Inside Waste February/March 2021 by Prime Creative Media

www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 100 | FEB/MAR 2021

INSIDE 26 AWRE Conference 40 Wastewater 43 Young Professional

How Indonesia plans to be plastic-free by 2040

All industry stakeholders need to work together to genuinely close the loop on packaging in Australia by using Australian recycled products.

Plastic problem is not business as usual the packaging industry’s efforts are ineffective in managing the issue. She told Inside Waste that the strong support for the amendment to the Bill was an indication of a desire within the Australian community to deal with the packaging problem. “While it is disappointing that the amendment fell through on a single vote, it is heartening to see growing consensus that we need to do more to tackle the packaging that we consume and dispose of. “What we have seen to-date is strong community support for action. Real action to be taken to tackle packaging and create jobs in Australia. “The message is clear,” Sloan said. “The business-as-usual approach is not acceptable anymore. Australians deserve more than a continuation of a voluntary, packaging industry-led scheme that has made little, if any, progress.”

Senate didn’t understand Sloan pointed to the “real opportunities to close the loop domestically”. She said that this could be achieved by building

local businesses, driving new industries, job creation, and environmental protection. “It is disappointing that some in the Senate did not understand that. However, it is extremely encouraging to see the level of support for change.” However, Sloan is not without suggestions on how to move forward. “With the export bans coming in shortly, and the need to meet national targets, WMRR is urging all governments to think about how we can tackle packaging with the limited and voluntary tools that we’ve been given. “WMRR proposes that it’s time to set up a genuinely independent body truly representative of all stakeholders in the supply chain, including but not limited to the packaging industry, to find productive ways in which we can work together to genuinely close the loop on packaging in Australia by using Australian recycled products. “This is key if we are serious about making real progress while being hamstrung by the lack of regulation on the packaging industry,” she added. (Continued on page 22)

PP: 100024538

ISSN 1837-5618

ON DECEMBER 8, 2020, the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill was passed in the Senate without amendment. Despite a senate inquiry into the Bill and attempts by the Greens and Labor, the amendments to the Bill that would address plastic pollution and support the recycling sector did not pass. This has resulted in concern within the WARR industry that the government’s commitment to the massive problem of plastic pollution remains fragile despite its assurances and organisation of the first National Plastic Summit in Canberra, prior to COVID-19. Much of the frustration around the failure of the amendment has been focused on the continual reliance on the packaging industry to self-regulate. Despite this industry’s best efforts to address this issue (Inside Waste covered the Australian Institute of Packaging’s Virtual Conference and the APCO initiatives in depth during 2020), plastic recyling rate has only moved by two per cent since 2018, according to the latest APCO report. WMRR CEO, Gayle Sloan is one WARR leader who has consistently argued

WHILE INDONESIA is one of the biggest contributors to the plastic pollution in the ocean, this situation became exacerbated after China banned waste imports and the country emerged as a major portal for global plastic waste. Now its landfills are running out of space with Indonesia’s largest landfill, Bantar Gebang (the only one serving Jakarta) predicted to run out of space this year, according to government officials. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs of Indonesia Luhut B. Pandjaitan told the World Economic Forum, “In our cities, our waterways and our coastlines, the accumulation of toxic plastic waste is harming our food systems and the health of our people. “Our booming fishing industry, the second-largest in the world, is under threat from rising levels of marine plastic debris. By 2025, the amount of plastic waste leaking into our oceans could increase to 800,000 tonnes – if no action is taken,” he said. Despite this gloomy scenario, the country has developed a strategy which was presented at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos last year. Here the world took a first look at Indonesia’s plan, with a radical target to cut marine plastic debris by 70 per cent within the next five years. (Continued on page 24)

