Waste Management Review August 2019

AUGUST 2019

Canberra’s call to action Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction Trevor Evans on his portfolio priorities.

FEATURES Product Stewardship Act under review Electric vehicle council trials Education and training in SA, WA and NSW Hospital waste treatment

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COVER STORY

14

WASTE OF THE NATION Waste Management Review speaks to Australia’s first Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans about his future priorities.

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“YOU CAN EXPECT THAT GOVERNMENTS’ OWN PROCUREMENT PROCESSES WILL BE A BIG PART OF THE NEGOTIATIONS IN TERMS OF HOW ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT COME TO THE TABLE TO ACHIEVE THE NATIONAL WASTE POLICY.” -Trevor Evans, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management

In this issue

Features

23 REVIEWING THE PSA

aste Management Review W speaks with various industry stakeholders about the Product Stewardship Act review and their expectations for the final report.

28

CHEMICAL CLEAR As drumMUSTER celebrates its 20th birthday, AgSafe General Manager Dominique Doyle talks about the program’s history.

DRIVE 30 STOCKPILES ACTION

Volkswagen has become the first automobile company to receive accreditation from Tyre Stewardship Australia.

PROCURED 32 OIL SUSTAINABLY

Cookers Bulk Oil System explains how a push towards sustainability in the food services sector is seeing more organisations turn to its full lifecycle solution.

50 MODERN FAMILY 34 COMMUNITY-INSPIRE INITIATIVES

Bega Valley Shire Council’s Joley Vidau tells Waste Management Review about the success of its organics service, waste strategy implementation and plans for new facilities.

RESEARCH 42 TAKING TO MARKET The AORA Student Research Awards for Advancing Organics Recycling have recognised three scholars for critical emissions-reduction research.

Green Industries SA’s latest education program seeks to heighten the state’s understanding of waste separation with a multipronged digital campaign.

52 FACING OUR WASTE

A campaign which aims to raise awareness about the amount of waste households produce in WA has been gaining attention throughout Australia.

I S YOUR BIN 48 HEALTHY?

The City of Swans latest waste education initiative, which involves auditing the contamination levels of household bins, has led to a 53 per cent decrease in contamination rates.

Regulars

7 NEWS 58 P ROMOTIONAL FEATURES 65 LAST WORD

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 3

PUBLISHER

Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

EDITOR

From the Editor

Taking extender producer responsibility Changes to the Product Stewardship Act (PSA) were flagged by former Federal Government Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg as early as the beginning of 2017.

The act was required to be reviewed after five years, so the government held public meetings in all capital cities throughout 2018. Its official consultation paper was then released outlining five areas of reference.

These were largely to assess the extent to which the PSA objectives were being met and the effectiveness of voluntary scheme accreditation.

And while work was intended to be undertaken and released in 201819, we know that government legislation can stall – as it did in this case.

One election cycle later, Waste Management Review explores stakeholder expectations for PSA amendments on page 23.

In the original legislation, the minister’s annual product list outlines goods that might come up for scheme consideration the following year.

This intends to provide certainty for businesses and the community on what would be considered for coverage.

One aspect highlighted is that the idea of product stewardship goes beyond collection and recycling and should encourage reuse and repair, product leasing and sharing or better product design. This really addresses the idea of a circular economy.

The biggest area of discussion appears to be around whether the government needs to enforce mandatory schemes through legislation.

Opinions are mixed as to whether this is the best approach. The Federal Government Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction, Trevor Evans, in a newly appointed role, provides his view on the topic.

Waste Management Review also had the opportunity to speak to the minister at length about the Federal Government’s priorities for waste.

In particular, the $100 million Australian Recycling Investment Fund is a project the minister hints to watch closely. It plans to support energy-efficient recycled content products such as plastics and paper/pulp.

We raised multiple talking points with the minister, including mandatory government procurement of recyclate, plans to tackle underdeveloped markets for plastics and tackling the interstate waste trade. Find out what he had to say on page 14.

4 / WMR / August 2019

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News

QLD announces waste management strategy Australian Council of Recycling CEO Pete Shmigel said the new strategy was the most innovative in Australia.

Queensland’s new Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy aims to provide a legal framework to support industry growth and sustained waste reduction.

Targets for 2050 include a recycling rate of 75 per cent for all waste types and a 25 per cent reduction in household waste.

Additionally, the state government will invest $100 million over the next three years for new and expanded waste management facilities.

Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) CEO Pete Shmigel said thestrategy was the most innovative in Australia.

“Queensland has set a new and very welcome high standard with its Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy,” Mr Shmigel said.

“The state government has truly recognised the combined environmental

and economic benefits of optimised resource recovery and a circular economy.”

Mr Shmigel said the Resource Recovery Industry Road Map was particularly significant, and highlighted forward-facing infrastructure funding.

“It’s about quality jobs based on demand for recycled content products as much as it is about trucks and tonnes. That is a great shift in approach,” Mr Shmigel said.

Mr Shmigel said ACOR also welcomed new levy arrangements for contaminated residuals from legitimate recycling and remanufacturing operations.

“The community and stakeholders are right to expect results from the new strategy and the new levy, whether it’s reinvestment in recycling, or pursuing the proximity principle when it comes to waste management,” Mr Shmigel said.

“We look forward to working with the Queensland Government to deliver on the strategy’s huge potential.”

ACOR outlined five critical implementation jobs for the state government: • E nsure the new waste levy is effective in curtailing the interstate movement of waste, including strong crossborder coordination, monitoring, measurement and disclosure.

• E stablish further targets for state and local government for procurement of recycled content products.

• F ull transparency and regular reporting of strategy results.

• U se newly available resources to improve regulatory performance by agencies and facilitate a level playing field for operators.

• M ake sure kerbside recycling and Container Deposit Systems systems work in a complementary way.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 7

News

Tasmania releases Waste Action Plan Tasmania’s draft Waste Action Plan, released 29 June, sets a framework to develop the state’s recently announced Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) and a statewide landfill levy.

Acting Environment Minister Elise Archer has opened the draft for public consultation.

In a cabinet reshuffle, it was announced Treasurer Peter Gutwein would soon replace Ms Archer as Environment Minister.

“With a growing population and the recent restrictions of recycling product exports to China, it is important Tasmania takes a more strategic approach to the way it manages waste into the future,” Ms Archer said.

“Dealing with our waste is a shared responsibility between all levels of government, the private sector and the community.”

According to Ms Archer, the proposed statewide levy is set to replace multiple council levies already in place, with funds to be reinvested in waste and recycling infrastructure and programs.

“The draft plan also contains a series of ambitious but achievable waste management, litter and recycling targets, that align with targets in the recently approved National Waste Policy.”

Other proposed measures include ensuing 100 per cent of packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, reducing waste generation by 10 per cent per person by 2030 and achieving an 80 per cent average recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030.

Additionally, the plan outlines efforts to ensure Tasmania has the lowest incidence of littering in

8 / WMR / August 2019

Tasmania has proposed a statewide levy to replace multiple council levies already in place.

the country by 2023.

The state government will also work with local government and businesses to phase out problematic plastic by 2030 and reduce the volume of organic waste sent to landfill by 50 per cent by 2030.

Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) CEO Pete Shmigel said the draft illustrated smart and progressive reform.

Mr Shmigel highlighted the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), waste reduction goals and the commitment to a new administrative structure for waste management as particularly positive.

“ACOR also thinks it’s terrific innovation that the Treasurer Peter Gutwein will also be Environment Minister,” Mr Shmigel said.

“It helps recognise that recycling is a great way to combine ‘green’ and ‘gold’ as it is both an economic and environmental positive.”

Mr Shmigel is calling on government to set the new levy at a sufficient level to drive positive results and industry investment, and make commitments to the positive procurement of recycled content products to boost local manufacturers.

Additionally, Mr Shmigel has

encouraged state government to ensure the proposed resource recovery management body involves both local government and industry experts.

“This new plan can start turning the Apple Isle from a recycling laggard to a recycling leader, and that’s something our industry and no doubt the people of Tasmania support,” Mr Shmigel said.

Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) CEO Gayle Sloan said the plan shows a strategic approach to tackling waste, and highlighted its framework for addressing identified priorities.

“WMRR is pleased that Tasmania finally has a waste and resource recovery strategy and in releasing the plan, the minister has acknowledged that waste management is a shared responsibility between all levels of government, the private sector and community,” Ms Sloan said.

“The minister should also be congratulated for listening to industry about the importance of a levy as an economic tool for prioritising resource recovery, as well as working with industry and the community to design and set the levy. This is a show of great leadership.”

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Australia’s largest plastics recycling plant opens Australia’s largest plastics recycling plant, with a processing capacity of 70,000 tonnes a year, has opened in Victoria.

Advanced Circular Polymers’ $20 million facility will recycle large quantities of low-value contaminated mixed plastic into material suitable for manufacturing new products.

Advanced Circular Polymers Founder Harry Wang said the plant’s 70,000-tonne capacity is equivalent to almost half the plastics currently recovered in Victoria.

“Previously, Australia relied heavily on China to process recovered plastics. This new advancement provides a local solution, right here in Victoria, to the challenges posed by China’s import restrictions imposed last year,” Mr Wang said.

“Rather than plastic being collected,

Advanced Circular Polymers’ $20 million facility was officially opened in June.

sent overseas, reprocessed then sent back to Australia, we saw an opportunity to close the loop and find a sustainable solution.”

The plant’s 70,000-tonne capacity is equivalent to almost half the plastics recovered in Victoria.

10 / WMR / August 2019

The plant, which has been partfunded by the Victorian Government and a $500,000 Sustainability Victoria grant, will be powered by renewable energy produced from Goldwind Australia’s wind farm near Ballarat.

The facility will use advanced technology to sort and clean plastic by polymer type and to specific customer requirements.

Mr Wang said the resulting plastic flake would be sold and repurposed into new plastic products such as packaging.

“We are big supporters of reducing plastic pollution as a first step, but while there is still plastic to be recycled we should be doing our best to capture what we can,” Mr Wang said.

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QLD levy comes into effect The Queensland Government’s new waste levy is bringing Queensland in line with most Australian states and territories.

Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said prior to the levy’s reintroduction, Queensland was the only mainland state without a waste levy.

The levy will apply to most commercial and industrial waste going to landfill – starting at $75 per tonne.

The levy zone includes 39 out of 77 local government areas, which covers an estimated 90 per cent of Queensland’s population.

Ms Enoch said the government had employed extra compliance officers to ensure businesses were following new waste management legislation.

“The Department of Environment and Science will have 16 extra staff on the ground with more to come, which will help to prevent illegal dumping across the state,” Ms Enoch said.

Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) CEO Gayle Sloan said WMRR appreciated the state governments collaboration with industry throughout the levy development and implementation process.

“Queensland may have to play catch up on a number of waste management and resource recovery fronts, but the process the state government has undertaken in the lead-up to the levy reintroduction is certainly one that other jurisdictions can and should learn from,” Ms Sloan said.

“The government did not rush into this, but instead heeded the advice of stakeholders and provided time for industry and councils to make the necessary adjustments and prepare for the levy.”

According to Ms Sloan, the state government has committed to reinvest 70 per cent of levy funds into the waste industry to drive investment in the domestic remanufacturing sector.

“WMRR recognises change is not easy.

“We know business as usual is not an option and we believe that the Queensland Government is to be congratulated for this move,” Ms Sloan said.

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COVER STORY

Waste of the nation

The central responsibility of the assistant minister portfolio will be the rollout of the government’s $203 million package of initiatives and funding programs.

WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW SPEAKS TO AUSTRALIA’S FIRST ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR WASTE REDUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TREVOR EVANS ABOUT HIS FUTURE PRIORITIES.

T

he Liberal Government’s May re-election saw a shakeup of the Department of Environment and Energy. While Energy Minister Angus Taylor retained his position, Melissa Price, who served as Environment Minister from August 2018, was replaced with Sussan Ley. Cabinet shakeups aren’t uncommon following an election, and as such, the appointment of a new Environment Minister was not particularly noteworthy on its own.

What was significant, however, was the introduction of an entirely new parliamentary portfolio, the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management.

The role was awarded to Queensland Member of Parliament Trevor Evans, who has held the seat of Brisbane since 2016. He is one of the youngest MPs elected to

14 / WMR / August 2019

the House of Representatives.

Waste Management Review spoke to Trevor in June.

According to Trevor, Minister Ley will still hold final responsibility for all matters inside the portfolio. His role as assistant minister will be to assist in the fulfilment of waste targets and policy drafting.

“As my title suggests, I have a particular focus on the government’s initiatives and funding around waste reduction and recycling, and some of our environmental management,” Trevor explains.

“This new role is a really exciting one for me personally, as I’ve always been an incredibly passionate advocate for Australia’s unique environment.”

As a child, Trevor says he wanted to be a zookeeper because of his love of Australian animals.

“Instead, I find myself in the

house of animals that is Parliament House,” he jokes.

“I’m taking the passion that I’ve always had for our local environment, building on a lot of local work I’ve done in my Brisbane electorate on conservation and bringing those passions to this role.”

Highlighting the importance of industry led initiatives was a common thread throughout Waste Management Review’s conversation with Trevor, who before entering politics served as National Retail Association President.

“I’ve done a lot of work at the coalface when industry meets consumer demand,” Trevor says.

“I was there at quite an interesting time, where industry and the retail sector were starting to react and plan for the first product stewardship schemes.”

Trevor says it’s this background

that informs his belief that private sector is best placed to deal with the complexities of individual product areas and international supply chains.

Trevor plans to use his new position to grow conversations around waste reduction and recycling.

“I believe there is a huge information and awareness gap at present, where many members of the public are incredibly passionate and want to be as involved as they possibly can,” he says.

“I think one of the key aspects of the role will be helping to bridge that gap.

I’ll be doing everything I can to help everyone have the best information at their fingertips.”

In the lead-up to the federal election, the waste industry saw unprecedented bi-partisan support.

An ‘election score card’ created by multiple industry associations showed that both major parties had outlined substantive commitments to recycling infrastructure, establishing local markets for recycled content and developing solutions for plastic waste.

So after the election, the waste industry was not asking, ‘what policies will the Liberal Party propose?’ but rather, ‘will they make good on their promises?’

Trevor says the central responsibility of the assistant minister portfolio will be the rollout of the government’s $203 million package of initiatives and funding programs.

Programs include the $100 million Australian Recycling Investment Fund, $20 million Product Stewardship Investment Fund and $20 million for plastic recycling through Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) grants.

“On top of that, I have responsibility for the Federal Government’s role in the new National Waste Policy,” Trevor says.

“The first priority in that space is to work with the states and territories on the action plan.”

The National Waste Policy, which provides a framework for collective action on waste by industry, government and communities, was updated in 2018 after the failure of the 2009 policy.

The policy highlights the importance of interjurisdictional collaboration and proposes targets such as reducing total waste generation by 10 per cent by 2030. Other targets include an 80 per cent average recovery rate from all resource recovery streams by 2030, 30 per cent recycled content across all goods and infrastructure procurement by 2030 and phasing out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2030.

During the election cycle, the Labor Party proposed mandatory targets for all government departments to purchase products made from recyclable material.

When asked by Waste Management Review whether the Liberal Party has plans to implement similar measures, Trevor says the biggest opportunity for government to pursue that idea would be through the National Waste Policy.

“Different states and territories and different levels of government will bring different things to the table there,” he says.

“You can expect that governments’ own procurement processes will be a big part of the negotiations in terms of how all levels of government come to the table to achieve the National Waste Policy.”

While Trevor didn’t confirm specific procurement figures, government has committed to working with state, territory and local government on getting more recycling content in road construction – building on the $2.6 million 2019 budget allocation to the Australian Road Research Board.

