Inside Waste December 2023 by Prime Creative Media

ISSUE 117 | DEC/JAN 2024

26 Battery Waste Conference 30 Infrastructure 36 Product Stewardship

Mandated procurement needs to be the norm By Inside Waste

Copenhill - a heat and power waste-to-energy plant and a sports park in Amager, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Big hitters come out swinging as WtE comes to the fore By Inside Waste

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WHETHER you call it Energy from Waste, or Waste to Energy, the process is one that those within the resource recovery industry believe is the answer to residual waste (along with landfill gas capture), but those outside of it see as an existential threat to our very existence. So much so that in 2022 the NSW state government went as far as to state on its planning website that it will “ban potential operators of EfW facilities from obtaining an environmental protection license to operate the facility except in four nominated regional areas, with some exceptions” as part of changes it made to the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2022. Which brings us to the WMRR Energy from Waste Conference that was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in early November. One of the key panel seminars featured some heavy hitters in the waste industry including Cleanaway CEO/MD Mark Schubert, his counterpart from Veolia Richard Kirkman, East

Rockingham Waste to Energy plant CEO Jason Pugh, and ResourceCo’s Energy Systems CEO, Henry Anning. MC’ed by WMRR CEO Gayle Sloan, there was a lot of common ground found in the issues that surround the Waste to Energy platform as a solution to residual waste. Kirkman’s first response, and a telltale sign of how he feels about how the industry is being treated, was in response to Sloan’s opening remarks that it was going to be hard to get to the 80 per cent landfill diversion target set by the government. “If we build enough energy from waste plants in the next five years, we can,” he said. “Things are just taking too long; we just need to get on with it. This is a safe, reliable working technology that just comes out of the box. And it’s such a real headache to go through a planning process to get one approved.” Kirkman knows that one of the reasons such facilities are not being built where they are needed – i.e. close to where the waste is being generated – is due to social license. That in itself is not a problem if there is a general

agreement across a whole plethora of stakeholders in the area of concern. He doesn’t believe that is the case in most circumstances though. “People think that if one person says they don’t want a facility, then the facility doesn’t have social license,” he said. “And that’s wrong. And I think that needs to be clarified at government level in the policy – that if you are following what is being required, you have a leg up on getting there quicker. Otherwise, we’re never going to get there in time.” Kirkman said that Veolia has plans in New South Wales and Victoria in terms of getting facilities up and running, but the government needs to come to the party. How optimistic is he? “The future is bright for our sector, if we get these changes made,” he said. “And I think we all need to join together for a more consistent message to the policymakers around this. Our sector is not traditionally good at that. These officials hear a lot of different voices all the time on different matters. (Continued on page 10)

ACCORDING to the Oxford Reference Dictionary, among several other meanings, the word ‘procurement’ refers to the ‘purchase of goods and services by the public sector at all levels of government’. It is a word that is littered throughout the many purchase orders and contracts signed between the various levels of government and its third-party contractors who are responsible for either building infrastructure or maintaining current plant, buildings, and machinery. Plenty of operators in the waste and resource recovery sector would love to see a sentence or two in every contract that would say something along the lines of “the contractor must use X percentage of resources recovered from recycled products in this project, yadda, yadda, yadda”. While most government departments like the idea, there are other issues that need addressing. What are the main blockages to getting such mandated procurement in these contracts? There are several, including cost, the amount of throughput/ feedstock available, and the quality of the end product. At a seminar at the AWRE conference in Sydney earlier this year, two members of the NSW government outlined policy indicators and what the NSW government looks for when awarding contracts as it pertains to procurement. (Continued on page 16)

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Editor’s Note //

Chief Operating Officer Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Managing Editor Mike Wheeler mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au Brand Manager Chelsea Daniel chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Design Blake Storey, Kerry Pert, Client Success Manager Glenn Delaney glenn.delaney@primecreative.com.au Head Office Prime Creative Pty Ltd 379 Docklands Drive Docklands VIC 3008 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.insidewaste.com.au Subscriptions +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format. Copyright Inside Waste is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in Inside Waste is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Inside Waste are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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Politicians lack of fortitude costing industry IN the past couple of editorials, I’ve banged on about how politically motivated decisions related to the building of resource recovery infrastructure are going to be part of the reason government recycling and diversion targets will not be met. Now there is a hard example with German-based Papier-Mettler. A European expert in recycling LDPE film, the company was all set to build a facility in Victoria that it believed would be a totally circular solution for plastic bags, only for Western Australia to put a ban on bags made out of the product, which put the kibosh on feedstock that the company could use. Why would what the company believes to be a knee-jerk decision made in Western Australia affect the decision to build a plant in Victoria? In colloquial terms, it has made Papier jittery enough to stop the build believing that Victoria might follow suit. You would think such a decision would mean Papier Mettler might have a c’est la vie attitude – i.e., ‘you win some, you lose some, we’ll move on’. Not so. The company is not only annoyed because of the amount of time it had spent prepping the project, but there is also a missed opportunity for them and the rest of the country. Why the

rest of the country? Because this current project was a $20 million spend and, depending on the success, Papier-Mettler were willing to invest millions more. Which brings me to this issue’s cover story on Waste to Energy (or Energy from Waste). I feel this subject has almost been done to death, but it’s not often you get four major players in the WtE market in the same place, which was the case when WMRR put on its Waste to Energy Conference at the SCG recently. CEOs from Veolia, Cleanaway, East Rockingham Waste to Energy, and ResourceCo’s Energy Systems were all on the stage at the event. And boy, did they have a few things to say about the current state of WtE in Australia. I won’t go into all the details here, as there is plenty being said in the article. Suffice to say, they all just want to get on with it. The key will be the East Rockingham plant, which is due to come online soon. The company’s CEO, Jason Pugh, is confident that once people see the lack of negative impacts it will have on the environment, politicians will start seeing the benefits such technology will have not just within the industry, but the country.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

News //

Collaborating for a cleaner future: Waste Expo Australia 2023 WASTE Expo Australia has wrapped up for another year, with more then 3,000 visitors attending the two-day conference and exhibition in Melbourne to take away valuable thoughts and actions towards creating a sustainable future in Victoria and around Australia. The event was hailed a success by attendees, speakers and exhibitors alike, from the standing-room only sessions at the conference to the bustling exhibition floor. The conference, themed Advancing Towards Sustainable Resource Recovery, picked up on the industry’s most important topics across four streams: Local Government and Policy, Commercial Demolition and Commercial and Industrial (CD&CI), Circular Economy and Waste Innovation, and Waste to Energy/Energy from Waste. Conference MC Sally Williams, also known as Sustainable Sally, chaired the Local Government stream across

two days, and says the tone of the conference and enthusiasm of the attendees was outstanding. “Waste Expo Australia is about collaboration, sharing information and learning from industry leaders. It’s the perfect environment to meet and talk with people who have tried and tested incredible innovations and to learn from their experiences,” she said. “The increase in numbers this year says it all: it’s the perfect forum for the waste and resource recovery sector to showcase how it is working towards developing circular solutions for a better, more sustainable future.” On the eve of the launch of Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic), Sebastian Chapman, Executive Director CDS of Recycling Victoria, spoke on a panel along with leaders from TOMRA Cleanaway, Return It, Visy and MRA Consulting. He says the highlight of the

D A Programmed Maintenance convicted of using a place as an unlawful waste facility On 12 September 2023, D A Programmed Maintenance Pty Ltd (DAPM) and Ahmad Masood Hussain were each convicted of an offence against s 144(1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (the Act) for using a place as a waste facility without lawful authority. Between 12 March 2021 and 1 November 2021, DAPM operated a skip bin business at 2 Hume Road, Smithfield NSW (Premises) to store approximately 3,161m3 of waste material including building and demolition material, chrysotile asbestos, broken tile, PVC pipe, bricks, concrete, soft plastics, household furniture, sporting equipment, electronic and green bin waste including soil and tree branches. DAPM did not hold an environment protection licence nor development consent to store this volume of waste at the Premises. On 12 September 2023, following the commencement of prosecution action by the Environment Protection Authority, the Local Court of New South Wales at Fairfield convicted both DAPM and Mr Hussain of an offence against s 144(1) of the Act and ordered them to: 1. Pay a fine of $30,000 and $10,000 respectively and to pay a 50% share of this fine to the EPA 2. Pay the EPA’s legal costs of $30,684.50 3. Pay the EPA’s investigation costs of $4315.50 4. Publish this notice in Inside Waste magazine at its own expense

6 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

conference was in seeing people think about product stewardship schemes and the growing awareness of the circular economy in Victoria and elsewhere. “It’s always an exciting opportunity at Waste Expo Australia for people to come together – there’s lots of people doing amazing things across the whole of the circular economy and our waste and recycling systems. It provides those opportunities to network, connect and innovate, but also from the government point of view it’s valuable because it allows us to speak with the sector, from academics to business, community groups and experts. It’s those connections that are so important if we’re going to be successful in building Victoria’s circular economy.” The circular economy was a hot topic across conference streams. Dr Sarah King, Technical Director, Circular Economy for GHD says the conversation around circularity and waste is certainly progressing. “The landscape of the circular economy has changed dramatically over the last five years, challenging us to reconsider waste as a valuable resource. Waste Expo Australia is helping engage companies and shift the concept of waste from being a cost burden to a resource with value, highlighting innovative solutions that give waste resources a higher purpose.” The conference also tackled new and emerging issues in recycling and waste, including a panel on the hidden cost of battery disposal. Non-profit CEO Shannon Mead of No More Butts joined that panel, alongside representatives from the Battery Stewardship Council, EPA Victoria, Re Group and Solo Resource Recovery. While the panel covered a multitude of issues battery disposal, Shannon tackled the hidden danger of single-use vape disposal, and the flow-on effects to landfill and the environment. “Based on consumption, we estimate nearly one million ‘single-use’ vapes per week are thrown away in Australia. That’s one million batteries (many of which could be recharged or recycled) ending up in landfill and starting bin fires, truck fires, or facility fires. Beyond just the health effects of vapes, there’s now a myriad of regulatory issues emerging around their safe disposal. Vapes present a ‘triple-threat’ of environmental issues: the hardened plastic casing, the copper coil and circuitry components and then the highly

There were 30 per cent more visitors for the 2023 event than the previous year.

flammable lithium-ion battery.” While solutions to some of the problems in waste management are not yet present, companies are making moves to offer practical products and solutions. One of these companies is international provider Eldan Recycling, who is now making moves in to PV and EV recycling, to combat the growing problem of solar panel waste and recycling, plus the challenges associated with EV batteries. Carsten Nielsen, Product Manager at Eldan, says its team had a busy few days at Waste Expo Australia. “We’re looking at automated solutions for solar panel recycling, disassembling the units on an automatic line to ultimately re-use the silica components for new solar panels. We’ve had a lot of great conversations with people who are interested in seeing what we supply and talking about the ideas we bring to the table.” Exhibition Director Samantha Martin says that post-COVID, the industry is back stronger than ever – a trend reflected in visitor numbers that were over 30 per cent higher than 2022. “The waste management and resource recovery industry is on the precipice of significant industry change, which will drive growth in the industry. We love hearing from multiple exhibitors and speakers about the encouraging conversations they’ve had at Waste Expo Australia 2023, and the fantastic turnout points to the industry’s strong future.” Waste Expo Australia 2024 will be held on October 23-24 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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From the CEO’s desk just don’t work Voluntary targets Environment Ministers will meet for this the second AS I sat at my computer to write time thiscolumn, year on 7 December, following the first I started by looking back at my 2018 Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) final piece for 2022. I outlined three major in April, which was inand part a response to the challenges hopes for 2023. One wasimport a restrictions driven by China’s National Sword nationally agreed definition of waste. Two Policy and policy has had wasthe realeffects demandthis for our recyclate and across the Australian waste and resource recovery (WARR) material. And three, was a plea/hope we’d industry. see Keysome decisions derived the April MEM leadership fromfrom our policymakers. include: By this measure, sadly it’s a cross for

points one and two but it’s a surprising and • Reducing waste endorsing a target hopeful tickgeneration, for point three. of 100% of It Australian packaging being recyclable, came in the form of a speech at the compostable or reusable by 2025, andtreasurer developing start of November from federal targets for recycled content in packaging. Jim Chalmers outlining a fresh push to meet • Increasing Australia’s domestic recycling capacity. Australia’s emission reduction targets. • Increasing demand for recycled products. While hethe said the Government would not go down the route of designing what • Exploring opportunities to advance waste-to-energy and waste-to-biofuels. he called ‘an Inflation Reduction Act Lite’, which is US President Joe Biden’s ‘green • Updating the 2009 Waste Strategy by year end, which will include deal’ linking action on climate change with economic growth, Chalmers madecircular economy principles. positive moves in the right direction. He said: “Our plan will be ambitious but uniquely Australian focused on It is time to take stock and focus examine has been achieved sincethat these decisions Australia’s strengths…our is onwhat the development of industries diversify were announced. Now, seven (7) months may not seem like a long time, our economy and make Australia more competitive in global markets, in an however in enduring that timeand we sustainable have seen further way”. markets close (Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam) and if youInare ancan operator continued stress, months what only beunder described as musicfinancial to the ears of theseven WARR(7) sector, the could make or break Treasurer saidyou. he will refocus the Productivity Commission to ensure Australia realises the economic potential presented by the net zero transition. Following MEM, called we have had three (3) states step in with WMRRthe has April consistently for the sustainability to be embedded rightvarying across degrees of financial assistance for industry (councils and operators). should government – not just the focus of environment departments. What we This do and bewho expected considering almost all states (except Queensland and Tasmania) have we impact goes right across government at all levels. access to significant waste levy income each year. On the eastern seaboard, Victoria We might be finally making some headway. And one hopes this thinking will has approximately $600 million levy reserves in the Fund quickly become business as usualinforwaste government at all levels in Sustainability Australia. and NSW raises thanit$700 million per annum fromthe theleadership waste levy. However, at more this point is appropriate to acknowledge of There is certainly lack of funds that can reinvested into our essential industry. anotherno individual – the current USbePresident. As The Australian’s Chief National Reporter Tom Dusevic wrote, with his Funding helps but as we know, Act the“Joe money a much longer game changing Inflation Reduction Biden goes has forced the rest of theway with Government support and leadership, as well as appropriate policy levers. rich world to respond”. And while that is no doubt true, it still took leadership from the Australian VICTORIA Treasurer to acknowledge that further action is required here if Australia is to Victoria has arguably been the most active and earnest in supporting the industry meet its net zero targets. post-China, two (2)werelief toget support However,with in my view can’tpackages just rely onannounced the market to it right.the As recycling industry, valued a total of him $37 the million. The Victorian Government has also President Biden,atand before EU, showed, government intervention is gone above and beyond all others states by announcing it would take a leadership role required given the clear evidence in Australia to date that voluntary targets in without creatingregulation market demand for recycled products. do not get us to where we need to be. It takes courage for a politician to level with the public, especially when it SOUTH AUSTRALIA involves missing targets. Government $12.4 package comprising $2 million of The fact announced is Australia isanot on million track tosupport hit emission or methane reduction additional expenditure, $5 million additional funding for a loan scheme, together targets, just as we are not on track to hit our resource recovery targets. with targeted funding from thethe Green Industriesfrom SA budget. The Government The Treasurer has become first politician a major party to utter out has also offered grants for recycling infrastructure.

industry Queensland has embarked on the development loud whathowever has been the whispered in the Government corridors of power and industry for years. of Reaching a waste management strategy underpinned by a waste disposal levy net zero and resource recovery targets are inexorably linked, andto increase recycling and recovery andone create new Ifjobs. The State will re-introduce a $70/ the country can get a two for deal here. we really want to ‘get with the tonne landfill levy in March 2019. There are also strong attempts to use programme’, we can link biodiversity targets too – as our sector is integral to not policy leversvirgin (levy(linear) discounts and exemptions) incentivise the use recycled material using materials and achievingto these too – a three forof one deal if you and make it cost competitive with virgin material. However, little has been done to like. The WARR sector can and must play a vital role in Australia meeting its target. establish new markets and Government has not taken the lead in the procurement Every day in Australia we are seeing evidence of the damage our current, linear of recycled material. are grants available forchange, resource operations economic system causesThere – including pollution, climate andrecovery biodiversity in Queensland although monies been allocated assistuse in 2018. loss. Australia needs to movenoaway fromhave our current attitude ofto“make, once, This is troubling rolled out“make, its Container Refund Scheme on 1 November, and dispose”astoQueensland one where we instead use, repair, recycle and remake”. which will likely impact the cost and revenue models of the State’s MRFs – as we By valuing everything, harnessing the full potential of our planet’s have seen most recently in NSW. resources, and phasing out waste wherever possible, we can move to a new era

of sustainability. WESTERN AustraliaAUSTRALIA needs to build resource recovery infrastructure to handle an The Western Australian Government setthe upnext a Waste in direct response additional 10 million tonnes of material in sevenTaskforce years across the nation if to theare China National part ofrecovery this announcement, the State Government we to meet our 80Sword. per centAsresource target. urged all local councils the utilisation of a three system - red for To achieve this, we needtotobegin stop waste moving around and a(3)-bin commensurate general waste, yellow for recyclables and green for organic waste over the coming increase in the uptake of products made from recycled Australian materials (not years to reduce contamination. While this taskforce is a step in the right direction, simply imported) from both business and government. weWe areneed yet to see any tangible results from it or any funding for industry. In October, to urgently eliminate the stigma against circular products, which are the WA Waste Authority released its draft Waste Strategy to 2030, which comprises presumed to be of lower quality to more traditional, linear products. a comprehensive and detailed roadmap towardsis making the State’s shared The lack of systems thinking by some governments it harder and vision of becoming a sustainable, low-waste, circular economy. more expensive to recover recycled materials. The refusal to turn the tap off on dangerous products being placed on our COMMONWEALTH market, not addressing the economics of resource recovery, and restrictions on Followinginto thethe MEM in April, Australia now has a new Federal Environment Minister, exporting global market while failing to prioritise local recycled materials Melissa Price, who in October reiterated to media MEM’s commitment to all continue to reinforce the fragility of the waste and resource recovery sector inexplore waste toand energy as part of the solution to thethat impacts China’s National Sword, Australia the need for bold systems thinking finallyof shifts the dial. which is troubling (EfW is not a solution to recycling). The Commonwealth For example, we need governments to expand extended producer responsibility has also backed the Australian Recycling Label andrecoverable endorsed the National to ensure material put to market is safe and easily by our sector. Packaging Targets developed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation Also, it makes no sense that other countries banned PFAS up to two decades (APCO), which has to failed to about incorporate industry in the development ago yet here wedate, are still talking a ban coming intofeedback effect in two years’ time of these and only fortargets. three of To the the moreCommonwealth’s than 4,000 types. credit, there has been significant coordination in catch reviewing theAsNational Wastegoes, Policy, with the Department We are playing up here. the old saying if a job is worth doing, it’s of Environment bringing together industry players and States during the review worth doing properly – so Australia must ban them all. process. As we hit the end of 2023, and another disappointing outcome from the Environment Ministers’ Meeting in November, I do lament that we have not seen The“regulation” updated Policy will now go before Environment Ministers on 7 December. The the promised. Commonwealth can play a key role that goeswhen beyond the development I strongly believe Australia really is–atone a crossroads it comes to waste andof the Nationalrecovery Waste Policy. supportive the Federal Government maximising resource policy.WMAA In 2024iswill we finallyofsee the national understanding and the leversrequired it has, including taxation and importation maintain leadership to value all material, design it well topowers, maximisetolife, managea strong, sustainable waste and industry. so that we can create carbon and methane and resource capitaliserecovery on local investment Australian jobs, or will we continue with rhetoric and platitudes? AHEAD MEM I reallyOF hope the2former, as I know that we can be the solution to so much of There may be movement some doing better than the current climate challenges,across as theAustralia, clock keepswith ticking and states the planet keeps others, but the consensus is, progress is still taking way too long. It is evident that warming. The time for action is now. there are funds available in almost all States to assist with developing secondary manufacturing infrastructure, however the only way that this will really happen is Gayle Sloan, Chief Executive Officer, WMRR if there is government leadership around mandating recycled content in Australia now, not later.