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Time to spike up the curve SINCE MARCH LAST year Australia, in concert with the rest of the world, has been driven to flatten the COVID curve. While our efforts have mainly succeeded, we have chosen to ignore another curve which remains stubbornly fixed: the recovery rate of plastics. According to the ‘Australian packaging consumption and recycling data 2018–19’ report released by Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) last month, we have increased our recovery rate by just 2 per cent, from 16 to 18 per cent. At this rate, we won’t hit a 70 per cent recovery rate until 2046. This is more than two decades past the 2025 target the Government has set. It feels extraordinary that, as laid out in our lead story this month, Business Not as Usual, our leaders could collectively fail to amend the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 which was passed in late December, to adequately tackle plastics. The data around plastics is not a mystery. It was highlighted at the first National Plastic Summit in Canberra last year and continuously reported in industry journals such as Inside Waste,

along with mainstream media. Yet, the Bill was adopted without any specific mandates on plastic packaging, despite a concerted effort by the industry, Labor and the Greens to bring this before the Canberra mindset. Despite the Government’s major financial commitments to develop the WARR industry over the past 12 months the most problematic area, plastic, remains virtually untouched on a federal level. Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans noted that “significant action” from stakeholders across the supply chain is required for Australia to meet the 2025 Targets. We watch on as the UK is just 14 months away from the introduction of its Plastic Packaging Tax. The country has made all this progress while it has been, and continues to, face far deeper economic and social damage from COVID than Australia. Going into 2021, we anticipate seeing the actions that the government and industry will make in this space and doing our part to support the progress into a truly circular economy.

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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.

Editor Claire Moffat claire.moffat@primecreative.com.au

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 Design Production Manager copied in any form or by any means Michelle Weston (graphic, electronic or mechanical michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of Design Blake Storey, Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to Client Success Manager accept or reject any material. While Justine Nardone every effort has been made to ensure the justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for Head Office errors or omissions or for any Prime Creative Pty Ltd consequences arising from reliance on 11-15 Buckhurst Street information published. The opinions South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia expressed in Inside Waste are not p: +61 3 9690 8766 necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed enquiries@primecreative.com.au by the publisher unless otherwise stated. www.insidewaste.com.au Business Development Manager Chelsea Daniel-Young chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

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Profile- ResourceCo //

Profile | ResourceCo When was ResourceCo founded and why? Our commitment to our beliefs has seen us expand, acquire and develop new businesses, create partnerships and venture into new markets since we started in 1991. We have developed successful long-term partnerships with multinational groups such as Daicel, Cemex, Bridgestone, Boral, SUEZ of France (via SITA Australia – now SUEZ), Cleanaway, global cement leader Lafarge and in Australia with Adelaide Brighton Cement. Today ResourceCo is a global leader in the recovery and re-manufacturing of primary resources, with operations spanning Australia and South-East Asia.

Founded on the principle of preserving natural resources for a sustainable future, ResourceCo is a recognized pioneer in the resource recovery sector. What are the key services that ResourceCo offers? Having re-purposed over 50 million tonnes of materials, ResourceCo has proven credentials in delivering tailored solutions across a wide range of industry sectors including: • Construction • Defence • Demolition and rehabilitation • Energy • Government • Industrial and Manufacturing

• Major Infrastructure Projects • Mining • Transport • Waste • Water What are some of ResourceCo’s plans and ambitions for the next 12-18 months? Using innovative technology to transform waste into usable products, ResourceCo remains committed to its brand promise - We have an obligation to leave the planet in a better state than we found it. We will not rest until we do. Governments, communities, and companies across the world are actively seeking to conserve the earth’s

resources, moving away from the make, use, dispose model in favour of a circular economy, driven by the recovery, recycling and re-use of products to avoid landfill and extract their maximum value. With a team of more than 700 people, ResourceCo intends to attract and employ dedicated global leaders in the field who share a deep understanding of the technology, markets, stakeholder engagement and policies required to transform the resource recovery sector.

CSIRO shares future outlook AS 2020 CAME to a close and the COVID pandemic continued to frame discussions in boardrooms across the country, CSIRO Director, James Darvell shared his thoughts on the key takeaways for Australian businesses. “In last year’s landmark Australian National Outlook 2019 (ANO), we analysed the long-term prospects for Australia in detail. A common theme is the role science and technology will play in helping Australia overcome its largest challenges and capitalise on new opportunities. “Modelling in the ANO showed that by 2060, Australia’s living standards could be up to 36 per cent higher in positive scenarios than the base case, with more than 70 per cent of the difference attributable to technology investment. The report also showed how technology can help Australia smoothly transition to net-zero emissions by 2050, boost output in our land sector to meet growing food demand, make our growing cities more liveable and vibrant, and rebuild trust in our institutions.