Trevor says developing the National Waste Policy implementation plan, securing appropriate funding and setting robust targets will be his core concerns over the coming year.

He adds that the policy is still in

Trevor Evans was appointed earlier this year to Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management.

the planning stage.

“The most important priority in that space is to work with the states and territories on the action plan to underpin the strategy.”

LOCAL INDUSTRY According to Trevor, the Federal Government is heavily invested in improving recycling rates and growing the local recycling industry.

“For us, the centrepiece for our efforts to grow a local recycling industry is the $100 million in funding we are proving to support proposals and more local industry in the recycling chain,” he says.

The Australian Recycling Investment Fund is a new initiative, which Trevor says is designed to support the manufacturing of low-emission and energy-efficient recycled content products, including recycled content plastics, paper and pulp.

The fund will be administered by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which according to Trevor, will receive guidelines from government about the mandate and how to best invest in new industry.

Whether there were any specific projects in the investment fund pipeline, Trevor says not yet.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 15

COVER STORY

“There will be a period of time where we will ensure that scheme is set up and properly instructed with key criteria from government. Then there will no doubt be invitations put to industry to participate in that process,” he says.

Trevor says government have also provided a further $20 million to the pre-existing CRC grants program, to support plastics innovation and research.

“CRCs are a place where the tertiary education and research sector come together with government and business to look at challenges in a shared way, and collaborate when it comes to ideas and innovation,” Trevor says.

“The grants are already delivering great results in many key industries to Australia’s future, so funding CRC work specifically to encourage research, in and around plastics, will lead to some really world-leading solutions here in Australia.”

Trevor says growing industry will be a central priority for his government, particularly given stresses caused by changes to international import regulations.

China’s National Sword policy is the obvious cornerstone. Other restrictions have taken place in India, which banned solid plastic imports in March, and Malaysia, which launched an investigation into international plastic imports in June.

“It is important to note that Australians want, and should expect, that our country supports international recycling supply chains,” he says.

According to Trevor, it is beneficial for Australia to be involved in international recycling chains, both on an economic and environmental level.

“What we have to be conscious of is that there are strict rules around the quality of waste streams being traded around the world,” he says.

“Where companies do the wrong thing, it’s very reasonable for us

16 / WMR / August 2019

“What we have to be conscious of is that there are strict rules around the quality of waste streams being traded around the world.”

Trevor Evans Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management

to expect there to be appropriate compliance and enforcement efforts.

Companies that do the wrong thing let down not just their industry, but all Australians that want to see those recycling chains succeed.”

HARMONISATION Talking about challenges that arise from a lack of centralised policy, specifically around waste levies and interstate transport, Trevor says harmonisation was one of many competing policy goals.

Additionally, Trevor says he will address considerations of the proximity principle at the meeting of environment ministers later this year.

“I can say – at this stage – I do see a case for harmonisation, or increased harmonisation, in many aspects of the waste and recycling industries,” Trevor says.

“There is a case to be made there, however, at this stage, while we are negotiating with the states and territories on the action plan, I’m not going to get too prescriptive about where that needs to be.”

In reference to the effectiveness of banning problematic waste streams, Trevor says state level initiatives have seen positive benefits.

He adds that changing consumer behaviours requires cooperation between government and industry, along with awareness at the small business level.

“I think blanket bans are a clunky policy tool. What’s better is to look at proactive ideas around true cost and

substitution,” he says.

“There is certainly some scope for harmonisation between the different approaches between states and territories, and that’s something I hope to influence.”

Trevor makes notes of early state actions around single-use plastics.

He adds rather than straight out banning plastic bags, which would come up against genuine questions of consumer convenience, commercial industry worked closely with consumers and government to move towards substitutes.

“Now the attention, rightly, focuses on some of the heavyweight plastic bag substitutes that have come in, along with some of the definitions of compostability and biodegradability.”

In reference to the Product Stewardship Act review, Trevor says the act is very important piece of work.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity for government to work more closely with industry and look forward to finding ways to achieve real tangible outcomes for something that is very complex and serious,” he says.

Trevor says that while government is not in a position to reveal whether it is looking to introduce more mandatory schemes, it has put $20 million on the table to support the creation of new schemes via the Product Stewardship Investment Fund.

“There is always a debate around the nature of a scheme, in terms of whether they are industry-led, voluntary or mandatory. It is very much a ‘horses for courses’ approach,” Trevor says.

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Cleanaway’s Hugh Cotton joins Hobsons Bay City Council Mayor Jonathon Marsden to announce a council trial of electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles hit the road WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW TALKS TO THE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN TRIALS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES TRUCKS TO FIND OUT THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES BEHIND THE BURGEONING TECHNOLOGY.

I

n recent months, electric vehicle (EV) trials have been taking off with private waste management companies and councils across the country.

The City of Belmont, about eight kilometres east of the Perth CBD, was announced as the first site in WA for SUEZ’s fully EV truck.

Two months later, Cleanaway announced the first of two fully electric waste collection vehicles had begun kerbside collections in Victoria as part of a three-month trial.

Hobsons Bay at the time of writing had begun servicing households, while Mooney Valley had also planned to host the vehicle. Another trial in a council yet to be announced will

18 / WMR / August 2019

also take place in WA. The trial aims to ensure the vehicles will be tested across a variety of terrains and municipal settings.

As early as the 2018 Melbourne Waste Expo, WM Waste Management Services announced its plans to test three electric trucks with the City of Casey in Melbourne. These began over the past few months.

All EV-powered drive trains were fitted by SEA Electric with a Superior Pak body. In the City of Belmont, SEA Electric estimates the EVs will save around 35,000 litres of diesel each year and avoid around 90 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The noise levels are significantly reduced and reportedly

akin to a whisper. The EVs are also presumed to offer significantly reduced maintenance, operate for more than 150 kilometres uncharged and have zero emissions from the vehicle.

EVS ON-BOARDING Cleanaway is working towards zeroemissions vehicles by powering its EVs with its own renewable sources of electricity generated in other parts of the business.

Cleanaway Head of Fleet Paul Young tells Waste Management Review the EVs conversation started with SEA Electric and Superior Pak around 12 months ago. Superior Pak supplied and electrified the chassis and

provided the body.

“It ties very clearly into our company mission to make our operations as environmentally sustainable as possible,” Paul explains.

He says that by not waiting for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) solution, Cleanaway also identified an opportunity to be a market leader.

“We have a high level of inquiries mainly from our municipal customers around energy and being green so that is why we went down this path.

“We use the term trial, but the assets we’re building are starting the process. We’re not trialling and taking them out. They form part of our fleet like any other asset and we expect the asset to be operational like all other vehicles.”

Once the EVs have been tested by both SEA Electric and Superior Pak (SEA Electric tests the asset by running the vehicle for around 100 hours), they are sent off to the Cleanaway depot, where drivers undergo training by Superior Pak with SEA Electric.

SEA Electric continues to work with the drivers to optimise the vehicle for performance even as the driver is operating the vehicle.

Paul says the body operation is exactly the same as standard diesel vehicles with no changes to the mechanics of the operation.

He adds that another difference is that batteries will be replaced for longevity compared to engine rebuilds for diesel.

Paul says the noise reduction is significant. When it comes to wear and tear, the brakes are considered regenerative, lowering the number of brake pad changes required.

This means that during braking, rather than solely using the conventional brakes, the electric motor acts as a generator to provide a charge to the batteries. As well as providing a

useful battery top up, Paul says this is expected to significantly reduce brake wear and subsequently repair and maintenance costs.

“While it is very early days, from a long-term cost perspective we see the benefit in reduced maintenance and fuel. However this will need to be monitored as the vehicle ages to verify the benefits.”

Paul says the vehicles are compliant with National Heavy Vehicle Law and other standard regulations.

While the batteries have added some weight to the vehicle, Paul says he expects this to shift over time.

For the time being, a minor compromise has been made on payload to gain the other benefits.

as SEA-Drive) around 2013. He says that the company waited for the price of batteries to drop below USD 300 per kilowatt hour (kWh) before coming to market in early 2017. Tony says that other than OEM chassis selection by the customer, most vehicles deployed to the various councils are largely similar in power system design and performance.

“In the three-axle rigid segment, we commenced with a 180kWh battery pack. However, due to the evolution of batteries and volume over time, our supplier is now able to offer 216kWh in the same size battery pack, which will increase further in the near term.”

He says the electric motor offers around 3500 newton metres of torque and 350kW of power. The vehicles

WM Waste Management Services is testing electric vehicles with the City of Casey.

THE SETUP Tony Fairweather, Group Managing Director at SEA Electric, says the entire power system is electrified. This not only includes the battery and electric motor for direct drive to the existing differential, but all of the ancillaries such as air conditioning and heating for the cab, power steering, air compressor for braking and a 22-kilowatt onboard charger.

Tony says SEA Electric began developing the power system (known

charge in about eight hours (using the on-board charger), but have the ability to charge with (up to) 120kW DC charger and permit about 3500 charge cycles with a 10-year lifespan.

“We run about 700 kilograms heavier than the original tare weight of the internal combustion engine cab chassis which is around five to six per cent heavier. However as the battery density increases, this will reduce over time.”

The trucks are all fitted with an onboard charger, as this segment will

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UP FRONT

typically require a duty cycle to be completed on a single charge, before returning to base to charge with a standard three-phase, 32A power point.

Tony says the vehicles charge during off-peak energy periods in the evening, which is cost-effective for operators, with the option of deriving their energy from non-renewable sources in the grid.

He says that now that the EVs have been tested, the next step is educating buyers who may be apprehensive.

Tony notes that in California, buyers are offered up to $165,000 rebate to purchase an electric refuse truck while New York, Texas and Florida are expected to take on similar programs.

He says that given the duty cycle and relatively low kilometres of refuse vehicles, the business case is a no brainer for those in the metropolitan region, with a payback period of about four years without incentives.

He says there is also no risk of battery fires in the electric EVs as the batteries are large and operate at much lower temperatures than smaller EV batteries.

Tony says the next steps are also to work towards increasing government support. He says that Heavy Vehicle National Law regulations around gradeability and noise need to be updated to ensure that EVs don’t have to go to the mainly irrelevant process of complying with Vehicle Standards Bulletin 6 (VSB6).

Michael Strickland, WM Waste Management Services Project Manager, says that the provision of EVs in its service proved an important factor to winning a tender with the City of Casey.

The company currently has three EV compactor trucks as part of its newly acquired contract. It is looking at additional EVs in single axle and has already seen the benefits firsthand of reduced noise.

He says the vehicle uses a lot of power when picking up high speed on

20 / WMR / August 2019

the freeway, so it’s about minimising travel time.

While it is still early days for the EV trial, Michael says a few issues are still being ironed out.

“Part of the issue is the trucks were modified and weren’t from the factory floor and with the EV factor, the floor truck had difficulty registering as there are a lot of different design rules,” Michael says.

Michael says initial computer teething issues have been sorted, although the company is getting around 140 kilometres of trips before a charge is needed. To ensure the collection run goes smoothly, start and finish crews work around this, ensuring WM Waste Management Services is able to get two runs a day.

BARRIERS TO ENTRY A Senate select committee released recommendations earlier this year into increasing the uptake of EVs in the car, truck and bus sector. Some of the recommendations included that the Federal Government develop a national EV strategy to accelerate uptake and manage the risk and transitions of the vehicles.

Dr Peter Hart, former Chairman of Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association, welcomes the shift to electrification but is yet to be convinced of their effectiveness in refuse applications.

“The amount of energy you can store in one litre of battery is still only a fraction to that that can be stored in one litre of diesel fuel, so EVs will be advantageous where energy can be scavenged,” Peter says.

“I think lithium battery technology is advancing rapidly and energy density will continue to increase.

“There are safety issues you run into if you try and get too much energy into a given space. At present, technical standards do not adequately require

protection against signs of internal battery degradation.”

He says like any new technology, the EVs will require trial and error to ensure the systems integrate.

“The key success factor for EVs in the waste industry will be to recover more than 50 per cent of the energy used to accelerate the truck from one pick-up point to the next, and to lift the bin. If this can be achieved, the range problem will be solved and the economics will be favourable.”

Charging points will also need to be kept out of the weather to prevent safety risks.

“If you went back a few years, everyone was interested in EVs for long distance haulage, but the reality is we can’t store enough energy so people are now interested in hydrogen fuel cells. In the metropolitan area around deliveries I think EVs will have a significant advantage.”

He says that battery fires are a risk.

Lithium ion batteries should be charged using a battery management system that varies the charging voltage to individual cells to avoid over-charging. Peter says that EV trucks must have a welldesigned battery management system.

Peter’s call to action is for the development of national (and international) standards that define good practice. He hopes the outcome of trials of EVs in the waste industry will be successful.

Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) Executive Officer Mark Smith says that those businesses who are testing and piloting EVs are also testing and piloting the re-sell value of these vehicles.

Mark says that as Australians see cheaper power provided to the national grid, EVs will effectively offer a competitive alternative to diesel and even beat the running costs for standard vehicles in urban/inner city environments.

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FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Reviewing the PSA WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES THE PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP ACT REVIEW AND INDUSTRY EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FINAL REPORT.

S

ince the Federal Government Product Stewardship Act (PSA) was introduced in 2011, the dynamics of the waste and recycling sector have changed dramatically locally and overseas.

Waste management and resource recovery businesses have been forced to adapt and so has legislation and state and territory policy.

Product stewardship is a waste management strategy designed to ensure shared responsibility for the health and environmental impacts of a product through all stages of its lifecycle.

The PSA outlines three levels of regulation: mandatory, co-regulatory – joint industry and government delivery and voluntary.

There are currently no mandatory schemes under the PSA and just one co-regulatory scheme, the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS).

When the act commenced, two voluntary schemes were accredited, MobileMuster and Flurocycle.

MobileMuster has recently renewed its accreditation for a further five years.

Outside of the act there are a number of industry-run national product stewardship schemes with Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approval including Paintback, Tyre Stewardship Australia and DrumMUSTER. The act was required to be reviewed by the Department of the Environment and Energy five years after commencement and in 2017 that time came. Waste Management Review talks

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme was evaluated in 2017.

to industry stakeholders about gaps in the present scheme and the potential for improvement.

THE REVIEW Following submissions from interested parties, the Department of Environment and Energy’s official consultation paper, released in March 2018, outlined five areas of reference.

First, the review would attempt to assess the extent to which the PSA’s objectives were being met and whether they remained relevant. Second, it would address the effectiveness of voluntary scheme accreditation and the minister’s annual product list, followed by an evaluation of the operation and scope of the NTCRS. Additionally, the paper highlights an assessment of how the PSA interacts with other federal, state and territory policies and how international and domestic experiences of product stewardship could inform more effective legislation.

“If the review finds legislative changes are warranted, work to implement the changes, including refinement of options, regulatory impact analysis and development of regulatory amendments would be undertaken in 2018-19, subject to the minister’s agreement,” the paper reads.

According to National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read, problems stem not from the legislation, but from a lack of federal and departmental leadership.

“The lack of leadership in implementing the act has resulted in five, and soon to be seven, different container deposit schemes rather than a single national policy – plus inconsistent state bans on plastic shopping bags,” Rose says.

“The failure to address these two product groups at a national level under the PSA has increased implementation and compliance costs for all involved governments, producers, retailers and service providers.”

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 23

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Additionally, Rose says government has provided little encouragement to companies seeking accreditation or promotion of existing schemes.

“The continued belief by the previous Federal Government that schemes should be voluntary reflects a lack of commitment or understanding of what is required to deliver an effective product stewardship scheme,” Rose says.

“Very few industries can implement these schemes without some basic regulation to ensure a level playing field for these companies.”

