windrows, the decomposition shrinkage is smoothed out, making full use of the space.

“We expect this equipment will continue to deliver environmental benefits by providing full aeration and moisture-balance of the compost to assist the natural decomposition process,” Layton says.

“The windrow turner will continue to be used throughout our upgrade program.”

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – ORGANICS

An action-plan for organics THE AUSTRALIAN ORGANICS RECYCLING ASSOCIATION’S NEW NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINES ACTION POINTS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE ACCELERATING SECTOR.

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overnment action and funding for organics recycling has ramped up in recent months. In May, for instance, the NSW Government announced $20 million in grants for the alternative waste treatment industry and councils affected by the EPA’s controversial 2018 MWOO decision.

On the other of side of the country, the Western Australian Government has made similar commitments – injecting $20 million into the economy to support local governments transition to better practice three-bin FOGO services.

This is welcome news to Peter Olah, Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) National Executive Officer, who since joining AORA in 2019, has worked proactively to grow government support for the sector.

“The increases in funding for the organics recycling industry are a welcome recognition by governments of the industry’s contribution to our economy,” Olah says.

As the leading national voice for the organics recycling industry, AORA has developed a new strategic document – detailing targets and action points towards the creation of a more sustainable and profitable industry.

Approved by the AORA Board in late May, the AORA National Strategic Plan 2020-2023 seeks to further

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entrench public and government understanding of the role of organics recovery within a circular economy.

The plan’s mission statement highlights the role AORA will play in facilitating an operating environment that maximises the recycling and reuse of organic materials.

“Through ongoing communication with stakeholders, AORA seeks to promote the benefits of compost, soil conditioners and mulches across the Australian community,” Olah says.

As the first of three objectives,

AORA plans to further develop its position as the national voice of the organics recycling industry.

According to Olah, success in this space will see governments and other stakeholders approaching AORA proactively, with the knowledge that the association provides positive direction and leadership.

“The organics recycling industry is not new. Humans have been recycling and reusing organic materials since ancient times,” Olah says.

“Today, the role of the industry is

By 2023, AORA targets growth to 500 members, including at least 80 per cent of all processors nationally.

becoming more critical however, as the effects of climate change, urban development, agricultural practices and energy use impact the health of our soils and environment.”

Mirroring statements made in the Strategic Plan, Olah stresses the role of the organics industry in diverting material from landfill to beneficial reuse, mitigating climate change and improving the sustainability of agriculture.

“In order to perform this role effectively, the industry must work with governments and other stakeholders at all levels in setting the policy and regulatory frameworks which promote the best outcomes,” he adds.

To achieve this goal, AORA has outlined four key targets for 2023, including producing reports and original research to ensure the needs of the organics industry are clearly presented to government and other stakeholders.

“We do not want to produce unread reports, so any original research we undertake will always be about better positioning the industry with governments and the community,” Olah adds.

Furthermore, AORA plans to continue collaborating with governments to design and implement policy, regulation and legislation that optimises market conditions for the industry. To support this, AORA will begin establishing knowledge hubs for recycled organics research, development and communication.

“The number one issue for our industry is the piecemeal nature of government decision making. We must have a better alignment between the industry and government at all levels to improve the operating environment, so that our industry can invest and employ more, and provide even greater benefits to our society,” Olah says.

The association will also further

develop and position Compost for Soils as a core resource for business and the community.

“Compost for Soils works to champion pathways to sustainable, resource-efficient organics recovery and agricultural reuse practices by allowing users to find composters across all Australian states and territories,” Olah explains.

The second objective, championing a future where organics recycling is maximised, seeks to increase recycling rates nationally.

“We want to see community understanding of the industry and its products grow, and as a by-product, increase profitability across the sector,” Olah says.

“In addition to growing the industry, achieving this goal will see further applications of composted and organics products to soil, thereby sequestering carbon, improving water retention, drought-proofing land, and improving agricultural productivity.

“Organics recycling closes the loop on food and other organic wastes and ultimately returns them to food production through the soil. It’s the industrialisation of a natural process, and therefore a true exemplar of the circular economy.”

Three-year targets include identifying, communicating and celebrating best practice strategies, technologies and products.

“In the first year we will formalise partnerships with tertiary institutions, CRC’s and other associations by targeted MOU’s focused on shared strategic objectives,” Olah says.

“We also plan to communicate our major policy documents so that they are well understood by governments and other stakeholders.”

As reported byWMR in May, AORA commissioned Nick Behrens of Australian Economic Advocacy Solutions to undertake an investigation

into the economic impact of the organics recycling industry.

The report highlights that each year, the organics recycling industry processes around 7.5 million tonnes of waste into valuable products for further use across the Australian economy. As a result, 2018-19 saw a collective industry turnover of $2 billion.

The report, Olah explains, provides an important baseline to inform future policy discussion with stakeholders and government. He adds that further distribution of the report across government and the wider community is therefore critical to achieving the goals outlined in AORA’s National Strategic Plan.

The final objective concerns AORA’s internal structure, Olah says, highlighting the importance of operating as a sustainable and transparent business.

“In order to deliver the beneficial outcomes AORA envisions for its members and the Australian community, it must do so from the certain base offered only through a sustainable, well run and flexible business,” he says.

“To deliver this, AORA must have high quality and transparent corporate and financial governance, a broad and reliable revenue base, a wellmanaged and targeted approach to expenditure, and a strong central focus on identifying and delivering the needs of members.”