Leaps forward Darvell explained that, in response to COVID, Australia made leaps forward in the uptake of innovative digital services. “Now Australia has an opportunity to build on that momentum by accelerating our investment in science and technology.  “But how do we achieve this when Australia lags behind many developed countries in technology investment and research collaboration? Our report on the value of science and technology provides a blueprint.” 6

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Three key takeaways for businesses Invest in technology and R&D Australian businesses need to invest more in technology and Research and Development (R&D). Evidence suggests that large firms that invest more in R&D perform better than firms that prioritise dividends. But things are moving in the wrong direction in Australia, where business investment in R&D has declined by almost 30 per cent in the last decade. In a recent report on a technologyled economic recovery from COVID-19, Darvell’s team outlined 16 near-term, technology-enabled opportunities across six sectors. These included the short-term investments that could position Australia for a “green recovery” in energy and build sovereign capability in advanced manufacturing. Collaborate for greater impact Australian businesses, government and research organisations need to collaborate more. Particularly on challenges and opportunities that are too large for one organisation to

tackle alone. But Australia has a long way to go; it ranks last in the OECD in collaboration between industry and research. Create an entrepreneurial culture In CSIRO’s recent report, Thriving through innovation: Lessons from the top, it found a correlation between top-performing ASX companies and a number of innovation factors. Top performers are more likely to integrate product innovations. They do this with process and business model innovations for “triple threats” that outperform new products alone. And they’re more likely to foster corporate entrepreneurship by rewarding risktaking and innovative thinking.

How CSIRO Futures can help As the strategic advisory arm of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO Futures is uniquely positioned to help Australian businesses and government understand how science and technology can help unlock new opportunities and solve the country’s biggest challenges.

These roadmaps span nearly every major industry in Australia and are deep dives into sectorspecific opportunities. They’re aimed at building consensus among senior decision-makers in industry, government and research. It is a combinination of CSIRO’s deep domain knowledge with its economic analysis and understanding of the Australian context.

What’s next for CSIRO Futures Looking forward to 2021, CSIRO will be releasing new roadmaps on Australian critical minerals in clean energy value chains, on synthetic biology to create new medicines and food products, and on CO2 utilisation to turn a waste product into a valuable commodity. It is also beginning new investigations into the fight against infectious diseases and the growing market for future proteins. CSIRO is continuing to work with industry on “hydrogen hubs” to aggregate hydrogen use, de-risk investment and lower the cost of hydrogen. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// News

Stop Food Waste comes to life IN LATE DECEMBER, the Federal Government unveiled a new $4 million body with the sole focus of reducing the nation’s food waste. It described this as a crucial step in its mission to halve the millions of tonnes of food that ends up in landfill every year by 2030. Badged Stop Food Waste Australia, the new body was heralded earlier in 2020 and, according to Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, it will bring together the brightest minds in supply chain management, food waste NGOs and all tiers of government to tackle the problem. “Australians have focused on recycling for years, but very few of us think about the amount of food that we waste every week,” Ley said. “To put it in perspective, every year, we throw away more than 7.3 million tonnes of food at a cost to the economy of more than $20 billion and on average, households are throwing away up to $3,800 of

food annually. Ley added that Stop Food Waste Australia will work with industry to create real, practical changes that help everyday Australians reduce their food waste. This includes adding clearer instructions on packaging for storage or creating consistent package design with easier to find use by or packed by dates. Dr Steven Lapidge, the inaugural CEO of the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), will lead Stop Food Waste Australia as CEO. He has spent much of his 20-year career working for or with agricultural and environmental CRC’s, with a strong focus on new product development, commercialisation, extension and adoption. Lapidge said that the partnership has the experience to drive real change. “We’ve got a passionate and committed group of Australian food industry leaders around the table,” he said.