Rose says following the review, the NWRIC would like to see amendments to voluntary clauses, to enable a clearer pathway to accreditation. She adds the NWRIC would also like to see more government support and promotion for participating organisations. Rose hopes the Federal Government’s $20 million Product Stewardship Investment Fund will be adequately resourced to put appropriate regulatory frameworks in place.

TELEVISION AND COMPUTERS The NTCRS was established alongside the PSA in 2011, with the aim of granting households and small businesses access to free industryfunded collection and recycling services.

According to Rose, over 94 per cent of importers contribute to the program, which covers more than 140 companies.

She adds the collection rate for televisions and computers has jumped from 18 per cent in 2011 to over 62 per cent in 2018 as a result of the scheme.

“The companies involved in the program are investing an estimated $25 million a year to provide this service,” Rose says.

“On average, around 35 million products within the scope of the scheme are imported each year. That translates to an estimated average cost of $0.70 per unit imported.”

24 / WMR / August 2019

In 2017, the government engaged the Australian Continuous Improvement Group to undertake an evaluation of the NTCRS. It was designed to inform the official statutory review, and at the time of print, is the only published outcome.

The evaluation deemed the scheme largely efficient, but raised concerns over industry pricing and scaling factors.

“NTCRS was designed to allow multiple co-regulatory arrangements, so liable parties and recyclers are able to shop around for the best commercial deal,” the evaluation reads.

“In the opinion of stakeholders, prices have dropped, at least partially, as a result – raising concerns that services and standards are being compromised, particularly when it comes to downstream services.”

Ewaste Watch director and co-founder John Gertsakis says the NTCRS, which has recycled approximately 230,000 tonnes of electronic waste since it began, is one of the more successful elements of the PSA. John says while the scheme is successful, there is still significant scope for improvement in the areas of community awareness and education, improved access in regional areas, and better collaboration between the coregulatory arrangements.

According to John, several stakeholders have asked for the NTCRS to be expanded to include batteries and a range of additional electronic products.

“The community is absolutely ready for effective regulation where there are no industry funded schemes,” he says.

“The solution for batteries, in my opinion, is a regulated scheme under the PSA.” Rose and the NWRIC agree and have called for a regulated scheme for batteries by 2020.

“The NWRIC would like to see

the scope of the NTCRS broadened to include all products with a cord or battery, consistent with the recent Victorian e-waste ban and a separate regulation for batteries,” Rose says.

John suggests the NTCRS could be also be useful mechanism for sustainable solar photovoltaic panel (PV) management.

In 2016 PV systems were added to the PSA’s priority list, meaning they were being considered for scheme design. Sustainability Victoria is conducting research into the viability of a system of shared responsibility.

Sustainability Victoria’s Director of Resource Recovery Matt Genever says work on assessing stewardship options for PV systems is well underway.

“We’ve consulted broadly across industry and government and there is genuine support for a stewardship approach that will build a sustainable PV recycling market in Australia,” Matt says.

Matt says that the delays in reviewing the PSA by the Federal Government have caused some issues.

“This is an area of waste policy that absolutely needs strong leadership from the Commonwealth, as it can’t just work on a state-by-state basis.

Product stewardship is one of the few areas that has national legislation and it’s clear that in its current state, the act isn’t delivering to its full potential.”

BATTERIES Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) CEO Libby Chaplin highlights independent research that shows a voluntary scheme with light regulation to address free riders would be the most effective and viable option for batteries.

According to Libby, a proposed battery stewardship scheme is currently out for public consultation. She adds that in December 2018 all state, territory and federal ministers agreed

The Australian Battery Recycling Initiative points out Australia has a three per cent recycling rate, compared to countries like Switzerland at more than 70 per cent.

all batteries must be included in the proposed scheme.

“We are keen to see a rapid improvement of this unacceptably low battery collection rate and have proposed a different approach to other schemes,” Libby says.

Libby says BSC’s proposal would run on an importer levy of four cents per equivalent battery (24 grams) and leverage existing collection channels.

“We are working on a rebate model, whereby members commit to a number of quality, environmental and safety requirements and then eligible for scheme funded rebates,” she says.

“This approach will now be the focus of consultation beyond BSC members, with an application for Australian Competition and Consumer Commission authorisation scheduled later this year.”

Libby says that establishing a battery stewardship scheme is essential, whether voluntary or regulated.

PRIORITY PRODUCTS One of the PSA’s key devices is the annual product list, which outlines goods that might come up for scheme

consideration the following year.

According to the PSA review consultation paper, publishing the list serves two purposes. First, it provides certainty to community and the business sector about what is being considered for coverage. Second, the act requires a 12-month notification for a class of products to be considered for accreditation or regulation.

Despite this, the list provides no promise of action and while the PSA requires an explanation of why a product has been added, it does not require an explanation for why a product has been removed.

Soft Landing Mattress Product Stewardship General Manager Janelle Wallace says the accreditation process is a good concept. However, she doesn’t believe it has been well marketed.

Janelle says the act doesn’t acknowledge the costs to local government of managing more complex and often hazardous waste streams, including mattresses, at landfill.

Soft Landing’s submission to the review made multiple recommendations, including a greater focus on durability during product

design and wider consideration for the extended supply chain, from raw materials to consumers.

According to Janelle, Soft Landing would also like to see more consideration of bulky and inconvenient waste.

As a voluntary scheme, Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) has committed $4 million towards market development initiatives. It performs an accreditation and compliance program which focuses on the verification of the scheme across its 1700 participants.

However TSA CEO Lina Goodman believes there needs to be more intervention from government.

“Whilst TSA has made significant in-roads within its verification, accreditation and market development programs, the heavy lifting associated with waste tyres remains in the hands of eight tyre importers,” Lina says.

She says the scheme can go only so far without government support or intervention, encouraging government to consider addressing the issue of free riders.

“The time is now for regulatory intervention that will address free

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FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

riders. Some tyre importers are enjoying the benefits of the scheme without taking responsibility for the product they distribute to market.”

She says that this will have a positive impact and assist in switching the focus on local innovation that will drive greater consumption of material for domestically engineered products.

When speaking with Waste Management Review, Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia CEO Gayle Sloan called the current PSA a “toothless tiger”.

“There are not enough schemes in operation and developing models for products such as batteries takes far too long,” Gayle says.

“The Federal Government needs to step up, lean in and drive change – there is a lot of opportunity to improve.”

Gayle says an issue with the current PSA is a lack of extended producer responsibility. She adds the system places problematic waste accountability squarely on the resource recovery industry.

“When a product enters the market, it needs to be recyclable, repairable or reusable,” Gayle says.

“Anything that doesn’t fall within those definitions via readily available structures needs its own source separation system, which needs to be funded by those who brought it to market.”

Additionally, Gayle says there needs to be a complete paradigm shift on voluntary schemes.

“The industry needs to be really honest with itself about what is working and what isn’t.

Structural change will not occur by funding individual organisations.”

Equilibrium conducted an analysis of the cost of mandatory product stewardship schemes on consumers for the Australian

26 / WMR / August 2019

Council of Recycling (ACOR).

The analysis made approximations based on standard product unit types and estimated that mandatory schemes would cost consumers up to $1.85 for e-waste, $16.50 for mattresses and $4.00 for tyres.

ACOR CEO Pete Shmigel says the new data shows consumers can recycle products and items affordably.

“In all cases, the cost of recycling these items is likely to be lower than two per cent of their consumer price. Therefore, cost concerns should not be a key barrier to action by our policy-makers,” he says.

Brooke Donnelly, Australian

“We must look beyond the populist rhetoric and really test the value and impact various approaches can provide in a systemic and considered way. Fundamental to effective product stewardship is to ensure equality, accountability and transparency across the various approaches.”

THE MINISTER’S PERSPECTIVE Drawing on his experience as President of the National Retail Association, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans says industry is best placed to understand the complexities of product stewardship.

Social enterprise Soft Landing has diverted thousands of old mattresses from landfill.

Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) CEO, says the Product Stewardship Act review is an important and timely piece of work, and APCO supports the Federal Government’s efforts. Brooke says APCO believes all organisations must ultimately take responsibility for the products they create.

However, there are a range of ways these systems can be delivered.

“To move forward, we need to take an agile approach that explores a range of alternative models that are best suited to fix specific material/product challenges and the external environment in which they operate,” Brooke says.

When asked by Waste Management Review whether government was in a position to reveal whether it was looking into developing more mandatory schemes, Trevor said not yet.

“There is always a debate around the nature of the scheme, in terms of whether they are industry-led, voluntary or mandatory. It is very much a ‘horses for courses’ approach,” Trevor says.

“Mandatory schemes are one option, but they are not the only policy tool that government has in its arsenal.”

Trevor says the final report with recommendations is expected to be presented to the meeting of environment ministers towards the end of the year.

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Operation chemical clear AS DRUMMUSTER CELEBRATES ITS 20TH BIRTHDAY, AGSAFE GENERAL MANAGER DOMINIQUE DOYLE TALKS TO WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW ABOUT THE PROGRAM’S HISTORY.

T

he agricultural and veterinary (AgVet) chemical classification applies to a range of products developed to protect crops, livestock and domestic animals.

According to the Federal Agriculture Department, AgVet chemicals have produced long-term benefits for Australian agriculture by reducing the effects of weeds, pests and diseases on agricultural and forest production.

This has led to increased productivity, better quality produce, more competitive industries and improved environmental outcomes.

Industry benefit aside, AgVet chemicals and containers create disposal challenges given their composition, ingredients and flammability.

Taking growing hazardous waste rates into account, specialised product stewardship schemes for AgVet products have become critical to managing the agricultural industry sustainably.

For more than 20 years, AgSafe has worked with rural businesses to promote workplace health and safety practices for AgVet products.

According to General Manager Dominique Doyle, AgSafe achieves this though its chemical and drum collection product stewardship schemes drumMUSTER and ChemClear.

Dominique says drumMUSTER was one of the first product stewardship programs established in Australia.

She adds that it is now internationally

28 / WMR / August 2019

DrumMUSTER is committed to improving environmental stewardship throughout regional Victoria.

recognised as a leading example of how the agricultural industry and individual farmers can work together.

She says that for decades, some farmers had been dealing with plastic and metal packaging for AgVet chemicals by burning or burying the material. Dominique adds that stockpiles often piled up.

In 1993, the AgVet Association launched Operation Clean Rinse, with the aim of educating farmers on proper rinsing, cleaning and disposal of chemical containers.

“Operation Clean Rinse served as a precursor to drumMUSTER, which launched five years later,” Dominique says.

The first drumMUSTER collection took place May 1999 in Gunnedah NSW, and since then, the program has collected 33.5 million AgVet

containers for recycling.

“That equates to 38,000 tonnes of waste that would have otherwise been sent to landfill, buried or burnt on farms,” Dominique says.

Like most product stewardship schemes, drumMUSTER is financed through a levy.

According to Dominique, participating chemical manufacturers incorporate a six-cent-per-litre charge into the cost of non-returnable chemicals at purchase.

“The levy enables collections across rural Australia at council waste transfer stations, where farmers leave empty AgVet containers for collection by accredited processors,” Dominique says.

“The drums are inspected by drumMUSTER trained inspectors and then transported to recycling facilities.” drumMUSTER collection sites are

mostly located in waste transfer stations operated by regional councils. At the time of writing, 349 councils operated collections at over 800 sites.

She says that as a voluntary program, the drumMUSTER product stewardship program has adapted to fit the needs of councils, farmers, retailers and manufacturers of the chemicals.

Drums Go Round, a recycling company operating in NSW and Victoria, has been working with drumMUSTER since the program began.

According to Drums Go Round Manager Cindy Taylor, the company processes around half a million drumMUSTER containers each year.

“We granulate or shred drumMUSTER material on site with mobile plants to reduce the number of times the product needs to be

handled before sale,” Cindy says.

“The material can then be remanufactured into products such as wheelie bins, irrigation and drainage pipes, fencing posts, road signage, outdoor furniture and garden stakes.”

Dominique 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 unwanted and unknown AgVet chemicals. Farmers and other agricultural industry professionals register their waste with the program and relinquish

chemicals for safe removal.

Group one chemicals, including those housed in their original container with a readable label with the drumMUSTER logo, are eligible for free collection.

Group two chemicals, such as those no longer registered, unlabelled or expired, have a variable perlitre fee applied.

Dominique says approximately 80 per cent of all AgVet chemical manufacturers in Australia are involved with the program.

In the year of drumMUSTER’s 20th birthday, Dominique says AgSafe intends to continue expanding the program’s reach.

“We will continue to engage with members and industry stakeholders on how best to expand our operations, with a specific focus on metropolitan and peri-urban areas,” Dominque says.

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Stockpiles drive action VOLKSWAGEN HAS BECOME THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE COMPANY TO RECEIVE ACCREDITATION FROM TYRE STEWARDSHIP AUSTRALIA, WITH AUSTRALIA NOW SET TO SEE A FURTHER 400,000 TYRES DISPOSED OF RESPONSIBLY.

A

2019 Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) audit of export markets showed some Australian recyclers were sending tyres overseas and failing to meet accredited recycling processes.

Tyres were reportedly being sold to businesses with poor health and safety practices, including those that engaged in stockpile burning.

According to the 2017 National Market Development Strategy for Used Tyres, Australia generated 447,000 tonnes of tyre waste in 2015-16. This represents the equivalent of 56.3 million end-of-life tyres and of those, only 10 per cent where recycled.

The strategy suggests tyre waste generation will continue to grow over the next 10 years, with new tyre sales expected to exceed 63.3 million by 2024-25.

TSA seeks to tackle this problem by signing up more tyre manufacturers, importers and retailers to its nationally accredited product stewardship scheme.

While a core function of TSA’s business is ensuring members commit to the responsible disposal of tyres, in recent years the scheme has shifted focus. Much of TSA’s recent activity centres on driving the commercial viability of the developing tyre-derived product market.

In June, for example, TSA accredited six new local councils

30 / WMR / August 2019

Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director Michael Bartsch.

after they used tyre-derived raw material in infrastructure projects.

To further incentivise the use of tyre-derived products, TSA seeks widespread industry participation at all levels of the supply chain.

Volkswagen Australia General Manager Corporate Communications Paul Pottinger holds a similar view, arguing sustainable tyre recycling is the responsibility of all individuals and organisations working in the car industry.

This year, Volkswagen became the first auto company to co-sign the TSA accreditation scheme.

Presently TSA has 11 members, most of which are tyre manufacturers

and retailers.

“I think most people in the industry are well aware of the worstcase practices, none of which are environmentally agreeable,” Paul says.

“For us, tyres are a by-product of the simple act of doing business, so it’s our obligation to ensure dealers engage in best practice and dispose of tyres sustainably.”

According to Paul, news that Australia’s biggest European car importer has joined TSA will hold significant weight and push similar action across the industry. He adds that Volkswagen sits on the board of the Chamber of Automotive industries – Australia’s peak industry body for car companies.

“The industry is changing in every respect, with increasing emphasis on developing business practices that are as environmentally conscious and sustainable as possible,” Paul says.

“It’s not up to Volkswagen to wag an admonitory finger at people, but we are very happy to lead the way for our colleagues.”

As part of Volkswagen’s TSA membership, 100-plus Australia Volkswagen dealerships are now committed to TSA’s accreditation requirements.

TSA commitments include increasing tyre resource recovery and recycling, growing Australia’s tyre recycling

industry though scheme promotion and assisting the development of endmarkets for tyre-derived products.

TSA also requires members to contribute to the elimination of inappropriate exporting and illegal dumping of end-of-life tyres through transparent collection reporting.

Paul says becoming aware that one of Volkswagen’s tyre suppliers was not a scheme signatory was a key prompt for Managing Director Michael Bartsch to get involved with TSA. “When it was brought to our attention that one of our suppliers wasn’t working with the objectives of TSA, we decided it was important to get involved and take action,” Paul says.

