Sydney Recycling Park by imexpert

ISSUE 27 November/December 2008

www.insidewaste.com.au

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New IS ass WA te em am •C onfe bled plan r s fo ence •C r omm 2 unic 009 opi ati pag nions ng es 9 –12 •

14 16 20 20 27

Publication

Commodity price crash: where’s metal headed? Back from the brink, a landfill site resurrected The ‘buddy system’ for well skilled workers Product Profile: Compost turners

The Official Publication of the Waste Management Association of Australia

Landfill owners break ranks

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The Australian Landfill Owners Association (ALOA) has been formed to advocate that sector’s views to government. Aiming to pull in any private operator or council with a facility taking more than 50,000 tonnes of any waste annually, its formation comes in response to frustration the Waste Management Association’s ‘broad church’ has not enabled landfillers to adequately push their concerns, especially over emissions trading. Founding members are Thiess, Transpacific Industries, WSN, Boral, Hanson, Brisbane City Council and Veolia. SITA refused an invitation to be at the first meeting, but it and any other large landfill owner are still invited to join. “We need an association that is focused only on landfills and is not distracted by other issues,” says Veolia’s Max Spedding, who is also the current head of WMAA’s landfill division, which he argues will still have a role. “While WMAA is a great vehicle for developing research and best practice, it’s not a great vehicle for lobbying”. Thiess’ Colin Sweet chaired the inaugural ALOA meeting in late November. At print time it was early days in terms of the group’s structure, but with Continued page 3

WSN carve off sparks salivation NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal has confirmed the cashstrapped state plans to “unlock capital” by selling waste arm WSN Environmental Solutions, although it will be “business as usual” while a review is undertaken “to consider the optimal transaction strategy”. Implications of the Commonwealth Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme are among the issues being considered. Suitors are already circling the company’s 11 Sydney waste sites and one MRF at Moruya on the south coast. A total value of $250-300 million has been touted, although many are hoping WSN will be broken up to encourage greater market competition. Division into perhaps three geographical regions is one possibility, but there are strong calls for the government to open the process to public tender to determine exactly how it is sold.

Commodity price crash Falling commodity prices are hurting recyclers and the clients who have risk-sharing agreements in place with them, especially in scrap metal and plastics. “It’s certainly knocked us about a fair bit,” says Aaron Lee from the nation’s biggest council, Brisbane City Council, which has risk sharing arrangements in place with Visy. Lee says hedging arrangements will partly shelter it until the new year, but then “it probably equates to a couple of million dollars a year we’re going to lose”. A lot of pain is also being felt by collection companies locked into contracts with generators, with those unable to activate contract variation clauses unlikely to be so generous with their tenders when contracts are renegotiated. But the worst hit is obviously the MRF operators left holding the can as demand for material dries up. For more on the commodity price crisis, see page 14.

Transpacific Industries’ head Terry Peabody told Inside Waste “we will be a very interested buyer”. Despite its current debt levels causing the TPI shareprice to tank, Peabody is “quite confident” it could raise the equity. But TPI and French multi-nationals won’t be the only bidders at an auction. “We’re very interested in the sale, particularly in the sale of the recycling business,” says Visy’s Lee Smith, who claims recycling operations have been part of a “package deal” for WSN and not something it “really focused on”. Smith says WSN also has attractive real estate assets and, “whatever form the sale comes in, we’re interested”. “We don’t really want to be in the waste [disposal] business,” but if it is an all or nothing deal, “we’d look around for other parties interested in being involved in some sort of joint venture”.

Inside Image

The “dump chook” silhouette is a familiar sight at the nation’s landfills, although Bundaberg Regional Council has found a way to eliminate them – see page 18 for full story.

NEWS

Levy to plug budget black hole? Waste to Sydney landfills will attract a state government levy of at least $128/tonne in 2016, with the NSW mini-budget outlining plans to lift the existing waste levy by $10+CPI next July, and every year until 2016. The cash strapped state is also extending the areas covered by the levy and expects to raise more than $80 million from the sector in 2011/12. Acting Department of Environment and Climate Change head Joe Woodward circulated a note saying, “the levy has been the NSW Government’s most effective tool in driving resource recovery”, but current levels were not enough to meet the 2014 recycling targets, 66% for municipal waste. The move to make landfill more expensive was supported generally across the resource recovery sector, despite calls from recyclers for a differential levy that would cost less for their inert residues than for untreated municipal waste. But ongoing criticisms of how the “waste tax” is spent have flared again. Shadow Environment Minister Pru Goward called it, “just another tax hike that... will do nothing to reduce waste going to landfill, it will simply go towards plugging Labor’s budget black hole”. “Of the $300 million raised so far, only $13.25 million has been spent on waste management programs. The State Labor Government says the rest is spent on the environment, but in reality it goes into consolidated revenue,” Goward claims. Meanwhile, councils in the Blue Mountains, the

In Brief

Intervention thinktank Some 21 “big ideas” from about 15 thinkers were submitted after the WA Waste Authority called for suggestions on how to spend $10m on “significant interventions”. Most (12) related to strategic industry planning, with infrastructure (5) and organics (3) other topics.

AWT drumming along Massive sections of the $80 million AWT being built for Perth’s Mindarie Regional Council have been delivered – four 150 tonne, 33m long pieces to make up the two composting drums at the facility’s heart.

Weeding out organics Cash grab to some, reform driver to others.

Wollondilly and along the coastal strip from the Hunter to the Queensland border were caught mostly off-guard by an announcement that they will face a $10 levy for the first time in July, also increasing by $10+CPI annually until 2016. Justifying the move, Woodward says waste disposal in the Sydney metropolitan area decreased 3% between 2000-2007/08, while outside the city it rose 3%. But Tweed Shire Council and Blue Mountains City Council both complained about a lack of consultation, and said the levy will impede existing resource recovery plans.

The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) has released a new 4-page guideline on the correct handling and recycling of green waste. It is urging local governments and gardeners to manage organics recycling to help combat the spread of weeds.

Indigenous and industrious WCRA NSW is coordinating a project aimed at attracting, training and retaining skilled Indigenous workers to the industry, which it says could be a win-win situation for waste managers and for disadvantaged communities. It aims to identify 30 potential positions by the end of this year, and begin filling them in early 2009.

Illegal dump bumped A long-standing illegal rubbish dump operating at Latrobe University’s Beechworth campus in Melbourne has been closed and the site cleaned up, says EPA Victoria.

Qld waste strategy drags on Queenslanders will wait even longer for a waste strategy, with Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara now waiting to see the detail of the federal emissions trading scheme, due in December. The state’s powerful local government bloc has further dug its heels in against a landfill levy until the impacts of a carbon price are known. It is the third time the deadline for a final strategy has moved, from mid-2008 to the end the year and now beyond, bringing it dangerously close to the election cycle. Meanwhile, WCRA Queensland chief Rick Ralph is continuing his campaign against environmental protection

regulations gazetted in early November. The big issue now though is that instead of the licensing threshold kicking in for transfer stations taking on average 30tonne a day across a year, it will apply to sites handling 30 tonnes on any single day. NSW adopted a similar stance last year after finding it too unwieldy to wait a year to prove a site’s average takings. But Ralph claims this could see a huge number of sites non-compliant come January 1, including mainstream industry and sewage treatment plants that store material before collection. WCRA is writing to the minister seeking a deferral pending further advice.

From page 1 the expectation the Commonwealth white paper on its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme will be released by December 15, there is urgency for ALOA to be ready to respond. It is expected members will contribute funds relative to their size, with one executive officer appointed. Hanson’s Sam Bateman says it is likely positions will be put to a member vote and advocated on some form of majority, with founding members retaining veto power over any decisions. Bateman says ALOA also hopes to “get

ourselves under the wing of an already established lobby group”, leveraging the connections and experience of “someone we feel comfortable with” in terms of its positions on issues. While ALOA members will still have differing views on many issues, Bateman says “we’re going to be talking about landfills only – we’re going to somehow try and divorce those issues from any other waste management issues”. “We will not be trying to run a conference, we will not be trying to invite guest speakers or anything like that,” he says. WMAA will retain that role at least.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

news nov/dec 2008

Sims takes the lead on e-waste

Profile

Tim Youe I joined the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) in Perth four years ago after working in the international transport and logistics arena. My current role as manager business development reaches into many areas but still maintains a core focus on developing income streams from the Regional Resource Recovery Centre’s Greenhouse Friendly waste composting project and MRF. First job in the waste industry? Was as a sales consultant with BFI Waste, now SITA. I like to think I got the job because I convinced them they needed me more than I needed them, but then maybe I was the only applicant. Favourite part of your job? In general it’s the variety and the people but if I had to pick one aspect it would be developing markets for carbon offsets in what up to now has been an entirely voluntary one. Least favourite? Writing reports. What’s the strangest thing you’ve found? Not me personally but our waste composting facility staff have the complete collection of ‘Happy Meal’ toys from 2004 to the present. Complete this sentence: Zero waste is... a phrase that’s overused and underdone. What is the key driver of change in waste management? I believe there can be many drivers working simultaneously, but I think over time a carbon constrained economy will become the key driver for change. Did you have a role model or mentor? I’ve had many – and I thank them all. Best advice you’ve ever been given? Be good to your mum. Pastimes/hobbies/sports? I like live music, Premier League and also make a fool of myself on the tennis court on a weekly basis.

Sims Recycling Solutions has opened the first automated e-waste recycling plant in the Southern Hemisphere at Villawood, Sydney. It can process 20,000 tonnes of the 140,000 tonnes generated annually and will have a waste residual below 2%. “Generally, the only waste will be paper labels and scraps of rubber,” says Jeremy Sutcliffe, adding each tonne recycled prevents 3-5 tonnes of CO2 emissions. There is now increased pressure on Australian governments to introduce compulsory legislation around e-waste recycling, with local rates of about 4%

Automated e-waste recycling plant.

comparing poorly to 80% recycling in leading nation, Japan.

Transpacific tips the tender scale Transpacific Industries won 99 of the 214 Australian waste tenders up for grabs last financial year, 46% of the jobs on offer, according to figures unveiled at its annual general meeting. TPI says 32 tenders for solid municipal waste came up, worth $62.8 million collectively. It won 12 (38%), but took the lion’s share (58%) of the value on offer, some $36.6 million. It also claims to have won more than half the value of organics and remediation contracts.

The 99 tenders it won were worth $72 million, 46% of the $157 million on offer. Pointing out there are seven national competitors (plus a host of smaller local players), TPI says an average share of wins would be much less, about 12.5%. But high debt levels, and perhaps some analyst confusion about waste industry books, have continued to plague TPI’s shareprice, which recently touched all-time lows of $2.60 – more than 80% below the $14 highs last July.