By 2023, AORA targets growth to 500 members and corporate sponsors, including at least 80 per cent of all processors nationally. To build that base, Olah says the next few years will see AORA delivering more significant events to demonstrate thought leadership for the industry.

“We will also work to regularly review our member products and services to ensure their ongoing relevance and broad appeal,” he says.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – WASTE TO ENERGY

Alvan Blanch’s Materials Conveyor Drier is processing 20,000 tonnes of wood waste derived fuel a year for Boral.

Repurposed fuel to the fire THE MATERIAL DRYING PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVING EFFICIENCY. ROBUST SYSTEMS BY ALVAN BLANCH ARE REPURPOSING MATERIALS TO BENEFIT AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIES BEYOND THE WASTE SECTOR.

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ement is primarily used for concrete, the world’s second most consumed material after water. It’s no secret that concrete has one of the highest CO2 emissions of all building materials, making it a focal point for companies looking to innovate and experiment with its production and application in construction, while decreasing its environmental impact.

Brandown Resource Recovery Centre in NSW was approached by Boral in 2018 to help them explore opportunities to integrate solid waste derived fuels (SWDFs) into the heat

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energy process at Boral’s Berrima Cement Works.

Typically, SWDFs are made from materials which would have been destined for landfills, space for which comes at a premium in the populated areas of NSW. As the state expects to reach its landfill capacity in the next 10-15 years, exploring repurposed fuel will positively contribute to the NSW 20-Year Waste Strategy, set out by the state government.

Located in the Southern Highlands region of NSW, the Boral Berrima Cement Works produces up to 60

per cent of total cement products consumed within the state.

Wood Waste-Derived Fuel (WWDF) was added to the site’s planning approval for use in 2016.

WWDF consists of the off-cuts and leftovers of processes working with wood, such as furniture manufacturing.

By the end of 2018, when Brandown was utilising its Alvan Blanch Materials Conveyor Drier (CD) for Boral’s WWDF, the NSW site’s SWDF system was functioning at a rate of 20,000 tonnes per year of WWDF. During the present 2019-20 financial

year, the site aimed to increase its annual SWDF usage rate to 75,000 tonnes per year. It is projected that the target of 100,000 tonnes per year could be reached as early as 2021.

Woodchip drying is a vital part of biomass fuel production which adds to bio solid fuel quality.

A Biomass Energy Centre study indicates that the wetter the intake fuel is, the less responsively the boiler operates. Therefore, the drying process becomes essential to improving woodchip usage efficiency.

Terry Martin, General Manager at Brandown recycling facility, says it was vital to find a CD that met the specific drying requirements set

by Boral, as well as being an overall economically viable system.

Martin travelled over 16,000 kilometres to the other side of the world to investigate CD machinery operations.

Following two site inspections in London, England to see the CD’s in action, the Alvan Blanch UK team flew to NSW to assist installing Brandown’s CD in mid-2018.

According to Jim Duncan, Queensland based Manager at Alvan Blanch Australia, Brandown had done a lot of market research and were primarily after a system that reduced moisture in a quick and simple manner.

Duncan credits Alvan Blanch CD’s simplicity as the winning factor that inclined Brandown to order the system within weeks of the company’s initial machinery inspection.

He says the running cost of annual maintenance is very minimal compared to other systems, which is appealing for clients such as Brandown, who are churning tens of thousands of tonnes of material at a rapid pace.

“It’s an extremely robust system and I think the team at Brandown recognised the benefits of a fully automated system, that could integrate into their existing

process,” Duncan says.

Once the Alvan Blanch team understood Brandown’s requirements, Alvan Blanch looked further into the heating system to ensure it was as effective as possible.

For Brandown’s specific woodchip drying needs, to be repurposed into WWDF, Alvan Blanch ensured the system’s heat exchange collaborated with their external electricity generation system, which is powered by diesel generators.

“The system is designed to recover some heat from the generation island on site within the CD, allowing the Brandown crew to control the temperature and reduce moisture from its material,” Duncan says.

According to Duncan, reducing moisture from materials is becoming an interesting consideration for Australian waste and manufacturing companies,which is why robust systems are crucial to meet material requirements.

He says more companies are expressing interest in reallocating

human resources into smart machinery following the recent pandemic.

“A lot of people are curious about what they need to do in terms of machinery that can be customised to its materials requirements,” Duncan says.

Most recently, Alvan Blanch has been approached by a client in far north Queensland that is interested in a CD for a material the company had never worked with before, all Australian banana waste.

Queensland accounts for 94 per cent of Australia’s banana production.

Duncan says that Alvan Blanch’s client is recovering waste from banana production and processing lines and repurposing the content from its CD system as animal feed to the agriculture sector.

“From helping clients service Australia’s largest infrastructure projects to the nation’s largest mammals, it’s safe to say we’re continuing to supply engineered systems that are designed to meet any expectation.”

The drier allows operators to control temperature and reduce material moisture.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – C&D RECYCLING

Scrubbing sands TEREX WASHING SYSTEMS DETAILS THE SPECIFICATIONS OF A NEW STATEOF-THE-ART AGGREGATE WASHING PLANT IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND.

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onstruction and demolition waste management specialists R Collard have opened a new state of the art aggregate washing plant at its recycling facility in Eversley, Hampshire, UK. The new washing plant, designed and supplied by Terex Washing Systems (TWS), incorporates the latest technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of the facility’s recycling process.