“Looking forward, it is our intention to deal only with tyre manufactures who are TSA co-signatories, at the

exclusion of those who are not.”

The TSA program is funded by a levy imposed on tyre importers, and now Volkswagen as a vehicle manufacturer.

The levy is calculated at a rate proportional to the number of tyres the member imports or sells into Australia.

The levy is used to support market development and research, organisational management costs and implementation of TSA’s end-of-life tyre strategy.

According to Paul, Volkswagen’s levy will annually apply to almost half a million tyres.

“Volkswagen will pay a levy based on an annual figure of 400,000-plus tyres, which represents roughly five tyres per vehicle sold based on 2018 sales figures,” he says.

Prior to becoming TSA member,

Volkswagen did not have a centralised tyre disposal policy in place.

“I don’t believe any car company has a centralised system. The management of disposal is often left to individual dealers,” he says.

“I’m sure disposal been done as responsibly as possible, but ensuring a TSA-accredited service is collecting Volkswagen tyres is unquestionably the best way forward.”

Paul says the simple act of recognising tyres as a waste stream is crucial to achieving TSA objectives.

“Tyre waste is not something a lot of people in the auto industry are thinking about,” he says.

“Volkswagen playing an active role in responsibly disposing of, and recycling, what would otherwise be a waste product is a huge step forward.”

FEATURED TOPIC – PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

Oil procured sustainably COOKERS BULK OIL SYSTEM EXPLAINS HOW A PUSH TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FOOD SERVICES SECTOR IS SEEING MORE ORGANISATIONS TURN TO ITS FULL LIFECYCLE SOLUTION.

I

t’s critical that quality assurance systems are applied in the food services industry to ensure products are food grade.

While food safety is first and foremost a priority, conscientious consumers are increasingly calling for products that also meet rigorous environmental standards.

For nearly 20 years, Cookers Bulk Oil has placed sustainability at the core of its operations.

With this in mind, the company provides a complete oil management solution across the broader food services industry. Its diverse customer base ensures it is able to service small to medium businesses, right through to major corporations, with highquality cooking oils meeting industry standards. This comprises, but is not limited to, restaurants, casual

dining, cafes, takeaway, hotels and fast food establishments.

The two major products sold by Cookers are canola oil and a premium frying oil branded XLFRY Oil. In addition to a suite of other products, the company is able to manufacture blends according to its customers’ needs.

Cookers’ lifecycle solution sees it source fresh Australian oil that meets industry standards and delivering it to the sector through dedicated trucks. It then picks up regular used oil which is converted into valuable commodities such as biodiesel.

Garry Nash, General Manager of Sales at Cookers Bulk Oil System, says the business initially started out with a focus on kitchen efficiencies. Over time, Cookers increased its scope towards recyclable solutions for oil management as sustainability became

Cookers increased its scope towards recyclable solutions for oil management over time.

32 / WMR / August 2019

a considerable focus for procurement.

“It’s really important for our customer base that they not only know where their oil has come from, but also where it’s going,” Garry explains.

“When we pick up customers’ oil, they know that it’s coming back to our depots to be refined and given a second life in the biodiesel industry, so that full circle approach helps a business understand and implement best practice.”

The company works with Australian oil manufacturers to refine products locally.

One of Cookers’ key offerings is the use of storage units instead of tins, preventing 300 tins from ending up in landfill for each truck of oil delivered.

Garry says that this not only has an environmental benefit, but avoids the cost of disposal through gate fees.

Each delivery is accompanied with a certificate of analysis to support traceability for customers. Food service organisations are supplied with purpose-built storage units and a dedicated business development manager to meet their requirements.

“We batch track every drop of oil that we deliver knowing the date we delivered it, what the product was and what the batch was all the way back to when we received it.”

Cookers’ key point of differentiation in the food market is that it holds Safe

Quality Food (SQF) accreditation for oil supply in Australia. SQF is a globally recognised food safety program that reinforces its commitment to rigorous safety standards in the industry.

Garry says SQF holds Cookers to a high account for its product traceability – an issue that has increasingly become topical with product recalls for consumer products such as strawberries and honey. He says product dilution is also another food industry issue that Cookers seeks to alleviate with transparent processes, with the company allowing unannounced audits.

“Our business policy is our doors are always open to our customers and that means if they were to knock on the door unannounced, our warehouses can be walked through and viewed by anyone at any time, and that is a requirement of SQF.”

“It’s one thing to have a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification, but we feel that SQF is one step above that.”

Cookers also holds an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), which covers comprehensive sustainability requirements to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and ensure products are traceable and produced in an environmentally responsible manner.

The used oil that returns to the depots is decrumbed, dewatered and heat treated to create a finished product sold off into biodiesel.

The company ensures its own operations are sustainable by harvesting and reusing rainwater at its sites, measuring and analysing its greenhouse emissions and using a wind turbine at its head office to supply 30 per cent of its factory power needs.

Food service organisations are supplied with purpose-built storage units.

Garry says Cookers offers a national footprint with nine depots across Australia and the same service model and offering available around the country. He says that Cookers will continue to evolve its business to ensure it keeps pace with changing industry practices and expectations.

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9

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COUNCIL IN FOCUS

Community inspired initiatives BEGA VALLEY SHIRE COUNCIL’S JOLEY VIDAU TELLS WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF ITS ORGANICS SERVICE, WASTE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND PLANS FOR NEW FACILITIES. Q. How has waste collection in Bega Valley Shire Council evolved?

A. Bega Valley Shire Council introduced a monthly collection of garden waste (green bins) in 2012 to around 13,000 urban households.

With a long-term vision of reducing waste to landfill and returning this green waste back to the environment via compost, in 2016 we started refining the composting process at our Merimbula site. This allows us to sell a high-quality product back to the community and use it on public spaces such as parks, reserves and sporting grounds.

Once we had our compost processing systems in place, in October 2018 we

introduced a weekly food organics and garden organics (FOGO) collection to those 13,000 households. This involved changing the landfill (red) bin collection to fortnightly, alternating with the (yellow) recycling bin.

Additionally, there are around 4000 two-bin services (weekly landfill and fortnightly recycling) for rural residents.

These rural residents do not have a FOGO collection service.

Q. Tell us a bit about council’s FOGO service and how it was established?

A. The council put extensive planning and preparation into the rollout of FOGO, which was the most significant change in bin collections for the shire

At the Ocean2earth Australia launch: Anthony McMahon, Tim Crane, Cr Kristy McBain, Kyran Crane, Joley Vidau, Cr Mitchell Nadin and Cr Tony Allen. Tim and Kyran Crane launched their new business to address the problem of fish waste at boat ramps.

34 / WMR / August 2019

since we first introduced recycling bins.

We developed a project plan and a communication and engagement plan.

Recognising that we did not have the resources or skills within council, we engaged an external marketing consultant to assist with the design, content and printing of all marketing and education material.

Two years prior we started developing a smartphone waste app which we offered free to the community more than 12 months before FOGO. This app, which features personalised bin collection reminders, had the dual purpose of helping people transition to the change in bin collection while also allowing council to communicate more directly with residents about anything waste related.

Q. How is council tracking in implementing its Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy ‘Recycling the Future’ 2018-28?

A. The first cab off the rank for strategy recommendations was implementing FOGO. We knew we had to implement this in stages, so the first stage was to the 13,000 households with a green bin service, then an education campaign with accommodation managers to pass on to the significant number of tourists that visit our shire.

We are still working in this space

particularly with offering a FOGO service to commercial customers across the shire.

The next stages include a community education campaign to help residents prevent food waste and a campaign to boost food donations from food businesses, supported with a $177,070 grant from the EPA. To capture the inedible commercial food waste, there are plans to extend the FOGO collection service to businesses, and council is currently trialling this in Bermagui.

Developing a resource recovery precinct is a key strategic priority.

The precinct could potentially house e-waste and mattress processing, construction and demolition processing, a materials recovery facility and a new organics processing facility.

Q. What has been working particularly well over recent years for the council in waste management/ recycling services?

A. FOGO has been an incredible success. We are currently sitting at around 0.4 per cent contamination, one of the lowest contamination rates in Australia.

Additionally we have a seen a drop in household waste to landfill by 30 per cent since the introduction of the FOGO service.

Before FOGO, bin audits showed food and garden waste made up 40 per cent of the weight of waste in the red lid bin going to landfill.

This accounted for about 1000 tonnes of organics waste that we could be recovering and processing into compost at our newly upgraded Merimbula facility.

BEST VALUE IN ALTERNATIVE

We are on track in our first year to divert more than 4000 tonnes. That has far exceeded our expectations and tells us that we are definitely on the right path.

Q. What is council most proud of when it comes to its achievements in waste management?

A. Our strategy identifies diverting waste from landfill as one of its key priorities. Through a range of community, business, education and regional partnerships we are leading the way in waste management.

We are not resting on our laurels and have many innovative projects in the pipeline, including an Australian first compostable nappy trial, and are proud to be at the forefront of changing the way our community thinks about waste.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – C&D WASTE

Separating the grime PHOENIX ENVIRONMENT GROUP IS SORTING PROBLEMATIC C&D WASTE FROM ALL OVER MELBOURNE INTO SALEABLE STREAMS, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF FINLAY SCREENING, CRUSHING AND RECYCLING SYSTEMS. Phoenix has been using the TRS 500 for just under 12 months.

M

ixed waste from construction and demolition sites is regularly left out in the rain or intense heat for long periods of time by some contractors and site managers. As a result, construction and demolition waste (C&D) often arrives at processing and recycling facilities as a wet, sticky mass, loaded with heavy and bulky debris.

Phoenix Environment Group, a recycling company based in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, receives waste from all over the city and deals primarily in C&D. Phoenix operates largely as a sorting facility, separating C&D into seven different streams before sending it to alternate facilities for remanufacturing.

Company Director Ash Walker says given the nature of C&D, the material Phoenix receives is often quite contaminated, with multiple mixed

36 / WMR / August 2019

materials needing to be screened and separated simultaneously.

To facilitate the cleaning of grimy material, Phoenix purchased a Terex TRS 500 from specialist equipment suppliers Finlay Screening, Crushing and Recycling Systems last year.

“We needed a recycling screen capable of separating heavy weight material from recyclable waste before we send it to separate picking stations for further separation,” Ash says.

“Our previous screen worked well.

However, as the company grew and began to work with larger, more commercial clients, we required a new recycling screen to keep up with processing demands.”

The TRS 500 recycling screen is a versatile mobile screen that operates with a specialist screen box designed by German manufacturer Spaleck.

Ash says he spent a number of months researching recycling screens online before coming across the TRS 500.

After contacting Finlay about the machine, Ash was flown to Queensland to view the screen in operation.

“Once I had watched the TRS 500 in action at Finlay’s facility in Burpengary, I became confident in its ability to fulfil Phoenix’s business requirements,” Ash says.

“The Terex machine is much bigger than our previous screen, so we are able to put significantly more material through each hour – it ticked all the boxes for me.”

Phoenix has been using the TRS 500 for just under 12 months, and Ash says it hasn’t missed a beat.

“We use the screen to reclaim a lot of mixed soil and it works 100 per cent of the time,” Ash says.

“Every inch of soil is screened and cleaned effectively and quickly, which means we can remove all the contaminants at a cheap price.”

According to Ash, the machine was specifically designed for difficult applications, with the combination of a three-way split system and Spaleck 3D Combi screen box allowing operators to process material previously classed as problematic.

Phoenix uses the TRS 500 to process a minimum of 2000 tonnes of C&D waste at its Coolaroo recycling centre each month.

“Most of our material comes from Campbellfield Bins, Ben’s Bins Hire, Cleanaway and a handful of smaller waste removal companies,” Ash says.

Spaleck screen boxes are designed for efficient screening of wet inhomogeneous material,

with separation cuts between 0.2 and 50 millimetres.

The TRS 500 incorporates the Spaleck screen box into a standard Terex platform and frame, with features including a steel apron feeder for feeding heavy bulk material, a 3D top deck screening panel and an aggressive flip-flow bottom deck.

The base frame is agitated by a shaft and unbalanced motor drive, with the vibration passed to the frame via thrust rubbers.

Ash says the tracked heavy duty screen can be operated in a wide range of primary and secondary screening applications.

“The 3D flip flow bottom deck mats can handle high-moisture material, even when screening as small as two millimetres without blinding,” Ash says.

“This ability is critical given the nature of the material we’re processing, as it reduces downtime and maximises our production capabilities.”

Additionally, Ash says the TRS’s 3D screening segments facilitate correct grain size and eliminate long and extraneous material for the tension shaft screen on the lower deck.

“The screwless mounted screening mats create less contamination than regular mats and the high acceleration has a self-cleaning effect,” he says.

Ash says Finlay has a services and parts division in Melbourne, meaning it is just around the corner when the machine needs servicing.

“They respond straight away when I make a booking and are always on call. I’ve been really happy with the service,” Ash says.

Join our Waste Facilities Training Workshops Book now to attend the training for Frontline Workers:

• Adina Wollongong – Wednesday 4 September, 9am to 3:30pm.

Book now to attend the training for Supervisors and Managers:

• Mantra Parramatta – 14 August, 9am to 3:30pm.

• Ballina – November (date TBC).

The Cost of the course Each course costs $99 (including lunch).

Register through the EPA learning website, https://learning.epa.nsw.gov.au participants need to be registered on the website before they can sign up for the courses.

These one-day workshops are designed for those working in the waste industry to help facilities improve resource recovery practices.

The course for Frontline Workers covers the basics for those new to the industry. Topics include key materials that are recycled and commonly used machinery and equipment in waste facilities.

The course for Supervisors and Managers is for those in supervisory or managerial roles in the waste industry, providing training to help ensure compliance with relevant environmental legislation.

PROFILE

Shaping the sector WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW CATCHES UP WITH SUSTAINABILITY VICTORIA CEO STAN KRPAN TO DISCUSS HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN WASTE OVER THE PAST DECADE AS HE MOVES ON TO SOLAR VICTORIA.

S

tan Krpan has immersed himself in the waste sector for more than 10 years, mobilising organisations and stakeholders towards structural and environmental reform.

His work at statutory authority Sustainability Victoria (SV) has been instrumental to shaping the agency’s decade-long shift towards resource recovery.

Earlier this year, Stan announced he would leave his position as CEO of SV after being appointed inaugural CEO of Solar Victoria.

Waste Management Review caught up with Stan to discuss his future plans with Solar Victoria and past achievements at SV. While he has held senior legal positions at WorkSafe Victoria, CEO of the Victorian Cladding Taskforce and the Chair of social enterprise Infoxchange, over time Stan discovered his true passion in sustainability.

“I was a lawyer by training and had a strong background in regulation, but I’d worked out towards the end of my time at WorkSafe that I really wanted to be a part of making the future in terms of sustainability and climate change,” he says.

Between 2009 and 2010, the EPA Victoria commissioned Stan, the former Director of Legal Services and Investigations at WorkSafe Victoria, to conduct an independent review into the EPA. More than 119 recommendations

38 / WMR / August 2019

Stan Krpan was with Sustainability Victoria for almost a decade.

were made, including a need for the EPA to make more transparent decisions to tackle human health and refocus its priorities on supporting duty holders with compliance.

“It was from that moment that I walked in the door I thought this is something that I want to be a part of,” Stan says.

From there, Stan ended up at SV in 2011 assuming the CEO’s chair a year later.

He says that it was a difficult decision to leave SV after just over eight years.

“The opportunity for me around Solar Homes is really on the renewable energy transition. Although SV set it up, I really wanted to be a part of that transition,” he says.