“Between all our Stop Food Waste Australia partners, we work across the entire food supply chain and that is exactly what is needed to tackle the system-wide problem.”

Knock-on effect Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans, said food waste has a knock-on effect that even hurts our farmers. “When we waste food, we also waste the precious resources that are used to make it: land, water and the work of our farmers plus the energy used to process, package and transport the food from farm to fork. Stop Food Waste Australia will support change in all parts of the food supply chain, from farmers and food manufacturers through to retailers and households. “By reducing food waste, we can improve business bottom lines, put money back into household budgets and make better use of our

natural resources.” Stop Food Waste Australia will comprise of the following members: • ACT NoWaste • Australian Food & Grocery Council • Australian Food Cold Chain Council • Australian Institute of Packaging • Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment • Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre • Foodbank • Green Industries South Australia • National Farmers Federation • National Retail Association • New South Wales Environment Protection Authority • OzHarvest • Queensland Department of Environment and Science • SecondBite • Sustainability Victoria • Waste and Resource Action Programme (United Kingdom) • Western Australia Department of Water and Environmental Regulation iw

Pepperwood Ridge Pty Limited undertakes to fund projects and remove waste following deposition of waste in Elermore Vale Pepperwood Ridge Pty Limited as landowner has entered into an enforceable undertaking with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) following an incident involving the transportation and deposition of waste, which the EPA alleges is a breach of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. Around 7,000 cubic metres of construction and demolition waste containing asbestos was deposited at Pepperwood Ridge’s property in Elermore Vale between July and October 2017. The enforceable undertaking requires Pepperwood Ridge to safely and lawfully remove all of the waste from its property and dispose of the waste at a lawful facility, contribute $50,000 to projects run by the Hunter Wetlands Centre, and implement staff training, among other things.

Stop Food Waste is a crucial step in its mission to halve the millions of tonnes of food that ends up in landfill every year by 2030.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Pepperwood Ridge has published this notice in accordance with the enforceable undertaking.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

News //

Profile | Randwick Council Coordinator Strategic Waste Management Waste and Cleansing Services Talebul Islam. 1. What was your first role/job involving waste resource recovery? The Hutt City Council in New Zealand as Solid Waste Manager was my first role involving waste and resource recovery. I oversaw waste and recycling collection and processing, and landfill management. It enabled me to use my exploratory research mind and skills in a local government environment. I moved to Sydney to join the NSW Waste Board, then onto Randwick City Council to manage waste policy development, planning and contract management. 2. What’s the favourite part of your role at Randwick Council? The strategic planning of waste and resource recovery through economic, environmental, social analysis of collection and processing services, and implementing the best performing option for Randwick. Through comprehensive research and multi-criteria analysis of Council’s waste and recycling collection and processing services I developed Council’s Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategies. Implementation of Advance Waste Treatment technologies were identified in the strategies as interim steps towards the goal of no untreated waste to landfill and helped Council achieve landfill diversion target of 70 per cent in 2018. 3. How have the waste and recycling operations changed since you initially became involved? Waste and recycling operation has changed a lot from an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. Randwick had a dry recycling service in place and bundled

green waste was collected from the kerbside. That means only hedge and tree prunings were collected, no grass clippings or other garden waste. Illegal dumping was managed poorly – there was no strategy or planned actions in place. It is much different now with all households receiving three-bin garbage, dry recycling and green waste collection services. 4. What are some of your achievements that you are most proud? Over seven years of research and planning efforts have delivered the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) implementation in Randwick. We will be the first Sydney metropolitan council to implement FOGO services in freestanding houses and apartment buildings commencing from March 1, 2021. This will help divert food waste from landfill and convert it into beneficial product – high quality compost. Randwick is a densely populated, so implementation of FOGO services faces lots of challenges. I like to work through those challenges for good causes and achieve beneficial outcomes. We are among the first two councils in Australia who implementation RFID tag system in waste and recycling bins, to improve services and education activities to lift recycling performance and service monitoring. Randwick was also one of the first councils in Sydney to implement on-call clean-up services. Redevelopment of Randwick Recycling Centre to house the Community Recycling Centre services for difficult waste drop-off, over and above recycling drop-off services, is another substantial achievement in the sustainable waste management space.

