Waste at the centre of ‘circular economy’ Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au A BUSINESSMAN who spearheaded plastic recycling in Victoria is hoping to turn a tip on the Mornington Peninsula into a multi-million dollar “recycling park incubator”. Urban Mining Industries managing director Edward Meysztowicz said his idea came from seeing the need for a circular economy, jobs creation and sustainability, and realising that the recycling industry could address all three issues. Meysztowicz says his idea will create jobs for the future on the peninsula and support the development of the hydrogen economy by converting waste plastic into hydrogen. The proposal includes relocating Melbourne-based food, plastics and tyre recycling plants to the Tyabb transfer station, subject to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council approval. “This will help deliver the council’s own Zero Waste to Landfill 2030 goals and reduce costs for ratepayers, otherwise forced to rely on trucking waste to distant landfill,” Meysztowicz said. In 2003, Meysztowicz established Branin Recycles in Melbourne to use food waste for stock or cattle food. He
RECYCLING entrepreneur Ed Meysztowicz, centre, wants to move Melbourne-based operations to Tyabb. He is pictured with forklift operator Toa Timote, left, and loader operator Anne Century. Picture: Supplied says he has turned more than 300,000 tonnes of food waste into new food, in the form of meat and milk. Fifteen years later the company started build-
ing a new plastics recycling plant, propelled by Meysztowicz’s own “zero-waste-to-landfill” philosophy. “The plant converts the plastic film
waste in your rubbish bin to new plastic film products like recycling bags. This is the circular economy in action. We want to scale it in the right home,” he said. Meysztowicz said it was often difficult for recyclers to expand or stay afloat because of high costs, red tape and a “broken system”. “Right now, if you have a great idea for recycling something, nobody will give you land or insure you, so it can’t start,” he said. “Waste export bans for things like plastic and tyres have met a lack of onshore infrastructure for recycling, so tyres are being dumped on the side of the road or illegally stockpiled, even on the peninsula. “Plastic is filling warehouses or going to landfill. I am fighting to scale up proven recycling solutions that resolve land and insurance constraints and support the scaling of a circular economy. “This recycling park will give locals, governments and regulators an insight into what the circular economy looks like.” Meysztowicz said that despite the doom and gloom in the industry, there was hope for a better future if authorities embraced his notion of a circular economy.
Virtual fence cuts wildlife losses A VIRTUAL fencing trial on Browns Road and Jetty Road in Boneo is potentially reducing the number of animal deaths in a section of road by around 50 per cent, according to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The virtual fence, which consists of solar-powered units attached to roadside posts, operates at night and is triggered by the headlights of approaching vehicles. Once triggered, the units emit a sound and light stimulus that deters nearby kangaroos and wallabies from crossing the road. Infrastructure manager Tom Haines-Sutherland said the virtual fencing was not expected to reduce not prevent all collisions. “We are still seeing a few wildlife casualties, mainly eastern grey kangaroos. Manufacturer trials in Tasmania suggest up to a 50 per cent reduction in wildlife and vehicle collisions in virtual fencing locations,” he said. “We are monitoring and maintaining the units routinely to pick up any faults and repair or replace where necessary.” Council working on the trial with the Mornington Peninsula Wildlife Action Group and Greens Bush Association. Liz Bell
COMMENT
No joy in federal budget for peninsula By Zoe McKenzie* THE first Albanese budget is one of concern for Mornington Peninsula residents. There was no clarity on the future of our road and rail projects. Instead of considering our need for more specialist training on the peninsula, the federal government took away what was to be our only higher education institute, one dedicated to the study of environmental and climate science no less. Over several years, the former Coalition government directed a significant amount of money towards improving the peninsula’s roads where they have become patently unsafe. Where the Mornington Peninsula Freeway meets Jetty Road, the township of Rosebud is bifurcated between homes on one side, and child care and schools on the other, creating a horrific game of freeway-frogger, as mums with prams and kids with school bags, dash across a stretch of
road where drivers, often unfamiliar with the peninsula, are coming off a 100km freeway, onto an 80kph state arterial road - with oncoming traffic from four directions. Further north, the major thoroughfare of the Nepean Highway, has a number of unsafe intersections – chief among them, Uralla Road and Forest Drive, Mount Martha which have been the site of many serious accidents. The fully funded upgrades of these roads by the Commonwealth, are yet to be delivered by the state government. Forest Drive is stuck in a timeline blowout and Uralla Road has no start or completion date.. Finally, there’s $225 million sitting waiting to support the electrification of Baxter rail, a project which seems to have had the highest credentialled political support: it was originally secured by the then MPs for Dunkley and Flinders, Chris Crewther and Greg Hunt, and received the cocommitment from Dunkley MP Peta
Murphy, together with none other than the prime minister when he was shadow infrastructure minister. Already appropriated, these funds should be secured for the peninsula, but whether they become a reality or not depends entirely on the commitments made by state candidates and the outcome of this month’s state election. The commitments [Liberal Nepean candidate] Sam Groth and [Liberal Hastings candidate] Briony Hutton have made to these projects are huge: a combined $175 million for Jetty Road, and $971 million for Baxter rail. I hope that the Labor candidates for Nepean and Hastings match them. But if the party which forms government after the state election has not backed in Jetty Road and Baxter rail, the Albanese government may remove the funds for these projects, as it did this week with the National Centre for Coasts and Climate - which was due to receive its final $8 million in funding from the Commonwealth, before
groundworks commenced next year. The National Centre for Coasts and Climate was to establish a world-leading research precinct in Point Nepean National Park. Funded in the 2019 budget, it would establish an interdisciplinary research facility on marine and coastal ecosystems, climate science and environmental management. Bringing together two of Australia's best universities, Melbourne and Monash, world class research would have enlivened some of the rapidly deteriorating buildings at Point Nepean. It would have established a hub for community engagement and education around all things relating to our unique waters and wildlife. When more than $17 million has already gone into this project and years of public consultation undertaken, the move to cancel it seems senseless and at vast odds with the government’s narrative regarding the environment and climate change.
For those who were hoping for costof-living relief and support for local businesses, the budget fails to address the key issues of the peninsula. There is nothing to address our critical lack of workers across all industries, nor to create more child care places. During the federal election campaign, Labor repeatedly promised an increase in real wages, but its budget builds in a decrease in real wages. Inflation is predicted to stay above seven per cent; interest rates to continue to climb, energy prices to increase by over 50 per cent, gas prices above 40 per cent, while property prices are forecast to drop up to 20 per cent; and the threat remains that Labor will abolish the tax cuts legislated by the previous government. Overall, it is a bad budget for hard-working Flinders families and businesses. *Liberal Zoe McKenzie is the MP for Flinders
Southern Peninsula News
2 November 2022
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