“We will reach three quarters of a million households in Victoria to bring the total of solar homes to well over a million. We’re now leading the country for the last couple of months

in terms of installation.”

Solar Victoria is a new “portfolio” entity which will commence within the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning after being transferred from SV. Tasked with delivering the Victorian Government’s 10-year $1.3 billion Solar Homes Package, Solar Victoria forms part of the government’s target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030.

The Victorian Government’s key election commitment in 2018 was to expand its Solar Homes package to 770,000 households from July 1.

Eligible households can claim a rebate of up to $2225 on the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel system or a $1000 rebate for replacing hot water systems.

The next step for Stan will be to ensure that regulation and policy keep pace with the 10-year rollout.

As he moves to Solar Victoria, his core focus will be helping Victorians with the transition to renewable energy.

Ultimately, all of Stan’s experiences have culminated in joining Solar Victoria, with a significant career background in health, safety, environment and climate change and renewable energy.

SV EVOLUTION When he arrived at SV, the agency had been the subject of a critical report from the Victorian Auditor-General

which found it had lost its way on waste and had not delivered on its statutory obligations in waste planning.

“We led a review for the thenminister around that focus on resource recovery. Essentially we’ve gone from that really being just a side project to actually being pretty much the core of the organisation and focused on delivering our statutory responsibility on statewide planning,” Stan says.

Stan says the review precipitated the country’s first ever waste infrastructure plan in 2015 – the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan (SWRRIP).

Through a network of hubs and spokes, the model identified a move to increase transfer stations, reduce landfills, including in Melbourne’s south-east, and replace them with a network of resource recovery facilities.

The SWRRIP paved the way for developers and waste managers to work together on long-term planning. Its focus was on mobilising stakeholders in the waste sector and government and partnering with other state-based agencies across Australia.

Plans have since been generated in SA and committed in WA and NSW. On his proudest achievements, Stan says that partnering with industry on better outcomes for the community along with market development and developing a waste education strategy are top of the list.

“One thing I particularly liked is the way we used the SWRRIP as a way of providing policy certainty to potential investors. We set up an investment facilitation service which essentially worked with proponents of new technologies and helped them enter the market,” Stan says.

Over the years, SV significantly expanded its role in resource recovery, including establishing a Market Development for Recovered Resources Strategy and programs. The

strategy supported the practical use of materials, including recycled glass on major projects such as Melbourne’s Tullamarine Freeway. It also led to improved product specifications for recyclables in pavements, while accelerating product procurement in organics and partnering with product stewardship organisations for tyres, paint and PV systems.

“The figures are really compelling.

Over the last three years we’ve invested $40 million on behalf of the government into resource recovery infrastructure, but we’ve leveraged over $100 million of private sector investment,” Stan says.

“Government procurement is obviously an area we still feel is unfinished business and we’re getting closer to finalising our first systematic

As government is the largest procurer of some materials, a common discussion by industry groups is whether mandatory procurement of recyclables is needed.

Stan points out that this is a topic also being discussed in other jurisdictions such as California and Scotland, while there are a number of targets already for specific applications such as roads.

On the subject, he says he is reluctant to make recommendations for a set target on mandatory recyclate due to the technical nature of the end use, with product safety essential.

“I am attracted to things like the EU target around green procurement which essentially says that you should incorporate criteria around recycled content even though it’s not quantified,” he says.

“One thing I particularly liked is the way we used the SWRRIP as a way of providing policy certainty to potential investors.”

Stan Krpan Solar Victoria CEO

assessment of state government procurement categories to understand where the opportunities might be.”

Stan points out that the Victorian Government last year adopted the Social Procurement framework.

As a result of SV’s advocacy, it includes a requirement that very large projects over $10 million consider recycled content.

“There is still more work to be done to understand the emissions profile of the sector, but one of the things I feel is unfinished business, particularly for local government procurement is that we could do more to encourage innovation and investment in low emissions transport or technologies.”

TAKING IT FORWARD He says that now that SV is well established in infrastructure, the goal for the agency going forward will be to work upstream in manufacturing and new product, and materials and upcycling.

This year’s state budget included an additional $35 million for waste and recycling to build onshore processing and remanufacturing.

Stan says that Victoria’s 67 per cent recycling rate is a positive step, given the growth in population and economy, but more work is needed to raise the bar. According to the Victorian Recycling Industry Annual Report 2016-17, solid waste diversion rose by 10 per cent to 67 per cent between

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 39

PROFILE

Sustainability Victoria, on behalf of the state government, is leading a national investigation into extender producer responsibility options for solar PVs and batteries.

2007-08 to 2016-17. That’s despite a 1840-tonne increase in waste generation over the same period.

He says that SV has been an important part of adding an extra two million tonnes of extra capacity over the last 10 years supported by government grants and investment.

“I’ve been delighted to see the level of investment in organics processing grow in Victoria during my time since 2012 with very large companies investing in Victoria as a stable place.

“That’s very different to when I arrived at the EPA in 2010 where effectively the failure of the waste sector was attributed to the challenge of regulating and supporting the organics sector and developing new markets.”

Stan says the sector has come a long way over the past 10 years, but there is still more work to be done locally given the exposure to global commodity markets.

“To see SV grow its footprint in waste and resource recovery even though we know there’s so much more needed with the change in global commodity prices and dynamics, I’ve loved being a part of growing it,” he says.

Last year was another growth spurt

40 / WMR / August 2019

for SV, increasing to over 200 staff.

One of the areas Stan says can be improved is thinking of resources in the context of the broader economy, including imports, extractive industries and eliminating waste at the design stage.

From a circular economy perspective, he says manufacturers need to partner with waste collectors and recyclers to reduce food waste, use recyclate for new packaging and eliminate unnecessary packaging from the supply chain.

Stan says that concepts such as extender producer responsibility can also be better understood and supported in Australia, as community sentiment is shifting.

SOLAR PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY Extended producer responsibility lifespan will become ever increasingly important for solar PVs as many installed at the beginning of the millennium reach their end of life. SV, on behalf of the state government, is leading a national investigation into extended producer responsibility options for solar PVs and batteries.

Stan is pleased with the level of

engagement from peak bodies such as the Clean Energy Council and manufacturers and suppliers of solar PVs and household batteries, with consideration to a scheme to be given later this year through the meeting of environment ministers.

“Certainly something that I’m now well placed to explore in Solar Victoria is whether we can use that program to stimulate stewardship and recycling of solar panels.

“We know there are technologies in Germany and Singapore that are already doing this.”

Stan says that SV will also be looking towards the Federal Government’s review of the Product Stewardship Act once released to help accelerate the development phase.

While extensive efforts have gone into increasing SV’s involvement in waste, Stan is pleased with the input of stakeholders to make many of the agency’s achievements over the past decade a reality.

“The thing that I’ve been most proud of is the level of support and engagement that we’ve had from the waste and resource recovery sector.

We couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

Remember, every container counts!

33.6 million

810+ sites

PROFILE Shao Yap, Aidan Chin, Daniele De Rosa won awards in the inaugural AORA Student Research Awards, with ELB Equipment’s Christopher Malan sponsoring the award through Komptech.

Taking research to market T

THE AORA STUDENT RESEARCH AWARDS FOR ADVANCING ORGANICS RECYCLING HAVE RECOGNISED THREE SCHOLARS FOR CRITICAL EMISSIONS-REDUCTION RESEARCH.

hroughout the 1950s and 60s, the Green Revolution spread worldwide in response to global food shortages cause by population growth, namely through Mexico and the Indian subcontinent.

According to a research paper published in PNAS Journal on the Green Revolution, the developing world saw extraordinary food crop productivity gains despite growing land scarcity and rising land values.

But in order to achieve such growth, farmers increasingly relied on synthetic nitrogen products, with the perverse outcome being an increase in global emissions.

These are the outcomes generated from Dr Daniele De Rosa’s research into optimising organic amendments to reduce emissions.

Daniele is part of a research

42 / WMR / August 2019

team at the Queensland University of Technology and recently won an Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) Student Research Award presented at this year’s AORA State Conference.

The inaugural awards are sponsored

by Komptech and administered by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients (CROWN).

Postgraduate research and runner up categories and honours category were handed to three scholars for a diverse range of organics reuse projects. All project nominations were put forward in collaboration with the respective supervisors at each university.

Daniele, winner of the postgraduate research award, conducted research that looked at the possibility of accounting for

nutrient inputs following the use of raw and composted manures in intensive horticulture. This was done in combination with reduced fertiliser inputs without reducing crop yields and without increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

His project was part of the National Agricultural Manure Management Program (NAMMP), which was funded by the Federal Government and the intensive animal industries, and aimed to find ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s agricultural sector.

“My main goal is to see sustainable agriculture. If we want to survive on this planet for the next 200 to 300 years, we need to become more sustainable,” Daniele explains.

His research explains that during the Green Revolution, farmers had

increased their use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser to maximise the yield potential of new varieties.

Nitrogen (N) is the primary plant macronutrient for crop production and farmers generally supply N to agricultural soils as synthetic N-fertiliser. His research paper explains that as N-fertiliser is the main source of reactive N in the global N cycle, it is typically produced by industrial fixation – a synthetic method of converting atmospheric nitrogen to nitrogen oxides or ammonium ions to stimulate plant growth.

Before synthetic N fertiliser was introduced, applying organic amendments such as animal manures to agricultural soils were a traditional method of fertilising crops. Daniele’s research illustrates that farmers typically use organic amendments to increase soil organic matter levels and soil structure, but neglect to account for nutrients, particularly nitrogen inputs that can cause soil and environmental degradation.

“The main problem was for the last 30 to 40 years we didn’t have much knowledge about carbon or nutrient losses. The point of agriculture is to improve crop yield and therefore water retention.

“If we think about the amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied from the 60s to now it has increased between 300 to 400 per cent and created a situation where the input is much higher than the chemicals.”

He says that its important to understand that while a better yield was achieved, it was not sustainable in the long-term and risked degrading soils.

Given the exponential increase in animal manure due to soaring global meat production, Daniele and his colleagues determined that partially replacing mineral N-fertiliser with organic amendments such as raw and composted manures would reduce the

environmental burden of industrial N fixation. Importantly, the beneficial reuse of organics led to a win-win situation.

The study was conducted at Gatton Research Station in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland between 2013 and 2016. The area is a major vegetable producing region in South East Queensland characterised by a humid subtropical climate.

stubble, faeces, urine and other products, is a major by-product of Australian livestock farming. The key concerns with this are uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions, pest propagation, odour and nutrient leaching to groundwater.

Shao’s project, also carried out as part of NAMMP between 2013-17, looked at how a leachbed anaerobic digestion approach suitable for high

“If we think about the amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied from the 60s to now it has increased between 300 to 400 per cent and created a situation where the input is much higher than the chemicals.”

PhD Dr Daniele De Rosa Queensland University of Technology Research Team

The researchers monitored the annual application of composted and raw manure combined with a conventional and reduced rate of synthetic N fertilisers. Greenhouse gas emissions, soil N content and its impact on crop production were monitored in eight vegetable crops over a 2.5-year rotation.

The results found no difference in nitrous oxide emission and crop yield compared to conventional N management.

Daniele says that explaining the benefits to farmers will become increasingly important in ensuring the research is applied practically.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Dr Shao Yap, University of Queensland graduate, won the runnerup postgraduate prize for anaerobic treatment of solid manure residues.

Spent bedding, a mix of bedding

solids waste such as spent bedding could be cost-effective to construct and operate over alternatives. The biogas output provides a financial incentive for farmers to establish such a system by reducing on-farm energy costs.

He says the traditional method of managing spent bedding has been to put it to land and let it dry, which carries with it an environmental risk.

Leaving this on the farm can create leachate which can contaminate the groundwater.

Pilot trials showed a potential 50 per cent methane recovery.

Shao says that 50 per cent methane recovery from spent bedding is a result that can be reasonably achieved with minimal labour. More research is needed to demonstrate the commercial value of 100 per cent.

Process performance was hindered in Shao’s trials by insufficient solid-

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 43

PROFILE

Dr Daniele De Rosa conducted research that looked at the possibility of accounting for nutrient inputs following the use of raw and composted manures in intensive horticulture.

liquid contact through biological inhibition due to dissolved organic compounds, including ammonia and humic substances.

He recommends future research should explore treatment options and strategies to manage inhibitor accumulation in the process.

IN-SITU SOILS Aidan Chin, PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, won the honours category for research he conducted in 2017. He explored methodologies to formulate and test next-generation fertilisers based on organic residues to improve plant nutrient use efficiency and advance towards a more circular nutrient economy.

The research found that delivering nutrients from mineral or organic fertilisers out of synchrony with crop uptake causes inefficiencies and pollution.

“When nitrogen is applied into the soil it quickly transforms into forms that are really mobile and easily lost, like ammonia and nitrous oxide, which can be volatilised and lost into the air, or nitrate, which is easily lost in heavy

44 / WMR / August 2019

rainfall,” Aidan explains.

He adds that nitrate can lead to groundwater pollution while nitrous oxide is a powerful gas that has 300 times the global warming potential of CO2.

“Nitrogen is a valuable resource in soils for plants, so we need to make sure it’s converted to forms that are less vulnerable to loss processes.”

The research, published in Science of the Total Environment, explored methodologies for evaluating sorbents

as additives to organic agricultural residues to retain nitrogen in an exchangeable form.

It focused on ammonium as the main inorganic nitrogen form in studied wastes, including sugarcane mill mud and poultry litter, and tested geosorbents including biochar for their ability to retain ammonium.

“We looked at the industries around the sugar-cane-producing region that produced organic residues with the idea to reuse the valuable nutrients in our fertiliser formulations.

“We settled on mill mud from sugarcane processing and poultry litter,” he says.

He says efforts to formulate organicbased fertilisers for specific regions should take advantage of the residues and by-products generated by local agriculture and industry to minimise transport costs.

The sorbent-residue formulations were analysed for sorption capacity, leaching and ammonium fluxes.

Sorbents with stronger ammonium sorption capacity demonstrated greater potential in both reducing ammonium leaching and producing ammonium fluxes that more closely

Dr Shao Yap looked at how a leachbed anearobic digestion approach suitable for high solids waste could be cost effective to construct and operate.

matched the uptake capacity of roots.

Roots preferentially colonised stronger sorbent-residue formulations and avoided weaker ones, which suggested lower ammonium fluxes generated a more favourable growth environment.

AORA Chair Peter Wadewitz says that science is playing a bigger role every day in the organics recycling industry.

“The markets are demanding knowledge about what our products can and can’t do,” Peter says.

Peter says the students did a brilliant job and demonstrated expert knowledge of their subject matter.

Johannes Biala, Director of CROWN, who managed the awards nomination and selection process, says that processing organic residues and the beneficial use of recycled organic products are, by and large, not on the

radar of students in Australia.

“I am sure that this award program will raise the profile of working in the realm of organics recycling within universities and among students, and hopefully turn the tide,” Johannes says.

“The awards are open to postgraduate students at Honours, Masters and PhD level enrolled at an Australian or New Zealand university, who have carried out postgraduate work that advances organics recycling supply chains at any level.”

Christopher Malan, Managing Director of ELB Equipment and authorised Australian Komptech distributor, says that Joseph Heissenberger founded Komptech with the statement: “Someday our grandchildren will ask us what we did with their future.”

“Today, Komptech is answering that question by relentlessly pursuing innovation towards ensuring a greener future,” Christopher says.

“Supporting the AORA Student Research Awards is an obvious extension of the company’s mission.

“It enhances the effectiveness of AORA – an organisation that may be doing more for the environment in Australia than any other.”

Christopher says the awards also promote innovation in sustainability and environmental health by recognising and rewarding the efforts of young researchers in the field.