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NEWS NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Landfill review gets a high five…

Company Profile Company Profile Worksafe Medics When was the company founded? Worksafe Medics has been operating since 1996, originally servicing the Sydney area and specialising in on-site health surveillance. Where do you operate? We currently provide services nationally, which is a real plus for organisations looking for a single provider who can deliver a range of health services with consistency, control and convenience. Key contracts? Confidentiality prevents disclosure. However, given that we specialise in health surveillance within the waste, petrochemical, manufacturing, civil construction and plastics industry, the main industry players rely on our expertise. Annual revenue and profit? More than the average council, less than Rio Tinto. Number of employees? We operate a national network of more than 500 medical and specialist providers. Our direct team at Sydney head office is about 16, which includes doctors, nurses, clinical support, administration, client relationship and business managers. Any new initiatives in the past few years/plans for the future? This year, we introduced an automated on-line booking system for our national Preemployment Medical service. From a community perspective, we have nominated The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as our charity of choice whereby $1 will be donated for every flu vaccination given this season. Who owns and runs the company? Dr Mike Shenouda is the founder and director of the business. He is actively involved in the day to day operations and continues to be one of our on-site medical personnel. Dr Shenouda is a member of The Australasian Faculty of Occupational Environmental Medicine, an injury management consultant and a WorkCover Authorised Medical Practitioner. Where was last year’s Christmas party? Berowra Waters, north of Sydney. It was a great day for staff and family – the kids loved cruising down the Hawkesbury, getting the fishing rod out and enjoying the outdoors. The wine was great too. Website? www.worksafemedics.com.au Contact for further enquiries? John Carrasco on 1800 422 338 or email john@worksafemedics.com.au

organics collections. Five submissions were The question is, “to what received for the NSW extent…is that offsetting the Government’s review of growth in waste generated?” landfill capacity and demand with modelling due in early in Sydney , being conducted December. by Tony Wright of Wright The most contentious issue Corporate Strategies – who linked to this review is the ran a similar review in 2000 existing ‘justifiable demand’ that led to the adoption of Tony Wright. policy regarding new landfills. existing recycling targets. Counting Veolia’s Woodlawn Wright told Inside Waste he was “pleased to get what I got”, including Bioreactor, Wright points out Sydney responses from the Total Environment has access to “probably 40million m3” Centre, as well as from major market of landfill airspace, “but there are all players WSN, Veolia and SITA. sorts of input constraints”. He says significant developments There is no set timeline on when since 2000 include higher per-capita the government will act on or release recycling rates, the construction of two findings, which are likely to be sensitive AWTs, and the rise of separate garden given the proposed WSN sale .

Garret flags national rethink on waste “A fundamental shift in thinking about how we manage Australia’s waste issues” is on the cards, according to Federal Environment Minister Peter Garret, after his state counterparts agreed to develop national policy at the November EPHC meeting.

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It will “provide much-needed clarity on what is appropriately dealt with at which level”. A mid-term review of the National Packaging Covenant, meanwhile, says it is on track to achieve its 65% recycling target by 2010.

NEWS

Recyclers explode over gas bottles “Absolutely pathetic” is how one furious scrap metal recycler described the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change’s decision to drop support for a multidisciplinary working group established to combat the issue of end of life LPG gas bottles, which create a safety risk for metal recyclers. The DECC says the explosion risk is an OH&S issue, not a resource recovery issue, and therefore not its

responsibility. Luke Parker from Sell & Parker says that move came as “a shock and surprise” as the DECC had been involved in the program since the first workshop, hosted by Sustainability Victoria last June. “NSW metal recyclers pay over $5 million a year in levies to NSW on our residuals, and the DECC can’t even cough up $7,000 and a bit of support to get rid of the biggest issue facing the industry,” says a riled up Parker.

SMRC top carbon offset provider Perth’s Southern Metropolitan Regional Council has been rated “outstanding” in Australia’s first independent ranking of carbon offset providers, one of only five to make the grade after 57 were invited to participate. Carbon Offset Watch, a collaborative effort between consumer advocacy group Choice, the Total Environment Centre and the Institute for Sustainable Futures, rated 20 organisations who provided adequate information, with most (12) deemed “good” and three “adequate”. Unsurprisingly given the

voluntary nature, none were "not recommended." SMRC’s Tim Youe says buyers of voluntary offsets “definitely differentiate between projects”, and the multiple benefits of its waste project attracts buyers. It potentially doubles the value of its offsets, already worth some $1 million annually. There is concern, however, the Commonwealth emission trading scheme could “obliterate” the voluntary sector, which Youe says would be “a bit of a perverse outcome”.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

NEWS NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Overseas

Gag order a reflex action?

Glass recovery hike in US EPA data shows the US glass recycling rate jumped to 28.1% in 2007, up three percentage points from 2006. An estimated 3.2 million tonnes were recovered compared to 2.9 million in 2006, spelling the first significant increase since about 2000.

Landfill a last resort in EU EU environment ministers have officially approved a new waste framework across their 27 member countries, including a five-step treatment hierarchy that classes “energy-efficient waste incineration a recovery operation” and ranks landfill an option of last resort. It also sets out new targets for member states to recycle 50% of their household and similar waste and 70% of their construction and demolition waste by 2020.

Major merger on the US scene Shareholders of Republic Services and Allied Waste Industries have voted in favour of a merger to create the second largest waste player in the US, a US$9 billion ($14 billion) rival to market leader Waste Management. However, the deal still has to clear regulatory approval, with some groups arguing it should be blocked to protect market competition.

UK credits waste infrastructure revamp UK councils plan to spend billions of pounds on new waste infrastructure, with private finance initiative credits of £2 billion ($4.5 billion) available between 2008 and 2010. A British Audit Commission report notes, however, that a minority of councils expect to recycle more than 50% of their biodegradable waste, with most plans involving waste to energy projects.

Waste scoops invention award Waste management technologies bagged this year’s top National Inventors’ Week (NIW) award in the Philippines, with Dominador Rosales, creator of an automated “Plastic and Metal Separator for Biodegradable Waste”, winning first prize in the Outstanding Utility Model.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

The online weekly news arm of Inside should “aim to form and advocate unified Waste has strongly criticised WMAA’s policy positions”. Only 15% backed the new Code of Practice for External current position, “WMAA should only Communications, labelling it “a gag order advocate positions all members agree on”. Among the feedback was a 1,000 word seemingly designed to ensure the industry letter from industry veteran Mark Glover, has no public voice”. an active member of WMAA Created in response to since it started more than concerns some members 15 years ago and a director (especially NSW president for four years. He says the Mike Ritchie) may have association “has reached a misrepresented their crossroads”. own view as those of the “The election of new association, the code office holders in the New says members, “must be Year is a timely opportunity mindful that the WMAA is for the entire WMAA a broad ‘church’ and that membership to reinvigorate policy positions must be the strategic positioning consistent”. Courtesy www.trackattack.net of the association,” his Inside Waste Weekly argued WMAA has no policy positions, strongly worded letter stated. Glover also says growth and development effectively ensuring no one can say anything and marginalising the nation’s within the sector “can only come from extracting/creating more value from every peak waste association. Response to the criticism was mixed tonne handled (or avoided/minimised)”. “The focus for the association going (see WMMA’s page 12 article), although an overwhelming majority (80%) of 137 forward must be promoting, demonstrating respondents to an Inside Waste Weekly and (via members) providing optimised reader survey supported the view WMAA resource recovery solutions and services.”

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xxxxxxx

Waste Management Association of Australia "Fostering best practice and innovation in resource management" From the President Here we are, at this year’s last issue of Inside Waste. It has been a busy year for the association, with increased activity in the state branches and divisions and a number of very successful statebased and special interest conferences also taking place in 2008, not forgetting the biennial Enviro. New initiatives, such as the C&D survey and the feasibility study assessing the viability of an Australian Waste Database, have been picked up. Other projects, such as compost industry development and A-ACAP, are continuing successfully. From a governance perspective, the Board oversaw development of various policies and procedures streamlining WMAA’s “internal workings”. One such policy, clarifying external communication procedures, allows divisions to hold pertinent views relative to their sector without compromising other special interest areas within the association. It also ensures that the association is not caught “on the hop” without the CEO’s awareness of issues being expressed in the media. Further detail is contained within a separate article from the CEO. The Board has also commenced a strategic review of the association. A number of years have passed since the last review was undertaken, and even though the final scope has not been defined yet, I urge all members to take the opportunity to offer feedback when information is sought early in 2009. On a different note, I have just returned from two ISWA events held in Singapore. With WMAA currently managing the secretariat for ISWA’s Regional Development Network (RDN) for Asia Pacific, it was great to see a large contingent of our members taking advantage of the close proximity of the events. A number of Australian speakers also took part in presenting stimulating and informative papers. An increased support from ISWA for RDN activities is expected in 2009. In closing, I wish you all a safe and happy end of year, and would like to thank the staff for their commitment throughout 2008. – Lilias Bovell

Asia’s potential unveiled in Singapore The recent ISWA/WMRAS World Congress in Singapore guaranteed a unique opportunity for delegates to gain insights into waste management challenges and opportunities in Asia. With Asia accounting for more than 50% of the entire world population and its accelerating need for sustainable waste management, the market potential for the waste management industry in the region promises to be enormous. The engagement of WMAA to run a workshop held a few days prior to the congress on behalf of the ISWA Working Group on Landfill provided the association’s members with a wonderful opportunity to foster networks, learn and impart knowledge about new technological developments, and be exposed to views and ideas from around the world. With its topic From Open Dumps to Sanitary Landfills, the workshop

Antonis Mavropoulos.

was mainly aimed at developing countries with a focus on managing landfill gas as we move from an aerobic environment into an anaerobic one. Eleven international speakers presented on a range of topics, including case studies and a practical demonstration. Close to 50 people from 20

countries attended the workshop. “The workshop overall was good value, giving a broad worldwide perspective on an extensive range of issues,” commented David Gamble from GHD, and general feedback from the workshop suggests members would like to make this a regular event at the ISWA Annual Congress. Special thanks go to WMAA members Stuart Dever (GHD) and Graeme Alford (Landfill Gas & Power) who gave up their time to present at the workshop. As a result of the workshop, the ISWA Working Group on Landfill is considering holding its next meeting to coincide with the WMAA Landfill and Transfer Stations Conference & Expo in Hobart in August 2009. Copies of the workshop proceedings are available for sale from the ISWA website www.iswa.org

New ISWA team assembled awarded honorary ISWA memberships. The ISWA General Assembly was held in Nine papers, research reports and other Singapore on November 2, 2008. As part publications were submitted for the ISWA of the proceedings, nominations for various 2008 Publication Award. The strength of positions within ISWA were open to vote. the field made the selection of a winning We would like to congratulate the followpaper a difficult task for the panel. After ing on being elected: long deliberation, the award was given to President: Atilio Savino (Argentina) Professor Thomas Hojland Christensen Vice-President: Jeff Cooper (UK) and his team from WasteSweden for the Treasurer: Helmut Stadler (Austria) article Experience with the Use of LCANational Member Representative: David modelling (EASEWASTE), published in Newman (Italy) Waste Management and Research. Regional Development Network Atilio Savino. The model, which can identify the Representative: Ian Coles (Australia) most environmentally sustainable soluChair of the Scientific & Technical tion for different waste compositions and varying geoCommittee: Antonis Mavropoulos (Greece) Suzanne Arup Veltze, ex ISWA managing director, graphical situations, has been used in several Danish and the outgoing president Niels Jørn Hahn were municipalities.