The installation was specified and project managed by TWS’ England and Wales distributor Duo Plc. Capable of throughputs up to 120 tonnes per hour, with an annual production capacity of around 250,000 tonnes, the system will provide a local source of high-grade recycled aggregate products 12 months of the year.

The goal: to enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of regional construction and civil engineering developments in the South of England.

“Transport is a major factor in the cost of aggregate, so our investment in this plant is a direct response to increasing demand for high quality, affordable recycled product in our catchment area throughout the South East England,” says Robert Collard, Collard Founder and Managing Director.

“The refinements to the technology involved will enable us to process more waste than we collect from local sites, and create a truly closed-loop recycling system for construction waste in the South of England.”

TWS’ recycling processes are

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The plant can operate all year round due to a new feeder system, which processes cohesive material even when its moisture content changes.

designed to transform construction and civil engineering waste into clean, homogenous recycled products. This is achieved by removing lightweight and deleterious contaminants and extracting silt and clay, which can bind otherwise commercially viable aggregates together.

According to TWS’ Elaine Donaghy, the plant boasts a number of innovative new features, including hydrocyclone technology that produces high-grade coarse sand product with less than two per cent silt content.

Furthermore, the plant features integrated sorting systems that remove non-mineral contaminants to a greater extent than conventional dry systems, enabling more waste to be used as feedstock.

“The plant can operate all year round due to a new feeder system, which processes cohesive material even when its moisture content changes. Fully adjustable and modular components also enable bespoke products to be generated,” Donaghy says.

“The wash plant set up at R. Collard’s is an innovative, effective and coherent approach for the recycled aggregates industry.”

AGGREGATE WASHING The R. Collard’s plant draws from TWS’ extensive range of washing equipment, incorporating the Warrior 1400 scalper, AggreeSand 165 3D2S and AgreeScrub 150. The plant also utilises a Thickner and Filterpress for water treatment and recycling.

“The process starts with an AggreScalp heavy duty scalping unit, particularly suited to claggy and clay contaminated, high soil content feeds,” Donaghy explains.

“This unit removes excess oversize before passing the bulk of material to the subsequent washing equipment.”

The AggreScalp includes a magnet to capture ferrous metals, specifically located to allow ferrous metals to be extracted in free fall before transfer to the AggreSand. The AggreSand

incorporates a 16x5 three deck screen to produce clean 50-millimetre aggregate for subsequent crushing, delivering the mid and bottom deck outputs to its partnering AggreScrub 150 for attrition and sizing.

Typical feed material contains high root content, Donaghy says, which is effectively removed by the AggreScrub.

“The flotation capabilities of the AggreScrub are ideal for addressing the variable contaminants found in recycled aggregate sources such as paper, wood and light plastics,” she adds.

“These contaminants, together with most of the water and liberated sand particles, are passed from the rear of the AggreScrub to the integrated trash screen. This step recovers the lightweight contaminants as a waste and allows the water and sand to be collected.”

In addition to flotation, Donaghy says the AggreScrub’s other key purpose is heavy attrition, which liberates adherent clays to produce clean organicfree aggregates for a wide range of construction requirements.

A 12x5 part rinser integrated within the AggreScrub modular chassis then provides the final product splits, as requested by Collards.

Underflows from the trash screen and the aggregate sizing screen are collected and pumped back to the AggreSand to recover any saleable fine material, ensuring maximum efficiency of water management.

“The 120 tonnes per hour sand plant integrated within the AggreSand produces two high quality sands from the recycled feed material, suitable for concrete, pipe bedding and general construction requirements,”

Donaghy says.

“Sand and water from the AggreSand screen, together with return water and fines from the AggreScrub, is recovered via the integrated hydrocyclones, producing coarse and fine sand fractions.”

Sand fractions are then dewatered by the system to ~12 per cent m.c., providing clean and ready to handle material stockpiles.

All dirty water gravity flows from the AggreSand’s cyclones to the congruent water management system.

“By incorporating the very latest technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of the recycling process, the plant significantly reduces cost, fuel consumption and the carbon footprint of supplying recycled aggregate to a number of key developments in the UK,” Donaghy says.

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – WASTE TO ENERGY HZI’s Kompogas technology converts organic waste into electricity and heat or biomethane.

Powering Anröchte with biogas A NEW KOMPOGAS PLANT IN ANRÖCHTE, GERMANY IS GENERATING CARBON-NEUTRAL BIOGAS TO INJECT ELECTRICITY INTO THE GRID. HITACHI ZOSEN INOVA’S RAIKO KOLAR EXPLAINS.

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n the site of an old quarry in Anröchte, Germany, a state-ofthe-art composting facility and Kompogas biodigester plant now sits.

In February this year, electricity from the plant started being fed into the grid, marking an important milestone for green energy transition in the North Rhine-Westphalia municipality.

In 2018, facility operators ESG Soest awarded the tender to construct a plugflow digester with gas conditioning at its composting facility to international dry anaerobic digestion pioneers Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI).

HZI’s Kompogas technology converts organic waste from municipal, commercial and industrial sources into electricity and heat or biomethane.

Synonymous with continuous dry anaerobic digestion technology, the

46 / WMR / July 2020

Anröchte facility is the 25th Kompogas plant delivered by HZI in Germany.