NEW SOUTH WALES At first glance, New South Wales’ eye-watering $47 million recycling support package was heralded as the spark of hope industry needed. However, on closer inspection, the bulk of this package that was funded via the Waste Less, Recycle More initiative and therefore the waste levy, was not new, making it very difficult for stakeholders, including local government, to utilise the funds as they were already committed to other activities. Some of the criteria proposed by the NSW EPA also made it challenging for industry to apply to these grants. On the plus side, efforts are being made by the NSW Government to stimulate demand for recycled content through the intergovernmental agency working groups that have been established, though no tangible increase in demand or facilities have developed… Yet.

Voluntary schemes like the Used Packaging NEPM, under which APCO is auspiced, are not working. We have 1.6million tonnes of packaging waste in Australia, which needs to be used as an input back into packaging. Barriers to using recycled content in civil infrastructure must be identified and removed, and Government must lead in this field and prefer and purchase recycled material. A tax on virgin material should also be imposed as it is overseas. MEM must show strong leadership on this issue. Ministers have, since April, dealt directly with operators and councils that are under stress and we have a chance to create jobs and investment in Australia at a time when manufacturing is declining. Ministers have the opportunity to be leaders of today, not procrastinators – leaders of tomorrow and we are urging them to act and not just talk in December.

QUEENSLAND Unlike its neighbours, Queensland did not provide any financial support to

Gayle Sloan Chief Executive Officer

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Cover story //

Big hitters come out swinging as WtE comes to the fore

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Panelists (l to r) Henry Anning, CEO ResourceCo Energy Systems; Jason Pugh, CEO East Rockingham Waste to Energy; Mark Schubert, Group CEO and managing director Cleanaway; Robert Kirkman, CEO and managing director Veolia; and Gayle Sloan, CEO WMRR.

By Inside Waste (Continued from front cover) IF they get one single voice aligned on the issues, a stronger message around landfill levies needing to go up, as well as social license, planning policy and fast tracking, we can make headway more quickly.” Pugh, who will be running one of the first such plants in the country in East Rockingham, Western Australia, believes that the industry needs to do a better job of telling the public what the technology actually does, as opposed to what they think it does. He is aware that a lot of different interested parties will be keeping an eye on the plant over the first couple of years to see what outcomes it delivers – and not just in terms of residual waste being processed into energy, but any side effects it will produce during that time. He is confident it will run smoothly due to those involved in the building

and running of the plant. “We’ve got a company, in HZI, that has started many plants,” he said. “We also have Veolia, one of the world’s most experienced operators of these facilities on board. We need to ensure that we get a really good track record for the first couple of years of operation, which we’re confident we’ll do. Then, we will start to demystify this age-old thing that we hear about incinerating things and throwing rubbish on the ground and burning it.” Pugh is not feeling too much pressure, mainly because the company had the foresight to bring stakeholders along with them from the beginning. “We took West Australian councils to the UK, and one of the meetings organised was with the UK EPA,” he said. “The person who was in charge of regulating WtE plants in the UK had a clear message, which was she didn’t get any problems from this sector.” Pugh said the reason for this is because they’re run by multi-billion-

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dollar companies. He said it was empowering for the councils to hear that these projects have continuous emissions monitoring, are transparent, and there’s nowhere to hide. Schubert also pointed out that there has to be something in it for the communities, and in the case of EfW facilities, it can lower energy and cooling/ heating costs. He also said that the East Rockingham facility can lead the way in terms of making WtE more palatable to the public at large. “The WA team has a big role to play because once [people] see them, it changes their mind about what these plants are and what they’re not,” said Schubert. “I think success of those plants will allow councillors and customers to go over and say, ‘Hey, that looks awesome’. It … will make a huge difference and will demystify this for a lot of the nervous communities.” Kirkman also said operators and governments need to take a more

practical view. Nobody should be pushing the barrow that they need to bring everybody along on the journey, because that would never happen. He has had some experience in the UK that showed once a plant is up and running, and the public can see its lack of negative impact on the environment, then they are along for the ride. Australia needs to do the same. In the case of NSW, Kirkman said that there needs to be a change in some of the stringent legislation surrounding the building of such plants, because the language used as it currently stands is unnecessarily restrictive. “There will be no energy from waste plants built in New South Wale,” he said. “The policy excludes you from building a waste to energy plant. For example, the EPA policy requires that you don’t have a single light bulb in the feedstock. So that alone, let alone other things we can talk about, prevents an energy from waste plant being built.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Banner_ISW Specs_28Feb23_CropMark.pdf

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Cover story //

Kirkman said several issues peripheral to the energy from waste debate also need addressing, landfill levies being one of them. “The levies need to go up [in WA] because they need to be more consistent [across the country],” he said. “We all know that because we’ve been barking on about it for years. It sometimes feels like you’re banging your head against the wall. We keep saying it, but no one’s listening…There’s a slight perversity that the lowest landfill levy is in WA and the two [EfW] plants are there. I think Jason would back the fact that that makes those facilities very difficult to be profitable.” Pugh agrees with Kirkman to a degree. He said one of the main reasons the plants got up and running in WA was because the state’s EPA went to Europe and came away with the findings that using best practice of WtE would be the best outcome for residual waste for the community. “With that clear messaging out into the community, the fear started to fall away,” said Pugh. And the debate on, ‘is landfill better than wasted energy?”, has disappeared. And that’s the sort of leadership you need on the East Coast to get this done.” Kirkman also said that one way to drive the change is to make the market competitive. By this, he meant once a plant is up and running in Victoria, and NSW sees not only the benefit but the issues the naysayers were spruiking are in fact not issues at all, then the other governments will want plants of their own. He believes the time for telling governments the same thing again and again is over, now is the time to start doing. “We need the jurisdictions to want them more than other jurisdictions,” he said. “I think the next facility to be

There is only so much land available to landfill, even in a country the size of Australia.

built will be in Victoria. We’re very proud to have recently signed an ECI (Early Contractor Involvement) agreement with Cobra. I think that’s the way to drive forward, start talking about what the other states are doing better.” Schubert said it was also important for the state governments to be more precise in what they want and where they want the plants to be. “I think, where possible, make it a meritocracy, in terms of location selection,” he said. “Rather than saying it has to be in a certain location, just go, ‘the best location will get the licenses’ or ‘the best projects will get the licenses’. You can see Victoria having a crack at that in terms of the

There are many misconceptions about what pollutants are created by EfW plants.

12 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

cap, so applying for the cap on the best projects against an agreed set of criteria will prevail.” Schubert said Queensland is implementing a similar pathway by telling companies to not apply for builds in certain areas, like Ipswich, but have indicated difficult to locate industry zones would be an ideal spot to lay the foundations of an WtE plant. He also thought that it is important to have a buffer around these industrial areas and then engage with communities about what they want to do with that land. Turn it into a recreational area or some other use for the locals, and work with the councils to develop those areas into something useful. Queensland is one state, that overall seems easier to deal with, according to some members of the panel. This is because of the aforementioned industrial zones that have been put aside for these kinds of projects. Another plus is that a lot of its councils take in big catchment areas, Brisbane City Council being one example. This means having to deal with less authorities and therefore less bureaucracy. “I’m going to say I’m pretty optimistic about Queensland,” said Anning, who is also based there. “The energy from waste policy in Queensland doesn’t have some of the challenges New South Wales and Victoria have – they have large councils and a decent population.” Kirkman believes Australia probably needs about 12 plants that can cover

off on about 400,000 tonnes of residual waste. He said these facilities would be small compared to a coal-fired power station that is producing 1000 megawatts of electricity. Sloan asked how risky are WtE facilities to build in terms of ROI, as she saw these types of builds as complex capital works. Pugh said there are risks and pointed out that the WA plants took a while to get underway for a variety of reasons including bureaucracy at the beginning. To compound the issue, just as the company was about to get major works underway in 2019 COVID hit and its preferred company to provide boilers was the Wuhan Boiler Company. “All hell broke loose literally three months before we needed to clear the site,” he said. “We had a closed border for 700 days. We had 80 per cent of our ordered material, but we couldn’t get a single specialist into the site. It’s been a tough call.” An audience member brought up the point that EfW facilities could be a compromise in terms of when landfills run out, especially in the case of New South Wales, which will run out of room soon. Kirkman agreed. He reiterated the state needs to act now. “We can create further capacity and then long into the future by building energy from waste plants, which also have a huge positive impact,” he said. “I think we’ll get there. It’s just a matter of how close we get to the wire, and we’re getting closer and closer to that wire.” These types of discussions make strange bedfellows in that Kirkman’s competition, in the form of Schubert, agreed with the former’s premise. He

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also made the case as to why New South Wales is perfect for WtE plants. “New South Wales has to be the most attractive place to do energy for waste economically because the gate rates and the levies are high,” he said. “And just to amplify Richard’s point earlier, it is certainly ironic that the place with the lowest landfill levy (WA) has two [WtE facilities] and the place which really needs them has zero.” He said that Sydney needs a resilient set of outlets for waste. Only having two putrescible landfills for waste before having to drive up to Newcastle was not ideal. “And you see that during storms and stuff like that where one side will have a problem,” said Schubert. “And then you get down to almost having waste co-ordination by the EPA, which isn’t ideal. You need multiple different routes with different logistics to those facilities. “You can’t be caught in a situation where you’re stockpiling at transfer stations due to waiting for train lines or whatever to open. I think logic will prevail. The current New South Wales Government is…receptive to making some changes. We think there are good

locations in the current policy, they just need to draw the maps.” Sloan brought up an issue that has been haunting the industry for a while – companies such as Veolia and Cleanaway having to work to the state election cycle, where the rules can not only change, but often do due to the fickle nature of what politicians think their electorate want. “That’s the challenge with government tenure versus duration to build these projects,” said Schubert. “And these projects can take five to ten years depending on where you’re starting from, and I think that is a key challenge.” Kirkman agreed but said part of the issue was that the resource recovery/ waste sector also has to do better. “There’s three things that we need to do as a sector and we all need to do it in unison,” he said. “We really do need to get some energy from waste plants built across Australia. I know that sounds obvious, but we need to rely on getting that done because we all know it is the right decision to do it. There isn’t a groundswell against it, there’s a very small number of people [who are against it].

Waste to Energy plants can get a rid of a lot of residual waste that would otherwise go to landfill.

“We need to welcome in more green tape because I don’t think we’re regulated properly. I think we’re overregulated on compliance and things that don’t matter. But we don’t have laws that drive us forward. And it’s a difficult balance to get regulated. We’ve got to try and create that

dynamic where we can have more rules that grow assets and make the business cases. “And the third thing we need to do is to get more diversity into our sector. As you can see from this panel, we are four CEOs who are all white, middleaged men.”

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Procurement // Alves said there needs to be more resource recovery to create feedstock for government projects.

Government-mandated procurement needs to be the norm By Inside Waste (Continued from front cover) NATALIE Alves is a senior policy officer for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment – i.e. the people who decide what projects can be executed when they meet government criteria; while James Erickson is a senior project officer – climate change and sustainability – for NSW Treasury i.e. the people who hold the purse strings. Alves pointed out that although there are a range of benefits for using recycled products, the recovery rates have not moved much in the various waste streams. Procurement aside, in terms of needing a reliable source of feedstock, Alves also stated that it would be good if the recovery rates could increase for another important reason. “We have data from the Centre of International Economics that states that increasing Australia’s recovery rate by 5 per cent could add $1 billion to Australia’s GDP and lift wages as well,” she said. “Plus, we know all about embodied carbon. We know that 45 per

cent of global emissions are associated with the use and management of materials and products. We start to see key opportunities with respect to local recycling markets, in particular, and how we can support those.” Alves said that these opportunities would be highlighted if Australia jumped on the growing movement nationally and internationally to shift to a circular economy. She said that the circular economies in Europe and the United Kingdom have shifted towards producer responsibility, resource recovery systems and strong economic incentives to improve the value of material and reduce the generation of waste. “More recently, other countries have taken bold steps to protect their environments from the negative impacts of waste,” she said. “And I’m talking here about the bans on the export of wastes and importing waste from other jurisdictions. The policy landscape is shifting as well to support material circularity. We’re acknowledging that the New South Wales Government can use its purchasing power to stimulate

16 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

demand and support markets for recycled materials so we can really leverage these economic and environmental benefits.” How is government coming on board when it comes to procurement in contracts stipulating a certain amount of recycled material needs to be incorporated into the contract? There is some good news on that front according to Alves. She said the NSW Government has made procurement commitments in its own waste and sustainable materials strategy. “First and foremost, government departments are now required to preference products that contain recycled content,” she said. “That includes building materials and office fit outs and supplies on an ‘if not, why not?’ basis. It means they need to preference recycled content, where there’s no significant additional cost or negative impacts on performance or the environment.” She said there was some specific commitments that are in the strategy, such as the $13 million Circular Innovation Fund, which is looking to support research into new technologies and uses for recycled materials and provide

opportunities for those on government projects. The government is also going one step further. “We’re also looking at establishing a direct directory of recycled materials’ suppliers to help producers find the products that contain recycled materials,” she said, “and a register of upcoming government infrastructure projects that will help them plan for the potential demand for recycled material. We’re looking at annual reporting as well to help with monitoring and evaluating actions.” Talking about such initiatives and implementing them are not the same. Erickson came armed with some tangible examples of the type of procurement they are after. Treasury has also come up with branding titled Choose Circular, to try and send consistent messaging on what the state government is hoping to achieve in making sure recycled materials are being used in government projects. “We really want to target materials that have low recycling rates, and ones that are subject to export bans,” he said. “Things like plastics, paper and cardboard, and tyres.”

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Procurement //

The NSW government is starting to stipulate in its contracts more recycled materials need to be used.

Erickson said that where materials are already being used and don’t need a lot of help in terms of getting them onboard for the circular economy, the government sees its role as complementary, as opposed to leading the charge. He said it didn’t want to interfere where it’s not appropriate. Other materials that need a close eye kept on them include the usual suspects. “There’s a lot of new policies and activities around organics, which means

there’ll be a lot more organics in the market that need to find a buyer,” he said. “There are currently millions of tonnes of coal ash sitting in dams that could be put to use. “It’s important that we’re looking at locally sourced materials in New South Wales so we can reduce the risk of exporting waste. Finally, we want to develop beneficial uses for materials and retain their value as long as possible.” Erickson said in an ideal scenario it’s

important to keep materials recycling in the economy as long as possible at their highest value. Low carbon materials were also a priority because the government is determined to decarbonise its infrastructure wherever possible. Treasury has been consulting with stakeholders in its key target markets. Erickson said most of these people are procurement people, and therefore not experts in the waste or resource recovery industries. What the government is concentrating on are the buyers because they will be executing the projects and contracts. “We’ve done a lot of engagement over the past year through interviews, workshops, and lots of different forums that we’re participating in,” said Erickson. “We’re doing this because we’re taking a needs-based approach. We’re trying to figure out what are the needs and barriers for those people doing procurement and how we can design these projects to help them. And that’s important because the strategy’s not prescriptive per se – it doesn’t say you have to buy this or have X per cent of that – because that’s not very practical, or useful to do at a government level. We

need to understand how those different agencies and organisations work.” Erickson said he has found that the procurement system across New South Wales is “quite devolved” and varies a lot. He also said that one of the main issues surrounding procurement was how such a model could sit within the circular economy. The goals of a circular economy might not align exactly with those procuring products and services for the various levels of government – quality and cost of products being examples of where these two ideals might not meet. “And let’s say somebody does know about a new alternative product that contains recycled content,” said Erickson. “What we hear a lot is ‘well, I’m not sure this is going to be right for me’, or ‘is it going to be all right for my project? I don’t trust it’, and ‘I prefer to be risk averse and stick with what’s been done in the past decades’.” He also said that even if there is a product that’s tried and tested and is ready to go, there are other issues that arise. These can include procurers saying that they might cost more, it takes too much time to source, and they don’t have the manpower in their team to do a quality assessment of the new product(s).