WMAA Gold Corporate Sponsors NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

insideWMAA

10 WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (WMAA)

Suite 4D, Level 4 5 Belmore Street BURWOOD NSW 2134 Tel (02) 8746 5000 Fax (02) 9701 0199 Email: enquiries@wmaa.asn.au Website: www.wmaa.asn.au WMAA CONTACTS NATIONAL PRESIDENT Lillias Bovell 0404 491 603 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Val Southam (02) 8746 5011 TREASURER John Hassett

(02) 9757 5790

STATE PRESIDENTS: NSW Mike Ritchie

(02) 8754 0105

VIC Martin Aylward

(03) 9558 7220

QLD Troy Uren

0432 632 200

SA Max Harvey

(08) 8390 3496

TAS Debra Mackeen

WA Bruce Bowman

0419 104 740 08 9274 7676

NATIONAL DIVISION CHAIRS: CARBON COMMITTEE Mike Ritchie (02) 8754 0105 COMPOST AUSTRALIA Peter Wadewitz (08) 8556 5295 CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION Bob Andrews (08) 8242 1039 BWI Lincoln Falconer

+64 9919 5457

ENERGY FROM WASTE Christine Wardle 0408 540 980 EDUCATION Renae Crosthwaite

(02) 9399 0943

LANDFILL Max Spedding

0400 880 677

DISCLAIMER Articles and papers submitted for this newsletter present an overview of the topic only and are not intended to be a detailed statement of the law. Views are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the WMAA.

inside WMAA

Conferences a hotbed of ideas and plenty of 2009 action planned As 2008 draws to a close, we would like to thank all state branches, national divisions, working groups, volunteers and staff for their hard work and dedication in bringing our members the many seminars and conferences that were held throughout the year. These events ensure WMAA members are kept abreast of the issues, developments, changes and debates affecting the waste industry. They prove a fertile ground for the exchange of ideas, opinions – some of which not always concurring – and possibilities. They expose our members to international peers and allow them in turn to display Australian achievements in the waste industry, especially when climate change and our People to visit... impact on it has fast become a universal issue. In 2009, WMAA plans to hold and co-host a number of events with a strong focus on waste and the environment. Some of these are: Managing Waste in a Changing Climate Conference & Exhibition, 4 – 6 March, Launceston (details www.taswasteandclimatechange.com.au) This conference, run by the Tasmanian Department of Economic Development & Tourism, with support from WMAA and other organisations, will focus on how we can move forward in a carbonconstrained world. In this context, it will explore the way in which the waste sector can contribute to Tasmania’s climate change response. Additionally, it will focus on behavioural change, addressing the ... and lessons to learn barriers to improving waste management and key Following on from the very successful conferences issues such as resource recovery. in 2005, 2006 and 2007, this event will provide a WasteQ 2009 Conference & Expo – Can you afford not networking forum and opportunity to discuss what to?, 3 – 5 June, Brisbane is new in landfilling and transfer stations throughout (details at www.wasteq.com.au) Australia. The industry has the opportunity to show that Coinciding with World Environment Day, this conference it is serious about reaching best practice and ensuring it will focus on the interaction and similarity between continues to provide cost effective and environmentally resource recovery and carbon avoidance. Pre-conference sound residual waste disposal. tours and an in-house exhibition will enable delegates to The conference program will include technical tours, see firsthand some of Brisbane’s leading waste recovery workshops and conference presentations held alongside projects that contribute to Australia’s greenhouse gas a trade exhibition. abatement. WMAA Landfill and Transfer Stations Conference & For more information on any of these Expo, Operating in a Carbon Constrained Environment events, please contact Veronica Dullens, 26-28 August, Wrest Point, Hobart email: veronica@wmaa.asn.au or phone 1300 651 026. (details at www.landfill.com.au)

NSW Mini Budget sparks debate The NSW Mini Budget 2008, announced on Tuesday November 11, yielded mixed reactions from across many sectors, industries and individuals. Even though many believe it is a desperate measure to save an already sinking economy, some view it as a positive step forward. The imminent sale of the state-owned WSN Environmental Solutions (ex-Waste Service NSW) is seen by some as an opportunity to lift competition

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

in the waste management sector, bringing lower costs to ratepayers. Pru Goward, the shadow minister for climate change and environment, however, believes the sale and the increase in the environment and waste levy by $10 per tonne, “makes doing business in NSW less competitive”. It is an issue that will certainly be debated for a long time to come.

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Organics industry breaks new ground By Angus Johnston Compost Australia’s ambitious membership driven industry and market development program, Advancing the Recycled Organics Industry, commenced in NSW and WA from November, and will go into full swing from January 2009. While originally designed to be a national program, only two states so far have the necessary combination of sufficient business membership subscriptions and state government funding to proceed. Even so, the program is still open to participation in other Australian states, with WMAA continuing to pursue membership and grant funding over the next 12 months to create a truly national industry development program. As part of this, the SA Compost for Soils program has been approached with a proposition of a merger with the Compost Australia program. One feature of the project is the employment of market and industry development officers (MIDO) in each state, managed by the WMAA national projects officer and guided by the compost working groups. In particular, the NSW and WA governments have made major commitments to fund the MIDO roles and provided additional project money to support the Compost Australia Action Plans. MIDOs in SA and Victoria have already had great success building industry knowledge and educating target markets for recycled organic (RO) products.

To welcome new members and present opportunities for participation, Compost Australia and the state working groups held their annual members meeting in Orange NSW on November 17, followed by a Compost Australia dinner. The meeting was timed to coincide with the Carbon Farming Conference and Expo, which focused on the wide-ranging benefits of increasing and maintaining soil carbon. This issue is a hot topic in agricultural circles and presents a great opportunity for the RO industry. If landholders understand the benefits of soil carbon, including the exciting potential for carbon sequestration, then they will understand the value of carbon-based soil products. Through its participation in the expo,

Recycled organics: a growing industry.

the RO product or variation in land management systems incorporating compost might improve soil carbon sequestration. It is now clear that, to have an impact, RO products must be used as part of an overall land management

"Soil carbon offsets have the potential to increase the value of RO products." Compost Australia endeavoured to highlight the role – a role still poorly understood – that RO products could play in building soil carbon. Research commissioned in 2001 by the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (now Environment and Climate Change) suggested the majority of carbon added to agricultural soils through the application of compost would be lost within a few short years. The study, however, did not investigate how variation in the properties of

system that systematically builds and conserves carbon in the soil. Key examples of such systems include certified organic and biodynamic farming. While it is claimed that manufacturers of RO products can improve the soil carbon sequestration ‘performance’ of their product, it is most likely that any future soil carbon offsets income will flow to the owner of the land where the product is applied. Either way, soil carbon offsets have the potential to increase the value of RO products.

A great deal of exciting work continues to be done on soil carbon in Australia and overseas. In September, Compost SA members heard from Dr Christine Jones who initiated the Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ASCAS), and Dr Jeff Baldock (CSIRO), who is a leader in the development of soil carbon test methods and modelling. Even though these leading scientists are not yet in agreement on the details, they both see the potential of soil carbon as an immediate avenue for offsetting greenhouse emissions. With an increased focus on the environment and our impact on it, Compost Australia has adopted a new policy, Response to Human Induced Climate Change, which states the division’s position on the issue. More information can be obtained from www.compostaustralia.com.au Angus Johnston is national project manager – recycled organics

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insideWMAA

Your opinion on communication counts too By Val Southam WMAA is a “broad church” with members ranging from across the waste and recycling industries. Transporters, collectors, processors, landfillers, composters, local government, academics, consultants and students — not to mention state government agencies and regulators — are part of the association. When WMAA was originally formed, it was to be a knowledge-based association: semi-professional, focusing on people, skills, technology and communication. It was not intended to be a lobby organisation, but one that would attract a diverse range of members, encouraging and facilitating debate among the different sectors. Some can see this very broad group of stakeholders as a weakness, but I see it as one of our major strengths. In the past, it gave us the opportunity to bring together various competing interest groups along with (in many instances) state agencies and regulators, to work collectively on major projects for improved outcomes for all. Having everyone ‘inside the tent’ working to find solutions, rather than waiting for governments to determine policies with the industry members then trying to get things changed, has worked well for many of our special interest groups. This principle has also been applied successfully to various national projects where WMAA brought together stakeholders with contributions, both in time and money, from all state governments, industry and the Federal Government. One example of this is the Australian Alternative Covers Assessment Program (A-ACAP). Thirtythree industry partners; five state governments and EPAs; five universities and five PhD students, together with numerous other partners, including the Australian Research Council, have embarked on a five-year, $4.5 million research project, the aim of which is to make phytocaps an approved alternative cover for landfills, resulting

in enormous potential savings for councils and other landfill owners. Another successful partnership has been the Compost Supply Chain Roadmap, which involved all state governments, industry and consultants working towards a sustainable future and markets for the organics industry. The AWT/DORF project, which develops guidelines for the application of organics derived from AWT processes, is also worth a mention. The association’s current Strategic Directions document clearly states that one of the objectives is to “present issues and papers that reflect our diversity of views”. I believe we do this well at all our breakfast seminars, sundowners, workshops and conferences. In 2006, at the last Strategic Directions Workshop held by the WMAA Strategic Advisory Council and the WMAA Board, it was agreed that the association would attempt to develop a common view on several issues.

"Should members want to take WMAA in another direction, it would be their decision and one fully supported by me."