According to Raiko Kolar, HZI Sales Manager, before developing the facility, ESG evaluated all types of technology on the market, including batch technology. He explains that after extensive investigations, ESG recognised plug-flow technology presented the best business case.

“The tender evaluation was based on capital investment, and HZI had the best price performance ratio, as well as being able to meet all the regulations, guarantees and requirements set in the tender documents,” Kolar says.

Prior to the construction of HZI’s Kompogas plant, ESG operated two small composting facilities at the site.

“They wanted to develop a new modern plant in line with emissions

standards and regulations, as the composting plants were 15-20 years old and not in line with current regulations,” Kolar says.

He explains that minimal losses of biogas, a greenhouse gas if released into the atmosphere, are integral to current regulations and can only be met by continuous technologies.

“The district also has a plan in place to contribute to the Regional Climate Protection Plan, so it was important for them to begin producing renewable energy.”

Furthermore, Kolar explains that ESG wanted to be prepared for future challenges, such as changing waste volumes and quality. The project has a range of specificities, he adds, with plants of this kind typically producing compost and liquid digestate for

application on agricultural fields.

“In this region, however, the agricultural fields left to spread the liquid is limited, so HZI developed a plant that would produce no liquid digestate, which is an important speciality of the project,” Kolar says.

The plug-flow digester has a capacity of 15,000 tonnes per annum, which will produce 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy from digested-source-segregated organic waste. HZI has been working on the project for seven years, from first contact with ESG to the plant’s 2020 commissioning.

Incoming waste at the facility is shredded and screened, with the smaller post-screening fraction possessing the highest biogas potential. The smaller faction is then feed to the digester in small portions 24 hours a day, at 30-minute intervals.

“By feeding a small amount of organic waste into the digester at regular intervals, you ensure a stable biological process. And because the bacteria are being feed continuously, the digester creates an uninterrupted biogas flow rate and quality,” Kolar says.

The digester features an internal agitator, which turns at a rate of one round per minute.

“The agitator turns very slowly, which helps the gas to be released from the porridge-like material and avoids sedimentation inside the digester,” Kolar says.

After drying and desulphurisation, the raw biogas from the Kompogas digester is either upgraded to up to 99.9 per cent methane content and fed into the gas grid, or in the case of the Anröchte facility, used directly to generate electricity.

The Kompogas plant was finished on time, Kolar says, with HZI now beyond the halfway mark of its 20-week facility trail-run. Within the 20-week trial, HZI were required to show a three-week performance test, which Kolar says

produced positive results.

“Within the test we demonstrated the efficiency, availability, throughput capacity and compliance with emissions standards required. More importantly, the customer is very satisfied with the plant,” he says.

Kompogas plants are extremely reliable, Kolar explains, with the robust design ensuring they continue to work at their original rate throughout the plant’s lifecycle.

“Kompogas has been on the market for 25 years, and we have built more than 100 plants. In total, there are 200 digesters modules currently installed, and all of them are performing and running well,” he says.

“The reliability also applies to the biological stability of the plant. With this technology, operators can be flexible when it comes to changing waste material volumes and quality, which will shift throughout the life of the plant.”

Additionally, Kolar highlights that organic input material often changes, meaning the flexibility offered by the

Kompogas system is crucial.

“Plus, all of the investigations from universities in Europe show plug-flow technology has the best carbon footprint compared to other technologies,” he says.

With Australia’s waste-to-biogas market still somewhat in its infancy, Kolar stresses that operators should learn from Europe’s mistakes.

He explains that when the market was first developing in Europe 25 years ago, many operators looked towards cheaper technologies.

“These plants were not able to cope with the wood, stones and glass that comes in with the food and green waste and therefore failed to achieve throughput capacity and were shut down in 5-8 years,” Kolar says.

“It’s also important not to go with technologies that have a low biogas production efficiency. To facilitate purchasing of the produced energy, it is critical to have high biogas yields, and anaerobic-dry-continuous-plug-flow technology provides the highest biogas yields on the market.”

HZI’s plug-flow digester will produce 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy from fermented biogas.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – TRANSPORT

A clearer vision on waste trucks IFM’S COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM FOR MOBILE MACHINES IS PROVIDING PIECE OF MIND TO WASTE OPERATORS THROUGH AUTOMATED COLLISION AVOIDANCE.

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he waste industry is increasingly looking towards technology to improve safety and drive operational efficiency. With this in mind, ifm has developed a next generation 3D collision warning system to increase the automation level of mobile machines.

Designed to improve the safety of roads, ifm’s collision warning system is based on ifm’s established 3 dimensional sensing technology. The system precisely detects obstacles and visualises them in a 2D image on a monitor. This keeps drivers informed about the trigger of the alarm and the area to be monitored at all times.

According to an ifm spokesperson, drivers of heavy municipal waste vehicles can feel more at ease when operating their trucks, knowing that ifm’s 3D collision avoidance system is at work.

“Haul trucks, refuse trucks, baggage loaders and road building machines are also using this technology for obstacle detection,” the spokesperson says. “ifm offers an assistant with the O3M sensor, which works as an extra set of eyes to assist the machine operator. It can see blind spots, even if the operator has not seen an object or person in the mirrors and video display, ifm’s sensors can react to those objects and people.”