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// Procurement

Educating all sectors involved in the procurement of products will be a key driver.

“This is particularly so when it comes to something like infrastructure where the timelines are very tight,” said Erickson. “You don’t want to introduce additional risks into your project by looking at a new product. However, there’s an opportunity to share learnings better through case studies, and general knowledge sharing.” That all being said, the Treasury Department has instigated initiatives designed to bring down some of the barriers. First, there is the aforementioned supplier directory. “The objective here is to provide the information to the person who’s doing procurement or managing the contract or putting a tender out at the right time,” he said. “That also serves the purpose of signalling to industry that this is what the government wants to buy and what is valuable to us.” He pointed out that such a system can provide data back to the department – i.e. know what’s being searched for, or what’s available, which is useful to those doing the buying. Then there are ideas around resources and materials that can be embedded into the procurement process. “In other words, guidelines, frameworks, everything that can make it easier for people to do this,” said Erickson. “[Then there is] addressing that awareness barrier. There’s a whole range of things that we’re considering here – formal training, case studies, materials, events, newsletters – just to raise awareness and build capability.” The final initiative, he said, is trying to take a more organisational-targeted approach. This entails going in to see what an agency is doing – whether it is health, education or infrastructure – and start to make a tailored plan for how they can increase the uptake of recycled materials. Erickson is aware that when it comes to the supply side of the equation, they need to forecast and then signal demand to the market for recycled materials, which is generally based on the current pipeline coming from the construction sector. Another piece of data that is in demand from procurers and recycled products is around specifications.

“We’ve heard a lot in our consultations that specifications are a key part of getting more recycled materials into projects, particularly around construction,” he said. “There’s a lot of people looking at specifications, particularly from an embodied carbon point of view. That will be a co-ordinated piece of work – looking at what research is needed and what specifications are needed – over the coming years.” They are also looking at demand indicators – what the industry might need in terms of recycled materials that can be used in state infrastructure projects. “This is obviously to help suppliers prepare for [those projects and] can help justify investment,” he said. “It can feed into business cases in those organisations, and at the same time, it can help those government agencies estimate what is their potential to take up recycled content. It might also be in line with sustainability strategies that they have for their own agencies.” The last issue that needs addressing is educating those procurers. Erickson agrees, which is why his department is pushing for more engagement in that space. Education is not only needed to make sure people are up to speed, but different organisations and parts of the process are going to be at a different state of readiness. “Education and communication are critical,” Erickson said. “I think for the program that we’re delivering, we’re focused on government as a key procurer but also government as a leader. Part of the program of works that we’re looking at is the state of readiness across government agencies. “We’re looking at the available specifications and we’re looking at the opportunities. “We want to lead the way with respect to increasing the education and awareness and providing those materials to industry and local government where appropriate, so that they can join us in moving forward and increasing our overall level of maturity and ability to use these materials.”

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Thought leadership //

Regulations need to be applied consistently THIS time last year George Hatzimanolis was on the podium at the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards receiving a gong for Leader of the Year, while his company Repurpose It won another for Operational Excellence. A forthright communicator, as well as having a driven passion for the industry, Hatzimanolis is the first to admit that a lot can happen in a year, and that has been the case for Repurpose It. One of the main highlights/priorities has been ensuring the company is compliant with Victoria’s new Environmental Act, especially around regulation and licensing. Most businesses loath red tape and bureaucracy. Hatzimanolis is more circumspect than most – with a caveat.

“We’ve made a huge investment around the licensing requirements that have come in our industry,” he said. “That’s taken a huge amount of time and effort from our team as we navigate this new Act. I’m looking forward to having this rolled out wider across the industry, to ensure that it’s being applied consistently and presents an even playing field for everyone. “You’re always going to get pockets where some of the regulations need to be practical, and obviously not cost prohibitive. But for the most part, I think what the new Act is set out to do, we see as a positive for the sector.” Then there is the issue of organics. Hatzimanolis believes if the current targets are to be met – 80 per cent diverted from landfill by 2030 – then

the country needs to get on with it. He said there is good policy already, but FOGO rollout needs to start happening quickly, and there needs to be more incentives for the commercial sector to start diverting the waste.

End markets When Hatzimanolis made his speech at the Waste Expo in Melbourne in 2022, one of the issues he raised was the need for more end markets for repurposed end-waste products. Sometimes it’s not just about looking for any end market, but what the repurposed product can bring to the bigger picture. “If you look at organics, from a market perspective, it’s gone really well,” he said. “For us, it’s been about diversifying our organic streams into

products that we know we can move at volume in bigger markets. An example of that is compost. We don’t sell a lot of compost per se, but we value-add our compost into a finished product, which is garden blend and topsoil. And we’re a very large distributor of topsoil. Having the distribution channels for our soil gives us the opportunity to evaluate our compost because obviously compost is a key ingredient into our soil. And we’ve seen that market go strong.” Overall, Hatzimanolis thinks that councils are doing a good job, but there should have been some tweaks along the way. For example, he thinks some councils have been too quick to roll out their FOGO initiatives, while others have taken too long.

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22 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Thought leadership //

Jamie Durie is working with Repurpose It to educate the community about organics and bin content.

More importantly, he thinks the education element needs highlighting because people are still putting waste in the wrong stream. “You had this double whammy, where FOGO was rolled out really quickly, and some residents weren’t up with the play with bin content and some contamination,” he said. “Some councils pushed out what was a weekly general waste collection to once every two weeks and that only exacerbated the issue. We know some facilities in Melbourne that suffered as a result of that. “That’s created some scars in the rollout of FOGO, to the point where some councils have actually slowed down because they want to learn from the mistakes of others that have rushed it. This rush has led to contamination rates getting high, which becomes counterproductive.” On the flip side, there is now

a slowdown, which he thinks will compound the issue of reaching an 80 per cent diversion rate within the next six years. Hatzimanolis said it will be difficult to meet targets at the current rate of roll out. “We’re encouraging the councils that we have relationships with to speed up their FOGO rollout to the point where we’re offering support with the education campaigns,” he said. “We’ve got a series called Living with Purpose that we’ve put out with Jamie Durie, to promote organics and bin content. We’re trying to work with councils to say, ‘look, we’re here to help, let’s go and ramp up education rather than slow down the rollout’.”

Moving forward One of the keys to Repurpose It’s success is that it doesn’t sit still. Since its inception, Hatzimanolis has been all about expansion, with a second wash

24 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

plant coming online as well as organics tunnels being built. The next 12 months will see consolidation as he pushes for the company to grow in different areas. Currently, the company is licensed to take over 200,000 tonnes of organics annually and can support more councils with their FOGO rollout. “We are looking to diversify and take our brand into other areas. We see some growth opportunities in things on the fringe of organic waste. Food waste is an area that we’re heavily focused on at the minute and we’ve got some interesting projects happening in the background around collection of food waste.” As for the immediate future for the industry in general, Hatzimanolis sees the next 12 months as challenging, not just for Repurpose It or the resource recovery industry, but for everyone. “Things are getting really constrained with respect to

government infrastructure spending,” he said. “Obviously, costs are still problematic for a lot of sectors as there’s been a lot of inflationary cost escalation and there’s tightening market conditions. “In general, the economic activity is evolving as budgets are being stretched to deliver more with fewer resources. This in turn presents a great opportunity for our sector as our clients turn to the circular economy to identify ways they can be more resourceful. “Despite the challenges facing the industry in the general economic activity, there’s plenty of opportunity, because we’ve got more demand for recycled content than ever. “There are policy objectives that we are behind on related to landfill diversion targets, so we want to get our skates on”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Battery Waste Conference //

R&D can lessen impact of battery waste on environment

The panel (l to r): Professor Scott Donne, Professor of Electrochemistry and Energy Storage, University of Newcastle; Professor Deepak Dubal, Queensland University of Technology; Nicholas Assef, Founder and CEO, Battery Pollution Technologies; and Greg Leach, Founder and CEO, Blockhead Technologies.

By Inside Waste Batteries have always been a problematic waste stream, which has been exacerbated over the past five years due to the advent of electric vehicles (EVs) and the introduction of Energy Storage Systems for both residential and utility applications. This means that over the next 10 years the level of spent batteries that will need reprocessing and recycling will grow significantly in volume. Batteries are complex industrial products, and the mix of materials batteries are made of deliver great benefits – but not without also introducing a number of unique problems. The products that cause most concern are those with a lithiumion component, which has caused a lot of fires in MRFs and rubbish trucks. These batteries are dangerous due

to way in which they combust – that is known as thermal runaway. High volumes of water are required to cool ignited batteries – which is a different strategy than for traditional fires. There have been a lot of ideas put forward to try and solve the issue around end-of-life batteries, and the level of industry and academic collaboration continues to slowly grow. Then there is the Battery Stewardship Council, which does great work with its B-cycle initiative that includes many collection points around the country. At the Australian Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit held in Sydney recently, another aspect covered was the place research and technology have in the world of battery resource recovery. That research includes the development of efficient processes to both break down modern

26 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

batteries and to chemically treat waste streams to recover critical minerals. Chaired by Nicholas Assef, founder and chief executive officer of Battery Pollution Technologies, a panel made up of Professor Deepak Dubal, Academic Lead International and Engagement at Queensland University of Technology; Professor Scott Donne, Professor of Electrochemistry & Energy Storage at the University of Newcastle; and Greg Leach, founder and CEO of Blockhead Technologies, discussed some of the latest technologies and research that can help make batteries part of a circular economy with minimal impact on the environment. Donne led the discussion by giving a breakdown of what materials make up lithium-ion batteries, which also gave in indication of what can be recovered when they reach end of life.

“The original lithium-ion battery material was lithium titanium disulphide,” he said. “The first commercial system was a lithium cobalt dioxide cathode material. It was originally started with lithium metal as the anode material, but quite quickly morphed into a carbon-based material as the anode system. A lot of work has since been spent dealing with safety, stability and cyclability issues with various cathode materials. “Lithium-ion phosphate is a relatively recent development. Within the cobalt dioxide there’s been dilutions with replacing some of the cobalt with nickel and manganese. Some aluminium goes in there as well. They’re the most common chemistries used. Typically, lithium cobalt dioxide operates at around 3.7

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Battery Waste Conference

volts in terms of operating voltage, and the capacity of that system is quite a bit more than the lithium-ion phosphate system. A lot of work has gone into the development of lithiumion phosphate. Its energy density is not so high.” When it comes to the recycling of the battery material, Donne said his department has several ongoing projects involving corporate sponsors. His team has been doing a lot of work with batteries, capacitors and has recently finished up with some fuel cell research. One project has been the development of materials that go into batteries that power implantable pacemakers. These new materials mean the batteries last longer so the increase in time between surgery to implant a pacemaker has increased by one to two years. With such an increase in battery life, it means end of life of the device has been extended, and therefore reduces the amount of waste that will go to landfill from the components that cannot be recovered. But there is more.

“From a recycling point of view, let’s compare recycling with primary metal production,” said Donne. “The ores that you collect out of the ground containing nickel and cobalt, they’re quite dilute. But from a battery material recycling point of view, if you have recycled batteries, they’re very rich in the elements that you want to extract. Very rich in cobalt, very rich in nickel and lithium, way richer than an ore out of the ground. It makes the processing easier because it’s much more concentrated.” Assef went one step further when explaining the benefits of recycling over virgin feedstock. “From a recycling perspective, you have a leg up because you’re recycling a more pure material than what Mother Nature is developing, which has been going through a whole series of processes to get to a battery-ready state,” he said. Although Dubal is a scientist, he thinks breakthrough research should be looking at the issue from a battery recycling perspective. In other words, the industry should be developing a battery recycling process that is

efficient and economically feasible and sustainable. The result would be a sustainable battery industry with a reduced environmental footprint. However, he also feels there has been no real developments in the recycling and recovery process for batteries. It is a case of crushing it, getting the black mass (or left over) and then leaching and separating it. One of the main problems with trying to separate the different elements is that it’s hard to do because they are all similar in terms of where they sit on the periodic table. “The cost of separation is hard because it’s very difficult to separate nickel, cobalt and lithium, because all of them have the same chemistry,” Dubal said. “All of them are from the same row of the periodic table. It means the atomic numbers are very close, which means the chemical properties are very close. It’s very difficult to separate those chemicals or prepare the new precursors.” Dubal also spoke of a seminar he attended where one of the speakers compared the carbon footprint of

manufacturing a new battery to recycling an old one. The speaker gave evidence that indicated that the difference was negligible. This type of example made Dubal think that scientists need to be thinking about issues like this when researching better ways to recycle batteries. While there is research into how to best dispose of, or recycle and/or reuse batteries, there are also practical considerations that need to be taken into account, according to Assef. While handling your everyday Eveready, Duracell or Energizer AA or AAA batteries is not seen as too manually intensive, the same can’t be said for the next generation of EV batteries. “It’s not very easy recycling largescale lithium batteries as it needs to be efficient,” he said. “[We have to look at] the technology opportunities around automation. “I mean if you’re sitting in front of these heavy vehicle batteries, how do you physically move those around the floor of a recycling site? How much space do you have to store those batteries? And what is your cycle rate

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Battery Waste Conference //

when taking the battery in, and then moving it out?” This led Assef to bring up robotics, and he queried Dubal about that aspect of recycling batteries. Dubal pointed out again that separating the cathode and anode instead of crushing the whole battery would be ideal. He believes that Australia could lead the way in terms of robotics being a great platform to do so. “The automation and robotics [could] have a really great role,” he said. “Of course, there is not very much research around this space. But I would say that is a really great opportunity in terms of the Australian context.” Then there is the ESG (environmental, social and governance) aspects that a lot of companies are now trying to initiate to get social license within local communities. Leach said one of the keys is metadata – getting information about a product can be helpful when it comes to disposal. Blockhead Technologies does a lot of work with a gold refiner in Sydney. It helps the industry with its ESG by being able to provide provenance of where an ingot of gold comes from, where it has been refined, plus an array of other data. He calls it a gold passport. The same process can be put together for batteries, said Leach. It would help with auditability of

Battery fires in rubbish trucks are being caused by lithium ion batteries that are in smart phones and other devices.

batteries, as well as transparency of what elements are in a product. And what does the future hold in terms of research, development and new technologies in the battery space? “As long as there is a demand for improvement in technology, there will always be ongoing R&D to make that happen,” said Donne. “And if that involves the development of new systems, new chemistries associated with battery technologies, then that’s

the approach that is going to be needed to address the deficiency that’s perceived in a particular technology. That goes hand-in-hand with the downstream processes that will be required to respond to, for example, the production of batteries. If your cathode material,

for example, has to be of a certain composition or physical characteristics, then that process has to adapt to that if it wants to be used and to be sustainable That will have to be the case for a recycling process as well.” This session concluded with Assef highlighting the need for proactive involvement of government in developing specific narrow grants that can benefit the battery recycling and recycling technology industries – including leading to the development of exportable technologies.

End-of-life solutions for batteries are becoming more important as an influx of EV batteries will need recycling over the coming decades.

28 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

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Infrastructure //

When wishful thinking isn’t enough By Inside Waste THE trials and tribulations of trying to get infrastructure up and running in Australia can be extremely challenging. As well as navigating red tape, NIMBYism, legislation (federal, state, and local), and competitors, you also have to find the expertise to build and run plants. These issues are not just the purview of the resource recovery industry, Australia is littered with projects that failed to see the light of day due to a variety of reasons and the country being put into the ‘too hard’ basket. As a consequence, Australia virtually has zero capacity to recycle certain waste streams locally. Paradoxically, it has implemented one of the strictest waste export bans globally.

In the case of the waste industry, environmentalists will argue – rightly in some cases – that a robust legislative and regulatory process makes sure that rogue operators, or those that sail over the legal requirements to make a quick buck, are pulled back into line. It makes sense to have guidelines and comprehensive, as well as consistent, regulations for sectors like the waste industry. However, those regulations need to be considered in the bigger picture and maybe politicians need to take certain issues into account when deciding to set targets, such as those for packaging and recycling. Because, as it stands, you can’t meet targets if there is no infrastructure in place. This issue is exacerbated by waste export bans that are not thoroughly thought out. Adding to that, investors are not prepared to

put in 10s, or sometimes even 100s, of millions of dollars into a project that will not realise a return on investment for decades, or has a plethora of caveats hanging over its head in terms of legislation and compliance before it even gets off the ground. Which brings us to Papier-Mettler. The family-run German company was founded in 1957 by Hans Georg Mettler as a paper wholesaler business and has expanded to specialise in flexible packaging made of paper and plastic. It recognised early on that waste was a resource that could be recovered and reused to substitute products made from virgin material. PapierMettler now has one of Europe’s largest recycling capacities for LDPE-film waste, a soft plastic that is considered hard

to recycle. This means it can create economically and ecologically viable closed-loop material cycles with its customers. It also takes product stewardship seriously, which is why the company focusses on developing products that are recyclable through the same recycling stream as the initial product. Papier-Mettler has expanded to various locations throughout the world including Australia in 2014. While it has diversified its offerings over the years, and already being key player in the European soft plastics recycling infrastructure, its vision was to play a similar role in the Australian soft plastic recycling sector. Recognising the lack of

Papier-Mettler has been recycling soft plastics since 1992.