Given the diversity of members and views, the number of issues that everyone can agree on and support is very few and limited to very high-level issues that can be called “motherhood statements”. For the association to adopt an official position, which for example only two-thirds of members support, is in my opinion unnecessary and has the potential to alienate certain membership sectors. I do not believe WMAA, as a whole, should side with one sector over another or promote one type of technology over another, thereby disenfranchising whole areas of the association. This would not serve the association well. As part of its upcoming strategic review process, WMAA intends to survey its members to ask them that very question and to ascertain their reasons for joining, as well as determine their expectations of the association. Should members want to take WMAA in another direction, it would be Peter Wadewitz Tony Emery Angus Johnston their decision and one fully supported by me. The new WMAA Code of Practice for External Communications has Compost Australia has held an annual members meeting in the western been the subject of much NSW town of Orange. The executive positions were open for elections debate. The code was and the results have rolled in, with little change to the current team: n Peter Wadewitz has been reelected as chair for another term developed to ensure that n Tony Emery was reelected as deputy-chair for another term only positions and views n Simon Gardner Lee was elected finance officer that had gone through an n Angus Johnston will continue as secretary agreed process and been adopted by WMAA were

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november / december 2 0 0 8

Val Southam, WMAA CEO

disseminated in the name of the association. Its genesis stems from members’ complaints relating to the many instances where views were expressed as those of WMAA when in fact they were not views agreed to by the membership. Under the new code, communications need to be approved by myself or the national president prior to release. There has been some criticism that this policy was developed to “gag” members. No one has ever been denied the opportunity to have a view – no matter how extreme – provided they deliver it as that of their company, working group, division or their own. If doubt exists, a simple disclaimer stating that, "whilst the author may hold certain positions within WMAA, the views expressed are not those of the association", should address this problem. The code is broadly based on that of the Australian Water Association, containing similar principles to many other associations, major companies and councils where all communications go out through the CEO or the appointed media spokesperson. I have not come across any other similar organisation that allows its volunteer members to speak on behalf of the organisation without prior approval. I can assure members that it is not my role to “sanitise” any communication but to ensure that, if it is being delivered in the name of WMAA, it is indeed an agreed position that has gone through the correct process. If it had not, then it is my responsibility to ensure it is correctly presented as the view of the branch, division or the individual. I took up the role of inaugural CEO in 2000. Since that time, I have not seen a lot of evidence that the majority of members joined the association expecting it to side with and advocate one solution over another. I have always found support for the underlying philosophy that a “suite of options” was available for managing waste, with all having a role to play depending on the economics, location, end markets, local politics and other factors. The association’s role, through the divisions and special interest groups, is to find the facts, provide them and foster debate. Maybe the association is about to undergo a major change in its direction? Only time will tell. Val Southam is CEO of the Waste Management Association of Australia.

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Metal prices a lead balloon By Anastasia Joyce

Weathering the storm

In September, the fantasy world of scrap metal prices had skyrocketed so high that a seminar was held at Disneyland in Florida to address “one of the hottest and fastest growing crimes”, the theft of scrap metals. By November, the Tinkerbell metal market had lost its wings and dropped into a world of cost cutting, profit falls, consolidation and endurance. At its most spectacular level, the boom in scrap metal prices had seen an 11.5m steel bridge in Russia’s Far East dismantled in the dead of night. Elsewhere, thefts ranged from copper statues to telecommunications cables. Special police task forces were established all over the world to address the rising thefts. But by the end of September, the scrap metal market’s roller coaster ride had reached its peak and commenced a breathtaking cropper, propelled by the credit crisis and unreal expectations of global commodities demand. In late October, copper prices had plummeted 50% from record highs in July. This saw China’s huge Ningbo Jintian copper smelter describe copper production as a loss making business. By early November, it had cut production from 16,000 tonnes per month to 1,000 tonnes. Reports from China told of desperate merchants, who had bought at the peak and held on in the hope of recovery, jumping off buildings. The Baltic Dry Index, which measures world shipping costs and reflects global trade activity, had begun to swan dive in September. By early November, it had bungee jumped from an all time high of 11,700 to 865 (see graph). At the same time, the main indicator for scrap steel prices, the HMS1, plummeted from a high of US$520/ tonne to US$120/tonne. At the market peak, Australian merchants were reporting scrap prices as high as $730/tonne. This dive in prices has seen Australian scrap metal players agreeing the former dizzying heights were a price bubble. The question now being asked is whether the current crash is a huge splash into a ‘panic bubble’, or has rational pricing smoothed the waters, taken control and placed the market into the doldrums?

“Unusually, the two extremes [of high and low prices] have occurred within three to four months of each other,” the managing director of Sims Group’s Australia and NZ operations, Darron McGree, told Inside Waste. “I think those who have come into the market in the last few years, in the bull market, and haven’t seen the effects of commodity gyrations...are going to be badly affected. “Those of us who have been around an awful long while have seen most of it [before, though] not quite this violent. “We’ll probably [see] reduced competition from those who shouldn’t be in the business forced out because they’ve been pretty poor managers,” he said. Logarithmic graph showing the simultaneous and dramatic crash in the value of the Sydney scrap metal merchant Baltic Exchange Dry Index (blue) and copper (brown). Sell & Parker, established in and the current market offers a period steel market, an artery of world 1964, points out the market has dealt with lower prices during the of consolidation where the stronger commerce. But while ferrous scrap companies will take over and service metals are a major part of the global Asian Crisis of the late 1990s. “It’s been worse before. But the rate other companies’ markets. steel market, only a small portion “We just have to lower our buying of that scrap goes into the Chinese of the drop has never been worse,” prices and tighten our belts,” he said, market. China is instead the principal said MD Luke Parker. Perth company C.D. Dodd, in the although “a lot of the many smaller market for non-ferrous scrap. game for 50 years, also said current players will not be viable – they’ll just “China hasn’t imported [ferrous] prices are not as low as during the cease to exist”. scrap now much for about the past year The price fall has already seen and half,” said McGree from Sims. Asian crisis, but the current market is companies rationalise staff numbers “very challenging” nonetheless. “Ninety percent of China’s steel “People aren’t buying [now] as and adopt a “wait and see” approach. making is the blast furnace, so they Small Sydney dealer, Lift and Shift use iron ore.” compared to then,” said Chris Dodd. Blast furnaces are a cruder former of The price has fallen so dramatically iron and steel production, with electricfurnace steel a more expensive but it no longer supports our collecting precise method for producing stainless scrap in regional areas. steels and other highly alloyed steels. Most ferrous scrap is used in these – Darron McGree, Sims Group electric mills, with the largest market “Back then, [the buyers’ market] Scrap Metals, has dropped employee for Australian material being internal was more spread out. There were other numbers from 12 to eight, and director demand, although Europe, Japan, markets apart from Asia, especially Ian Masa is prepared for market lows to Korea and south-east Asia are also continue for another 12 months. for us.” major markets. “At the moment we’re managing. Dodd forecasts the metal price down According to McGree, China “is doing set will continue until at least March We’re getting probably a third of what much smaller volumes”. next year, and then commence a slow we were getting. [But] it could get “Two or three years ago we had one worse from what I’ve heard. rebound. cargo a week going to China… [but] I “It all depends on what happens in think I’ve done three [shipments] in “I wouldn’t be surprised if prices returned to where they were in a China and the US, I suppose.” the last year and a half.” But the role China plays in few years’ time,” he said, adding Sims is the world’s largest scrap metal he believes “there’ll continue to be Australia’s scrap metal market tends to recycler and its recent annual reports a long-term upward trend,” and the be overstated. show scrap exports into China made up current market offers opportunities for about 21% of sales in 2006, compared customer and supply growth. with only about 9% in 2008. Answer is not Chinese Luke Parker agrees, saying his Scrap metals make up approximately Over the same period sales into company will continue to buy scrap 40% of the ingredients for the global Europe rose from about 12% to 21%,

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

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COMPANY

and from 16% to 19% for South East Asia and Oceania. Australian sales have remained relatively constant at about 33%.

Changing markets operations Locally, the steep decline in construction and the car industry has seen Australian merchants question the viability of buying steel scrap. Up until September, abandoned car bodies were fetching about $150. Now they’re worth $30 or less. Melbourne’s Highett Metal has been in the scrap metal industry since 1961, and MD Peter Dykas said, “I can see in the not too distant future, maybe even a few weeks, we may limit the type of metal we take,” with car bodies one of the first materials it will stop taking. “We’ll continue to buy ferrous metal, but we may rationalise the types of ferrous we buy. We’ll buy heavy metal and structural steel and steel punchings.” Sims’ operations are also changing. “The price has fallen so dramatically it no longer supports our collecting scrap in regional areas, far flung regional areas,” McGree said, “so we’re

actually sending our people on leave in many of the regional yards”. “Hopefully, the markets will recover and there’ll be some demand in the new year.” While operators wait for an expected (if limited) market recovery, there are calls for urgent reform to regulations. Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of Queensland head Rick Ralph wants changes to stockpiling

Paper and plastic sinking like metal Free-falling commodity prices are not just threatening the viability of metal recycling. Demand for recovered paper has all but disappeared in China and southeast Asia, with prices dropping more than 50% across some lines, and talk of negative value – mills charging to take waste product – possible for some grades if the downturn continues. A similar story is unfolding with plastics, particularly low quality mixed material and especially given the massive falls in oil prices of late. In the UK, there are reports some local councils have begun buying up warehouses to store material in the hope prices will recover. But Visy’s Lee Smith says the market, especially for paper, remains “very uncertain at the moment”. “The world wide market is still falling…you get a couple of days where everyone thinks ‘maybe its settled down,’ and then you get another drop.” The downturn will undoubtedly see consolidation in the recycling market, with several local traders already walking away. “We’re certainly feeling it,” says Smith, “but if we’re in any pain, I’m absolutely certain there’s nobody else in the market in less pain than us – we’re probably the most insulated and protected of all”. Visy’s economies of scale and its large internal demand for material shelter it from the worst of the global price squeeze. However, it does export about 50% of the recovered paper fibre it collects, and an even higher percentage of its plastics stream. At the other end of the equation, even those waste generators who avoid shortterm contract variation clauses are likely to soon feel a price shock as their contracts come up for renegotiation: many have become quite used to high commodity prices subsidising waste collections. For the moment, Smith says Visy can sell all its material, “but it is more difficult to move”. And he does not expect a quick recovery, with prices likely to be depressed for quite some time. He tips they will eventually go back up, although not necessarily to the level of recent peaks: “there will always be a demand…but it’s a different market place than it was three months ago.”