“ELB and Komptech are delighted with the quality of the research and presentations of the three winners and are looking forward to the continued growth and success of the programs.”

Skill-up and start producing high quality compost!

The NSW EPA’s free Compost Facility Management Course can improve your knowledge and skills to manage and operate a compost processing facility. This interactive online course can be done at your own pace at a time and place that suits you.

Register now at https://learning.epa.nsw.gov.au and search for the Compost Facility Management Course.

SPECIAL FEATURE – EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Let’s chat compost THE NSW ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY HAS DEVELOPED AN ENGAGING CONVERSATIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE ORGANICS SECTOR.

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relevant notifications, chatbot experiences are even making inroads in the waste sector.

To support the compost industry, e-learning provider IMC has been working with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) via its organics program. IMC and the EPA have developed four-five minute chatbot modules dubbed “Let’s Chat Compost” on the topics of assessing odour, pasteurisation, composting and managing contamination.

The learning sessions aim to simulate ordinary conversations, akin to those you’d have with a friend or

colleague – personal, fun and to the point. They embed personality into the learning content and create a dynamic interaction like one-on-one teaching, making social and interactive e-learning “in dialogue” possible.

The Let’s Chat Compost modules allow users to continue or refresh their learning through the EPA’s existing Compost Facility Management eLearning program, released at the end of last year.

Presented in social media messenger style, the app uses conversation and memes to engage learners to expand on their composting knowledge.

Image credit: Elisabeth Blik -Wildblue Global.

imulated conversational experiences, or chatbots, have been gaining traction across numerous industries.

Conversational learning is a unique concept that delivers knowledge in focused, micro-learning chunks, requiring only three to five minutes of a learner’s time. It aims to put learners in control, use conversation and story-telling to stimulate engagement, build knowledge and allow for active discovery and decision making.

With an increase in chatbot messenger apps offering instantaneous customer service, news and other

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The Compost Facility Management course comprises seven modules and has been designed for regulators and people in all roles working in organics facilities. It uses interactive content, animation and video to engage learners, with the aim of embedding high-level skills and knowledge for best practice facility management.

IMC has leveraged its expertise from working with clients such as National Rugby League, the Department of Health and Human Services, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi to craft unique and conversational learning experiences.

Amanda Kane, Organics Manager at the NSW EPA, says Let’s Chat Compost aims to draw attention to the key processes most relevant to processors, regulators, local government, consultants and waste collection operators.

“Let’s Chat Compost will be a tool to reinforce learning and act as a reminder for what’s happening inside a compost pile that might be causing an odour, or why it’s important to manage contamination and the importance of pasteurisation,” Amanda says.

“IMC’s concept was developed in Germany and designed to look as much like a phone chat as possible. It was in recognition of the platforms we use in everyday life.”

She says that developing smartphone nuggets is an exercise in communicating the most important content in an engaging way.

“The main goal of the nuggets is to get people to take up the course, but also as a reminder for those that have completed the course,” Amanda says.

The app can send notifications to those who have completed the course, encouraging them to share the modules with their colleagues or revisit aspects of their learning.

Amanda adds that companies

Let’s Chat Compost helps users develop new skills and behaviours.

could adapt the program to suit their organisational tone and include additional relevant occupational health and safety and company information.

“The result is not only contributing to the production of a quality product, but upskilling the industry and minimising the environmental impact of one’s operations.

“It’s critical that processors are operating within the conditions of their license, and that if any issues do arise, they know how to respond and communicate with the EPA and advise us what’s happening.”

She says that the smartphone nuggets are aimed to be accessible on multiple devices and link back to course content.

The modules also include expert tips from industry leaders such as SOILCO and Australian Native Landscapes (ANL).

“We wanted to have industry voices to communicate those messages. All

of the course content was filmed at sites around NSW using various technologies,” Amanda says.

“These include ANL’s open windrow or the in-tunnel systems that JR Richards & Sons have up at Grafton and then using team members at all levels to communicate the message, including EPA regulatory staff as well.

“We have had 300 people sign up, and the overall feedback is that people are finding it to be a rewarding learning experience.”

EVA Environmental Director Geraldine Busby, who also worked on the initial training course, oversaw the development of smartphone nuggets.

Carmen Locke, Instructional Designer, IMC AG, says conversational learning allows learners to make decisions while being actively immersed in a one-on-one learning scenario. This increases their ability to retain content, understand concepts and develop new skills and behaviours.

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SPECIAL FEATURE – EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Is your bin healthy?

THE CITY OF SWANS LATEST WASTE EDUCATION INITIATIVE, WHICH INVOLVES AUDITING THE CONTAMINATION LEVELS OF HOUSEHOLD BINS, HAS LED TO A 53 PER CENT DECREASE IN RECYCLING BIN CONTAMINATION..

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rom kerbside collection to education and training, the City of Swan in Western Australia manages all its own waste services.

The city covers a large and diverse area across Perth’s eastern metropolitan region and has a population of 149,195.

Colin Pumphrey, Fleet and Waste Manager, says while some areas of the city are historically efficient in recycling, others with high density populations need further assistance.

Since April, the City of Swan has been conducting ‘health checks’ on

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residential kerbside bins to help the community improve recycling habits and reduce waste contamination.

“We need to understand what areas of the city needed our attention in terms of recycling education, and what areas are already doing well,” Colin says.

“We have worked closely with the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), which had already developed a successful process for bin tagging.”

According to WALGA, similar programs in South Australia have

reduced waste contamination by up to 60 per cent and increased the amount of recycling by 25 per cent.

Colin says bin auditing involves city staff visually checking the contents of general waste and recycling bins in randomly selected areas.

The checks are then followed by constructive individual feedback on how each household can waste less and recycle more.

“Feedback is first provided in the form of a tag on bin handles, which highlights if there are any contaminated items in the recycling

“It’s important for residents to understand the city isn’t just imposing random changes for no good reason. We want them to understand specifically what changes have been made and why?”

Colin Pumphrey City Waste Manager

The City of Swan manages all its own waste services.

bin or items in the general waste bin that could be recycled,” Colin explains.

As a result of the program, Colin says contamination rates in some areas have reduced by 53 per cent.

“In some areas the contamination levels were very high, so it’s a good outcome so far,” he says.

According to Colin, the auditing program is consistent with the city’s wider approach to waste and recycling education.

“As we don’t contract any of our waste collections, we can interact closely with the community to ensure the bins are healthy and uncontaminated,” Colin says.

“It’s not only beneficial in the wider environmental sense, but also helps

the city streamline our education processes.”

Colin says while in some areas the issue of waste separation and contamination is well understood, the real challenge is keeping residents up to date with ongoing changes to the waste and recycling industry.

“It’s important for residents to understand the city isn’t just imposing random changes for no good reason, we want them to understand specifically what changes have been made and why?”

Colin says.

“As Swan has a fairly transient and changing population, we have to keep the education process going – it’s not something you can do once and forget about.”

Changes to the city’s collection services include future food and organics collection trials, a pre-booked year-round bulk and green waste collection and stricter enforcement of contamination regulations.

Colin says changes are in line with the state’s requirements to increase domestic processing and end markets. So far, the City of Swan has audited 2000

properties. “We had a couple of households that resisted quite strongly, but the public response has been really positive,” Colin says.

“After people understand the logic behind the program, they don’t seem to have a problem.”

Colin says city officials tag bins based on their level of contamination: good, intermediate or bad.

“If a bin is tagged negatively, residents are given two weeks to remove the contamination, then if needed, another two weeks to improve,” Colin says.

“During that time, city officials will speak with specific residents about how they can lower their contamination levels, and if changes aren’t made, we tape up their bin.”

Colin says 30 bins have been tapped up by the city so far.

“If people don’t comply after their bin has been tapped, the last resort is for council to take the bin away,” Colin explains.

“We have removed six bins in total, with one given back after discussions with the residents.”

Colin says he is currently writing the program’s final report, which he will then put to council.

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SPECIAL FEATURE – EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Modern family GREEN INDUSTRIES SA’S LATEST EDUCATION PROGRAM SEEKS TO HEIGHTEN THE STATE’S UNDERSTANDING OF WASTE SEPARATION WITH A MULTI-PRONGED DIGITAL CAMPAIGN.

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aking a modern approach to waste education is now more important than ever, with shifting international export markets placing greater significance on reducing contamination.

In the wake of these changes, the South Australian Government created a support package for local government and the recycling industry.

Vaughan Levitzke, Green Industries SA Chief Executive, says an educational kerbside separation campaign was highlighted as part of the package.

“We formed two groups under the package taskforce: one for procurement and one for education,” Vaughan says.

“The education group comprised mostly of councils, waste educators and companies that run material recovery facilities.”

Following engagement with the education group, Vaughan says Green Industries undertook market research with an estimated 1000 South Australian households.

According to Vaughan, the 2018 research examined current levels of contamination and separation knowledge in an attempt to understand information barriers.

“That research showed a clear preference for simple, consistent, state-wide messaging. Time and time again, householders remarked that they would recycle more, if they only knew which bin to use,” he says.

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“People needed easy access to information about what different councils accept in each bin.”

Vaughan Levitzke Green Industries SA Chief Executive

“I have to say, I have not been enamoured with the way we have traditionally conducted education programs.”

Vaughan says with Which Bin, Green Industries are approaching the public from multiple different mediums.

“I think that’s why the program has been successful,” he adds.

Which Bin urges residents to consider what they put in household recycling and organics bins, with the aim of improving the quality of recyclables.

The campaign includes a series of episodic television ads, a linked social media campaign and an educational website.

The Which Bin website is designed to act as a centralised space, where residents can access waste information relevant to their respective council.

Vaughan says Green Industries’ previous engagement program was called Recycle Right. However, focus groups found citizens preferred the name Which Bin. “The problem is that householders weren’t getting consistent information across councils, and the advice they were getting was

often unclear,” Vaughan says.

“People needed easy access to information about what different councils accept in each bin.”

Regulation information for all South Australian councils is available on the Which Bin website.

After a year of research, local South Australian advertising company Showpony were tasked with creating the campaign’s creative collateral.

“The ads are kind of like a sitcom, with links to the US comedy Modern Family,” Vaughan says.

Episode one of the four-part campaign introduces viewers to Vinnie and his family as they learn which bin to use and how to better recycle.

Four episodes have been produced so far, with titles such as “Vinnie embarrasses his daughter and recycles 10c containers for fun” and “Vinnie and Lucy recycle soft plastics … eventually”. When episodes end, viewers are directed to the Which Bin website.

Within the campaign’s first month, Vaughan says Green Industries saw significant traffic on the Which Bin website.

“Most people were accessing the site from mobile phones. The lesson

The Which Bin campaign follows Vinnie and his family.

being, if you’re going to do anything in the digital space, it has to be mobile-friendly,” he says.

“The social media campaign has blown us away through Facebook.”

According to Vaughan, within the campaign reached half a million people in its first month, which he says highlights the importance of a multi-pronged approach.

“Which Bin has its own Facebook page and in the first month we had more than 24,000 engagements on posts. It’s getting significant cut through,” Vaughan says.

Vaughan says as the campaign progresses, Green Industries will begin evaluating its effectiveness by checking bins.

“We are also planning more TV commercials, coming to air in the spring,” he says.

“Most people were accessing the site from mobile phones.

The lesson being, if you’re going to do anything in the digital space, it has to be mobile-friendly.”

Vaughan Levitzke Green Industries SA Chief Executive

“Initial feedback from the public and the media has been very positive.”

A suite of resources for local government has also been developed, including calendars, bin stickers, signage, posters and customisable social media assets.

“All councils need to do is call our office and we can provide access to whatever the council wants to use,” Vaughan says.

The campaign is set to continue for at least three to four years.

“That’s the type of timeline you need to commit to with public education and awareness – I don’t see this going away,” he says.

“We needed a totally new approach and I think combining comedic television ads with an informative website has achieved that. Hopefully it bears fruit.”

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SPECIAL FEATURE – EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The campaign was spawned off the back of a lack of awareness of what happens to our waste after it leaves the kerbside.

Facing our waste A CAMPAIGN WHICH AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF WASTE HOUSEHOLDS PRODUCE IN WA HAS BEEN GAINING ATTENTION THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA.

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t’s been featured on the War on Waste and the mainstream press and it was presented at this year’s Waste 2019 Conference.

Face Your Waste has reached two million households – an extraordinary result in a state of just over 2.5 million.

The campaign allows households to volunteer as bin ambassadors and use a transparent bin.

Mindarie Regional Council (MRC), one of WA’s largest waste authorities in Perth’s north, devised Face Your Waste two years ago with a view to making its residents more conscious of the waste they were producing. The authority is responsible for member councils that

52 / WMR / August 2019

include the cities of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling, Vincent and Wanneroo and the towns of Cambridge and Victoria Park.

Australians generated 13.8 million tonnes of core waste in 2017 (excluding hazardous waste, ash and landfill gas), according to the National Waste Report 2018. In the Perth metro area this was 539 kilograms per capita in 2016-17.

Face Your Waste was spawned off the back of a lack of awareness of what happens to our waste after it leaves the kerbside.

The idea was to confront residents with their waste and inspire better outcomes. Its aims are to reduce contamination, waste to landfill and

most importantly, waste creation in the first place.

Face Your Waste provides practical tips on how to reduce/avoid waste as traditional campaigns talk a lot about dealing with waste better as opposed to not creating so much. It is also aiming to be relatable with a comedic campaign spokesperson “Famous Sharron”, who provides simple tips such as taking reusable bags to the store and favouring quality over quantity.

The message supports that of Own Your Impact, a WA Government initiative focused on inspiring Western Australians to take ownership of their waste.

Geoff Atkinson, Education Manager at MRC, says the campaign has exceeded expectations beyond what council could have imagined.

“It actually got tremendous traction within various aspects of the media and since then basically everyone in the Perth metropolitan area has seen the Face Your Waste message,” Geoff explains.

“We wanted to really capture people’s imagination and get them talking about their waste – a little bit different to other campaigns. While they’re important, it can be easy to gloss over the issue and think that’s someone else’s waste.”

The program was first rolled out in April last year at a variety of households over a two-week period, using its 20 clear bins. MRC’s feedback found that a standard bin cycle was not enough to make a change and soon moved to a complete month.

He says that initial tests showed the 240-litre bins were robust enough to withstand side lift and rear loader trucks. The success of the program has seen more than 350 bin ambassadors registered in the first six months.

Geoff says feedback has been overall positive. He says that anecdotally, people taking part in the trial are making conscious decisions to purchase differently.

“From what we gather with the research we’ve done, transparent bins haven’t been used anywhere else and it’s actually quite unique,” Geoff explains.

Although some residents are concerned about people knowing what’s in their bins, the concept is voluntary and therefore would not affect households that don’t want to participate. The program is not intended to penalise householders in any way but rather increase community engagement.

“We’re not looking to roll this out

to all households on a permanent basis.

I think it has a novelty factor about it.

If everyone had clear bins I wonder if it would work as it would become normalised,” he says.

Anecdotally, the project has drawn attention to how much waste households produce each month.

“When you put your bins out, you don’t really know whether what your putting out is a normal amount or how it ranks in terms of what others put out. So with these bins you can make a comparison to your neighbours.”

He adds that this provides a benchmark for others to look to eliminate unnecessary waste while also potentially identifying contamination more easily.

“It provides a bit of community competition where they can share stories and exchange ideas and make decisions on how they can do it better,” Geoff says.

“Some people thought they were doing things right but then go to see what their bin looked like and realised they produced a lot of avoidable waste or recyclables.”

He says where they have been used at events, including business training, they have proved a useful tool in improving contamination education.