30 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

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// Infrastructure // Strap

Papier-Mettler now has the largest LDPE recycling capacity in Europe.

relevant infrastructure in the market, and an opportunity to contribute to the nation’s recycling infrastructure to process LDPE film waste, PapierMettler came in with a proposal to establish a facility that would recycle soft plastic LDPE film into high-quality resin, which could again be recycled into film again at end of life – i.e., following the cradle-to-cradle concept. In the past, Australia has if at all focussed on downcycling schemes rather than circular schemes for soft plastics – meaning that even barely contaminated film waste is turned into lower quality products such as plant pots, which cannot be turned back into soft plastics. “We made the decision to pursue a significant investment in a state-ofthe-art mechanical recycling facility in Victoria in which we build up local cradle-to-cradle recycling capacity for LDPE waste,” a company spokesperson who wishes to remain anonymous told Inside Waste. “This could be a game changer for the industry.” As he pointed out, the country’s capacity for recycling LDPE film waste consisted almost entirely of processing schemes, which turned soft plastics

waste into rigid, bulky products such as park benches and bollards. In comparison, Papier Mettler produces every-day film products, such as post-consumer recycled content reusable bags, from what is considered problematic soft plastics LDPE waste, within a circular scheme. This means that not only the overall recycling capacity in Australia increases for that material, but that the produced bags can be recycled into new bags again. Papier Mettler was willing to put its money where its mouth was by investing more than $20 million in such a plant and was planning to invest in more, only to have the rug pulled out from under it. How and why? Several state governments decided to, or were looking to, explicitly ban LDPE plastic carrier bags. It essentially banned the recycled content output for LDPE recycling without having another solution put in place that could offer a closed-loop solution for soft plastics waste. The decisions were made under a seemingly green agenda that was fuelled by other drivers that had nothing to do with protecting the environment, according to the spokesperson. “The reasoning was that these

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shopping bags were harmful to the environment despite scientific evidence proving the exact opposite,” he said. “Plastic shopping bags made of post-consumer recycled plastics are – according to numerous LCAs – actually the most sustainable option in comparison to other materials such as paper or cotton.” “Following national purchasing and standardisation strategies, most of our customers needed to opt for alternatives to consolidate their shopping bag range. “Hence, even though only one state explicitly banned LDPE carrier bags at the beginning of 2022, the end market for the products which we manufactured out of film waste, virtually died overnight.” This meant that all the work going into establishing the plant had to be stopped due to the lack of product and end market. “The sustainability and the success of recycling schemes depends on these end markets,” said the spokesperson. “Without them, recycling just isn’t viable long-term – economically and ecologically.” “This correlation proved to be true once again just recently in Australia, in

the form of the collapse of a prominent soft plastics recycling scheme. The lack of a sustainable end market caused the scheme to be unable to process the amounts of collected material. Further, the competitiveness of the end product in the free market was not a given.” “Currently, there’s no industryscale collection program and recycling capacity for LDPE soft plastics,” he said. “There remains a very small amount of recycling capacity for LDPE film waste (around 15,000 metric tonnes, where more than 300,000 tonnes are actually required,) with most of the LDPE material sent off-shore through waste export ban exemptions. “Globally, we are striving for circularity. We want to be part of the solution. Organisations like PapierMettler need the support of policy makers and government in ensuring end markets not only exist but are actively created and sustained for long-term viability of investments and a truly circular economy for plastics. Without an economically and ecologically viable solution to process soft plastic waste onshore into competitive products, the dream of a true circular economy for plastics just cannot come true.”

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Circular economy //

More to come as BINGO ramps up circular economy drive NEVER say never is a value that is intertwined in BINGO’s corporate identity. It sets the tone for innovation and technology as BINGO works towards its vision of a waste-free Australia. To enable this vision, BINGO has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park precinct in recent years, with more investment to follow. Set on a site that is just over 52 hectares in size, it incorporates two materials processing centres (one of which is a state-of-theart recycling centre), a landfill – one of the biggest in the country – as well as a recycled product area. The biggest feather in its cap is the Materials Processing Centre 2 (MPC2), which has been in operation for almost 18 months. What makes MPC2 special is the state-of-the art technology it’s equipped with – automated cranes, screens, air density separators, eddy current separators, magnets, optical sorting equipment, as well as advanced environmental and safety features to ensure B&D waste is recycled into various recovered materials. These recovered materials then make their way to a range of third parties to start a new life instead of being dumped landfill. MPC2 uses a dual infeed system – there is the ‘west’ side and the ‘east’ side of the infeed plant. Both are

separating waste streams. If a rogue piece of waste slips through the net and causes downtime in the east infeed, the west side and processing plant can carry on running. Also impressive is the tipping floor, which is capable of handling and clearing up to 300 tonnes per hour. It’s where BINGO and thirdparty trucks unload their multi-tonne loads of waste to be sorted. Brad Searle is the company’s development manager, and he knows that it’s a great piece of kit and is proud of the way the team and the company has gotten the plant up and running. “Trucks come in from all over Greater Sydney to the tipping floor where they deposit waste,” he said. “A lot of it has already been pre-sorted at transfer satellites within our network. One of the things that makes MPC2 special is that it has been designed to process mixed B&D waste. Picture a bin that is packed with a diverse range of waste types, which when fed into MPC2, is methodically sorted into a range of different ECO products as well as alternate fuels.” Once the waste has been initially sorted on the tip floor, two overhead cranes, each capable of grabs of up to five tonnes, lifts it into two eight-metredeep pits situated on either side of the tipping floor. It is then that the waste starts on its processing journey to be

Repurposed materials go to third parties instead of heading off to landfills.

32 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

Many off-takes are produced, all of which are finding a second life in a variety of ways.

split up into the various off takes. This whole resource recovery park is designed to make sure all the recycling and reuse is squeezed out of every piece of waste that comes through. As well as trying to create a business where it can make money from the off-takes, BINGO is aware there is limited landfill space available in Sydney and its immediate surrounds, which is why reuse and recycling are part of its DNA. Throw in the company being big on producing refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from the materials that can’t be recycled, and it starts looking like a one-stop shop for all waste and resource recovery needs. While the hole in the ground at its Eastern Creek facility is big – and it is huge – Searle points out that it will eventually run out. “The Greater Sydney region is quickly approaching a landfill cliff in 2025 where demand will outstrip supply. “While BINGO’s void will be one of few remaining landfills servicing Sydney post 2028, it is critical that we continue solving for last mile to preserve finite inert landfill capacity as far into the future as possible. “BINGO’s vision is centred around solving for a waste-free Australia through maximising diversion from the landfill. With current and planned initiatives within the company, we are well on track to achieve a 90 per cent diversion rate.” Adam Mensforth is the MPC2 plant manager, and it’s his job to keep the place running smoothly.

With a lot of machinery on the go all the time, planned maintenance is key, but even that can’t stop some of the more insidious waste streams causing an issue. “Our biggest risk in here are lithium batteries, because of the fire risk,” he said. “In fact, we had a fire here recently. Fortunately, our systems are set up to prevent such events. One of the guys in the control room saw a flash on one of the monitoring screens from our closed-circuit cameras. And it turned out it was a lithium battery that had caught fire. We were able to safely deal with the issue. We are seeing more battery waste like vapes in our rubbish now.” As for the maintenance of the plant itself, the company has come a long way from when the plant opened. Searle said that 18 months ago they didn’t realise how big of a component planned maintenance would be – and for good reason. “We probably underestimated that aspect because nobody, including BINGO, has operated a plant on this scale,” he said. “We were addressing issues as they arose but how the plant is run now compared to 12 months ago is a lot different in terms of maintenance. Through a very proactive approach to maintenance, we have seen significant improvements in plant uptime as well as plant recycling rates.” In the first financial year of operations (including the commissioning and hand over phases) MPC2 processed approximately 620,000 tonnes of mixed

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Circular economy

The MPC2 has west and east infeeds, so if one side is under maintenance the other side keeps running.

inert waste. The waste diverted from landfill abates approximately 85,560 t CO2-e. This emission reduction is equivalent to taking 19,040 cars off the road for a year. In the future, BINGO aims to make the site energy self-sufficient. This will become possible through rooftop solar power as well as a power generation project currently under development to convert gas to green electricity. Searle says that this project will support its

ambitions decarbonisation agenda through providing green electricity to offset current and future energy demand for the entire NSW network. Another aspect the company is looking at is AI. Currently it has cameras capable of “reading a Jack Daniel’s label” on the tipping floor, said Mensforth. A lot of the cameras have 4G connectivity and are being monitored offshore where operators are looking for signs of fires or waste

The tipping floor is capable of processing up to 300 tonnes of material an hour.

not being in the correct stream. “Those doing the overseas monitoring are communicating with us what they’re seeing on the floor,” he said. “And that is a step towards AI. We are building a database, and once those things have been spotted and verified, then they can be picked out of the waste stream. The data will also lead to improved waste reporting.” Currently, the plant runs two eighthour shifts. When the plant closes in the

early evening, the planned maintenance staff get to work. While the plant has a license to run 24-hours, Searle said they are yet to take up that offering. BINGO is in it for the long haul. As Searle and Mensforth both stated, the waste and resource recovery industry is changing all the time. Both see BINGO as having a lot to offer in this space, and with its state-of-the-art plant going great guns, there is plenty of work to be done yet.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Opinion //

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good By Mike Ritchie RESOURCE recovery and waste reform in Australia are incredibly slow and it need not be. We don’t have time for it to be. The waste/resource recovery sector plays a crucial part in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and we need to move faster. Already the sector abates about 40 MT CO2-e per year. Put another way, if we did not have this sector Australia’s emissions would be 40MT greater than they are now. That is 10 per cent of Australia’s emissions. But we can also abate another 40 MT by just doing four things smart: 1. stop the landfilling of organics; 2. capture the landfill methane emissions being caused by organics we have already put in the ground; 3. better recycling to achieve the 80 per cent diversion target; and 4. energy from waste – both anaerobic digestion of food and thermal treatment of residual. That does not include the sequestration potential of compost and biochar, which could add millions of additional tonnes. So why aren’t we doing them all? Now. Rapidly. Because we let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Name ANY resource recovery or waste management policy and there will be someone who disagrees and who argues vociferously for revision, reversion or outright opposition. That is the nature of a democracy and sometimes results in a better policy. But most often it results in Government sitting on their hands. We make it so easy for Government to do nothing because we debate the marginal nuance as if it is a central argument. The WMRR industry has a great deal of consensus on many of the most important issues and we need to prosecute those arguments to Government with clarity and unity. Here are some of my favourites: 1. The landfill levy drives recycling, by altering the landfill market price and thereby allowing recycling to compete for the capture of materials. 2. Keeping organics out of landfill will reduce Australia’s greenhouse emissions.

3. The additional emissions from trucks collecting organics is a small fraction of the emissions that would have occurred if those organics were landfilled. 4. We cannot achieve the 80 per cent diversion from landfill targets with the current government policy settings, including landfill pricing. 5. The state planning systems are failing to approve resource recovery infrastructure at the pace required by the National Waste Action Plan Targets (80 per cent diversion by 2030 and a 50 per cent reduction in organics to landfill). 6. Energy from Waste (EfW, a.k.a. WtE- Waste to Energy) is part of an integrated waste system because it captures the embodied energy of residual materials that have no higher recycling opportunity;

“The WMRR industry has a great deal of consensus on many of the most important issues and we need to prosecute those arguments to Government with clarity and unity.” 7. Extended Producer Schemes (EPR) deal with problematic waste streams that are unlikely to be recycled without the producer contributing to the costs. 8. Many EPR schemes are only touching the sides because they are not mandatory and are plagued by freeriders and a lack of authority. 9. Landfills are an important part of the waste management system for disposal of harmful wastes such as asbestos and contaminated soils, among others. 10. A circular economy will reduce the generation of waste in the first place if we get the policy settings right. 11. The private sector will only invest in infrastructure and reprocessing when they can make a profit. 12. Create the market conditions for investment in resource recovery infrastructure. 13. Forty per cent of all waste generated in Australia goes to landfill because it is often the least cost option taking

This chart shows what needs to be done to avert another 40 MT of CO2.

34 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

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// Opinion

“If we are serious about reducing waste generation, reducing waste to landfill and reducing emissions, then we need to be clearer in our advocacy to government.”

A circular economy will reduce the generaion of waste in the first place if we get the policy settings right.

into account separation, collection and processing costs. 14. Reduce waste. Design out waste and choose materials and manufacturing methods that make recycling easier (in packaging etc). If we are serious about reducing waste generation, reducing waste to landfill and reducing emissions, then we need to be clearer in our advocacy to government. I don’t really care if governments use regulatory or price signals to achieve the outcome. But they need to recognise that doing nothing is rarely a good option. The more we can articulate our common views and moderate the pursuit of perfection, the sooner governments may step up the plate in a more forceful and effective manner. Good will do for now. Perfection can wait until later.

Specialist advice to the waste & recycling industry Fire protection requirements Fire Safety Studies Emergency Plans Fire Modelling GIS Environmental siting assessments Environmental compliance Licensing requirements Waste data analysis & interpretation Waste infrastructure assessments & feasibility studies Waste strategy Waste Management Plans Project management

Contact: Jill Lethlean jill@lethleanfireandenvironment.com.au 0400 171 480 Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Lethlean Fire and Environment DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Product stewardship //

Why transforming the product value chain is important By John Gertsakis and Rose Read Directors, Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence A COMPREHENSIVE product stewardship approach is lifecycleoriented and seeks to transform the value chain through diverse interventions from design and production through to post consumption and how we can better manage end-of-life outcomes. It is about producers, brands and retailers taking greater responsibility for the products they place on the market, and ensuring higher levels of environmental performance and impact reduction. The need for systemic change and fundamental reform is a given and overdue. Authentic product stewardship squarely places responsibility and accountability for the environmental and social impacts of products across their entire lifecycle on the producers and brands. It is not this diluted notion of shared roles, which often fails to delineate who owns these impacts, be they solid and hazardous wastes at end of life, carbon emissions, or the specification of unsafe chemicals, finite resources or nonrenewable inputs at the design and

Mattresses are just one troublesome waste stream that would benefit from a product stewardship scheme. Australian Bedding Stewardship Council.

production stage. Product stewardship provides a clear pathway for businesses to operationalise circular economy objectives to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials circularity in the economy and restore

A holistic approach to product stewardship will help create a truly circular economy.

the environment, and goes beyond the typically nebulous language that accompanies claims and pledges about circularity. Policy-makers and some industries are realising that an effective product stewardship approach on-the-ground, needs to place environmental and human health objectives at the centre of how we develop, implement and monitor all of these initiatives and schemes. When executed well, product stewardship delivers a variety of benefits and positive impacts including: Environmental — eliminating hazardous materials, conserving resources and materials, preventing and reducing waste, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Social — improving workers’ health and safety across the supply chain, and increasing accessibility to repair services and collection points for recycling. Economic — job creation, upskilling, reskilling, and creating new markets for recovered materials Recent research by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures and the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence, on the annual performance data of stewardship initiatives and survey findings identified five characteristics to effective stewardship.

• • •

36 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

1. High levels of industry or business investment and participation was considered essential for realising these benefits. For most of the collective schemes assessed, some form of regulation was viewed as necessary to maximise industry participation and secure adequate investment. This ensured fair sharing of costs by industry, and reduced the impact of free-riders. For individual business initiatives, this ensured sufficient allocation of internal resources. Interview findings suggested that voluntary schemes can be more flexible in addressing changing market conditions, or the needs of members. There is an opportunity to introduce greater flexibility and responsiveness in regulatory approaches for collective schemes. Several interviewees expressed a pragmatic acceptance that regulation was the best solution for ensuring high levels of industry investment and participation. 2. Clearly defined objectives — measurable environmental, social, and economic performance indicators demonstrate benefits and allow for continual assessment of the effectiveness. 3. Good governance — this includes well-defined roles and responsibilities and ensures

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// Product stewardship

transparency through public reporting. 4. Use of financial incentives — to drive behaviour change of businesses, consumers, repairers, collectors, sorters, and recyclers. 5. Effective marketing and communications — leading to high awareness and increased user participation. The analysis also identified several factors limiting effective product stewardship including: Low awareness and understanding of product stewardship, and its potential; inconsistency in data collection and reporting; overemphasis on end-of-life interventions at the cost of more preventative measures to back up the product lifecycle; and low rates of adequate investment and participation in industry-led collective schemes, including the well-known barrier of free-riders. The Product Stewardship Gateway developed by UTS ISF and the Centre starts to tell a story of progress and development of existing and emerging product stewardship initiatives in Australia, albeit at slow pace and often overly focused on end-of-life responses that are ameliorative rather than preventative. The Gateway includes publicly reported environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Product stewardship must, and will start, to migrate further up the resource and waste hierarchy to avoid, prevent, refuse, reuse and repair. It needs to rapidly shift beyond the lip service given to sustainable design, durability, repairability and the proactive elimination of unsafe chemicals. The Centre will continue to support, mentor, enable and encourage producers, brands, retailers, associations to be ambitious and comprehensive as they shift towards higher levels of environmental performance, transparency and responsibility. Accelerating the adoption of product stewardship across industries, sectors and product categories remains core to the Centre’s mission. The first quarter of 2024 will see several Centre of Excellence initiatives released including: A Priority Actions Roadmap to further elevate and accelerate product stewardship action to 2030. It will cover policy reforms, products, and processes, aimed at an integrated approach that avoids cherry-picking solutions sector by sector. A Product Stewardship Disclosure

• • • •

•

Framework that aligns with international developments related to product stewardship, extended producer responsibility and circular economy action. The framework will serve to inform government and industry policy as Australia shifts to a net zero circular economy that also acknowledges the importance of addressing over-production and overconsumption. An expanding program of online learning and professional development to build capabilities and competencies among practitioners as well as executive decision-makers. The theme of learn, equip and act will drive the course content development.