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Hopefully, the markets will recover and there’ll be some demand in the new year. regulations to enable greater interim storage in regional areas until it becomes viable to transport material, which may otherwise have to be landfilled. “We’ve already got the fire service and the EPA engaged,” said Ralph, who is confident there could be changes, at least in Queensland: “we’re not re-inventing the wheel…we’re just iw massaging it”.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

LANDFILL NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Landfill brought back from the brink By Garth Lamb IT’S A sure sign Sydney airspace is more valuable than ever when a willing buyer can be found for a poorly run dump that has caused headaches for its neighbours and been closed down by the EPA for a string of non-compliance issues. The list of problems for the buyer included a smouldering fire in unburied waste at the edges of the pit – edges within 1m of the boundary fence – and a pool of uncontrolled stormwater filling the pit. Taking the good with the bad, Wanless Waste Management decided to take its first step into the club of NSW landfill ownership, spending around $25 million to buy the site and undertake a fairly extensive list of activities to get it back up to scratch in the eyes of the EPA, Penrith City Council, and the neighbouring residents – who had been less than impressed with ongoing dust and smoke coming from the site. Wanless brought in a multidisciplinary civil engineering and environmental team from consultant SEMF to work through these issues and get the site ready for business again. In August, the site regained its EPA licence as a Class 2 solid inert waste landfill. According to Wanless’ project manager Adam Bloomer, the Kemps Creek site in Sydney’s west is now “pretty much a fully operational facility”, although there “are still a few small ongoing issues”, which should be sorted by the end of year. From now on, the facility will be taking upwards of 100,000 tonne of material annually, mostly from the company’s own collection operations. It’s an impressive transformation from disaster to potential cash cow, and one that will become increasingly tempting for other operators to emulate. given the difficulty of gaining approval for a new landfill site, old facilities with a bit of remaining space that were once considered too much of a headache to keep open, might now start looking pretty good. So what’s involved in bringing a terminal site back from the brink?

Permitted to please

An unsafe pit and a smouldering fire were among the problems Wanless purchased.

started on the 6-8 month Wanless project in 2007, step one was getting a handle on what the existing permit conditions were. Described as “fairly standard”, the conditions transferred directly to the new owner because it was not proposing changes to the existing approved use. McCambridge says it was then a matter of talking through the conditions with the EPA and council to get the permit reactivated, explaining “[this site] has got new owners now,

about 50m wide, meaning any worker would be too close to unsafe walls and, adding to the drama, “the bottom of the hole was full of water, and no one was really sure what was underneath”. Various options were discussed, including potentially using long-armed machinery to place waste, although in the end Wanless was (luckily) able to purchase some surrounding land, enabling it to batter back the slopes to a safe angle.

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It was like a series of dominoes – you had to fix one problem before you could deal with the next problem.” – John McCambridge, SEMF we understand there has been problems on the site in the past, but the new owners want to do the right thing, get this up and running and meet all your requirements”. First on the list was fixing a poorly designed pit, greedily excavated to within 1m of the site boundary and with 25m high side walls cut at such a dangerously steep angle that “you couldn’t send machinery in there safely to do anything”. The bottom of the pit was only

SEMF N O V Ehas M B about E R / 170 D E Cstaff E M Balong ER 2008 the eastern seaboard, and John

The possibility of purchasing surrounding land was investigated before Wanless signed any deal on the main site, and this option turned out to be a critical factor in the project’s success. But there was no such ‘easy fix’ getting water out of the flooded pit, with carting it offsite for treatment deemed too expensive. “We had to redesign the leachate collection system on the site, with the aim being [to] eventually pump

material out of the hole into a properly designed leachate collection dam, which could be properly managed,” says McCambridge, adding this was complicated by the fact the site’s existing dam was already full of stormwater. “It was like a series of dominoes – you had to fix one problem before you could deal with the next problem,” he says, with a stormwater management system the first step “so we didn’t have an ongoing problem”. Working on a tight site, another problem was that the previous operator had not managed to offload the rock it had excavated, with a 300,000 tonne stockpile of blue shale left on site and in the way of potential infrastructure, such as the leachate pond, not to mention causing dust issues for neighbours, the closest of which were only about 50m away. Wanless eventually found outlets for the stockpile, mostly to brickworks, although in the short term McCambridge’s team had to come up with somewhere on site to store it. Mercifully, there was one aspect of the rehabilitation project that turned out not to be as big a problem as everyone was expecting: the fire smouldering within a 5m high stockpile of unburied waste.

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Once the main pit was ready to take waste, material was removed from the burning pile until there was access to the fire, which ended up being relatively shallow and simple to extinguish. Fresh from the complete project, McCambridge’s general advice on how to avoid a site turning into such a disaster in the first place is “the earlier you realise you’re going to have to close a site and rehab it, the better”. “The cost of rehabilitation is quite expensive, so if you can start thinking about closure as soon as possible [it keeps the final costs down]….and you’ve at least got an income coming in while you’re still accepting The site boundary comes within 25m of neighbouring residents. waste.” made a very risky decision in taking he does concede it is difficult to Scratching beneath the surface it on, although its purchase was predict exactly what you might find Who would be willing to assume no accidental blunder. According once you begin to scratch beneath the responsibility for such a problematic to Bloomer, the company made a surface in the waste game. “Before you start anything like that, site, given the extensive list of issues calculated decision based on a pretty that needed to be overcome before good idea of what was going to be there’s always a certain amount of it could regain its operating licence? required, but although he says there apprehension as to whether you’ve It is tempting to assume Wanless turned out to be “no major surprises”, got all the numbers right…it’s a

substantial investment, but we were fairly confident we had it right,” says Bloomer. “We bought it knowing the non-compliance issues that there were on the site, we went through those and costed the remediation. “Projecting what the costs are going to be for landfill in Sydney over the coming five or 10 years, it still made it to be a viable acquisition.” For Wanless, the effort it went to in getting the site up to workable standard is a sign of its long-term value to the company – it expects to extend the landfill’s operational life to “20-plus years” by “investing quite heavily in recycling equipment for the site” and looking at other options, including the possibility of biomass power generation. “The landfilling, or rehabilitation of that site, is really probably going to be a minor player within five years or so…we’re going to be doing some interesting things,” tips Bloomer iw "Watch this space."

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LANDFILL NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Roasting the ‘dump chook’ By James Stanfield The management of ibis on landfill sites has been an issue since man began to generate more waste than they knew what to do with. Hundreds if not thousands of them can be found at one of hundreds of landfill sites around the country. Affectionately known as “dump chooks,” the ibis are loved and hated by all involved in the management of landfill facilities. I say loved because they are a great system by which to control ancillary landfill issues such as fly and vermin control. Believe me, no maggot or mouse lasts long after it has been exposed with all these guys hanging around. I must admit that, until I was informed that we were a major contributor to the ibis issue being experienced at Bundaberg’s Botanical Gardens, I regularly referred to the ibis population around my landfill as the most efficient, low cost section of my workforce. Some members of my plant operating staff also get very attached to them, as they are the only living thing they can talk to for hours on end while compacting and covering the waste. One past employee actually used them to keep up his interest in his job, as his aim was always to run one over with the compactor. As we all know, they are far more intelligent than the

average plant operator is and I am glad to report that in seven years on the job he never succeeded. Hated I say because they really can cause a phenomenal mess of things, dragging bags around and spilling their contents to access yummy things and pooping anywhere and on anything they feel like. They are particularly messy when there is water sitting around – a nice neat puddle of rainwater is soon churned into a filthy looking quagmire by each and every one of them insisting on walking through and around it a dozen times a day. In Bundaberg, we have an extra issue with the local airport situated just up the road from the landfill. Airports and birds obviously don’t mix and after rain the large expanse of grass must look a lot more appetising than a boggy smelly landfill so off they all go, driving the airport attendants crazy.

Nuisance neighbours The problem of ibis pushing cattle egrets and other smaller waterbirds from their natural breeding grounds in the lagoons at the Botanical Gardens (by building their condominiums over the top of them) seems to have grown exponentially over the past few years. Eventually, the problem got to a point where council engaged EcoSure to prepare a management plan. Unfortunately, as part of this process, I was advised that my landfill facility

november / december 2 0 0 8

was playing a significant part in the problem – the guaranteed supply of food was triggering a hugely successful breeding cycle and had become a significant driver of population boom. I was therefore told that I needed to limit access by birds to the waste delivered to the facility immediately. Now this is not an easy task when you realise most trucks are delivering up to 15m3 of loose waste at a time and ibis are fearless and intelligent. I am always staggered when I sit and watch an ibis happily searching for food as a 30 tonne landfill compactor with huge spiky steel wheels lumbers towards it. It will quickly dash out of its path at the last second and then immediately run in behind it as it passes to resume its search until it comes back at him again. Obviously eliminating access to the food entirely in this environment is impossible. My observations, however, revealed that although they spend a lot of time running around under the machine’s shadow, they access most of their food during those times the machine is inactive and they are undisturbed. Armed with this information I began to research the numerous options available to me, and believe me there are a few! Most of them, however, had the limitation of being either temporary and therefore expensive in relation to ongoing consumables, or

permanent (such as intermediate soil cover) and also expensive due to the cost of winning enough soil to be able to apply liberally throughout the day to discourage foraging between loads. Others were noisy or smelly or even downright ridiculous for our application – like shining a laser dot on the ground near them while they foraged, or hanging dead ibis around on stakes in the form of an effigy to ward off evil birds.

Keeping a lid on it At a Waste Management Association of Australia conference I met Grant Lacey who was developing a contraption he called the Landfill Lid. I immediately recognised this was the solution to my problem and most likely the answer to a whole host of landfill operator’s prayers. As quickly as I could, following due process through council’s purchasing system (keeping in mind we were looking at a sound but virtually unproven technology), I organised for purchase and delivery of my own Landfill Lid. It was delivered to my facility in July 2007, and using it has caused a significant shift in thinking for my plant operator, who was used to running as big a dumpface as possible for his own convenience. He was now required to maintain a nice tight face, no more than 10m wide, to allow for the landfill

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

LANDFILL

lid to do its job. This change alone made a significant difference to ibis access to exposed waste. The Landfill Lid system is very simple. The lid is shaped like a kitchen rangehood and is placed using one of the large pieces of earthmoving equipment on the site, usually a loader, dozer or landfill compactor. As long as the dumpface is controlled and smaller than the lid area, there is no exposed waste as soon as the lid is in place. Larger landfill operators can use multiple lids to cover bigger dumpfaces. In Bundaberg, at our new state-ofthe-art Bundaberg Regional landfill facility the system is working perfectly, so much so that there has been a zero ibis count each month for the 15 months it has been operating.