Bingo in play for over $2 billion ASX-LISTED BINGO Industries is the subject of an $2 billion-plus offer by a consortium led by Australian private equity firm CPE Capital. The formal offer to acquire Bingo was made in December and Bingo said in a statement to the ASX in mid-January that it has set up an independent board committee to consider a highly conditional $3.50 per share cash buyout proposal for the company. It stated that the buyout proposal also involves an alternative structure

at a lower price involving cash and unlisted scrip, which has the potential to go higher, provided certain earnings hurdles are met once an ownership change happens. Bingo said the proposal is ‘’highly conditional’’, non-binding and indicative. Bingo said the lower-priced cash and scrip alternative proposal has minimum and maximum acceptance conditions and would need to gain the acceptance of chief executive and major shareholder Daniel Tartak, and

the second largest shareholder Ian Malouf to be successful. Tartak holds 19.8 per cent of the company and Malouf about 12 per cent.

Chairman on Macquarie Board It is understood Bingo’s board has called in investment bank UBS and law firm Herbert Smith Freehills to help assess the CPE Capital consortium’s offer and spearhead talks. Bingo’s chairman is former KPMG audit partner

Michael Coleman who is also on Macquarie Group’s Board. The offer is understood to value Bingo at more than $2.5 billion, including debt. The group had $308.2 million net bank debt (borrowings less cash) as at June 30, 2020. CPE Capital’s interest follows its purchase of Bingo’s processing facilities in Sydney’s Banksmeadow for $50 million after Bingo was asked to divest the asset so it could acquire Ian Malouf’s Dial-A-Dump. iw

Major shareholder in Bingo Industries Daniel Tartak holds 19.8 per cent of the company and Ian Malouf about 12 per cent.

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// News

Novamont acquires BioBag THE BIOBAG GROUP, part owner of BioBag World, has been acquired by Novamont, the Italian supplier of the Mater-Bi resin material that comprise the South Australian BioBags. Scott Morton who took over BioBag World Australia as managing director and part owner in January 2018 said that the acquisition is exciting because Novamont is a world leader in circular economy. “Novamont is a core partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s food initiative and a signatory of its New Plastics Economy which is aimed at rethinking packaging systems globally. The company creates world leading solutions to replace traditional plastic with compostable alternatives that enable regeneration and improve soil health. “Mater-Bi is also an innovative family of bioplastics that uses substances obtained from plants such as non genetically modified corn starch. This means BioBag can make a large range of compostable

products here in Australia including retail produce bags, kitchen caddy liners and bin liners help to divert organic waste from landfills so it can be recycled into compost to improve soil health,” Morton said.

Novamont is a core partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s food initiative and a signatory of its New Plastics Economy which is aimed at rethinking packaging systems globally.

Expansion of circular bioeconomy Novamont’s CEO Catia Bastioli explained, “This agreement allows Novamont to expand its model of circular bioeconomy. By joining our best skills and energies and fully integrating our supply chains we can better serve our partners upstream and downstream, while further accelerating circular solutions for different market sectors and for communities pursuing our goal of producing more with less.” BioBag’s CEO Kjell Ivar Bache described the acquisition as a win-win. “We have been close partners with Novamont for decades and for BioBag this is like coming home.

With Novamont, BioBag becomes part of a world-leading bioplastics and biochemicals company. This will enable further international growth together. We are truly excited.” Novamont is one of the worldleading groups in the development and manufacturing of bio-based and biodegradable bioproducts through the integration of chemistry, agriculture and the environment. The company has its headquarters in

Novara (near Milan), a portfolio of 1,800 patents, 600 people working in four production sites and two research centres in Italy. BioBag International is a worldleading group of companies working in the development, production and marketing of compostable applications. Based in Norway, BioBag has subsidiaries in Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Canada and USA. iw

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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News //

Qld Container refund scheme faces legal challenges CONTAINER EXCHANGE, THE operator of the Qld 10c Refund Scheme for drink bottles and cans, is being sued for up to $19.5million, according to its recent Annual Financial Report. This has prompted Director of the Total Environment Centre, Jeff Angel to tell Inside Waste that “serious questions need to be asked about the operation. ‘’This is very troubling because either it has mishandled a major collection arrangement or there is an allegation of significant fraud. While the court case has yet to take place, there is a mounting reputational risk and possible large liability that consumers will eventually have to pay,’’ Angel said.