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What remains critically important as Australia matures its approach to product stewardship is how we must work much harder to positively build environmental, social and economic capital. BAU dressed up as innovation isn’t the answer. There is no single factor, KPI or measure that characterises successful product stewardship. What is becoming more evident as we manage existing and emerging schemes, is the need for multiple actions and interventions in order for such schemes to realise their potential. This includes innovation in policy and regulation, real-world circularity measures across the lifecycle,

productive collaboration, rigorous governance, adequate investment and a genuine commitment to transform the language of ESG and circularity into positive impacts that deliver responsible prosperity and meet the every increasing consumer expectations. A comprehensive product stewardship approach that is explicitly lifecycle-oriented has the power to go beyond less harm, and confidently look towards achieving restorative and regenerative outcomes. Above all we need to remember that product stewardship is about taking responsibility for environmental protection and minimising harm to humans in a way that can still deliver responsible prosperity. DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Product stewardship //

Rogue operators still a blight on the tyre industry

Illegal dumping is still a huge issue and one that will not go away in the immediate future.

38 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

TWELVE months is a long time when things aren’t going your way. Lina Goodman, the CEO of Tyre Stewardship Australia, is becoming frustrated at the lack of action from many quarters – industry specific associations, retailers and free-riders including auto-brands – when it comes to end-of-life tyres. A year ago, Goodman was lamenting the lack of progress in getting everybody on board with a recycling scheme. While there are more tyre importers on board, the freeloaders are still, well, freeloading. “Nothing has changed. And I think that if we have the same conversation 12 months from now, nothing will have changed,” said Goodman. “The biggest changes that the scheme has had in the past was when the OTR contributors came on board and paid the levy, and when a few auto brands came on board to pay the levies. However, when you look at the scheme performance, we’re doing our best with our hands tied behind our back.” The TSA recently published data that shows the recovery of used car, bus, and truck- tyres is regressing. It has now dropped from its peak of 90 per cent in 2019-20 to 80 per cent over the past year. While the likes of the Australian Tyre Recyclers Association have questioned aspects of the data, Goodman is having none of it. “There is no hidden agenda behind this data apart from sharing what is a true and accurate reflection of what’s happening in the market,” she said. “And we may have some people in the market who are suggesting that there is no problem, but that is in complete contrast to what is practically being felt by government agencies, local government, landlords, and factory owners. This week alone, there was a huge stockpile found in Albury-Wodonga. “A couple of days ago, I took a drive out in my local area. There’s a bridge not far from where I live called the EJ Whitten Bridge. And underneath it, there are thousands of tyres being thrown out. If someone tells me that there isn’t a problem and our data is wrong, that does not match what is happening. We refine the data methodology every year to ensure it is more accurate.” Goodman said that TSA has invested heavily in understanding the data it collects. She said there is a team of people working on it. “It’s not me sitting there with a calculator and a couple of people sitting around me thinking how we can shape the data so that it works in our favour,” she said. “And it isn’t just TSA relying on the data, State Governments also rely on state-specific TSA data, and we take that role really seriously.”

Trying to solve the issue takes work. Goodman said that the problems are multifaceted – from mum and dad stores not using reputable recyclers through to an increase in illegal dumping. “We’re seeing more material going to landfill. What’s interesting from the recycler’s perspective is the lost opportunity for them,” she said. “These are tyres they’re not collecting. These are tyres that they’re not receiving revenue. But what we are doing is we’re allowing rogue operators to collect these tyres at a much more inflated cost than they would have a couple of years ago. Two years ago, they’d collect these tyres for $1 or $2. But now they can charge $3 to $3.50 because the rest of the market – legitimate operators – have had to transition due to the waste export ban, which means their collection costs have exceeded $4.” Goodman isn’t lamenting the export ban. She sees it as a good thing because there are now better outcomes for value-added processing. However, it allows rogue operators to be opportunistic in that process. “A lot of the time, we’re seeing small operators who possibly don’t even know TSA exists. They don’t think they can participate in the process of being accountable,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of this material end up in the hands of people that are just making money at the cost of the legitimate recyclers and the environment. Then there are the social costs of dumping tyres in yards.” She also said that these issues will only go away with some regulatory support. She believes that if legislation is put in place, legitimate recyclers will be the winners because that type of support will do away with the companies taking money away from them. Goodman’s wish list for the next 12 months is succinct – for every organisation importing tyres to Australia to contribute to a scheme that will support a whole circular economy approach to managing tyres. She also wants all organisations in the country that are in the business of tyre replacement – whether they are large tyre retailers or small oneperson mechanic businesses – to not have the opportunity to engage with rogue operators. “And the way in which that can be done is let’s remove the ability for those retailers to even choose rogue operators in the first instance. And I want legitimate recyclers and collectors to not only benefit from tyres they’ve lost to rogue operators, but to receive the funds to collect and recycle those tyres,” she said.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Product stewardship

The evolution of battery stewardship “AFTER we launched B-cycle in 2021, we thought, ‘finally, we can catch our breath’, but it was quite the opposite.” Libby Chaplin means this in a good way. The CEO of the Battery Stewardship Council has had a busy year, almost doubling the collection rate to 2400 tonnes of batteries and quadrupling the number of B-cycle Drop off points to 4,195. The swift surge in B-cycle battery collections is a major step forward, preventing toxic materials from ending up in landfills and conserving finite resources, and Chaplin said she is proud of the success. Yet the rapid expansion is not without its challenges. “Batteries are not like other products,” Chaplin explains. “They are hazardous and dangerous goods presenting an increasingly significant fire risk.” The NSW Government have reported a 20 per cent increase in lithium battery fires this year. Industry reports three fires a week in waste and recycling infrastructure and ultimately the Australian community bears the cost. The destruction of infrastructure and property in the waste sector also comes at a heavy price for communities. “There are also increased risks to human health, with 20 children a week presenting to an emergency department suspected of having ingested or inserted a button battery, and one child a month seriously injured” Chaplin said. Combine these factors, including the

absence of import controls to uphold quality standards for batteries entering Australia, a limited awareness among the Australian public regarding battery safety, and the persistent issue of free riding within the voluntary B-cycle Scheme, it’s safe to say that Chaplin and the Battery Stewardship Council have a busy time ahead. B-cycle released a campaign in November 2023 to improve battery safety in Australia, urging people to never put their used batteries in general waste and recycling bins, to tape the terminals with clear sticky tape and take them to a B-cycle Drop off point. It’s the start of what Chaplin expects will be an ongoing campaign, but she is confident that once people are aware of the dangers, behaviour will change. According to recent research released by BSC, 98 per cent of respondents indicated they were ‘Likely’ to use a B-cycle Battery Collection Point to recycle used batteries. Convenience was identified as the most significant barrier and now with increased numbers of drop-off points at most major retail stores, it is expected that more Australians will be recycling their batteries. The effects of free riding cannot be underestimated as it directly affects the budget and the ability to increase safe and convenient drop-off locations across the country. Despite the participation of 80 per cent of importers of loose batteries in

Single-use vapes are becoming a problem that won’t go away any time soon.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

A recent survey showed that 98 per cent of people would be ‘likley’ to use a B-cycle Collection Point.

the Scheme, the remaining 20 per cent, represents a competitive disadvantage for responsible brands. This is also a big issue in emerging markets such as e-bikes, Chaplin explains, as it takes a long time to bring in a whole new sector. The Battery Stewardship Council, together with its Industry participants, is advocating for a new category of Industry-Led Schemes as part of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act. “The idea being it would compel importers and suppliers of batteries and other products to join an accredited product stewardship scheme, creating a level playing field,” said Chaplin. “This form of light regulation ensures that voluntary product stewardship schemes like B-cycle can achieve full industry participation, sustaining a viable budget to maintain the Scheme. At the same time, it allows B-cycle to be flexible and nimble, to adapt according to industry needs and changing markets. “We could radically transform the stewardship environment so that the current safety and environmental battery problems could be solved in a much safer, shorter, and cost-effective way,” said Chaplin. Looking ahead, Chaplin is aware EV batteries, and light mobility vehicle batteries such as those from e-bikes and e-scooters, are going to become a huge waste stream over the next decade. Another issue, she adds, is vapes, most of which are single use and of

low quality. Each one can catch fire if punctured or crushed. While the Commonwealth Government ban on all vapes except those obtained by prescription is a step in the right direction, it also limits the ability to engage producers. Chaplin said B-cycle has the capacity and willingness to provide a national network for vapes but is limited in its ability to do so in the absence of a viable funding model. Looking ahead, there are a few things that Chaplin has on her wish list. In the immediate future she wants people to keep batteries out of regular household waste and recycling bins, and to tape used battery terminals before taking them to B-cycle Drop off points. Chaplin expects to see a dedicated working group with industry representation established to take a deep dive into how the country can make sure electric vehicle battery market failures are addressed. “We’re also looking to do a scheme review,” she said. We’ve been underway now for almost two years and there have also been some important learnings. The review will look at the fundamentals to ensure we build in efficiencies and also deliver long term sustainability and safety for the battery industry. We plan to invite ideas from our partners to think outside the box, for example, exploring if there would be benefit from moving to a differentiated levy based on chemistry type.”

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards //

Waste Innovation and Recycling Award winners announced

Scenic Rim Council took out the gong for Outstanding WARR Project: Regional.

By Inside Waste THE winners for the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards were announced at a gala event held at Aerial in Melbourne’s South Wharf. It was a full house as those that make the resource recovery industry tick celebrated the successes of 2023. A big thanks to all our major sponsors – CDE Global, Visy, Veolia, REMONDIS Australia, Re.Group, BINGO Industries, and COG Advertising.

Outstanding WARR Project Regional Winner: Disaster Waste Management Project - Scenic Rim Council Natural disasters cause disruption of waste services and often result in the generation of increased waste. The Disaster Waste Management Project has

ReSource’s Troy Rowe (right), winner of Outstanding Facility of the Year, with CDE general manager Daniel Webber.

delivered a Disaster Waste Management Plan that supports Scenic Rim Regional Council to reduce the impact of natural disasters on the local community, with the development of a Waste Services Resilience Road Map believed to be the first of its kind.

Finalists:

PFAS: Forever Chemical has an End Date GNM Group Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan - FOGO - Lockyer Valley Regional Council Willowie Waste Transfer Station - District Council of Mount Remarkable

Outstanding WARR Project - Metro Winner: Kerbside Waste Reform (KWR) Project – Merri-bek City Council Merri-bek’s KWR Project Team planned

for and delivered the new four-bin kerbside collection service over a 12-month period. This standardised service is now aligned with State Government requirements. The project aimed to maximise resource recovery through the provision of new bin infrastructure, delivered alongside a tailored communication and education program. The Project has procured 135,000 bins with a strict KPI of Sulo utilising 40 per cent (or higher) recycled content. Black bins were purchased because more recycled HDPE could be utilised within the manufacturing process to increase the recycled content percentage.

ReSource has introduced new AIdriven battery sorting, proper recycling of alkaline and zinc carbon batteries and high-efficiency recycling for low-value items. It is the first company in Australia to implement dual-stage activated carbon filters to ensure there aren’t heavy metal or VOC emissions from its processing entering the atmosphere. ReSource has also implemented AIpowered thermally activated fire cannons to stop any fires that might come from e-waste and is the first company in Australia to be energy negative in its processing, due to its 830-kilowatt solar system.

Finalists:

Go Full Circle – City of Boroondara in partnership with City of Stonnington and City of Melbourne Rundle Mall Green Organics Trial – City of Adelaide Waste Transfer Safety Upgrade with LBin – Contained Waste Solutions

Outstanding Facility of the Year – Proudly sponsored by CDE Global Winner: ReSource – ReSource Pty Ltd

The team at Merri-bek City Council with their Outstanding WARR Project (Metro) prize.

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ReSource processes all types of e-waste and in many instances, diverts up to 90 per cent of raw materials for reuse. ReSource’s facilities are large enough to handle up to 30 per cent of Victoria’s total e-waste, including low-value materials typically sent straight to landfills.

Acetylene Cylinder Recycling Facility – Enviropacific Services Limited Downer Sustainable Roads Resource Centre – Downer EDI Material Processing Centre 2 (MPC2) – BINGO Industries Organics In Vessel Composting Facility – Repurpose It

Community Engagement Success of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Visy Winner: FOGO success with an engaged community – Maroondah City Council In May 2023, Maroondah City Council introduced its combined food and garden organics (FOGO) waste collection service, which has been one of the biggest opportunities for the council to reduce

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards

Young Professional of the Year Shiloh Ainuu (right) with REMONDIS’ Susie McBurney.

Maroondah City Council were the winners of Community Engagement of the Year.

carbon emissions, support sustainable food production and achieve its strategic aim of halving waste to landfill by 2030. Subsequent results included a high resource recovery rate, low contamination rate and one of the highest participation rates in Australia. Maroondah City Council has one of the highest participation rates in a bin lid swap in Australia, with 95 per cent of the 45,000 existing garden organics maroon-coloured bin lids in Maroondah being successfully changed. The roll-out of FOGO kits was equally as successful, with 99.7 per cent of households receiving their kit. The service has seen a 20 per cent diversion of food from landfill, which is the lowest organics contamination rate observed in Maroondah, and an increase in its resource recovery rate from 55 per cent to 69 per cent.

Finalists

Love Bayside Don’t Waste It! – Bayside City Council Canning transcending cultural boundaries – City of Canning Waste Education Communication for LLN – Mackay Regional Council

Operational Excellence Award Winner: REMONDIS REMONDIS’ Wollongong plant is one of 40 branches of REMONDIS Australia. One of the defining characteristics of the operation is employee longevity – 30 per cent of today’s team members have been with the business for more than 10 years. Additionally, 17 per cent of the workforce identifies as Indigenous. REMONDIS Australia’s Sustainability Targets & Objectives for 2023 commit to working towards zero lost time injuries, reducing injury severity and operational impact, from a 2022 baseline, and reducing Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate, from the 2020 baseline. REMONDIS Wollongong currently has an LTIFR of 0.00. and (as at 20 August 2023) are currently sitting at 6,412 days LTI free.

Finalists

D & M Waste Management – D & M Waste Management Hanson Landfill Services – Hanson Ranford Rd WTS City of Canning – City of Canning

Chris Wade from REMONDIS Wollongong, which won the Operational Excellence award.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Finalists:

Caitlin Norrie – Brisbane City Council Danielle Prentice – Hume City Council Max Flynn – SMEC

Young Professional of the Year – Proudly sponsored by REMONDIS Australia Shiloh Ainuu – BINGO Industries Shiloh Ainuu, Operational Excellence Manager, is currently managing a team of more than 30 women at BINGO and has been a voice for women within the waste industry and BINGO for the past seven years. She has encouraged other women in her team to expand their mindsets and seek advancement opportunities within the waste industry. Shiloh was instrumental in the design and project management of the construction and implementation of six remotely operated weighbridges, allowing BINGO to service customers 24 hours, six days a week. She has project managed improvements to the Material Processing Plant, which saw a 10 per cent increase of recycling rates and led a committee of eight people, overseeing more than 250 actions from tip floor improvements, maintenance (both proactive and reactive), contractual plant improvements, training improvements, to automated settings.

Innovation Award – Proudly sponsored by Veolia Winner: Entyr ELT Thermal Conversion Process – Entyr Limited Entyr has developed an innovation that is a low-emissions thermal baking conversion process – rather than the burning of toxic waste – and is controlled within an atmospherically sealed vessel with no chemical intervention. Repurposing almost 100 per cent of an end-of-life tyre, the processing transforms ELTs into commercially valuable products of recovered carbon black, tyre-derived fuel oil, steel and gas, replacing the need for virgin resources in manufacturing, primarily tested and used in asphalt mixes. An RPS Group study determined that the Entyr thermal process is estimated to reduce GHG emissions by 23kg CO2-e per tonne of asphalt (a 24 per cent reduction in the embodied emissions of the asphalt

The Innovation Award went to Entyr and its Thermal Conversion Process.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards //

Woman of Waste winner from Repurpose It, Jelena Hercegovac.

produced) or 61,777 tonnes of CO2-e per year, based on processing only 25 per cent of Australia’s annual end-of-life tyre problem.

Finalist

Coffee biochar for a stronger concrete – RMIT University Coffee pod processing at REMONDIS Tomago – REMONDIS Powder Coating Waste Recycling – Transmutation Pty Ltd

COG general manager Sarah Doyle (l) with Leader of the Year, REMONDIS’ Chris Wade.

ensures the company’s products have been handled appropriately from a regulatory compliance and quality perspective. Hercegovac works in collaboration with the Victorian EPA and industry associations, such as ACOR and WWMA, to ensure Repurpose It continues to operate as a business set on revolutionising the waste management and resource recovery space, as well as complying with the company’s general environmental duty.