The active obstacle detection monitors danger zones around the

48 / WMR / July 2020

vehicle and warns the driver of imminent collisions in good time. For this purpose, a tried-and-tested 3D optical time-of-flight system from ifm is used, which reduces false alarms to a minimum thanks to a sophisticated algorithm. Warnings are provided visually, acoustically and in the form of icons via the supplied 7-inch monitor.

The collision system is used in waste disposal vehicles for automatic recognition of dangerous situations.

Waste trucks can be fitted with ifm’s 3D sensor with video overlay, which displays an image of the vehicle’s surroundings on a hi-res screen to the operator. This gives warning to the driver if an object comes within a set parameter of the vehicle.

“The machine can also be configured to automatically apply the braking system if the driver fails to react in time,” the spokesperson says.

“Improving driver and human safety can also reduce expenditure on legal and insurance costs. The aim is reducing risk to people and property, but there is also damage to brand and reputation if an accident occurs.”

The 3D sensors are suitable for robust applications in indoor and outdoor areas. The O3M has a high protection rating against water and dust ingress and a wide temperature range of -40°c to 85°c. It is also able to handle shock and vibration, which is well suited to

the high demands of the Australian environment, meeting all requirements for use on mobile machines.

The collision warning system package includes all the components to set up a fully functioning collision warning system on a mobile machine. ifm’s collision avoidance package helps not only pedestrians, but also the drivers and crew who frequently moving about the vehicle. “ifm is leading the market for Anti Collision Systems on waste trucks in Germany, with approximately 60 systems on order each month to retrofit garbage trucks,” ifm says.

“The new normal will be to see these systems as a standard option in production on all waste trucks going forward in Germany, Australia and world over.”

The package includes all the components to set up a fully functioning collision warning system.

APCO COLUMN

Packaging the new normal WITH MUCH DEBATE SURROUNDING HOW COVID-19 WILL SHAPE AUSTRALIA IN THE LONG-TERM, APCO IS EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCELERATE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING, WRITES CEO BROOKE DONNELLY.

As businesses look to rebuild, Brooke Donnelly says there are powerful insights to be taken from COVID-19.

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t the time of writing this article, lockdown restrictions are starting to ease, and Australia is looking forward with a cautious sense of optimism to rebuilding in a postCOVID landscape. There has been much debate about how this time will shape our country in the long term.

For professionals in the packaging and resource recovery industries – one of the most persistent questions has been whether COVID-19 will accelerate or hinder efforts for packaging sustainability in Australia?

It’s a challenging question to unpack.

We are after all in largely uncharted territory. In the short term there has

certainly been consequences. Under lockdown many consumers faced a greater reliance on single use products, while greater restrictions emerged around reusable packaging formats, most notably coffee cups.

Once the immediate risks are gone, it will be imperative that industry provides a united voice to discourage these from becoming long-term behavioural patterns. For the recycling industry, lockdown conditions have also meant added stress to the kerbside system. In May, ACOR reported a 10 per cent growth in household kerbside recycling, as well as unprecedented levels of contamination in some locations, especially from soft plastics.

Meanwhile for the food industry, many businesses have been required to navigate takeaway packaging for the first time. With many industries across Australia adversely affected, or even shut down due to COVID-19, it has been a timely reminder of the essential role packaging plays in the Australian economy.

Despite these challenges, progress is continuing at a remarkable rate. At APCO we launched Our Packaging Future, the strategic roadmap for delivering the 2025 Targets, and Considerations for Compostable Plastic Packaging, a new report developed in partnership with ABA and AORA.

Our events program is one of APCO’s most important industry engagement tools, so we were particularly proud of the decision to move these events to a weekly webinar format. These sessions cover all things sustainability and give our community a regular opportunity to stay in touch and keep collaborating.

It has also been inspiring to see some members rise to the challenge of COVID in creative and inspiring ways. As we all prepare to re-enter the new ‘normal’ world of work, it has been inspiring to see people ask, how can this challenge be embraced as an opportunity?

Looking ahead, many businesses facing financial strain will need to find operational efficiencies. By changing our mindset to view waste as a strategic and operational flaw, circular design could provide a powerful opportunity for businesses to financially navigate this challenging time.

As governments and businesses look to rebuild, there are powerful insights to be taken about how deeply connected and systemic our solution to Australia’s waste and recovery challenges needs to be.

While it’s a devastating example, the pandemic has illustrated the potential of collective action. So let’s harness that approach for building a sustainable future for Australia.

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE – BALERS AND COMPACTORS

Expanding the baler market AS THE EXCLUSIVE AGENT FOR GODSWILL BALERS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, MARCUS CORRIGAN OF MATERIAL RECOVERY SOLUTIONS DETAILS THE COMPANY’S APPROACH TO ROBUST AND HIGH-THROUGHPUT BAILING.

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ith the Council of Australian Government’s export ban on paper and cardboard set to take effect in 2024, a raft of opportunity is opening up to develop Australia’s domestic processing capacity.

All of Material Recovery Solutions’ Godswill Balers feature modular hydraulic systems.

50 / WMR / July 2020

This is highlighted in the NSW Government’s recent call for an industry partner to co-develop a funding proposal for new paper and cardboard processing capacity, with similar calls expected in other states and territories.

According to Marcus Corrigan, Material Recovery Solutions (MRS) Managing Director, current waste sector developments present an opportunity to expand market scope for the Queensland-based company.

With the ability to bale material efficiently and at maximum capacity a priority for facilities dealing with large volumes of recyclable material, Corrigan highlights MRS’ role as the exclusive agent for Goodwill balers in Australian and New Zealand.