He says numerous other councils in Australia and New Zealand have expressed interest in replicating the concept. The idea might also be able to be linked to other initiatives such as food and garden organic rollouts or single-use plastic bag bans to encourage waste reduction.

“The broader idea behind this campaign is that it can reduce contamination and the amount of waste being produced in the first place. It’s putting it back to grassroots and taking ownership that can be dovetailed into other campaigns,” he says.

As to the project’s next steps?

Geoff says that MRC will look to measure waste reduction outcomes and provide some data on the longevity of behavioural change.

“It’s important to know if people keep reducing their waste after reverting back to normal bins and it creates a pattern of behavioural change that allows people to keep doing the right thing afterwards.

“It’s not how much waste you’ve got in the bin, but how much you can reduce over time. If you’re producing a bin full because you have a number of people in the household, that is fine. It’s about taking steps to bring that amount down.”

The campaign allows households to volunteer as bin ambassadors and take on a transparent bin.

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APCO COLUMN

The power of networks AUSTRALIAN PACKAGING COVENANT ORGANISATION CEO BROOKE DONNELLY SHARES HER LEARNINGS FROM A PACKAGING RECYCLING TOUR OF EUROPE AND THE UNITED KINGDOM.

APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly’s itenerary started in London with the Ellen Macarthur Foundation Workshop.

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s a relatively lean, not-forprofit team, our work at the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has always been delivered through the power of our networks built on shared values and coordinated objectives.

Whether it’s the high quality research insights produced by our academic partners the Institute for Sustainable Futures or the University of NSW, or the world-first PREP portal technology, our partnerships are what allow us to deliver such strong outcomes.

Our work also wouldn’t be possible without Planet Ark, an organisation that was voted Australia’s most

54 / WMR / August 2019

ethical and sustainable brand this year in a consumer trends report.

In June, I had the fantastic opportunity to build even more of these networks and relationships on a global scale during a tour of Europe and the UK. This will ensure that APCO brings home to Australia the leading, best practice activities from around the world to help us understand our position in the global marketplace.

Our itinerary started in London with the Ellen Macarthur Foundation Workshop where we met representatives from a range of countries, including the UK, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Canada, South Africa and attendees from the

World Economic Forum representing developing nations. The session featured a robust discussion on measuring and managing progress on plastics and how this work is being delivered around the globe.

For most countries, the work towards 2025 is still in the consultation and preparation stages, and it’s important to note that it’s really Australia and the UK who are leading in this space. I would say we are actually more advanced than other geographies and while there is still so much to do, Australia is holding its own on the global stage. Our tools and resources, such as the PREP portal and the Packaging Sustainability Framework, are absolutely world leading.

From London we headed north to meet the team at Zero Waste Scotland and learn more about their impressive range of programs, including Recycle for Scotland, Revolve and Resource Efficient Scotland.

I’m looking forward to working more closely with their organisation in the future, with regular contact, information sharing and support on key issues as we progress towards 2025.

We also spent some time in Brussels with the wonderful Ellen Macarthur Foundation senior management team, the EU Commission and some of our other European colleagues. The

team explored topics ranging from everything from consumer labelling to sustainable packaging design, materials circularity and sustainable packaging related issues with key non-government organisations.

Our next stop was Helsinki for the World Circular Economy Forum, a real highlight of the trip that brought together more than 2000 people committed to driving the transition towards a global circular economy.

It was an incredibly powerful and inspiring session. The takeaway message was that businesses recognise that waste is an economic inefficiency, and the transition to a circular economy is completely aligned with good business practices. Also, now is the time for a systemic and collaborative approach so we can start driving definitive actions and outcomes and scaling up our circular activity.

In Germany, I joined PREP Design’s Anthony Peyton and Planet Ark’s Paul Klymenko for Solpack 3.0, Germany’s leading sustainable packaging conference and exhibition.

I was incredibly proud to present Australia’s world-leading sustainable packaging program.

It was wonderful to see the Australian and New Zealand PIDA Award winners on display, and APCO signatories like the Pact Group, Woolworths Group, Sealed Air, Detmold Group and SPC Ardmona, all showcasing their innovation and sustainability credentials to the world. We received incredible engagement from other speakers and exhibitors, and the experience was a real recognition of how advanced Australia is in the packaging space in terms of the circular transition and how much we can all learn from each other.

Solpack 3.0 is a sustainable packaging conference and exhibition.

“Australia is under-selling itself.

As a country we need to recognise that in some areas of sustainability, our approach is world-leading.”

Brooke Donnelly CEO Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation

It was a whirlwind three weeks, but the moment that summarises the trip best for me was the moment I found myself chatting to a European CEO who had visited the EU Commission the day after us. The feedback was that all anyone could talk about is that “the Australians have been here” and “you should see what the Australians are doing”.

What’s clear from having met with the world’s leading minds in sustainable packaging and circular economic thinking is that Australia is under-selling itself. As a country we need to recognise that in some areas of sustainability, our approach is world-leading.

Australia’s model is driving a competitive race to the top

for brand value rather than a compliance-led race to the lowest common denominator. The co-regulatory system requires businesses to demonstrate their value proposition and delivers tangible outcomes as industry sees the value, not just the compliance requirement.

Right now our system is working and we will keep driving progress to ensure an effective and efficient delivery of the sustainable packaging pathways in Australia.

However, while a different regulatory approach may be required in the future, we have in place the support of leading industry groups and government to drive towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets.

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SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS

High temperature incineration WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW TALKS TO METRO NORTH HOSPITAL’S WASTE MANAGER GREGG BUTLER ABOUT CLINICAL WASTE REGULATIONS AND THE BENEFITS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE INCINERATION.

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ecoming one of the healthiest communities in the world by 2026 is the official vision of the Queensland Health Department.

To achieve this outcome, the department is committed to ensuring available resources are used efficiently for future generations, according to the department’s 2018-20 Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan.

To attain desired sustainability, the department has repurposed the waste hierarchy to highlight the importance of waste reduction and recycling within hospitals.

Brisbane’s Metro North Hospital and Health Services Environment and Waste Manager Gregg Butler, who has worked in the health sector for over 40 years, is at the forefront of rethinking waste in the industry.

“Over the years, Metro North have worked to install all sorts of waste management initiatives throughout our facilities,” Gregg says.

Metro North initiatives include the Know “Which Bin To Throw It In” campaign, which educates staff on correct waste segregation and the ‘tube terminator,’ a machine that destroys lightbulbs to reduce the impact of mercury in landfill.

“The money we save through recycling and waste reduction initiatives allows us to buy new equipment such as hospital beds, which is beneficial for the

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community,” Gregg says.

While the waste hierarchy privileges avoidance and reduction, hospitals by their very nature generate a significant amount of waste that cannot be recycled.

“Recycling what we can is important, but a lot of hospital waste is hazardous and needs to be disposed of responsibly, namely clinical waste,” Gregg says.

Clinical waste is an unavoidable waste stream with limited diversion and processing methods. It is generally defined as any waste with the potential to cause disease, including discarded sharps, human tissue and laboratory waste.

Standard Australian destruction practices fall largely into two camps, autoclave and incineration.

“I don’t like treating clinical waste though autoclave because as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t get rid of the pathogens and some of the needle and blood products,” Gregg says.

“AcE Waste are the only ones with incinerators in Queensland, and in my personal opinion, incineration is the way to go.”

To process its clinical waste, Metro North work closely with family owned medical waste disposal company AcE Waste.

AcE Waste was founded in 1987 in response to the need for a professional clinical waste collection and disposal

service. The company provides hospitals, healthcare facilities and other businesses with safe waste collection, storage and disposal services.

Additionally, AcE Waste offers secure transportation and high temperature incineration at their Brisbane treatment facility, located at Willawong “Metro North have had a relationship with AcE Waste since

Incineration guarantees the complete destruction of infectious waste.

they were established in the late 80s,” Gregg says.

“We choose to work with AcE Waste specifically because they incinerate, which I consider the most appropriate disposal method for clinical and related toxic waste.”

According to Gregg, when medical waste regulations came into effect in 1994, AcE Waste were already compliant.

As per the Queensland Government’s clinical and related waste policy, hospital waste must be handled, stored, and transported appropriately to minimise the potential for contact.

Additionally, prior to disposal at landfill, all clinical waste must be treated.

While incineration renders the waste unrecognisable, the bi- product in the form of residual ash still requires disposal at a regulated waste disposal facility, which AcE Waste facilitates.

“They can handle anything clinically

related as far as regulations go, blood products, cytotoxic waste, chemical waste,” Gregg says.

“They take roughly 80 to 90,000 kilograms from Metro North every month, which is substantial, and they have the know how and capacity to dispose of it safely and efficiently.”

The AcE Waste incineration process involves loading waste into a primary chamber and incinerating it at temperatures between 1000 °C and 1150 °C. The exhaust gas from the secondary chamber is then cooled, before being passed through the air pollution control plant.

The process guarantees the complete destruction of infectious waste materials and ensures pathogens and toxic disease are unable to be released into the ground or atmosphere.

“At those temperatures there is no residue what so ever, which means contaminants won’t turn up

in landfill,” Gregg says.

“Additionally, high temperature Incineration converts plastic into energy and is a great substitute for fossil fuels.”

According to Gregg, thermal degradation is a gasification process in essence.

“Not only are volatile plastics used as alternate fuel, the resultant heat destroys pathogens and pharmaceuticals and converts it into carbon dioxide and water,” he says.

Queensland regulations also require clinical waste to be effectively segregated into categories such as chemical waste, human tissue waste and pharmaceutical waste.

“AcE Waste provide appropriate storage bins, which lets staff easily sort waste at the point of disposal,” Gregg says.

“The service has always been A plus with AcE Waste, hence the contracts being renewed over and over again.”

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – LANDFILL COVERS

Major tender awarded THE TARP DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM HAS SECURED A DEAL WITH ONE OF AMERICA’S LARGEST WASTE MANAGEMENT CONTRACTORS, EXPANDING ON ITS REPUTATION IN THE US AND AUSTRALIA.

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he Tarp Deployment System (TDS) has been making significant inroads in the waste sector in Australia and internationally.

In one of the TDS’ biggest successes to date, manufacturers Southwestern Sales Company has been awarded a contract to supply five tarpARMOR TDS Tarp Deployment Systems to one of America’s largest waste management contractors – Waste Management Inc (turnover US $14.5 billion).

The tarping systems will be delivered within a three-week period to provide alternate daily cover for landfills in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The tarpARMOR systems, with patented reusable cover tarps, were selected over many other alternatives to replace soil and non-reusable film that were used for daily cover.

According to South Western Sales Marketing Manager Shannon Harrop, the tender was hotly contested with all major American suppliers of daily cover systems – tarps, spray-on systems and non-reusable film, submitting proposals.

The tarpARMOR systems were selected due to their ability to improve operational efficiencies and a daily cover cost reduction that is onetenth of the existing cover methods.

Also attractive was the TDS’ design simplicity resulting in minimum service requirements, safety and spool capacity.

According to Australian TDS distributor Jaylon, these same features

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have resulted in sales figures in Australia exceeding expectations.

Manager Alan Liebeck says councils and waste operators in Australia can purchase a TDS unit in Australia in the full knowledge that operators throughout North America and in every state in Australia see the same value.

“In almost every Australian case study, the payback period is less than two years when comparing the cost of covering with tarps in comparison to soil. When the opportunity cost of lost airspace is taken into consideration the economics are even more attractive,” Alan says.

One of the most often asked questions regarding tarp cover systems is their ability to withstand windy conditions.

The best testimonial for the TDS units patented tarpLOX system is its ability to withstand Cyclone Marcus, which hit Darwin in March 2018 with sustained winds of 95 kilometres an hour and wind gusts of more than 130 kilometres an hour. Four months earlier, Darwin City Council purchased a TDS unit with four standard 32-metre tarps each with six ballast cables for use at the Shoal Bay Landfill, sixteen kilometres from Darwin.

All four tarps were on the tip face when the cyclone reached Darwin and it was not until the next day that the tarps could be checked.

After surveying the damage to

The TDS units patented tarpLOX system had the ability to withstand Cyclone Marcus.

the city, the landfill operators were expecting the worse and were resigned to the tarps being somewhere in the Kakadu National Park. Upon inspection, they were pleasantly surprised to see all four tarps in place just as they were left prior to the cyclone.

Landfill Manager Aaron Sacagio at the time commented “well if you need evidence that your tarps can withstand 100 kilometres per hour winds then here it is”.

The TDS units are available with a range of accessories including security engine covers, lights and an odour control spray system.

Contact Alan Liebeck Phone: 07 3881 1904 Email: aliebeck@jaylon.com.au Website: www.jaylon.com.au

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT – LANDFILL COVERS AND MATERIAL HANDLERS

POSI-SHELL PRESERVES LANDFILL AIRSPACE The most valuable element of a landfill is disposal airspace.

The pitfalls of traditional soil cover are well documented and for this reason Posi-Shell was developed as a spray-applied coating for landfill alternative daily cover.

The Posi Shell system is scalable to suit any size landfill.

By replacing traditional soil cover, the Posi-Shell system preserves landfill airspace. Efficient use of airspace can directly translate into longer landfill life, decreased operating costs and increased profits. It is also a major benefit for landfill operators looking to extend the life of existing cells.

Originally developed in the US, Posi-Shell is now manufactured in Australia.

Posi-Shell is a patented blend of mineral binders, reinforcing fibres and polymers that, when mixed with water or leachate, turns into a thin but durable stucco-like material. It’s applied by a specific applicator that sprays the material onto the landfill at the end of each day where it forms a daily cover.

The Posi-Shell system is scalable to suit any size landfill and is a multi-use solution that can also be used for dust control, hydro seeding and erosion control.

A unique property of Posi-Shell is that it is non-flammable wet and dry and can also be used to put out and prevent landfill fires.

Contact Contact: Envirofix Phone: 0408 846 195 Email: contact@envirofix.com.au Website: www.envirofix.com.au

LIEBHERR’S CUSTOMISED MATERIAL HANDLERS The recycling industry is growing rapidly and changing at the same pace.

According to Liebherr, many waste disposal companies have developed from generalists to highly specialised recycling operations.

This has brought with it a whole new set of challenges to be met by the machines used in the recycling industry.

Liebherr acknowledges this and develops machines and equipment options for every need and application.

The company manufactures many different components, including but not limited to engines, fuel injection systems and hydraulic cylinders, which have to be optimally configured for each other. Liebherr believes this diverse componentry experience allows it to offer extremely capable yet efficient machines.

Even when developing these components, the requirements of future applications are taken into account to ensure that Liebherr specialised machines are optimally prepared for every feasible working situation.

Liebherr material-handling machines are used for a wide variety of tasks in the recycling and waste management sector. Mobile material-handling machines, crawler material handlers, wheel loaders, dozers and crawler loaders all aim to sort, separate and load recyclables and solid waste quickly,

The new generation of Liebherr material handlers is adept at a wide range of tasks.

reliably and efficiently. These materials include glass, metal, wood, paper and agricultural waste.

The new generation of Liebherr material handlers are adept at a wide range of tasks: feeding a conditioner or crusher, loading and unloading trucks and containers, sorting materials and waste products and piling up and moving materials of any kind.

Contact Phone: (02) 9852 1800 Email: em-sales.las@liebherr.com Website: www.liebherr.com.au www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 59

CHECK OUT wastemanagementreview.com.au

The Waste Management Review website features: • • • • •

Breaking news, updated daily Features loaded in fully digital form Events section Search bar for easy access to relevant information Mobile-friendly for updates on the go

AUSTRALIA’S SPECIALIST WASTE MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT – SORTING AND SEPARATING

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

THE KOMPTECH METALFEX Increasingly stringent standards for recycled organic waste products such as compost and mulch have driven demand for innovative separation solutions.