Finalists:

Woman of Waste – Proudly sponsored by Re.Group Winner: Jelena Hercegovac – Repurpose It Jelena has a passion for sustainable and environmentally sound solutions. She supports the Repurpose It business in all facets of environmental compliance, environmental risk management and sustainability best practice as General Manager of Environment and Sustainability. Her experience in environmental management, regulatory compliance and undertaking human health and environmental risk assessments across various sectors

Anhely Millan – Sustainability for Kids Pty Ltd Anne Prince – APC Waste Consultants Leah Maxwell – Adelaide Hills Region Waste Management Authority Ros Dent – BINGO Industries

WIAR Workplace of the Year – Proudly sponsored by BINGO Industries SMEC Australia Pty Ltd As a member of the Surbana Jurong Group, SMEC is part of a family of specialists. Collaborating closely with parent and sister companies, SMEC

SMEC Australia won WIAR Workplace of the Year.

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has the flexibility to operate in global markets either individually or in partnership to add value. SMEC provides technical expertise and advanced engineering services to resolve complex challenges within roads, highways, rail, metro, airports, ports, urban, water, hydropower and renewable energy markets. Its high-quality advisory and consulting expertise is delivered across the project lifecycle, from initial concept, feasibility, planning and design through to construction, commissioning, and operation and maintenance.

dividends for individuals, the wider team and the community. Under Chris’ watch, the branch supports a diverse range of charitable and community groups and events, including Meals on Wheels, Rotary NSW RESCA Awards, Lake Illawarra PCYC Indigenous youth programs, Cancer Council Relay for Life, Illawarra Convoy for Cancer Council, and Group 7 South Coast Rugby League, while Chris has participated in the St Vincent De Paul ‘Vinnies Sleepout’ since 2014.

Finalists:

Andrea Baldwin - Halve Waste Lacey Webb - Resource Hub Olympia Yarger – Goterra

Finalists:

Goterra REMONDIS Wollongong Resource Hub

Small Consultancy of the Year – Leader of the Year –

Sponsored by Inside Waste

Proudly sponsored by COG Advertising Chris Wade – REMONDIS

Oleology

Community engagement, driven by real passion, is at the heart of the culture at REMONDIS Wollongong. Branch Manger, Chris Wade, has long thought that recognising and supporting the diverse interests of local employees pays

Large Consultancy of the Year – Sponsored by Waste Management Review KPMG

Perth-based Oleology won Best Small Consultancy Award.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Collaboration //

Relationship ticks a lot of boxes

Both companies complement each other, which will bring about the best results for clients in many areas including plant design.

Collaboration is a word often bandied around in the resource recovery industry when it comes to working with those at the coalface of the industry, or even state governments coming to consensus about such things as landfill levies. In the case of Orez and Bianna Recycling, it’s two companies with different skill sets that have become an ideal fit to service the industry. Spain-based Bianna is a specialist at producing plant and machinery for waste and resource recovery entities with more than 30 years of experience, while Australian based Orez – a division of CEA – is the brains trust when it comes to offering waste and resource recovery solutions to the local industry. How did two companies from opposite sides of the world come together as partners? As well as Spain, Bianna has offices in Turkey, France, Portugal, Mexico and Brazil. To expand, the company knows it must use expertise on the ground in those countries when it comes to local compliance laws. Bianna’s area manager for Europe, Asia and Oceania, Daniel Welsch, said that,

given those parameters, there are a lot of opportunities in Australia for the company. Orez was a good fit for what Bianna wants to achieve. They ticked a lot of boxes. “The size of Orez’s company group, CEA, was one reason, it’s in fact bigger than us,” said Welsch. “It’s good to have a healthy sized company group with whom we can have a long-term relationship. Then, there is also the number and location of their sites across Australia, which is important so that back-up support and after sales service are available on demand. Then there is the capability and capacity of Orez to stock a lot of materials and spare parts. Another good aspect is their presence in the sector, and their group represents other strong brands. The Orez team is well known in its field in Australia and New Zealand and has completed several successful projects in short succession.” Welsch is not bothered by the distance between the countries. With modern technology it is now possible to have a working relationship that is beneficial to both parties. With

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technology such as Teams and Zoom connectivity, the ability to have realtime conversations and problem solve make the tyranny of distance a moot point. The Australian market had been in Bianna’s sights for some time. “One of the reasons we decided to go to Australia is because, one year before COVID, it appeared the new waste regulations meant that Australia was trying to be greener and not landfill everything,” he said. “That is what interested us most. That is similar to how we feel about waste streams.” From Orez’s point of view, when Bianna approached them about such a partnership, it didn’t take long for them to see what a good fit they were, according to Sean Galdermans, general manager at Orez. Welsch is the main contact when dealing with Bianna, and it’s a really good fit. “Bianna has got a lot of knowledgeable people,” Galdermans said. “Daniel’s the right filter because he works so broadly across the world, and he knows exactly what’s required in each country.”

For his part, Welsch sees it similarly from his company’s point of view. He says that the type of waste streams it wants to tackle differ from country to country, but Australia has two areas that interest Bianna the most. “The first one is the industrial waste. Obviously, there’s a lot of industrial waste that needs removing,” he said. “And related to industrial waste is landfill diversion. Australia has a lot of land, and it is normal in places where you have a lot of land that you find places to landfill. However, it is not sustainable. So, the government and industry began to think about landfill diversion. In Australia you still have huge amounts of industrial waste, organic waste and municipal solid waste, which is basically just landfilled. We can do lots of other things instead of landfilling.” Welsch sees Bianna as complementing Orez to help find the perfect solution for customers. And not only to find a solution, but also manufacture machinery, and help with the transportation and supply of plant and machinery. It also wants to be there

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Collaboration

at the commissioning stage and when handing over the keys of the facility to the customer. “The idea is to collaborate with both Orez and the customer, and to give a customer a proper solution for a longterm project,” he said. For Galdermans, there are a lot of parts to the equation that click. He sees it as an organic match, as well as good work ethic, commitment and understanding of the types of projects both companies want to bring to fruition. “To that extent, they have a slightly better understanding of the Australian market than some others, because they are happy to work under a licence model,” he said. “They’re happy to follow Orez’ guidance and prepare the drawings and designs for us to fabricate locally, or depending on the project, they can still fabricate it themselves and send it to us in shipping containers. They’ve got a good understanding of that supply chain and where Bianna can best add value to these projects. “That’s where Bianna excels, in the understanding of the real value out of their products, brand and experience, and how to bring it to Australia cost effectively.” And Orez? What are some of the key elements they bring to the partnership? Galdermans believes that a lot of companies have got too many brands and don’t know how to promote and integrate them properly. He believes one of Orez’s greatest assets is its ability to focus on how to bring projects to fruition. “It’s almost like a race to how many brands can you have on your website,” he said. “What I think is crucial is how do you bring these projects to market. And how do you support them. With us, the design, technology integration, project management and delivery is all in house. We pride ourselves in applying our in-house design experience to bring together various equipment and technology packages seamlessly, to provide the most cost-effective and tailored solution which delivers the desired outcome to the customer. For example, we can couple Bianna with an organics technology partner to meet our customer requirements.” One aspect that Galdermans is keen to make clear, is that the relationship is also about bringing value to Orez customers by making available leading European equipment and technologies that would otherwise be unavailable or difficult to access in Australia. “Especially given the experience Bianna have in this space,” he said. “There’s no supplier here that would have as much experience with industrial waste as Bianna.”

Daniel Welsch (l) and Sean Galdermans both see huge benefits in working together.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Waste to energy //

Decarbonising Australia’s Waste Sector HITACHI Zosen Inova (HZI) is a wasteto-energy (WtE) specialist and has its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Inside Waste talks to Amal Jugdeo, Business Development Manager at HZI’s subsidiary in Australia, to tell us more about its decarbonisation plans.

What role does HZI play in Australia’s waste sector decarbonisation plans? Through research and technology, HZI is driving resource circularity, decarbonisation and supply security for present and future generations. This is done closely with our parent company, Hitachi Zosen Corporation (HITZ). This workstream is aligned with global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)

emissions. In Australia, the Government has committed to developing a 2050 Net Zero plan and 2035 emissions reduction target with the aim of establishing pathways for transitioning to a Net Zero economy. Emissions from the waste sector, which contributes more than three per cent of Australia’s overall GHG emissions, will be included in the decarbonisation plans. HZI contributes to meeting these goals through investment in research and technology advances in its decarbonisation portfolio.

Tell us more about HZI’s decarbonisation portfolio and application areas. HZI has the technology to capture CO2

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from WtE flue gas and CO2 from biogas produced in anaerobic digestors that would otherwise be emitted to the environment. In Europe, there are numerous projects in advanced stages of development where the captured CO2 will be transported via pipeline and stored either in saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs. The integration of WtE and carbon capture and storage could enable waste to be a net zero, or even net negative emissions energy source, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Clean Air Task Force website has an interactive map showing the list of carbon capture and storage projects

worldwide. In Australia, we lack the coordinated effort we see in Europe to deliver these projects at scale, so it will take some time before CO2 storage becomes a viable option. The CarbonNet Project in Victoria is a promising start. Another pathway is to produce hydrogen by the electrolysis of water using electricity from a WtE plant or some other renewable source. The hydrogen can then be combined with the captured CO2 in a biological or catalytic methanation process to produce synthetic methane, which can be used as a substitute for natural gas. The hydrogen produced by electrolysis can also be used directly as a renewable fuel.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste to energy

The catalytic methanation plant in Gabersdorf, Austria, was the first collaborative Renewable Gas project, executed by Hitachi Zosen Group Companies from Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Slovakia.

Currently, it is primarily used in hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen boilers and hydrogen burners. HZI can also purify and liquefy the captured CO2, which can be marketed as a product gas for various industrial processes, including the food industry.

Do you have reference projects for these decarbonisation technologies? In June 2023, we inaugurated our latest project on the liquefaction and use of CO2 in Nesselnbach, Switzerland. Another carbon capture project is being completed in Zörbig, Germany. Furthermore, two ‘build-ownoperate’ organics waste processing projects in Apensen and Blankenhain, both in Germany, are milestone projects in terms of efficiency. Combined, these plants will produce in excess of 90 GWh/a of sustainable raw biogas through our anaerobic digestion process. Approximately 5,800 tonnes of organic liquid gas for the vehicle fuels

market will be produced from the biogas. A by-product of more than 8,000 tonnes of liquid CO2 will be captured and used as a substitute for fossil-based CO2 in industry. Upgrading the biogas will reduce greenhouse gases, and it will be possible to claim and sell more than 40,000 annual tonnes of CO2 equivalents in the form of greenhouse gas quotas (GHG quotas) under new German legislation. The production chain is not only carbon neutral but has a negative carbon footprint. We also implemented a power-tohydrogen project with an alkaline water electrolyser at the WtE plant in Buchs, Switzerland. The facility will produce 550 Nm3/h of green hydrogen – enough fuel for a hydrogen-powered car to travel 20 million kilometres every year. The new green hydrogen production facility will be integrated into Swissgrid’s novel concept for steering demand and oversupply within the Swiss power grid. When a primary producer goes offline, secondary producers, such as the

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

The CO2 liquefaction plant in Nesselnbach, Switzerland built by HZI and commissioned in July this year.

Buchs WtE plant, are brought online to stabilise the grid. So-called negative compensation is also possible if too much renewable energy is produced compared with the scheduled volume. In this situation, the hydrogen facility will draw up to 2 MW electricity from the grid, meaning that renewable energy producers such as wind farms will not need to be taken offline immediately or at all. Our projects for catalytic methanation for the client Inpex in Osaka, Japan and Energie Steiermark in Gabersdorf, Austria, are particularly worth mentioning because we were able to show our group strength in the renewable gas sector for the first time, with project participation and technologies from our entities in Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and Slovakia. The Gabersdorf project was part of a research project on the direct methanation of biogas without a preceding separation of CO2 where 21 Nm3/h of green methane was generated and fed into the grid.

HITZ also completed the construction of Japan’s largest methanation facility in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The plant produced 125 Nm3/h of methane, which covers the gas consumption of approximately 3,000 Japanese households. It was the first methanation plant in the world to use carbon dioxide emitted from a waste incineration plant.

What are the biggest hurdles for these projects? Cost reduction is the greatest challenge. For hydrogen and methanation processes to become a viable alternative to conventional fossil fuels, project costs must be reduced to an acceptable level. Costs can be reduced through economies of scale – the unit cost of production decreases as the size of the plant increases. Furthermore, carbon offsets and shared decarbonisation infrastructure, such as the CarbonNet pipeline, will be important in enabling a viable business case for these technologies and carbon storage.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Capital expenditure //

Everything that has been installed at the Fieldmans Waste site has been well built and well designed.

Fieldmans future growth now in FOCUS FIELDMANS Waste Management has contracted FOCUS Enviro to design, construct and commission a new waste recycling facility. This bespoke solution was customdesigned for the site, increasing the opportunities for Fieldmans Waste Management to recover more recyclable materials than it has in the past. Jake and Dylan Mansfield head up the team at Fieldmans, an Australian family-owned business started by their father, Mick. The Dandenong-based waste management company has grown from its original excavation business to become a supplier of environmental services to Melbourne’s construction and demolition sector. With 20 years of experience, Fieldmans is invested in supporting a circular economy and helping clients satisfy sustainability ratings for new construction projects. “Since leaving school, I worked in building the excavation business side of our company,” said Dylan. “We mostly focused on small to medium construction and demolition contracts using a fleet of bobcats. We were always filling bins, so we talked about the potential in that industry. First, we invested in 10 bins and a truck, which complemented our excavation work. There’s been significant organic growth, adding a truck or two every year. Things have picked up dramatically in the last couple of years, which drove our decision to invest in these new facilities and new ways of better processing.” According to Dylan, building a new facility on a busy operating site is very challenging. Working with

Ryan McParland from FOCUS Enviro, Fieldmans Waste was guided through the host of available technologies and plant options that relate to its individual waste streams. At each stage, there was a discussion of the merits of every part of the plant – the advantages, things to look out for, and the recovery rates to expect from each component in the plant. The point of difference that FOCUS Enviro brought to the table was its team’s experience.

Building a complete solution “We built a fully incorporated static recycling solution on site,” said McParland. “As a result, Fieldmans Waste has increased their recycling capacity by over 80 per cent.” Dylan Mansfield agreed that its recovery rates have increased beyond its initial expectations and budgeted numbers since the solution was installed. “We can process 10 times more than what we are doing now,” he said. We can now process much more material per day than we currently receive. “It has allowed us to regain valuable space and increase the safety of our whole operation, machinery, and truck movements. “All this has resulted in a new opportunity to go to the local market, attract more materials for recycling and gain new customers. Based on the numbers so far, the company has had an increase in timber recovery of about 45 per cent, and non-ferrous metals are up about 40 per cent. It is averaging about 84 per cent recovery and diversion from landfill.

48 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

Now, it doesn’t matter if it’s the trucks or other waste management businesses tipping. It has no waiting time due to the processing ability of the new plant.

Dealing with the challenges The compact nature of the site was challenging, with little to no room for facilities. However, McParland and his team had no major issues developing a solution for Fieldmans Waste. “The site had some space constraints, which meant we had to think very carefully about the design impacts and flow of materials, machinery and trucks around the plant,” he said. “There was also a lot of discussion around the challenges Fieldmans Waste were looking at when it came to increasing future waste streams, as well as building a plant that will allow them to grow into the future.”

Dylan agreed that the smaller site created some unique challenges. However, he pointed out that the build quality and engineering from the plant manufacturer M&K Recycling Systems was absolute precision. “Everything fitted together like a giant Meccano set, and no fabrication on site was a testament to the plant builder’s ability and experience,” he said. “All we had to provide was the concrete pad. The rest, including even the concrete bays, was supplied from FOCUS. We were able to continue our daily operation right through the installation of the plant, which was imperative to keeping our business going and our customers happy. “Using 3D animation and drawings, the team at FOCUS Enviro mapped out the site to show how they could put together a processing line that would be fit for purpose.”

An increase in workload has meant Fieldmans Waste has had to increase its capacity.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capital expenditure

Meeting requirements Jake’s key focus was having a processing plant that matched Fieldmans Waste’s exact requirements. There was also a big focus on maximising the plant’s return on investment. The FOCUS Enviro team, through consultation with representatives from Fieldmans, created a fully customised processing plant that maximised the site’s efficiency and delivered a plant that satisfies current demands with a built-in capability to provide for changes in future waste streams. “There’s nothing on the machine that doesn’t need to be there,” Jake said. “Everything that has been installed has a purpose. It’s a basic set-up here, but well built and well designed. It all comes from one manufacturer, so it works well as an integrated unit. The plant builder designed and supplied the electrical control system in-house. This was important to us and something no other supplier could offer.” One of the benefits of the new facility is how it supports health and safety in the workplace. It’s a shift away from workers having to be bent over on the floor, picking items up and sorting them, according to Dylan.

“Our staff are positioned in a purpose-built sorting cabin, comfortably standing up and sorting the waste as it comes by on a conveyor belt,” he said. “It’s a much better working environment for them and has helped improve recovery rates. “With the team at FOCUS, we created a standardised training program for all our existing and new operators for the different areas and tasks around the plant.”

Future of relationship McParland believes that FOCUS Enviro and Fieldmans Waste have a strong relationship that will continue. “Introducing this recycling system is only the start for Fieldmans Waste,” said McParland. “Over the past 20 years, we have seen many companies of similar size progress to multiple sites and facilities in a short space of time. “This has come from the investment in the initial plant and the efficiencies gained in the recycling and recovery of materials. “Fieldmans Waste is now witnessing first-hand a plant that can process more, build profits, and create opportunities to increase market share.”

The increase in capacity has helped Fieldmans Waste take on more clients.

Eriez Magnetics Company Overview:

Core Capabilities:

Leading specialists in metal separation, resource recovery technologies, and developing new recycling strategies and processes.