Directors rigorously defend claims In an extract from the 2019 COEX Annual Financial Report on page 20 prepared by Grant Thornton, the company states: ‘’During the year, a legal claim was made against the Company pertaining to the termination of a Container Collection Agreement. This is in addition to a separate claim lodged against the Company by an unrelated party, during the 2019 financial year. The Directors of the Company will rigorously defend both claims, believe the claims are without merit and have engaged experienced legal counsel in respect of these matters. “Both matters are undergoing due process and are awaiting trial. If the Company’s defence is unsuccessful,

the potential financial impact may include payment of damages of up to approximately $19.5 million (although this figure is viewed as unlikely given the factual scenario) and legal costs of the claimants. Due to the nature of the matters, the possibility of a financial settlement ahead of trial is considered to be remote. “Trial dates have not yet been set. Further information is omitted so as not to seriously prejudice the Company’s position in either case.’’ Inside Waste asked Container Exchange about the matter and received this response that, “This matter is before the courts and as such it would be inappropriate for our organisation make comment.”

Cause for concern Meanwhile, Angel has calculated that, ’The potential financial impact admitted by scheme managers COEX, is equivalent to almost 400 million drink containers (based on the handling fees paid to sorting depots). ‘’Our previous research has revealed other weaknesses in their program, Containers for Change including a lack of convenience for consumers to get their refund. This most recent revelation is further cause for concern about how it is structured and managed,’’ Angel said. In an interview in the Inside Waste December/January magazine COEX chairman Ken Noye, explained that in January 2020 during the first

Container Exchange told Inside Waste that the matter is before the courts and it would be inappropriate for the organisation make comment.

full financial year of operation, the Queensland scheme hit a 78.4 per cent peak collection rate. “While COVID-19 has had an impact on Queenslanders’ recycling habits, we have continued to grow our collection rate with 22 per cent volume growth year-on-year across the network. Our 2019-2020 yearly average collection rate is 60.1 per cent, which included the COVID-19 shutdown period.

“We are now focussing on extending our network to drive collection rates, confident our community will get behind our ambitious target of 85 per cent of sold containers returned by July 2022. We have already achieved a 54 per cent container litter reduction rate, so we are certain that Queenslanders will continue to support the scheme and our positive impact on the environment. iw

Collaboration sees Future Waste Resources 2021 Convention THIS YEAR, INSTEAD of hosting the Australian Waste to Energy Forum, the Australian Industrial Ecology Network (AIEN) has joined forces with the Waste Recycling Industry Association (WRIQ) and The Queensland Farmers Association to present the Future Waste Resources 2021 Convention from 1-3 March 2021 on the Gold Coast. AIEN has stated that over the last 12 months, Australia’s approach to managing secondary resources has undergone a significant shift. “Export bans, the COVID pandemic and more, mean that more than 12

ever before, Government, industry and the community must work collaboratively to manage these resources, maximising their value and protecting our environment for future generations. Focusing on the overarching theme of Optimism and Collaboration for Resource Recovery in Queensland, this unique event brings together the resource recovery industry, manufacturing and primary producers and will include specialist presenters and suppliers outlining real challenges, successes, and case studies, as well as tools, ideas and strategies for the future.” iw

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Industry collaboration will see a new waste conference in 2021.

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News //

A journey from mask to furniture AS THE UK BATTLES the unrelenting march of COVID, organisations including the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust are recycling their disposable masks into material that can be used to make new products like bottles, bins and furniture. Cardiff-based firm Thermal Compaction Group (TCG), is behind the technology and has to date sold their patented ‘Sterimelt’ devices to seven hospital trusts in England. These devices heat polypropylene plastic to up to 350 degrees Celsius and compress it into rectangular blocks that can be sold and converted into pellets for new plastic products.