Blowing in the wind The Landfill Lid is one of several innovative technologies that have been integrated in to the operation of the council’s new landfill. On top of ibis control it also has a number of ancillary features that make the job of running a landfill easier, including fire control through built in sensors and extinguishers, odour control using

a ‘whirly bird’ to pull air through an activated carbon filter, and the ability to apply an insecticide under the lid – controlling flies. Another technology is the Litter Critter, a trailer mounted vacuum unit towed behind a vehicle and used for the collection of windblown litter. Much as the Landfill Lid is great at containing windblown litter, it can do nothing to contain it while being discharged from the truck or during

“

This was the solution to my problem and most likely the answer to a whole host of landfill operator’s prayers. compaction activities. The Litter Critter is a very convenient, efficient and effective method of collecting windblown litter from fences, gully and other collection points. This particular model is designed to be lifted off the trailer and placed on to the back of a ute tray for greater convenience. Another weapon in the battle to contain windblown litter at the dumpface is the Litter D’fence, the most effective system I have come

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across. It has a large containment area and a huge deep holding cage allowing for large volumes of waste to be contained between clearings. When it is time to clear it, one can either use the Litter Critter vacuum unit, or the D’fence can be transported to the dumpface by the compactor or dozer and emptied there. Although bulky looking, they are easily transported and relocated using the machinery available on site any

MGB120 MGB60

time the wind changes, and without having to empty them first. These technologies have been introduced in response to community concerns about the building of the new landfill, which involved an eight-year design and approval process, which resulted in a ground breaking facility. We have built a fully lined putrescible landfill for a mere 45,000 tonne per year. When the original application was being considered, advice from the EPA was that a plastic liner was required

for interred waste volumes greater than 75,000tpa and clay lining was acceptable for lower volumes. Moving to a full plastic liner regardless of volume places this facility at the forefront of regional landfill construction. Other innovative features for a regional facility include a 5m wide bitumen perimeter road, which is used to access all cells to reduce dust from truck movements. In response to concerns wildlife (particularly wild fowl) would access the leachate pond and transport contaminated water on to adjoining properties, the pond is fully enclosed even though the black netting enclosure was significantly expensive. The site also aims to have zero discharge of any type of liquid, including groundwater runoff, which is contained within a sedimentation pond and distributed back throughout the site for dust suppression, fire fighting and irrigation of vegetated buffers and grassed areas. James Stanfield is waste manager at Bundaberg Regional Council and has more than 20 years’ experience iw in local government.

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november / december 2 0 0 8

workshop NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

The budding ‘buddy system’ By Paul Sherry When Hugh Parsons was making decisions in early 2005 about growing his medical waste business, he began looking at staff training as part of his investment plan. Instead of simply allowing time for the staff at Sweeney Todd Medical Waste Disposal to attend an industry training course, however, he embarked on a cooperative strategy. Sweeney Todd firstly built up a relationship with its chosen training provider, the Gordon Institute of TAFE. The company spent time walking trainers around the factory, explaining processes and talking about the company’s knowledge base and history. There were also regular discussions with staff. It was a shrewd move, and one other businesses should look to emulate as a new year begins. When it came to devising a training program, the TAFE had a clear understanding of the business.

The Gordon reviewed the Nationally Endorsed PRM04 Waste Management Training Package, selecting courses to suit the specific context at Sweeney Todd. Together the organisations also developed task specific training, such as a unit on infection control, to specifically suit Sweeney Todd’s needs. Programs were then put in place for all the staff, from drivers and machine operators to administration staff and management. All training is conducted onsite and at times that do not clash with the operation.

Staff investment a shrewd idea Sweeney Todd manager Bronwyn Aylmer, who completed a Certificate IV Waste Management, and a Diploma of Business, said it was typical of the waste management industry for workers to have the skills, but not the formal recognition of their capabilities. “The workers are pleased that the business is making an investment in training, as they see the course as an

november / december 2 0 0 8

investment in them and their future in the waste industry. It also gives them the confidence to inform health services of the benefits of safe waste segregation,” she said. Aylmer began work at Sweeney Todd as a driver, so she knows the challenges and why it is that one of the issues in the industry is high staff turnover. “At first I was quite overwhelmed. I had literally dozens of businesses – hospitals, dentists, vets, syringe collections points – that I needed to visit each day,” she said. “At each of these locations, a very specific modus operandi has to be followed. For example, when collecting from a GP’s surgery, a driver doesn’t park out the front and walk in through to reception and ask ‘where is the waste?’ “Things must be done with discretion and respect for the patients, doctors and staff. The way it is handled varies from site to site.” So just imagine – it’s your first day

on the job. You’re given a run-sheet, a Melways, keys to a vehicle worth tens of thousands of dollars, and instructions that you’ll be collecting some of the most hazardous waste material produced in society. Overwhelming, to say the least. Minimum licensing requirements in Victoria for transporters of hazardous waste is the successful completion of the EPA’s two-day course run by the Victorian Waste Management Association. The course covers the compliance aspects of hazardous waste collection, transport and disposal. But it does not prepare a driver for the sheer complexity at Sweeney Todd and other similar companies. Only real life experience can teach a driver that. Supervisor at Sweeney Todd, Craig Walczuk, said staff turnover is high in the transport area. “I have seen it happen numerous times – a new driver begins working for a company and after being overloaded with information and tasks, leaves

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

workshop within days,” he said. “And you only hear about it the night before or even as late as 5am.” With clients such as major metropolitan hospitals expecting their waste to be collected, continuity of service is a key element for the business, and this requires continuity in the workforce. But Sweeney Todd has found a solution that could suit many businesses experiencing high staff turn-over: its very successful and on-going ‘buddy system’.

A real workmate In this system, new drivers are allocated an experienced driver – a ‘buddy’. For a period of (on average) eight weeks, the new driver shadows their ‘buddy.’ They are shown collection routes, site collection protocols, related administration and other complexities. They are given plenty of opportunities to ask questions, solve problems, and generally familiarise themselves. Drivers are also assessed and given feedback on their understanding of collection, the clients’ requirements, compliance issues and of course OH&S. Instead of overloading the new drivers, they’re sensibly fed with

information in a process that aims to build knowledge and confidence. The company now has increased staff retention, has happier drivers, reduced on-site collection problems and improved customer service. “With the buddy system in place, we are actually evaluating each driver and ensuring they understand the most critical aspects,” Walczuk said. “The peace of mind this brings is enormous. I can actually relax at night or on my holidays, not having to worry about someone’s ability to do the job.” Aylmer said it was imperative drivers were exposed to a range of situations during their buddy period. “Problem solving is a big one. Drivers do tend to work on their own, so they must be expected, on occasion, to solve some tricky situations. You can’t always be there to fix everything,” she said. Other benefits Sweeney Todd has experienced as a result of its ‘buddy’ system include increased consistency of practice across the business, added diversity among the workforce and a great rapport between workers. Sweeney Todd’s experience is encouragement for a great many

Craig Walczuk (l) and Bronwyn Aylmer buddied up with training guru Paul Sherry.

organisations, which have the expertise within the business to adopt a formal buddy system. One of the most natural things we do is to give a mate a hand. We’ve done it from our early years in the schoolyard – why not tap into this very valuable instinct? For Sweeney Todd, its overall training strategy continues to pay dividends. The company has not only won the 2008 Victorian Small Business of the Year for Training Excellence, but was

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

one of only three small businesses Australia wide short-listed for the Prime Minister’s national award. While Hugh Parsons admits the awards are hugely satisfying, and vindicate decisions made along the way, he believes the benefits for the business and its employees have been the most rewarding. Paul Sherry is the industry training coordinator with Gordon Institute of TAFE. iw

november / december 2 0 0 8

PROCESSING NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Renewed focus on fuel efficiency By Garth Lamb The looming global recession has seen oil prices fall recently, although it would be a foolhardy operations manager who assumed fuel prices won’t be going right back up again very soon. Coupled with environmental concerns about emissions, spiralling fuel bills through 2007 and 2008 have driven many managers to start thinking harder about the operating costs of their machinery. Now Terex is one manufacturer hoping to cash in on this new breed of efficiency-focused staff, pushing fuel efficiency as a major selling point of its wares. Terex claims its latest mobile jaw crusher, the Pegson X400S, can reduce fuel costs by up to 33% compared with an equivalent competitor’s machine. Running a trial in Ireland during the peak of the oil price in July, Terex calculated that by using 22lt of diesel per hour compared to 33lt per hour for a typical hydrostatically driven jaw

crusher, in a single year the X400S could save the operator up to £16,500 ($38,000), a huge 33% cost saving (see table). The company puts the greater fuel efficiency down to its direct drive system to the chamber, which it says gives substantial running cost savings compared to hydrostatically driven machines. This also leads to massive savings in another pricey consumable, hydraulic oil. The X400S needs its 400lt tank of hydraulic oil changed every 2,000 hours, while Terex claims its competitors typically change their 1,333lt tank of oil every 250 hours. In a typical 9-to-5 working year (at July 2008 prices), this can provide a cost saving of up to £14,764 ($33,000), a potential 96% reduction.

Designed for damage reduction Stephen Watterson is assistant GM of Lincom, the Australian distributor for Terex machinery. When Inside Waste

Efficiency savings Litres/hr Cost over 2,000hrs Saving Tank size Cost over 2,000hrs

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november / december 2 0 0 8

Competitor Jaw Crusher

$74,000

$111,000

$37,000 (33%)

Hydraulic oil Frequency of changing

“Vacuum Tanks to a standard not to a price”

Terex Pegson XA400

Fuel

400lt

1,333lt

2,000hrs

250hrs

$897

$23,900

Saving

$23,000 (96%)

Total annual saving

$59,970 (44%)

Projected annual cost savings at about A$1.70/lt for diesel, A$2.30/lt for hydraulic oil. Plant runs 8hrs/day, 5days/wk for 1yr.

contacted him there was yet to be any local sales of the new X400S, although stock had only recently arrived and Watterson was planning to begin “pushing them pretty hard”, confident the units will find strong demand in the local market, especially within the recycling industry.