Eriez designs and manufactures equipment to successfully recover and beneficiate ferrous and nonferrous metals. Identify and remove unwanted metal contaminates to minimise product rejection and maximise product purity. We can help you achieve greater recovery at a higher-grade product delivered at a lower cost per ton. Recover valuable resources from: • MRF, MSW, C & I and C & D, • E-waste, • Tyre recycling and Scrap metal yards, • Energy from waste feed and bottom & fly ash, • Green waste processing, composting and road sweepings

Products and Services: • • • • • • • •

Magnetic Pulleys & Scrap Drums Ballistic Metal Separators Suspended Electromagnets Eddy Current Separators Stainless Steel Separators Fines Metal Recovery Systems Airless Metal Recovery Systems Technical Service, Repairs and On-site Inspections

Brands:

Contact Details:

• • • •

Eriez-Australia 21 Shirley Way, Epping, Victoria 3076 Phone: 61-3-8401-7400 Email: sales.au@eriez.com Web: www.eriez.com.au

P-Rex® Scrap Drum Shred1™ Ballistic Separator FinesSort® Metal Recovery System RevX-E Eddy Current Separator

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

Komatsu Forest Company Overview: Komatsu Forest is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of forest machines. We are represented on six world continents by a network of dealers and our own sales companies. Komatsu Forest’s head office is in Umeå, Sweden, and we have two manufacturing units, in Sweden and the USA. Our own sales companies are located in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, France, United Kingdom, Russia, USA, Australia and Brazil, and our network of dealers represent us on all other important forestry markets. Our extensive service organisation takes care of the machines, ensuring that they perform their best throughout their service lives. We have workshops throughout the world, service vehicles for quick assistance, in-house machine and methodology instructors to help maximise productivity, and support functions for everything related to our machines and services. Products and Services: We offer products and services that

increase productivity while simplifying the working day for you as a machine owner. We combine all our services under our Customer Care concept. This is our promise that you will enjoy the benefits of Komatsu Forest’s investments in research, development, servicing, support, logistics and innovative services. These combined resources are at the very heart of Komatsu Forest’s offer. Our goal is to make your working day as safe, problem-free and profitable as possible, no matter where in the world you operate. Let us show you that by choosing Komatsu, peace of mind and accessibility can become a natural part of your working day. Brands • Komatsu • Peterson • TimberPro Core Capabilities: Our world-wide network of highly trained service professionals is ready for you. We know how important it is to be

close to service and maintenance when help is needed. Therefore, we have a market-wide network of highly trained service professionals that knows your Komatsu, Peterson & Timberpro machine in every detail. They are, in turn, in constant contact with the Komatsu Forest head office so your voice or needs are never more than a call away from our collective expertise. Furthermore, we are constantly developing new services that will help you in your everyday work.

• Support and maintenance throughout your machine’s service life • Maintenance agreements with fixed maintenance prices and other benefits Contact Details: AUSTRALIA Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd 4/11 Ave of Americas Newington, NSW 2127 T : +61 2 9647 3600 E : info.au@komatsuforest.com

We offer: • Workshops and field services throughout Australia & New Zealand • Well qualified personnel with expert knowledge of Komatsu & affiliated machines • Field Service that enables us to remain close to you and your machine

NEW ZEALAND Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd 15C Hyland Cres Rotorua, New Zealand M: John Kosar + 64 274 865 844 M: Paul Roche + 64 21 350 747

Hitachi Zosen Inova Company Overview:

Own, Operation & Maintenance

Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) is a global leader in waste to energy (WtE), anaerobic digestion (AD) and Power-to-Gas, acting as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor delivering complete turnkey plants and system solutions for energy recovery from waste. Since 2015, HZI Australia, a 100% subsidiary of HZI, is developing new projects in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Its first project, the 300,000 tpy East Rockingham WtE is now in construction and will start commercial operation in 2024.

Brands:

Products/Services: • Thermal treatment of residual waste, energy recovery, flue gas treatment, and residue recycling • Wet and dry anaerobic digestion of food & green resources, renewable power production, biogas upgrading to biomethane and bio-CNG • Power-to-Gas for volatile electricity into renewable synthetic gas for a carbonneutral economy • Development, Design, Build, Finance,

• Hitachi Zosen • Aquaroll, DYNOR, Kompogas, • HZI Etogas, HZI DryMining Core Capabilities: Energy from Waste, Renewable Gas, Project Development, EPC, O&M, Asset Management Recent Projects/Installations: HAGENHOLZ WASTE TO ENERGY, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND HZI has been awarded the contract by Entsorgung + Recycling Zurich, the City of Zurich’s waste management division, to design, build and commission a new state-of-the-art Waste to Energy line at the Hagenholz waste treatment site close to the city’s airport. HZI will deliver a new third line and the fifth boiler to be built on the same site, which will increase the treatment capacity by 120,000 tonnes of waste each year. It will generate 48MW of thermal power and facilitate

50 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

the extension of Zurich’s existing district heating system. Significantly, the energy generated will markedly reduce the need for the oil and gas-powered heating systems currently used by homes and industry in the city, contributing to both a reduction in Zurich’s carbon footprint and enhanced supply security, with less dependence on energy imports. Notice to Proceed was given on the 6th September 2023, signalling the start of the build phase. Once fully commissioned, operations at the Hagenholz line will start in December 2026, producing much-needed electricity and steam for Zurich’s expanding district heating infrastructure. This is a home win for both parties, with HZI, a leading international green-tech group based in Zurich, helping to further increase

the canton’s ability to treat more of its own non-recyclable waste locally. For more information visit: https://rb.gy/ tivlz Contact Details: Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia Pty Ltd Level 16, 1 Denison, North Sydney, NSW 2060 Phone: 02-8003 4110 Email: info@hz-inova.com Web site: www.inova.com Key Contacts: Dr Marc Stammbach 02 – 8003 4110 info@hz-inova.com

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Hammel Recyclingtechnik Company Overview:

Brands:

With more than 20 years experience, Hammel produces the most powerful, versatile and extensive range of slow speed shredders in the market. Hammel Recyclingtechnik also manufactures screening and sorting technology and complete plant solutions. Hammel are famous for their Primary Shredders, which easily process your general waste materials including C&D, C&I, MSW, Green & Timber Waste while separating valuable ferrous materials. Harness the power of a Hammel to process tough materials such as Scrap Metal, Mattresses, Tyres, Railway Sleepers, Cars, Concrete and other difficult materials. Available in mobile or static, fuel or electric, Hammel Recyclingtechnik has a shredding solution to suit most applications. Exclusively represented by CSS Recycling Solutions, Hammel Primary Shredders are broadly recognised as the most powerful, efficient and reliable shredders in the Australian and New Zealand market.

All available mobile or static. Electric models available: • Red Giant VB 950 DK • VB 850 DK • VB 750 DK • VB 650 DK • VB 450 DK Core Capabilities: The HAMMEL product range of preshredders includes 5 models, which are available as stationary electric or mobile diesel-powered versions. Today we are looking at the second largest model in the range - the HAMMEL VB 850 DK.

also be shredded, giving the customer full flexibility in use. The machine is equipped with an easy-to-use control system, where different shredding programs can be selected depending on the material to be shredded.

The latest version is powered by a 525 hp Cummins STAGE 5 engine. With this powerful engine, the shredder is able to process large-volume input materials such as wood waste including roots, stumps, pallets, logs. Thanks to the multifunction shafts, other materials such as bulky and household waste, aluminum profiles and packaging, car bodies and light or mixed scrap can

The HAMMEL VB 850 DK is self-driven via a track system and can be easily transported. The compact design with a transport width of only 2.5 m offers mobility advantages for road transport.

material. A permanent magnet installed transversely on the discharge belt offers the option of separating ferrous materials from the output material in order to optimally process it further on high-speed secondary shredders or screening technology. Customers value the machines for their flexible handling. Contact Details:

The long discharge belt with a discharge height of approx. 4,800 mm can be adjusted hydraulically, which enables high stockpiling of the shredded

CSS Recycling Equipment Solutions PO Box 359 Dee Why NSW 2099 Phone: 1800 644 978 Email: info@cssequipment.com.au Web: www.cssequipment.com.au

Komptech CEA Company Overview: Komptech CEA is the Australasian distributor of Komptech machinery and systems for the treatment and processing of solid waste and organics waste materials for recovery and recycling. Our product range includes over 30 different types of both mobile and stationary machines that cover all key processes in modern waste processing including: • Single-shaft and dual-shaft industrial shredders • Compost windrow turners for commercial operations • Star screen and trommel screen machines • Material separation equipment including windsifters, ballistic separators and stone contaminant separators • Stationary recycling system solutions including shredders, separators and screening machines Brands: • Diamond Z • Screenpod • Trackstack

• Rowan • Komptech Core Capabilities: With a specialised product portfolio that includes over thirty different types of machines covering all key processes in modern waste handling, a consultative guiding approach to solution development for customers, and full service after-sales support and parts, Komptech CEA has become a leading supplier to the recycling and waste processing industry. Providing customer value is our focus as we strive to be the industry’s technological leader through continual innovation. Komptech CEA is dedicated to working with you to help you solve your waste problems and identify opportunities with comprehensive, detailed solutions driven by world-class technology.

Melbourne 1/97 Monash Drive, Dandenong South VIC 3175 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Perth 1 Yagine Close, Perth Airport WA 6105 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Brisbane 11 Kiln St, Darra 4076 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Auckland 96 Gavin Street Mt Wellington 1060 0800 435 269 www.komptechcea.com.au

Adelaide 260 Cormack Rd Wingfield, SA 5013 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Key Contacts:

Contact Details: Sydney 50 Skyline Crescent Horningsea Park, NSW 2171 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Deon Cope Komptech CEA Brand Leader 0408 059 231 d.cope@cea.net.au DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

Lethlean Fire and Environment Lethlean Fire and Environment

Company Overview: Lethlean Fire and Environment is a consultancy providing specialist advice and services to the waste and recycling industry. With a strong background in waste management, Lethlean Fire and Environment is able to provide advice on fire protection, environmental siting, data analysis, approvals and environmental compliance that are tailored to the waste and recycling industry. Products and Services: • Fire compliance assessments • Fire and smoke modelling • Assessment of fire hazards and fire protection equipment requirements • Fire Safety Studies • Fire and Emergency Management Plans • GIS and environmental siting • Waste data analysis and interpretation.

MRA Consulting Group detailed and practical advice to support your waste and resource recovery needs.

Core Capabilities: Waste and recycling facilities are required to conduct a fire compliance assessment and prepare a Fire Safety Study or Fire and Emergency Management Plan as part of their development applications and environmental approvals. Lethlean Fire and Environment can provide the necessary advice and documentation. Dr Jill Lethlean has 30 years experience in the waste industry, and post-graduate qualifications in waste management and fire safety engineering. This makes Jill uniquely place to provide specialist advice on fire protection to the waste and recycling industry. Contact Details: Lethlean Fire and Environment Pty Ltd 3/8 Norman St St James WA 6102 Phone: 0400 171 480 Email: jill@lethleanfireandenvironment. com.au Web: lethleanfireandenvironment.com.au

Applied Machinery

Core Capabilities: Contact Details: Customised advice to all levels of government and corporations. Our objective is to collaborate with you from the initial briefing process through to project development and implementation of solutions specifically tailored to your needs in the fields of: Strategy & Commercial – Innovative and tailored strategies Circular Economy – Help move your Company Overview: organisation or material towards a circular economy model MRA is one of Australia’s leading Planning & Approvals – Development and environmental consultancy firms, planning approvals and licensing services specialising in all aspects of waste Contracts & Tenders – Preparation, review and recycling. We are experts in and assessment waste, resource recovery and the circular economy, technology, climate Organics – Business case, collection processing and market development change, carbon and sustainable development. Our vision of the future solutions Grants – Scoping, application, writing, is one that is both environmentally review and administration sustainable and economically rational. With over 35 professionals in Waste Education – Effective and engaging programs environmental science, engineering, Auditing – Research and compliance audits law and finance, working across Carbon – Climate adaptation, ERF reporting Australia we have the experience and accounting and technical knowledge to provide MRA Head Office Suite 408 Henry Lawson Building, 19 Roseby Street Drummoyne NSW 2047 02 8541 6169 info@mraconsulting.com.au www.mraconsulting.com.au

Australasian Specialty Coatings Products and Services:

Brands:

Contact Details: 55-61 Nissan Drive Dandenong VIC 3175 Phone: 03 9706 8066 Email: sales@appliedmachinery.com.au Web: www.appliedmachinery.com.au Company Overview: Applied Machinery is one of Australia’s largest suppliers of quality recycling machinery. Over 30 years industry experience enables us to deliver turnkey solutions for all manner of recycling applications across Australia. Products and Services: • Shredders and granulators • Plastic washing, tyre, and e-waste recycling plants • Repelletising systems/screen changers • Optical Sorting Systems 52 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

• Genox • Meyer • Starlinger-Viscotec

Company Overview:

Australasian Specialty Coatings – ASC – is an experienced coatings company located in Blacktown. We work in Core Capabilities: Construction and Maintenance and provide a range of Protective Coatings Applied Machinery has the capability and Treatments for Concrete & Steel. to service the smallest single machine We have been established since 2003 requirement, through to the largest and we have a strong track record in of multi-site, staged installations achieving outstanding results for our and complete recycling line, turn-key customers. ASC successfully works with projects. We supply some of Australia’s a wide variety of customers including largest recycling organisations. Sydney Water, Ericsson, Veolia A wide range of shredders and granulators Environmental and Water Services, Suez are always in stock for quick delivery. Water and Waste Services, Unilever, Coca Cola Australia, General Mills, Bega Foodservice, George Weston Foods, Recent Projects/Installations: Diageo, etc. ASC is an experienced organisation CLOSE THE LOOP with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 Somerton, VIC Certified Management Systems as well Genox plastics recycling line installed as the NSW Government 5th Edition. at CTL’s Somerton plant. Handles a We are also members of the Master diverse range of polyethylene (PE) and Builders Association. polypropylene (PP) materials including bottles, retail displays, tubs and crates.

Flooring (Epoxy and polyurethane) – Commercial & Industrial Floor Resurfacing, Concrete Remediation, Concrete Repair, Anti-Slip Flooring, Anti-Static Flooring, AGV Flooring, Self-Levellers, Demarcation & Line marking Coatings for Concrete Densifiers, Waterproofing Membranes, Sealers, Concrete Resurfacing, Epoxy and Polyurethane Flooring, Chemical Bund Linings, Acid-Resistant Coatings Protective Painting Services Abrasive Blasting, Vapour Blasting, Shot-Blasting, Corrosion Control Coatings, Chemical Resistant Coatings Contact Details: ASC Head Office 1/14 Chicago Avenue Blacktown, NSW 2148 Phone: 02 8840 8888 Email: enquiries@acoatings.com.au Web: ascoatings.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Processing

Difficult waste streams a specialty for sorting system SEPARATING different waste streams has come a long way since manual extraction was the method of choice – not that there were many options available. Commercial magnetic separation first began in the 1860s when brass was separated from iron. The world’s first eddy current separator is said to have been developed by the Bird Group in the UK in 1981. In the 1930s, optical separation was in its infancy, being used in the agricultural sector to separate fruits and vegetables. It wasn’t until the 1990s that it was being used in the waste industry on an array of products. Yet despite the development of the technology there have always been issues when it comes to cleaning up the various waste streams. Whether it be due to the weight of a product (wood and concrete), or contaminated containers (yoghurt or butter still in a receptacle), there are still challenges ahead for those running MRFs – and getting a clean waste stream is at the top of the agenda. Enter the Turbo Separator. Manufactured in the US, one of the distributors in Australia is waste specialist Wastech. The Turbo Separator is designed for separation of different types of waste streams. For example, if users want to separate loaves of bread from the packaging, they can do so, which means that they can create a clean waste stream of bread that can be repurposed and recycled. “The system is designed with a number of different paddles and screens within the unit,” said Wastech’s national business development manager Scott Russ. “The paddles will separate the bread and the packaging, and depending on your screen size, you will get a certain

The unit can be set up to a customer’s specifications.

size of product that you want. “There is no other type of machine that can do this type of separation in the marketplace in the world. That’s what’s unique about the Turbo Separator. It can tell the difference between something that is organic and not. It can even separate food from cans.” Russ, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the waste industry, including more than a decade with Cleanaway, has not seen a product like it. He said it is possible to get a clean waste stream, or a product that you can repurpose, with about a 95 to 96 per cent efficiency in the separation of contents. “You’re able to then divert the liquid from say, a milk container, or Tetra Pak,” he said. “You can separate the packaging in an outfeed conveyor. You can separate a food source to the point that we have a few customers in Australia that are separating coffee from coffee pods, using the Turbo Separator.” How does the unit actually work? There are several internal paddles, which can be bought for the machine. The

Cleaner waste streams are the outcome the Turbo Separator creates.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Many different types of materials can be put through and separated by the Turbo Separator.

paddles work to separate each piece of waste – the type of paddle being used will depend on the type of waste streams that needs separating. “The paddles will push those waste streams to different screen sizes,” said Russ. “It will then divert the waste stream down one conveyor and divert, say, liquid through to the pump to another area. Then it might divert the packaging to another outfeed conveyor so you can really segregate the waste streams. There is even one paddle that can be used for the separation of plasterboard so you can separate the paper from the plaster.” The footprint of the Turbo Separator and its associated plant and machinery will depend on how many waste streams users are dealing with, and the appropriate infeed and outfeed conveyors needed to make sure all is running smoothly. According to Russ, the footprint would probably be an area of 10 by 10 metres at a minimum. And metals? “Customers like to have metal detection in the system as well,” said Russ. “You can remove any ferrous

products before it goes through the separator. Obviously, any metal going through the unit can cause substantial damage.” The throughput of the unit depends on what people want to use it for. It is capable of processing anywhere from 600kgs through to 20 tonnes an hour. Wastech has already sold a number of units throughout Australia to different waste management companies and resource recycling businesses, with most units being sold capable of processing between five and ten tonnes an hour. Russ said he is getting a few enquiries from Asia, but it’s not just the system itself that is piquing their interest. “I recently had discussions with companies out of Asia that are wanting to get information on the system,” he said. “And while they have purchased similar systems in the past, they haven’t had the customer support and it’s unfortunately failed. The good thing about Wastech and its products is that we offer a very good reputation in the marketplace when it comes to back-up service.”