“We at MRS have built a strong professional relationship with Godswill and work closely with them to ensure all Godswill Baler products are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the Australian and New Zealand Markets,” he says.

MRS offer an impressive range of Godswill balers, including but not limited to, auto channel balers, semi closed length balers and auto two ram balers. Corrigan adds that MRS can custom design balers to meet specific customer needs.

“It is imperative that all our products are robust in design, built for longevity, offer export level bale weights and confirm to the relevant Australian and New Zealand Acts and standards,” he says.

“With over 200 balers in operation since 2004 in Australia and New Zealand, we have built a strong customer base where reliability and

Marcus Corrigan says current waste sector developments present an opportunity to expand market scope for the company.

extensive after sales are the corner stone of our business model.”

Corrigan says that 90 per cent of MRS’ new sales come from existing customers, highlighting the quality of the Godswill product and MRS’ customer centric approach.

“We deem Godswill to be the standard in Australia for medium to high throughput applications were reliability and longevity is paramount,” he explains.

Corrigan emphasises the GB1111F baler as a particular standout of the MRS Godswill range. The auto channel baler – 1.1 metres squared by 1.8 metre bale size – runs on a 135-kilowatt hydraulic system, with real world throughput when complemented with a suitable feed conveyor.

The machine configuration can bale cardboard and paper at a rate of 18 and 22 tonnes per hour respectively.

All Godswill Balers have a Human Machine Interface that allows operators to monitor or adjust the machine parameters for different materials, as well as troubleshoot problems.

Corrigan adds that MRS’ range of Godswill balers feature modular hydraulic systems, which allow MRS

to increase kilowatt packages to tailer the baler’s configuration to suit customer requirements.

“Hydraulic systems are designed to be highly efficient, offering regenerative oil management, energy efficient components and variable frequency drives, with variable speed controllers to optimise low-load stages of the baling cycle,” he says.

“Additionally, our baler platen (pushing trolleys) are mounted on heavy duty rollers to minimise frictions and boost efficiency.”

As an added value proposition in light of current supply chain disruptions, Corrigan notes that MRS manufacture a suite of equipment inhouse to complement its Godswill baler range.

Australian-made MRS equipment includes feed conveyors, access and structural devices, screeners, separators and automated collection truck bodies.

MRS also provide a range of turnkey solutions, including but not limited to, material recovery facilities and document destruction.

“We have invested over $400,000 in the past 12 months on machinery to bring as much of the manufacturing process inhouse as possible,” he says.

“With the correct machinery, developed work force and efficient design choices we are proving, MRS is committed to growing onshore manufacturing and local employment.”

With a dedicated team of 10 experienced engineers, technicians and fabricators based in SouthEast Queensland, and experienced contractors in most metro areas nationally, MRS are able to support their customers with fast turnaround times.

“To enable our aftersales, we stock $500,000 worth of spare parts for Godswill Balers and Accent Wire Tie, with a fully fitted machine shop to manufacture any additional parts including custom items when needed,” Corrigan says.

Furthermore, MRS provide regular service and maintenance, in addition to supplying competitively priced consumable item such as baling wire.

“MRS is fully committed to maintaining close relationships with our customers from the point of install, throughout the equipment operational life,” Corrigan says.

Contact - Material Recovery Solutions P 07 562 900 92 E sales@MaterialRecoverySolutions.com.au W www.materialrecoverysolutions.com.au/

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

WASTECH ENGINEERING’S BRAMIDAN BALERS Manufactured in Denmark and highly regarded for their design and quality, Bramidan Balers are globally recognised for delivering efficient waste management solutions.

Available in Australia exclusively through Wastech Engineering, Bramidan Balers are capable of compacting a wide range of materials including cardboard, plastic, e-waste and metals.

With a broad choice of Bramidan Baler models available, the crushers are ideal for businesses with a wide range of waste volumes, from small retail outlets to high capacity waste transfer stations.

For larger demands, Wastech offer the X25, which is equipped with cross cylinders to give operators stable compression and superior press force. Combined with a long stroke, a high bale weight can be achieved.

The cardboard and plastic baler is designed with easy servicing in mind, with the hydraulic unit mounted below the control panel on the side of the machine.

For service users with smaller amounts of waste, but who still need a machine to handle bulky materials, Wastech suggests the B5 W baler.

The machine is characterised by a wide filling opening of one metre, which is an advantage when handling larger

Bramidan Balers are available in Australia exclusively through Wastech.

cardboard boxes. The chamber is equipped with rows of efficient barbs, which keep the material back and ensure optimum filling.

An efficient and silent ejecting system ensures easy handling of the compressed bale, while the strap rolls are simple to replace in front of the machine.

Free on-site trials and flexible rental options are available.

Contact - Wastech Engineering P 1800 465 465 E info@wastech.com.au W https://wastech.com.au/

GREENLINE ENGINEERED RECYCLING SOLUTIONS Terex Washing Systems’ (TWS) GreenLine solutions are a packaged suite of end-to-end washing equipment offerings targeted at the recycling market.

Comprising standard equipment along with specialised recycling tailored products, they are packaged together in a pre-determined and balanced system based on TWS’ long running applications experience.

GreenLine solutions are designed to provide an easy entry to wash recycling processing for new entrants looking to develop a footprint in the expanding sector, as well as established customers in a replacement/expansion phase who require proven rugged out-of-the-box solutions.