While many products exist for ferrous metals separation, non-ferrous separators have largely been confined to stationary applications like materials recovery facilities.

Komptech has responded with a mobile solution that combines ferrous and non-ferrous metal separation: the Komptech Metalfex.

Designed for conveyor feed, the Metalfex has a typical The first Metalfex arrives in Australia later in 2019.

overband ferrous separator. It removes non-ferrous metals using an eddy current separator with eccentric pole system, discharging the metals and the cleaned fraction via two folding conveyors to the left and right of the machine. Like many of Komptech’s hybrid power units, the Metalfex’s components are electrically powered, either from the on-board diesel generator or from the grid. It is available in compact hooklift, easily manoeuvrable two-axle trailer or mobile site chassis versions.

The Metalfex can be used with shredded waste wood and bulk waste, industrial and commercial waste, household waste, mixed construction waste and shredder output.

With its tough, powerful design, it can take input grain sizes up to 300 millimetres in an extremely wide range of materials.

The first Metalfex arrives in Australia later in 2019.

ELB Equipment, Komptech’s distributor in Australia & New Zealand, is currently booking demonstrations.

Contact Contact: ELB Equipment Phone: 1300 ELB EQU Email: www.elbequip.com/contact-us Website: www.elbquip.com

ATRITOR TURBO SEPARATOR The Atritor Turbo Separator was developed to separate products from their packaging, releasing them for recycling or disposal.

Available through Australian distributor Wastech Engineering, the Turbo Separator enables up to 99 per cent of dry or liquid products to be separated from their packaging with minimal contamination. This allows the contents to be used for compost, anaerobic digestion or animal feedstock.

The Turbo Separator can be manufactured in a range of throughputs up to 20 tonnes per hour.

Additionally, the process is so efficient that it leaves the packaging relatively intact and clean to facilitate downstream recycling. According to Wastech, when compared to other methods of packaging separation, the Turbo Separator achieves higher separation efficiencies with lower power consumption, resulting in reduced operating costs.

The Turbo Separator is ideal for separating out of specification, out of date and mislabeled products from a variety of packaging, including cans, plastic bottles and boxes. The diverse range of applications includes the separation of paper from gypsum in plasterboard, general foodstuffs from their packaging and liquids from their containers.

It is available complete with infeed and outfeed conveyors

The Turbo Separator enables up to 99 per cent of dry or liquid products to be separated from their packaging.

and liquid transfer pumps. The Turbo Separator, with its durable construction and adjustable paddles, enables the separation of a wide variety of products. Each Turbo Separator installation can be configured to suit multiple applications and a variable shaft speed enables enhanced separation efficiency.

The machine is available in mild steel and stainless steel to suit the application.

Contact Contact: Alan Barclay Phone: 1800 465 465 Email: abarclay@wastech.com.au Website: www.wastech.com.au

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 61

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – SORTING AND SEPARATING

PETERSON 2700 SERIES GRINDER Peterson’s 2710D caters to high production operations for wood and green waste and frequent moves between jobs.

Available through Australian supplier Komatsu Forest, the Peterson 2710D is accessible in five different models, including 4710, 5710 and 6710.

The machine provides the choice of engines of a powerful Caterpillar Tier IV C15 580 horsepower or optional Tier II C18 765 horsepower for export. As a heavy duty and mobile machine, the 2710D offers high throughputs in a reduced size.

Peterson’s three-stage grinding process provides a consistent product and better fracturing of material than previous models.

Its patented impact release system airbags provides uniform grinding and protection from contaminated feedstock.

Its large feed opening is ideal for processing odd sized feedstock. The opening is among the largest in its class, measuring in at 60 by 32 inches, and offers a maximum lift of 42 inches.

Urethrane cushions and shear pins aim to protect the mill from catastrophic damage in the event of contaminated feedstock.

The 2710D also features a large grate area that enables it to produce materials to exact specifications. The quick

Peterson’s three-stage grinding process offers better fracturing of material than previous models.

change multiple grate system makes it easy to customise grate configurations and produce a range of finished materials. Grates can be removed through an easy access door on the side wall.

Contact Contact: Komatsu Forest Phone: 02 9647 3600 Email: info.au@komatsuforest.com Website: www.komatsuforest.com.au

SHREDDERS, CRUSHERS AND GRANULATORS Waste Management Review’s September issues highlights the latest innovations in shredding, crushing and granulating to support increased productivity in plastics recycling.

PARTICIPATION IN THE PROMOTIONAL FEATURE INCLUDES: A full page advert A feature professionally written by a Waste Management Review Journalist The article posted on the magazine’s website – www.wastemanagementreview.com.au – with free open access The article distributed in the industry-specific e-newsletter – Waste Management Review eNews Weekly

BOOKING DEADLINE: TUESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2019 For more information about taking part in this promotional opportunity, contact:

Chelsea Daniel-Young on 0425 699 878 or email chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT – SORTING AND SEPARATING

TOMRA SORTING’S NEAR-INFRARED TECHNOLOGY TOMRA Sorting leverages near-infrared technology across a range of specialised products to increase revenues and reduce costs and the impact on the environment.

The near-infrared technology is ideal for packaging, municipal solid waste, thermoplastics, paper, commercial and industrial and construction and demolition waste, organic waste, refuse-derived fuel, bulky waste, wood and thermoplastics.

In particular the introduction of the laser object detection (LOD) now allows for sorting materials with no specific infrared signals.

Laser object detection sensors use a 3D laser system TOMRA Sorting leverages nearinfrared technology across a range of specialised products.

to physically detect items the spectrometer can’t detect.

This now allows considerably improved removal of contaminants from various product streams.

Its multifunctional Autosort has been upgraded to include a user-friendly touchscreen to allow users to access various sorting programs.

Available through Australian supplier Cemac technologies, the company also offers select TOMRA technology to suit each application.

TOMRA Sorting’s Autosort flake combines colour detection with enhanced material and metal objects simultaneously to offer better purity and yield with the one machine.

Its Autosort fines was built to sort small fractions across multiple applications with a wider mechanical setup.

TOMRA Sorting’s Finder is able to target metal objects using patented z-tect technology which leverages artificial intelligence to detect and ignore disturbing noise and lead to a stable purity and high yield.

Contact Contact: Eric Paulsen Phone: 0455 920 888 Email: eric.paulsen@cemactech.com Website: www.cemactech.com

STEINERT UNISORT BLACK OFFERS CLEANER NIR SORTING SOLUTION STEINERT’s UniSort Black near-infrared (NIR) sorting technology was designed to separate traditionally “undetectable” materials.

The technology aims to give waste disposal and recycling companies the opportunity to increase their yields by sorting valuable materials out of the waste stream. This boosts their value and prevents the need for landfill or thermal recovery.

STEINERT notes that materials such as dark objects and glass don’t have a distinctive NIR signature and are not detectable by conventional NIR sensor sorters.

The UniSort Black scans the material on the fly after it leaves the conveyor belt which allows the scanner to “see” and remove those undetectable materials. It also increases the separation of rolling objects.

The scanning method enables a wide range of applications.

These include separating PVC and contaminants in refusederived fuel production. The machine can also be used in compost applications to separate plastics, glass and other contaminants. Likewise, it supports the separation of plastics, organics and metals from construction and demolition and commercial and industrial waste. Another key capability is municipal solid waste plastics sorting.

The UniSort Black identifies, sorts and recovers black, dark and unknown objects.

The UniSort Black can be equipped with a metal sensor or dust extraction and has a range of additional features, from automatic calibration to service maintenance platform, to suit an operator’s application.

Contact Contact: Johann Hefner Phone: 0499 500 801 Email: hefner@steinert.com.au website: www.steinert.com.au

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 63

EXHIBITION SPACE NOW ON SALE S U PPORTI NG S PONSORS

1ST - 3RD APRI L 2020

MELBOUR NE CONV ENT ION & EX H IBIT ION CENT R E

ASS OC I ATI ON PA RT NERS

LAST WORD

No more excuses, let’s get cracking THERE’S A LOT THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED, IF ONLY THE STATE, TERRITORY AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS STEPPED UP AND CHANGED REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS AND EXERCISED PROCUREMENT POWER, WRITES AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT DAVID O’LOUGHLIN.

I

t’s not news that local governments across Australia are struggling with the plummeting values of recyclables.

This is especially the case since China and other countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia announced bans on imports of developed countries’ waste.

What is new is that there are now a number of proven solutions that can be implemented rapidly – provided the states, territories and Commonwealth show some backbone by releasing waste levy funds, investing in on-shore jobs and agreeing on national targets and standards.

One of the main problems councils and others are facing is a lack of demand for used plastics, here and worldwide. Global demand may take time to recover. In the meantime, we know that we can use these materials here in Australia, because local councils are partnering with industry to confront the problem.

For example, Lake Macquarie City Council in NSW worked with Downer Group to turn used plastic bags, recycled glass and printer toner into road and pavement materials. In my home state of South Australia, the City of Port Adelaide

David O’Loughlin believes global demand for used plastics may take time to recover.

Enfield has worked with Fulton Hogan to turn the equivalent of 140,000 plastic bags into a new road surfacing material called PlastiPhalt.

That prevented about 110 tonnes of waste plastic from going into local landfill.

These are just two examples of councils across Australian trialling plastics in emulsions. The trials demonstrate the final product is equal or superior to conventional asphalt. Costs involved in the trials have been only marginally higher, and are widely expected to be cheaper as demand increases.

There are many other examples of councils showing leadership by choosing to purchase new products that incorporate recyclables. These include using crushed glass in the sand mix for drainage maintenance projects in Alice Springs, rubber crumb from used tyres in spray seal emulsions in Naracoorte, reclaimed asphalt being incorporated into new asphalt in Adelaide and councils everywhere using bollards, benches and wheel stops manufactured from recycled soft plastics, including plastic bags.

More can be done if state governments show financial leadership. Most state governments have collected waste levies for years. But instead of returning it to the local councils, or investing in Australian jobs, they are increasingly using the money for general revenue.

At the same time as some state environment ministers are ratcheting up the pressure to recycle on councils, their treasurers are spending waste levies collected from households and businesses on spin doctors, travel perks and office renovations. It’s got to stop.

South Australia in June increased its waste levy by 40 per cent, on top

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 65

LAST WORD

of a 15 per cent increase in last year’s budget. This year, NSW will collect over $750 million in waste levies, with 82 per cent of it going straight to general revenue!

Collectively, state governments are now sitting on more than $1 billion in waste levies. This year they will collect over a billion more.

This underlines the fact that there is no funding crisis standing in the way of improving recycling.

Quite the contrary, there are ample funds to co-invest with councils and industry to create local jobs, exercise preferential procurement, fund research and development, drive changes to regulations and standards and turn a crisis into a worldleading opportunity.

There’s a lot that can be achieved, and it would be a lot easier if the new Morrison Government stepped up and standardised packaging labelling, phased out difficult plastics, regulated imports and set national standards like a nationwide container deposit scheme to clean up supply channels.

It would be even better if they established a partnership fund to tease the money out of the states’ waste levy funds to drive industry development and job creation here in Australia, not in China.

Local governments across the nation stand ready to play our role, in fact many are doing it already, demonstrating new products and showing how procurement power can drive real change.

Procurement power must be part of the solution. We know a huge proportion of today’s recycled plastics supply chain can be incorporated into equivalent or superior road materials. However if Australia’s largest road funders – governments – don’t specify them,

66 / WMR / August 2019

“There’s a lot that can be achieved, and it would be a lot easier if the new Morrison Government stepped up and standardised packaging labelling, phased out difficult plastics, regulated imports and set national standards like a nationwide container deposit scheme to clean up supply channels.”

David O’Loughlin Australian Local Government Association President

or fail to purchase them, the material will go to waste, making a mockery of the very purpose of the states’ lucrative waste levies.

The real dilemma is that, according to Planet Ark, we’re only seeing about 12 per cent of Australia’s plastics production appearing in the waste stream. That means 88 per cent of our current and previous production remains in households, cars, and industry – a ticking plastic time bomb. If we can’t deal with the 12 per cent, how will we cope when the remainder enters the waste stream?

Of course, the recycling challenge involves more than just plastic. There are solutions for other materials such as glass and paper, tyres, as well as food and green waste.

But often the implementation phase is compromised.

Victoria on 1 July introduced an e-waste ban to stop items with plugs, batteries or cords from entering landfill, but hasn’t given councils additional funds to cope with the changes. And then there’s what to do about photovoltaic cells – solar panels

– that reach the end of their lifespan.

Equally, waste-to-energy solutions shouldn’t be discounted as they may be an important part of an integrated solution, but how might they impact recycling?

Stockpiles of recyclable materials will increase until the state and federal governments show leadership and drive reform. Some of it is incredibly simple. For example, if all levels of government mandated the use of recyclable materials in road surfacing hot mix and spray seal, we could get rid of over 50 per cent of Australia’s plastics problem immediately. The products have been proven in the lab and on the ground around the country.

There’s a lot that can be achieved, if only the state, territory and federal governments stepped up and changed regulations and standards, exercised procurement power and invested in Australian jobs. These are not matters local governments can change on our own, yet we are more than ready to play our part.

No more excuses. Let’s get cracking.

INCREDIBLY TOUGH:

INCREDIBLY TOUGH: THE TERMINATOR

NEW

NEW

THE TERMINATOR

Large loading area with tilt-hopper

Powerful Caterpillar®diesel engine with latest Powerful exhaustCaterpillar®treatment

Large loading area with tilt-hopper

diesel engine with latest exhaust treatment

Shredding unit for waste and biomass

Shredding unit for waste and biomass Hydraulically adjustable counter comb Operating console with large colour display

Hydraulically adjustable counter comb

Operating console with large colour display Please speak to us regarding innovative solutions to waste recycling requirements.

SALES - SERVICE - PARTS - HIRE

Please speak to us regarding innovative solutions to waste recycling requirements.

ELB SALES Equipment is the exclusive Australia: 1300 ELB EQU - SERVICE - PARTS - HIRE New Zealand: 0800 4ELBNZ distributor of Komptech products in Australia and New Zealand.

elbquip.com.au

PROVEN PRODUCTIVITY

2710D Horizontal Grinder Portable Efficient 2710D&Horizontal Grinder

Engine & Efficient Portable Length Engine Weight Length Feed Opening Weight Feed Opening

433 kW or 570 kW cm 433 kW or1612 570 kW 30900 kg 1612 cm 15330900 x 81 cm kg 153 x 81 cm

5710D Horizontal Grinder High Production with Consistent Sizing 5710D Horizontal Grinder

6710D Horizontal Grinder Largest with Highest Output 6710DGrinder Horizontal Grinder

Length Engine Weight Length Feed Opening Weight Feed Opening

Length Engine Weight Length Feed Opening Weight Feed Opening

EngineProduction with Consistent Sizing 722 kW High

Peterson is represented by Komatsu Forest in Australia and Peterson is represented Komatsu Forestproduct in Australia and New Zealand, providingby industry-leading support New Zealand, providing industry-leading product support and expertise. and expertise.

www.komatsuforest.com.au www.komatsuforest.com.au

1800 cm 722 kW 42184 kg 1800 cm 152 42184 x 102 cm kg 152 x 102 cm

Engine Grinder with Highest Output 839 kW Largest 1860 cm 839 kW 48987 kg 1860 cm 168 48987 x 127 cm kg 168 x 127 cm

Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. 11/4 Avenue of Americas 11/4 Avenue of Americas Newington NSW 2127 Australia NSW 2127 Australia T: +61 2 9647 3600,Newington E: info.au@komatsuforest.com T: +61 2 9647 3600, E: info.au@komatsuforest.com