The Turbo Separator is a game changer in the source separation stakes.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Young professional //

The accidental waste enthusiast Shiloh Ainuu (second right) with her children, two of which also work at BINGO Industries.

are brought in. Is it a hard sell? “I think the most beneficial part of the job is bringing people along that journey with me,” she said. “That is made easier due to the relationships that I’ve built. They trust what I say. If I tell staff that I believe that a particular procedure is the best way for us to do it, they jump on board, and we do it. “BINGO is one of those places where you’ll never get bored. There’s always something to do.” Ainuu learned a lot of things as she was climbing the company ladder. One of her proudest moments was the weighbridge project that was mentioned in her nomination for Young Professional of the Year. She was given the opportunity to put the project together, and while it was daunting, she saw it as a great opportunity to grow. “The person I was supplying operational support to at the time moved over to the construction section of the business,” said Ainuu. “He said, ‘Look, we’ve got this project going on that’s weighbridge oriented and I think you’d be great for it’, which is how the construction and engineering part came into it. “It was then that I figured I didn’t

Ainuu thinks more people should get involved in the waste industry as there is a huge range of opportunities to grow.

54 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

Photo credit: Writing with Light Photography

One of the highlights of the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards was the speech given by Young Professional of the Year winner Shiloh Ainuu. The mother of seven gave an inspiring account of her journey from being rejected for a job on the drive-through at McDonald’s when trying to re-enter the workforce after 10 years of being home with children, to her involvement in the design and project management of the construction and implementation of six remotely operated weighbridges. These weighbridges allowed her employer, BINGO Industries, to service customers 24-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week. As it stands, Ainuu’s introduction into the industry was accidental. She had applied for a job at McDonald’s but never received a reply. At about the same time, her father saw there was an opening at BINGO Industries for a weighbridge operator. Ainuu wasn’t thinking of joining the waste and resource recovery sector, not because she didn’t want to, it’s just that she never even thought about it as a career. “There isn’t a massive awareness around the waste industry in terms of a career,” she said. “It’s almost like, unless you know someone in it, it’s not something you’re looking for. And yet now it’s the thing I’m most passionate about. I wish more people knew about it. I have two daughters who work here at BINGO, four of my sisters work here, and my brother also works here.” Ainuu got the job as a weighbridge operator. In fact, she started on the day she was called in for an interview. Seven years later, she has now worked her way up to be the operations excellence manager whereby she makes sure people within the company meet the operational standards that BINGO has implemented. She must get buy-in from staff when new policies and procedures

have to be the expert at the table but had the ability to absorb all of the learnings that were going on around me. And I also realised that I have value to add, which is an operational knowledge of something that we’re going to construct and engineer, and he trusted me enough to say, ‘I know that you know the ins and outs of this thing. I want you to create your ideal weighbridge’. And that was the beginning of that. “And now when I see it operating – our one-year anniversary of this operating just passed recently – I think of the people telling me it couldn’t work, or it wasn’t going to work, and, and all these things, and am happy how it turned out. There was an endless list of queries like ‘is the truck really going to be able to turn that turn?’ But we’d thought about all those things. And when you see it operate the way that it operates, it’s pretty awesome.” Another aspect of her job she likes is that BINGO Industries takes onboard ideas and solutions, not just because they have to due to legislation, but because it’s a good idea. This comes into play whereby one BINGO location in Victoria might be legislated to do something that a location in NSW is not required to do so by law, but the NSW depot will adopt the practice if it promotes good practice within the company. Ainuu was originally from New Zealand and went back and forth to her homeland until she finally came back to Australia and settled down at 18, when she had her first child. By the time she was 28 she had seven children in tow, and while some people may find that daunting, Ainuu herself is one of 10, so she was used to big numbers, although having so many kids at a young age was never the plan. “Honestly, after two we were going to stop,” she said. “I was like, ‘this is done, I can’t do this’. I went through postnatal depression – all of it. Then my mum said to me, ‘you know, the more you have, the

easier it gets’. And I was just like, ‘there is no way’. Then we had five more after that. And it does get easier.”

How did the work/family life balance pan out? “The first couple of years, unfortunately it worked out in my favour,” said Ainuu. “I say unfortunately, because my fatherin-law was diagnosed with cancer, which meant my husband and I switched roles. He had the kids and was looking after his dad at that time. The other thing that helped is that we lived on the same street as my parents.” And if Ainuu ruled the world, what are some of the issues she would like to see come to the forefront of peoples’ minds when they think of the resource recovery industry? First, she believes that the industry doesn’t put enough good stories out in the media. She feels there are a lot of negative articles, which has a knock-on effect of not attracting the best people to the industry. Not that there aren’t some very good people in the industry, Ainuu points out, but there could be more in the employment pool if they could see the benefits of working in resource recovery. “The waste industry doesn’t sound amazing to a lot of people, and the perception can also be very stereotyped,” she said. “I think the way that we can attract people – including younger people and women – is by setting examples and setting pathways for them. “It’s an exciting time to join the waste and recycling industry as we look to transition to a circular economy. At BINGO, we are investing in technology, innovation and partnerships to achieve more diversion of waste from landfill. We are already achieving waste recovery rates of up to 80 per cent, and are now solving for that last mile of residual waste. I would encourage more women in particular, to explore the career paths available in our industry.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Equipment News

EarthPower comes back online

VEOLIA will bring NSW’s only industrial scale biodigester plant dedicated to leftover food organics back online in April 2024, with an enhanced processing capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes per year. The plant has just undergone a refit to supercharge the technology for energy recovery and the circular economy. There has already been strong interest from large businesses looking for a sustainable way to dispose of waste food and liquid organics. Veolia ANZ CEO Richard Kirkman said this likely relates to its limited capacity. “I’ve had a lot of calls asking to reserve some capacity, it’s as if there is a Fear Of Missing Out processing food organics. It’s FOMO for this FO,” he said. “It’s easy to see why disposing of food organics is increasingly a concern for businesses. Government policy mandates collection of food waste by 2025 and will create a need for hundreds of thousands

of tonnes of leftovers and food waste like fish bones and banana skins to be processed by biodigestion plants and right now NSW doesn’t have the capacity to meet the coming demand.” What makes the EarthPower facility desirable is its ability to automatically remove and separate packaging from food organics and extract contaminants like glass and metals. That’s a big plus for larger commercial enterprises looking to dispose of packaged food organics in a no-fuss and sustainable way that meets current and future regulations. The digestor extracts bioenergy from the food and manufactures a pelletised fertiliser from the biosolids, which can go back to the fields that grew the original food. It will also produce enough electricity to power 3600 homes offsite from the methane gas is produces. Biodigesters like EarthPower are a green form of energy displacing fossil

The EarthPower plant is ideal for disposing of unavoidable food waste,

based gas, which will be an important part of the future. In the meantime, some food can, and is, being diverted to food banks and farms, with Veolia’s first action to ensure upstream recovery of viable food. “The EarthPower plant is one of the best ways I can think of for disposing of unavoidable food waste at a commercial

level and we expect the refitted plant to be running at full capacity by the end of 2024. If you want a piece of the ecological transformation, reserve your space” said Kirkman. “This is just the beginning. There is no doubt in our mind that this Veolia facility will be playing a prominent role in the circular economy of NSW for many years to come.

Drums revolutionise MSW processing

ERIEZ, a pioneer in magnetic separation technology, is dedicated to developing solutions that address daunting challenges in metals recycling and recovery. Amid its product lineup, the Eriez magnetic scrap drums can isolate ferrous metals from municipal solid waste (MSW). Eriez offers a versatile array, including both permanent and electromagnetic scrap drums. These drums are engineered with deep magnetic fields for the efficient recovery of ferrous materials across various high-capacity scenarios, including but not limited to MSW processing. Designed especially for environments with limited or unstable electrical access, these permanent drums feature agitating magnetic poles, generating a magnetic field capable of extracting ferrous metals from distances of up to 15 inches (380 mm). The electromagnetic agitating-type drums employ a deep-field rectangular core pickup magnet to capture ferrous metals while effectively cleaning the ferrous metals as the metal rotates

around the magnetic drum, releasing non-magnetic particles along the way. Additionally, Eriez also offers a non-agitating transfer design, employing a deep-field radial pickup magnet and strategically positioned pole shoes to transport ferrous metals around the drum shell and into the discharge area. These are available in both electro and permanent magnetic designs and are best suited in applications where a lesser amount of magnetic material is present.

These magnetic scrap drums can be placed either above or beneath a feed conveyor. As the material is introduced, the scrap drum magnet captures the ferrous metals, securing them against the rotating drum shell at a level higher than the feed point. This enables non-magnetic materials to flow through the discharge area without interference. Through the process of magnetic separation, the scrap drums recover ferrous metals, producing a product for

resale while releasing non-magnetic materials and ensuring a clean magnetic fraction. This is accomplished while requiring minimal maintenance due to the utilisation of a thick manganese shell and heavy-duty bearings, which make it suitable for the environment and ensure long service life. For more challenging materials, such as copper wound armatures comprising of copper windings encased in a steel shell, a bottom-fed scrap drum is suitable for lifting iron pieces from the feed stream. The large, symmetrical surface of these materials impedes a magnet from acting upon a specific point of contact. The Eriez P-Rex scrap drum can magnetically separate and capture these copper armatures during scrap metal processing. Engineered for maximum metal recovery, it features a high-power Neodymium magnet with a 40 per cent wider pickup zone than what other scrap drums can attain, ensuring the highest ferrous metal recovery.

MEYER is a specialist in PET recycling and colour sorting. The company’s CG.P model uses visible light, infrared light and UV light to sort PET bottles and bottle scrap – specifically in relation to colour sorting and colour purity classification.

The stepless dimming system can remove impurities like discolouring, aging, as well as fluorescent and aluminium flakes. The CG.P series can also be used for flake colour sorting in household

appliances, storage batteries, PVC, HDPE, WEEE, as well as a range of other materials. The machine can process up to 3-8 tonnes per hour and it is easy to learn and simple to operate.

Meyer’s CG.P can be used for flake colour sorting.

Eriez magnetic scrap drums are capable of extracting ferrous metals from distances of up to 380 mm.

Meyer CG.P series recyclers Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 INSIDEWASTE

Product Profiles //

Unit Dimensions: Including conveyors – 14m x 7m Capacity (in weight): Up to 20 tonners per hour Price: POA More: - Robust, durable construction for tough applications. - Avoids shredding or damage to packaging for a clean separation. - Energy efficient design minimises operating costs. - Wet or dry operation. Liquid can be added during or after separation if required by the material. - Can be installed as standalone system or integrated into a complete system solution.

Unit Dimensions: 6.2m (l), 1.9m (w). 1.4m (h) Weight: 5.8 tonne Capacity (in weight): Up to 310m3/hr Price: POA More: - Compatible with all feed types including push pit, moving floor, conveyor and front-end loader. - Built to withstand high compaction force so you gain maximum payloads and reduced freight cost - Compatible with 31-60m³ containers and transfer trailers and comes with its own stand alone hydraulic power pack and oil cooler.

Name: Wastech Engineering Phone Number: 1800 465 465 Webpage: www.wastech.com.au Email: info@wastech.com.au

WASTECH

S4000 Stationary Compactor

WASTECH

Atritor TS42120 Turbo Separator

S8000 Stationary Compactor

Fire Rover Fire Suppression System

Unit Dimensions: 8.5m (l), 2.2m (w). 2m (h) Weight: 11 tonne Capacity (in weight): Up to 500m3/hr More: - Compatible with all feed types including push pit, moving floor, conveyor and front-end loader. - Built to withstand high compaction force so you gain maximum payloads and reduced freight cost - Compatible with 60m³ transfer trailers and comes with its own standalone hydraulic power pack and oil cooler D21

Unit Dimensions: 6.096m (l), 2.438m (w). 2.591m (h) Weight: 6 tonne Capacity (in weight): Water tank capacity: 3,785 litres Price: POA More: - Advanced fire detection analytics with human verification - Remote-controlled suppression - On Guard — 24/7 Name: Wastech Engineering Phone Number: 1800 465 465 Webpage: www.wastech.com.au Email: info@wastech.com.au

WASTECH

McCloskey ESS 300 Shredder

McCloskey ES 250 Shredder

Unit Dimensions: Maximum 15.64m (l), 3.01 (w), 3.5m (h) Weight: 35 tonnes Capacity (in weight): 60 tonnes per hour (material dependent) Price: POA More: - Aggressive multi-tooth cutting shaft - Intelligent electrical control unit - Variable speed main conveyor - 4-metre tracks for superior maneuverability and stability. - VOLVO D13 380kw (510HP) Stage V/Tier 4 Final - Fuel efficient hydraulics system - User Friendly hydraulic controls - Double Hydrostatic drive transmission

Unit Dimensions: Maximum 15.1m (l), 3.01m (w), 3.5m (h) Weight: 35 tonnes Capacity (in weight): 100 tonnes per hour (material dependent Price: POA More: - Aggressive 8 Knife, heavy duty cutting table - Danfoss electrical control unit - Variable speed main conveyor - 4-metre tracks for superior manoeuverability and stability - Volvo C15 403 KW (540HP) Stage V/Tier 4 Final - Fuel efficient hydraulics system - User friendly, hydraulic controls - C21Double Hydrostatic drive transmission

Name: Wastech Engineering Phone Number: 1800 465 465 Webpage: www.wastech.com.au Email: info@wastech.com.au

56 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

WASTECH

Name: Wastech Engineering Phone Number: 1800 465 465 Webpage: www.wastech.com.au Email: info@wastech.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Wasted space //

You can lead a horse to water and all that... Hello Sir, Things are getting a bit hectic down here in the waste to energy space as you might be aware. I know we used to josh about our Antipodean friends being a bit behind the eight ball in well, just about anything, but they started to prove us wrong. Things changed of course when they started asserting their prowess in cricket. Who’d have thought a penal colony would produce one of the greatest cricketers in the world in Bradman. Then there was the electric drill, electronic pacemaker, the Blackbox flight recorder, wifi, and even the first iteration of Google Maps (with a little help from the Danes). And yet, when it comes to proven technology like WtE, there are massive roadblocks to a sure-fire way of getting rid of residual waste and reducing the amount of landfill it can create. Of course, nobody wants residual waste, but it’s a reality. I didn’t want

South Africa to win the rugger World Cup, nor did I want Argentina to win that other World Cup with the roundshaped ball. I would argue they were not the two best teams at either comp. Yet they won. What can be done about next time? Get a better idea, better tactics and a better team. Same goes for residual waste. Come up with new ideas that are environmentally sound that help deal with it, making sure most of it doesn’t go to landfill. Thing is, that idea is already out there. I was lucky enough to be in the audience recently at an event where some of this Great Southern Lands’ biggest players in the waste market got their heads together to give their thoughts on this question. What I saw was newfound fortitude – more Battle of Britain than Charge of the Light Brigade – where they are ready to step up to the plate and build WtE plants. All they need are government(s)

58 INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024

willing to come to the party. I won’t be holding my breath though. What will be intriguing over the next decade is how governments will react to the various landfill reduction, recycling and CO2 emissions’ targets not being met. Who will they blame? Will it be put at the foot of the waste industry? Maybe. An apathetic public who really don’t care about where their rubbish goes as long as it’s not in their back yard? Doubtful. Will the different political parties point their collective fingers at each other like a gaggle of pre-schoolers trying to dob each other in as a bemused teacher (ie public) cynically looks on? Most likely. As you are well aware, Sir, I have only been in the country for 2.5 years, and trying to understand this industry has been a headache. The industry itself seems to know what it needs to do, but the support from necessary, but peripheral, players (i.e. the government – not their agencies like the EPA) seem

to think resource recovery is a football that can be passed from administration to administration. It’s not helped by a federal minister who would probably be more at home in another portfolio. Sure, she makes all the right noises, but rarely do I see her pop up at any of the events, unlike the previous associate minister in the job. Anyway, that’s enough from me. You’d be aware of the saying ‘whinging POM’, which they somehow think is relatable to anybody like me from Old Blighty. I hate to fit that stereotype, but I fear that the malaise at a governmental level that seems to envelop this industry at times, lends me to being a little ‘whiney’. That being said, I’ve met enough getup-and-go types here that will probably make it a success despite the obstacles in front of them. Happy New Year. JB

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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14.07.20 09:51

DELIVERING A GREENER FUTURE Komptech CEA is a leading supplier of machinery and systems for the treatment of solid waste through mechanical and mechanical biological treatments, as well as the treatment of biomass as a renewable energy source. Komptech CEA is proud to provide innovative solutions for handling waste and biomass. Komptech CEA’s extensive range of products cover all key processing steps in modern waste handling. At Komptech CEA the focus is always on innovative technology and solutions ensuring maximum benefit to the customer. With local representation throughout Australia and National Parts Distribution Centre Komptechg CEA has the expertise and aftersales support to confidently support your business needs. Like to know more? why not speak to one of our team today?

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