For well in excess of a decade, TWS has provided specialist tailored equipment to customers recovering usable, sellable sands and aggregates from recycled or muck-away material that otherwise would have been destined for landfill.

While these ventures were somewhat pioneering, this segment of the industry, and its equipment scope and ability, have grown significantly over time; alongside the breadth of contaminants and composition of feed material.

TWS products packaged with AquaClear, Water Management Solutions and patented specialist units, launching in the coming months, allow TWS to simplify the

52 / WMR / July 2020

TWS’ GreenLine solutions are designed to provide an easy entry to wash recycling.

waste recycling market.

The system couples TWS equipment with their expertise into fixed solutions for various materials from 60tph through to 300tph, while maintaining the ability to easily tailor for particularly specialist applications, demystifying the seemingly complex world of wash recycling.

Contact – Terex Washing Systems E TWS.Sales@terex.com W www.terex.com/washing

We Are Closing the Cycle: Your Expert Partner for Thermal and Biological Energy-from-Waste Plants

Our solutions are based on efficient and environmentally sound in-house technology, and cover the entire life cycle of an Energy-from-Waste facility. Our proven technologies have been part of more than 700 plants worldwide. As a global leader in energy from waste we are proud to be able to say: We deliver. Check our references.

Waste is our Energy www.hz-inova.com

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – BALERS AND COMPACTORS

HYVA’s RCM range is fitted with widecomb bin lifters to enable spill free loading.

Global waste sector assistance

A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HYVA EQUIPMENT AND HSR SOUTHERN CROSS IS REALISING SECTOR-WIDE BENEFITS FOR WASTE HANDLING AND COMPACTION.

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stablished in the Netherlands in 1979, HYVA Equipment installs in excess of 300,000 telescopic and double acting cylinder kits worldwide each year. The company currently operates in more than 130 countries, with its waste products distributed in Australia by HSR Southern Cross.

“In 2015, we had the opportunity to meet with Andre Bremmer, Managing Director at HYVA Pacific, to discuss the distribution of their waste equipment in Australia,” says Martyn Cross, HSR Managing Director.

“It was immediately evident that HYVA shared HSR’s core value of providing exceptional customer

54 / WMR / July 2020

experiences. A synergy was born.”

In 2017, HYVA Pacific and HSR representatives travelled to Europe to inspect HYVA’s Waste Equipment range, Cross says.

He adds that first impressions were extremely promising.

Following the successful European trip, HSR and HYVA partnered to release the HYVA Press range of waste equipment to the Australian market.

Providing compaction solutions for a range of multinational waste companies, HSR Southern Cross operates primarily as a fabrication and engineering company, with a specialisation in hydraulics and auto electrical.

“Before working with HYVA, we identified a gap in the Australian market, whereby operators wanted to look at other models, due to a level of dissatisfaction with readily available compaction technology,” Cross says.

Servicing Veolia, Remondis, SUEZ and JJ Richards, Cross says HSR’s relationship with HYVA allows them to provide products that facilitate higher payloads, longer lifespans and efficient and faster collections.

“HYVA continues to stand out as a world leader in container handling systems, with its range of hookloaders – the TITAN and Classic models – both ranging in capacity from 3.5 to 30 tonnes,” Cross says.

“HYVA hookloaders are industry standouts, with built-in tough reliability, performance and low whole of ownership costs.”

In addition to HYVA’s hookloaders, Cross highlights the company’s range of RCM satellite collection units.

He explains that the units are an economical and efficient solution for narrow city streets and laneways.

“The HYVA RCM3, when fitted to a vehicle of 4.5t GVM or less, stands out as a solution to domestic missed services, providing exceptional fiscal and environmental savings when compared to the running costs of a full-sized waste collection vehicle,” Cross says.

Fitted with in-cab controls for safe discharge of refuge, the RCM range is designed to unload into multiple units including rear load, mobile and stationary compactors and transfer stations.

Cross explains that the RCM range is fitted with wide-comb bin lifters, allowing spill free loading for all mobile waste containers up to 1100 litres.

“The closed body eliminates leakage, making it perfect for high liquid content

refuge including foods,” he says.

“Optional compactional panels are available for all units, facilitating increased payload and load security.”

HSR also distribute a range of HYVA Mobile Compactors, which Cross says are used in several industries including shopping centres, restaurants, manufacturers, hospitals and events.

Set to be released at the 2020 Coffs Waste Conference, and now scheduled for the 2021 event, Cross also notes the HYVA Solar Powered Mobile Compactor. He adds that the compactor is well suited to temporary installations requiring no fixed infrastructure.

HSR’s range of HYVA mobile and static compactors are designed to suit a wide range of applications and waste types.

“These compactors have high volumetric efficiency due to the cylindrical container shape and compaction ratio, rubber seals and power pack with frequency control design,” Cross says.

“These features deliver many benefits, including faster compaction, no leakage, better hygiene, higher

payload, lower noise and energy consumption and easier maintenance.”

HYVA complement their equipment with Australian application engineers, ensuring truck and equipment combinations are analysed for stability, payload and Aust Design Rule compliance prior to fitting.

According to Cross, HSR does not build to order, but to stock, meaning they maintain a range of HYVA Compactors and parts that can be customised to suit individual customer needs.