“

The Pegson X 400S can reduce fuel costs by up to 33%... and provide 96% savings in another pricey consumable, hydraulic oil. The design provides an aggressive crushing action and high swing jaw, which encourages material to enter the crushing chamber. The 42-tonne machine can process up to 400 tonne/ hr and Watterson says one “pretty unique” feature, which he expects will be of interest to any C&D recycler working with old concrete, is the

unit’s hydraulic release system, which will automatically sense an overload and open to release the obstruction – a feature that helps protect the machine, an important consideration given crushers typically cost more than half a million dollars. “The mechanism just stops blockages – if something hard like steel goes in there, it has the ability to hit the pressure relief and open up so the jaw crusher’s not going to take a big amount of damage,” he says. Other differences with these new units include a 1,100 x 700mm crushing jaw, and improved accessibility to the opening due to increased clearance between the belt and the jaw. “The clearance underneath the jaw is remarkable, it’s greater than any mobile crusher on the market…when steel does go through the jaw, there’s minimal things that it will catch on,” he says, adding this design also improves access for maintenance. More from Lincom on (07) 3293 0888 or the manufacturer at iw www.terexpegson.com

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

organics NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

Global look at compost culture By Martin Meyer Composting is the natural biological decomposition of organic materials by millions of microorganisms, a process that can cause the temperature of material to rise up to 70˚C, and which can be controlled under specified conditions to produce a relatively stable, humus-like material. Composting techniques have been employed in different parts of the world for perhaps longer than any other waste treatment strategy. Consequently, a variety of technologies have evolved that can be integrated into the modern composting process, especially to combat odour issues. Because activities often occur in an open, uncovered manner, there have been many cases where resulting emissions have caused concern for nearby residents. The situation is made more complex because human action can enhance or lessen the extent of any problem emissions. Recognising the importance of this issue, it is worth dwelling on some potential failure areas in planning and management that may result in odour problems. These can be divided into three areas: Design errors: These may start with a basic failure in simply underestimating the likely emissions from a chosen waste management technique and therefore not taking necessary precautions. Also, designers may propose inappropriate dimensions for the compost heaps, leading to insufficient stabilisation or humification in the final product and intensified odour emissions when packing and storing the compost. Poor air management can cause problems, particularly as a result of installing unsatisfactory or poorly-sized air-cleaning equipment. A lack of suitable planning for unscheduled occurrences, such as the failure of an engine, can also lead to unwanted emissions. Work management: Again, careless management can be an issue, whereby operators do not acknowledge the importance of emissions, for example, by not considering the impact of weather conditions upon open plants. Furthermore, managers may underestimate the impact of ‘small’ odour sources, such as open waste material containers, process water storage or the open loading of fresh compost. Air cleaning equipment naturally needs regular maintenance

following professional installation. Exogenous influences: Belittling the complaints of neighbours by a plant operator can lead to an unwanted escalation of discussion about bearable conditions. Hesitant progress in problem solving is to be avoided, whether due to reasons of cost or image. The above pitfalls can usually be avoided through effective techniques, design and management, which can be improved by examining global developments in legislation and technology.

Changing legislative framework Turning to the regulatory framework, the development of clear standards for compost is emerging as a focal point for stakeholders. Australian Standards AS4454, AS3743 and AS4419 all refer to recycled organic products. Late last year, the European Compost Network announced it had won a tender of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre to study ‘Compost production and use in the EU’. The results will be used by JRC to develop the End-of-Waste methodology for compost reducing waste and emissions. In parallel to this, the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive looks set to include a new Best Available Technique Reference Document (BREF) on ‘Composting and digestion of separately collected organic waste’. Also showing an interest in developing standards is the UK composting industry, which in March 2007 launched the Quality Protocol for compost. This was developed to help the market distinguish between certified compost and waste. Last December, the UK Composting Association published a manifesto for achieving sustainable biodegradable waste management. It reported that in 2005/06 more than three million tonnes of waste was composted in the UK, with over two million tonnes undergoing certification to the BSI Publicly Available Specification 100. In February 2007, the California Integrated Waste Management Board adopted a set of directives that included a goal to reduce the amount of organics in the waste stream by 50% by 2020. To achieve this goal, the Californian industry will need to expand its infrastructure: 50-100 new facilities (or equivalent expansion of existing facilities) would be needed that produce

november / december 2 0 0 8

Fleece winders are used to stop odour from some European compost heaps.

compost, biofuels, and/or bioenergy; this would be coupled with increased development of product standards and increased procurement by private and public entities.

Technology trends The growth of professional composting worldwide has led to innovation, particularly in improving the ability to process putrescible waste using treatment facilities located near populated areas. Acting as a ‘greenhouse of Europe’, the Netherlands offers a particularly interesting insight into effective waste management within populated areas. Taking a specific example, the Den Ouden DELTA Milieu Groencompost handles 250,000 tonnes per year of greenwaste, and aims to lower odour emissions by additional encasing and irrigation of the turning machine. Fleece windings – covering the heaps with fleece and thereby reducing odour emission – are also employed by Tarnowska Gospodarka Komunalna, Poland. These fleece materials act like an ultraviolet light shield and can be differentiated into two types: permeable geotextiles (such as by fibertex) and semi permeable fleece (such as by goretex). The notion of greater encasing is playing a part elsewhere in Europe too, with a general trend toward in-vessel systems, not least due to the need for effective odour management. These can be divided into two types, ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’. A static rotting container allows for effective waste flow management while avoiding cross contamination and emissions during processing. The

compost remains static while it heats up and decomposes, to be turned once out of the tunnel during a maturation phase. Advances in this field include greater use of computers to control the rotting process and the use of new materials, for example COMPObox Membrane Technology from Compost Systems in Austria. Completely closed ‘dynamic’ systems integrate the input, shredding, composting, screening and output stages under one roof and thus allow, due to air and wastewater filters, the entire control of all emissions occurring during the waste treatment processes. Technology suppliers in this context include, among others, Gicom in the Netherlands and BACKHUS in Germany. Other companies are also active in the field of odour control, indeed specialising in this area by developing odour neutralising sprays, new filters or scrubbers, or by burning off the gases. The field of composting technology is becoming increasingly international, whereby once a technology has proved itself in its country of origin, it is often promoted in other countries. The over-arching conclusion that can be drawn from a broad review is that composting remains an active market. The tradition of open windrow composting is developing, with new technologies and methodologies being employed to minimise emissions. Composting may be one of the oldest waste management solutions, but it continues to evolve and is starting to be seen as an integrated part of an overall solution. Martin Meyer was until recently the marketing manager for BACKHUS iw EcoEngineers, Germany.

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

Equipment for the recycling and composting industries If you are composting municipal waste or making humified agricultural compost Break it Down Composting has the equipment for your operation.

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German Engineering Excellence: BACKHUS 17-series Works efficiently, processes perfectly, turns more. The abilities of the BACKHUS 17-series make it the ultimate turning solution. With working widths available from 4.30 metres (14’) to 6.00 metres (20’), your BACKHUS is built to perform under the most demanding conditions to the highest standard. Find out more: www.backhus.com/17-series

Brentwood Recycling Systems 238 Berkeley Rd Unanderra, 2526 NSW, Australia Tel: 02 42717511 Fax: 02 42729339 Email: brent@brentwood.com.au www.brentwood.com.au

PRODUCT PROFILE: COMPOST TURNERS

A window on the windrow

AS38H

Composting is a classic example of an activity that’s dead easy to do, but very difficult to do well. Any schmuck with two left over banana peels and half a sink of potato peelings can start a heap in the back yard that will help give next year’s veggie crop a boost. But at the big end of town, making commercial quantities of quality product is a complex process, and one made especially difficult by the fact the natural process does produce odours that not all neighbours will enjoy. There is a big difference, however, between the impacts of a well run composting operation and a poorly planned one – both in terms of meeting community expectations and in turning out an end product people will buy. The most critical piece of equipment in this process is the windrow turner, a device that – properly used – can ensure essential bacteria spreads properly through the organic material, and have access to the optimal amounts of moisture and oxygen to help create the best compost product. While the difference between a great operation and a mediocre one will come down mostly to the operator, having the right tools does make a tradesman’s job much easier. Along with the standard checklist before buying any big equipment – such as ensuring there is going to be adequate ongoing support in case of any problems – customers need to have a good handle on the size of their proposed operations and should not overlook operator comfort. After all, moving at about 3km/hr, the driver will likely spend quite a while in the cabin.

Allu

Frontier Dimensions: 3,835 x 7,924 x 2,590mm Weight: 15.9t Engine: Cummins QSM 298kWTier3 Forward speed: 4.8km/hr Throughput: 4,000m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.51m Tackles heaps this wide: 5.48m No. models/range: 15 Mobility: Wheel, 2x4 or 4x4 Cost: US$16,000-US$400,000 ($25,000-$633,000) More: Frontier USA, www.frontierindustrial.net

PRODUCT PROFILE: NEXT ISSUE

F-18

Shredders & Weighbridges To be part of either product profile in the contact editor Garth Lamb (02) 9817 6400 or garth@wme.com.au

Dimensions: 4,900 x 9,500 x 4,300mm Weight: 24t Engine: 337kW Mercedes Forward speed: 9-16km/hr Throughput: 6,000m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 3m Tackles heaps this wide: 8m No. models/range: 1 model, 3,000-6,000m3/hr Mobility: Track Cost: approx $970,000 More: GCM Enviro on (02) 9457 9399

insidewaste

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

PRODUCT PROFILE: COMPOST TURNERS

BACKHUS

Dimensions: 4,000 x 7,380 x 3,600mm Weight: 15t Engine: Caterpillar 335kW diesel Forward speed: 5km/hr Throughput: 3,000-4,000m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.5m Tackles heaps this wide: 5.5m No. models/range: 6 models, 1,000-6,000m3/hr Mobility: Track or 2x4 and 4x4 wheel options Cost: $300,000 More: Recycle & Compost Equipment on 1300 723 026

Dimensions: 4,550 x 5,400 x 5,150mm Weight: 10.8t Engine: 209kW Cummins QSC 8.3 litre, 6 cyl Forward speed: 0-3km/hr Throughput: up to 3,600 m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.4m Tackles heaps this wide: 5m No. models/range: 12 models, 400-6,800m3/hr Mobility: Track Cost: 17 Series From $415,000 More: Brentwood Recycling Systems on (02) 42717511

17.50

KW Turners

Komptech

Seko

Dimensions: 3,980 x 5,350 x 4,220mm Weight: 12.5t Engine: CAT C9 242kw Euro3 Forward speed: 0-10km/hr Throughput: 3,500m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.4m Tackles heaps this wide: 5.35m No. models/range: 5 models, 500-4500m3/hr Mobility: Track or wheel Cost: $495,000 More: Recycling Technology on (02)98337899

Dimensions: 4,245 x 5,744 x 2,499mm Weight: 10.5t Engine: 2x Perkins 1100D Common Rail turbo charged Diesels, 246kW each Forward speed: 0-2.5km/hr Throughput: 800-1,500m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.2m Tackles heaps this wide: 4.5m No. models/range: 4 models, 500-3,000m3/hr Mobility: Track Cost: Approx $450,000 More: Alytech on (07) 3491 9630

SCV 400 MD

KW 614

nov/dec 2008

Topturn X53

Compost Turners

NEW MODEL

Designed & manufactured in Australia for Australian conditions, from components that are readily available in Australia since 1996.