“With that in mind, we cover the whole range of truck mounted wheel loaders and compactors from six cubic metres all the way up to 24,” he says.

Cross says all HYVA units are elaborately transformed by HSR in Australia, which is helping to ensure future generations of Australian manufacturers benefit from their investment in local highly skilled labour. To support its customers, ranging from sole trader operators, multinational waste companies, small and large regional and local government councils and utility companies, HSR’s service department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Additionally, HSR’s fleet of Service Vehicles work to ensure customers are supported locally, regionally, inter-state and internationally.

“HSR offer an unrivalled customer experience from concept, design, application and mechanical engineering, manufacture, and installation,” Cross says.

“This allows our customers the peace of mind that HSR intimately understand the product that they have purchased and will be supported long after the initial delivery.”

Contact - HYVA Equipment

HYVA mobile and static compactors have high volumetric efficiency due to their cylindrical container shape and compaction ratio.

P 02 4966 3777 E enquiries@hyva.com.au W www.hyva.com/en-au/

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TIPPING

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COMPACTING

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WITH PROVEN STRENGTH AND DURABILITY YOU GET AN UNRIVALLED RANGE OF STANDARD AND OPTIONAL FEATURES TO MEET ANY CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT - WHATEVER THAT MAY BE.

PRECISION LIFTING. MAXIMUM PAYLOAD. TRUE RELIABILITY. EACH ONE OF OUR CRANES, LIGHT, BIG OR SPECIAL LIFTING, GIVES YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED FOR EFFICIENT,

DESIGNED TO KEEP OPERATIONAL COSTS TO A MINIMUM, OUR RANGE OF HIGH-COMPACTION WASTE HANDLING PRODUCTS OFFERS A SOLUTION TO

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72 GLENWOOD DRIVE,

35 HOLBECHE RD,

THORNTON NSW 2322

ARNDELL PARK NSW 2148

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1300 HYVA LIFT (1300 4982 5438)

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MEET EVERY REQUIREMENT.

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SHAPING OUR TRANSPORT FUTURE ARRB are undertaking trials and developing standards and guidelines to ensure the smart implementation of recycled materials.

PAVING OUR RECYCLED FUTURE THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY BY CREATING SUSTAINABLE ROADS FOR A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY, WRITES MELISSA LYONS, SENIOR PROFESSIONAL LEADER, THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD RESEARCH BOARD.

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ustainability, recycling, circular economy – these are the current buzz words in the road construction industry.

The road construction industry is under pressure to help solve Australia’s recycling crisis. The makeup of roads lends itself well to the incorporation of recycled materials.

However, this is not as simple as replacing raw road construction materials with recycled materials such as glass, plastic or rubber. The right approach must be taken.

We need to think about how we can incorporate recycled materials into our roads in way that will make the road more sustainable in the long term, rather than a way to help solve the recycled material stockpile issues we have now. Without the right research, development and planning, we risk creating a new waste stream in years to come if we can’t reclaim the road.

Roads play an important role in our transport system. They keep our economy moving. We need to ensure we are not de-valuing or degrading

them. Roads are not ‘just’ asphalt, they are valuable assets that need to meet certain requirements for our society to function.

The road construction industry should be designing and constructing our roads with the confidence that they will meet or exceed current standards. Society still expect our roads to perform well, if not better, especially as technology progresses.

However, these roads also need to be sustainable in order to support a more sustainable society.

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SHAPING OUR TRANSPORT FUTURE

Standard asphalt is 100 per cent reusable as reclaimed asphalt pavement.

Society is heavily influenced by marketing and it is also influencing the way our industry is embracing sustainability. It is important that the road construction industry support the basic principles of the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse, recycle. We need to be careful to not give society justification to keep generating recycled waste.

Standard asphalt is 100 per cent reusable as Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP). The use (and reuse) of RAP reduces the amount of virgin materials used in maintenance, rehabilitation or new construction of asphalt and pavements. This means valuable materials are used over and over again and do not end up in landfill, directly contributing to a circular economy.

There are many aspects to consider across the pavement lifecycle. There are many innovative products using recycled materials on the market and laboratory tests that show positive

58 / WMR / July 2020

performance results. However, many of these products have not considered the full cradle-to-grave lifecycle of the recycled materials and the road.

Recycled materials in some cases may increase the performance of the road, but it may also change how it is processed and manufactured and how we can reuse it. Therefore, we need to make sure we think about how our current processes and equipment will need to be updated to be compatible with the new products we are creating.

There may be trade-offs and risks with adding new recycled materials.

There are costs and benefits of each material, use and design. For some recycled materials there may be more valuable and lower risk road infrastructure applications that can use more recycled materials e.g. bike paths or roadside furniture. Full life-cycle assessments of road technology options can assist in the best technology selection for the right situation.

For the road construction industry to contribute to a circular economy, we need to make a conscious effort to not just offer short term solutions to our recycling crisis. When we incorporate recycled materials into our roads and road infrastructure, a rigorous research and development process should be undertaken.

Learnings from international uses, laboratory testing and local demonstration trials with performance monitoring are all part of this. ARRB are working with state road agencies, local government and bodies such as Sustainability Victoria and Tyre Stewardship Australia, undertaking trials and developing standards and guidelines to ensure the smart implementation of recycled materials.

Interested in finding out more about this work and its potential application, or customisation to your needs? Contact ARRB at sustainability@arrb.com.au

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