Rubber track mounted

150H.P. Hydraulic drive self-propelled Compost turner, transportable on a 7 Tonne truck in gauge

Nufab spreaders up to 30 tonne also

available for spreading compost, mulches, lime, gypsum, biosolids etc for a wide range of crops & Industries including Minesite rehabilitation

Telephone: 08 9927 1297 Fax: 08 9927 1697 Email: sales@nufab.com.au Web: www.nufab.com.au Postal address: PO Box 171, Dongara WA 6525 Street address: 16 Moore Rd, Dongara WA 6525

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

insidewasteweekly A

TracTurn

Compost Systems Dimensions: 2,400 x 5,500 x 2,800mm Weight: Approx 6.5t Engine: Fits to 3-point linkage of bi-directional tractor Forward speed: Limited to tractor speed Throughput: 1,000-2,000m3/ hr Tackles heaps this high: 2.3m Tackles heaps this wide: Rotor 3.7m wide No. models/range: 8 models Mobility: Tractor pulled Cost: From approx. $250,000 More: Break it Down Composting on (02) 6782 1781

PROFESSIONAL PLACEMENTS

Are you seeking the best people in the waste management sector? Inside Waste Weekly now offers an affordable, targeted solution – we call it the Professional Placement. As a leader in providing essential news and information for the waste management sector it makes sense that the best people are right here.

Nufab Industries Rubber track self propelled

publication

Dimensions: 3,100 x 5,600 x 2,300mm Weight: Approx 6t Engine: Cummins 6BT5.9, 113kW Forward speed: 0-6km/hr Throughput: up to 1,400m3/hr Tackles heaps this high: 1.8m Tackles heaps this wide: 4.5m No. models/range: 4, rotor lengths from 2.4-4.5m Mobility: Track and wheel Cost: approx. $240,000 + GST More: Nufab Industries on (08) 9927 1297

So what is a Professional Placement?

A Professional Placement combines the targeted readership of Inside Waste Weekly with the immediacy of a listing on our weekly news bulletin to subscribers. $495 (inc. GST) for 1 month (or until position filled)

For more information, ph: 02 9817 6400 or email: insidewaste@wme.com.au Brini Separator

L3 MULTISTAR

Biowaste Composting Tunnels

Biowaste Tunnel Composting

L3 Multistar

The tunnel composting system provides a turn- Separation of waste, recyclables and organics around of as little as four weeks. The system is into 2, 3 or 4 fractions with one machine and efficient and operator friendly. in one operation. High throughput and precise selectivity with the CLEANSTAR system. High degree of flexibility, particle size changes in just seconds. free calL Ease of operation and simple servicing with 1300 132 011 intelligent machinery design. Multi-functional with numerous options.

Craig Cosgrove 0418 966 593

BRINI separators are used to separate out the usable fractions and potential recyclables from waste. By combining ballistic separation with screening, separation into three or four fractions is performed in one operation give twoor three dimensional, rolling, cubic and rigid, flat, soft and narrow, or undersized/oversized particles. Range of applications - Household waste, residual waste, compost - Bulky waste, commercial waste - Potentially recyclable mixtures - Paper and cardboard waste

For further information call: Clinton Furman 0417 975 660 n Paul Oostendorp 0408 975 661 www.recyclingtechnology.com.au

Nick Fisher 0408 020 565

www.komptech.com

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

MARKETPLACE nov/dec 2008

Online Industry News

Resource

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publication

book Australian Waste Industry

2007/08 Industry and Market Report

11 pag 4 esse es of kno ntial wled ge

Inside Waste magazine, the most respected news source in the industry, has launched an online weekly newsletter to help you stay on top of the issues that affect you and your business. It’s the same bargain price – FREE to anyone in the industry – but in case you need more incentive… Get news as it happens – no more waiting for the magazine to land on your desk

The Australian Waste Industry and Market Report was first published in 2001 by Wright Corporate Strategy. This timely 114 page revision significantly updates the first edition. It is the only thorough review and analysis of the market and industry conditions affecting waste management in Australia written by waste management professionals. This report is a comprehensive survey of the state of play in waste management.

Content online and on demand, with a fully searchable database – no more thumbing through print issues looking for stories.

Get the detail you need on the issues that interest you – not just the detail we can fit on a page Go to: www.insidewaste.com.au to subscribe for free. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

• • • •

Data on council contracts Projected waste volumes Plan your infrastructure Technology and investment forecasts

ORDER NOW

while stocks last by calling (02) 9817 6400, or download an order form at: www.insidewaste.com.au Environment Business Media

The Blue Book – Australian Waste Industry, 2007/08 Industry and Market Report is jointly published by WCS Market Intelligence and Waste Management and Environment Media (WME Media).

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

MARKETPLACE

Computer Software

Europe’s leading software for the Waste Management Industry is now available in Australia. enwis) is one completely integrated solution. No costly interfaces required, or repeated data entries with related errors. enwis) is specific to the requirements of the waste management industry. Used daily to run the business of over 150 waste management companies. enwis) is easy to learn and easy to use. Built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, it works like your familiar Microsoft products. Fenwick Software Pty Ltd 1 Southbank Boulevard Southbank VIC 3006

Diary

Professional Services

Telephone: (03) 9695 3333 Email: enwis@fenwicksoftware.com.au Web: www.fenwicksoftware.com.au

Recycling

Is this your problem?...

2009 January 21-23

working together for sustainable resource recovery solutions We offer waste managment expertise and professional services in the following areas: • Auditing • Community consultation • Education and training • Market research • Project management • Strategic waste plans • Stakeholder engagement • Tender evaluation • Regulatory compliance • Research www.aprince.com.au Email: admin@aprince.com.au Sydney: (02) 9907 0994 Perth: (08) 9472 8811

International Electronics Recycling Congress; Austria. Details at www.icm.ch

February 25-28 The Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International; US. Details at www.pumpershow.com

March 4-6 Waste Management and Climate Change Conference; Tasmania. Details at www.taswasteandclimatechange.com.au 10 WCRA NSW Breakfast Briefing; Sydney. Details at

Green Products

www.wcra.com.au 11-13

Let it be ours! East Coast Re-Valvers specialise in recycling discarded gas bottles. For more info, contact us on Ph/fax: (02) 6582 7140 or email: johneastcoast@bigpond.com

International Automobile Recycling Congress; Germany. Details at www.icm.ch

Industry News

25-27 The Healthy Cities Conference; Surfers Paradise. Details at www.healthycities.com.au

April 1-2

Essential news, knowledge and views

NSW Sustainable Development Conference & Exhibition; Sydney. Details at www.halledit.com.au 1-3 Coffs Harbour Waste 2009

R for egister y one our fre -mo e tria nth l

• on-line • on-demand www.emn.net.au

MaxAir system with BioBags.

The proven effective system for recovery of household food organics. BioBag Australasia P/L www.biobaganz.com Email: sales@biobaganz.com

Conference, Pacific Bay Resort, Coffs Harbour, NSW Impact Environmental Conferences www.impactenviro.com.au 8 International Conference on Solid Waste, Sewage and Air Emissions; Ukraine. Details at www.waste.com.ua

MARKETPLACE

is the place to reach the people that matter in the waste industry. Phone (02) 9817 6400 for an Inside Waste Media Kit or go to www.insidewaste.com.au

We e k l y n e w s u p d a t e s a t w w w . i n s i d e w a s t e . c o m . a u

Got an event you would like listed in our diary? Email it to: insidewaste@wme.com.au or fax it to: (02) 9817 4366. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

WASTED SPACE NOV / D E C 2 0 0 8

The wasties’ Xmas wish list Wasted Space thought it better write the industry’s Christmas wish list and send it off to Santa this year, lest tension between the shiny tinsel lovers and the anti-Reindeer faction result in there being no official Christmas submission for 2008. So Santa, with the caveat that not everyone will want the following items in quite the same colour or size, and some might not want anything new and shiny at all, here’s a quick list of suggested gifts that would help get 2009 off to a good start for wasties. 1. How about sharing the love with sleigh design, Santa? We want a bit of whatever it is you use to get around the whole world, in one night, without ever having to go back to the depot and reload. By all accounts, your transport is zero emission – wouldn’t the councillors love it if we offered that in a tender! – and so damn quiet that you manage to land on a couple of billion roof tops without anyone getting upset. We want a reindeer-run magic waste truck, one with an unlimited payload like you’ve got. And getting all our runs done in one night – wouldn’t that be a treat? Please Santa, we’ve all seen the way Rudolf looks at Vixen and reckon there must be a few spare magic reindeer offspring by now – if you could hand over a few of them we’d be ever so grateful (all except the anti-reindeer faction – they’re happy with the way things are and would prefer not to see any big changes). 2. While you’re handing out unique talents, could you spare some charm? You rock around to people’s houses, break in through their chimneys and leave a pile of cheap electronics under the tree, and they absolutely love you for it! You get milk and cookies left out for you and restless kids sleep with one eye open hoping to catch just a glimpse. No one is that bloody happy to see us come down the street, even though we’re the ones actually helping out, carting away rotten prawn heads and dealing with your broken toys. At best people ignore us, at worse they complain. Clearly the difference must all come down to charm and charisma – can you please send us a packet or two of that? 3. Got any spare elves down at the Pole? We’re guessing you’ve had to lay a few helpers off – the world economy just isn’t what it used to be – and we’re wondering if we might be able to poach them for a while? Clearly they’ve got plenty of experience working flat out on a production line, are used to putting in a bit of overtime around the Christmas peak, and so far as we can tell they all work purely for the love of the game without even asking for overtime loading. Not all of us can afford optical sorters in our MRFs you know, and a few happy little whistlers all dressed up in green safety vests and pointy safety boots would be ever so good for morale…. 4.Can you PLEASE use some magic to come up with a contamination sticker all people can understand? 5. Finally Santa, we’re wondering if you might be able to sit down for a beer and share a bit of wisdom with us. There’s a lot we could learn off you, like how to lock in long term contracts – how long have you had this Christmas delivery gig for now? You’ve also done a stellar job with your communications – can you give us some pointers on coming up with an advertising campaign that can get kids thinking as much about classes of recyclable plastics as they do about plastic toys? Maybe you could help us write a song like your highly effective ‘Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer’ jingle. God knows it would be pleasant and novel for all the industry to be singing off the same song sheet for once…

• Polystyrene • PET bottles • EPP • Liquid separation Optimum compaction with fast continuous throughput

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Published by Waste Management and Environment Media Pty Ltd Phone: (02) 9817 6400 Fax: (02) 9817 4366 Email: insidewaste@wme.com.au Web: www.insidewaste.com.au Editor: Garth Lamb, Managing editor: Richard Collins Advertising: Mark Stanley, email: advertising@insidewaste.com.au

november / december 2 0 0 8

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