UK organisations are recycling their disposable masks into material that can be used to make new products like bottles, bins and furniture.

Game Changer Although TCG doesn’t currently recommend using its machines to deal with contaminated waste, the heat of the devices mean the blocks come out in a near-sterile state. As well as recycling plastic, the technology can significantly impact trusts’ carbon emissions, reducing the volume of waste that needs to be transported off-site. The company estimates that for every 10,000 kilograms of waste processed through Sterimelt, hospital trusts will save 7,500 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. “We hope this will be a real game changer in the way tackle single use

PPE, not only for us here in Cornwall but across the UK and beyond,” Royal Cornwall’s care group general manager Roz Davies recently said in a statement. The use of masks has grown extraordinarily this year but now we have the option to recycle them, as well as other items such as

theatre wraps and gowns.” Although TCG’s technology is in a relatively small number of organisations at present, it has recently exported a unit into the Netherlands and had enquiries from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. iw

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Report: Australians waste less, recycle more THE LEADING REPORT on waste management and recycling data in Australia, the National Waste Report 2020, shows that Australians are reducing their waste and increasing their recycling. Assistant Minister for the Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans said the recycling rate has risen to 60 per cent, up two per cent, in the past two years. According to Evans that is “…a great outcome. We can all be proud that our efforts are paying off, to take care of our own waste and to do the right thing by sorting our recycling and diverting more waste away from landfill. We are all creating 3.3 per cent less waste in 2018-19 compared to 2006-07 when the first National Waste Report was released. In effect, we each produced waste that weighed the same

as 40 full kegs of beer and we each sent the equivalent weight of 24 full kegs to be recycled. “However, our growing population means that the overall amount of waste Australia is generating continues to increase, up five million tonnes since 2016-17. So we need to continue to work hard to reduce the amount of waste we create, and to recycle more of it, if we are to achieve Australia’s ambitious national target of recovering 80 per cent of our waste by 2030,” he said.

Turbocharging waste and recycling

Assistant Minister for the Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans, said the report showed that our recycling rate has risen to 60 per cent, up two per cent, in the past two years.

Evans explained that this was the driver behind the “unprecedented” action by the government to turbocharge the waste and recycling industries so that waste is treated as a valuable

resource which can be recycled and remanufactured into valuable new products. He said that this protects the environment, creates jobs and keeps

Remondis to build hazardous waste facility THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT IS reducing the risks of hazardous waste storage by establishing a new recycling facility in Dandenong. The facility is expected to be able to process a third of the state’s solvent waste each year. The $9 million recycling facility, built by Remondis Australia will be the biggest of its kind in Victoria and among the largest in the country, according to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio. The facility will be designed to give cleaning solvents, inks and paints a second life, turning them into products that can be re-used by industry, such as secondary cleaning liquids used in spray guns, alternative fuels and raw solvent material. D’Ambrosio added that it will

put a massive dent into the 29,000 tonnes of recyclable liquid hazardous waste that is disposed of each year in Victoria, while reducing the need for storage which carries fire, health and environmental risks if managed inappropriately. “We’re taking the important steps needed to reduce the risks of hazardous waste management – recycling it where we can means we’re building a cleaner, greener state – creating jobs and generating new value for the Victorian economy,” she said. “To have Remondis expand their existing operations to include hazardous waste recycling is great news, it means more local jobs and reducing Victoria’s dependency on raw materials,” Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams added. iw

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waste out of landfill. “Our billion-dollar investment in new recycling infrastructure is changing the face of the waste and recycling industries in Australia. We are also the first country in the world to ban the export of its unprocessed waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres overseas thanks to our new national recycling legislation,” Evans added. Australia’s National Waste Report 2020 summarises Australia’s waste and recycling data for 2018-19 and measures trends since 2006. While the data precedes the significant new investments in recycling and resource recovery the Government has made since the 2019 election, Evans said it would be used as baseline data to measure Australia’s progress against our ambitious 2030 targets in. iw

Aussie Skips Recycling Pty Ltd convicted of contravene a condition of an environment protection licence by a person On 8 December 2020, Aussie Skips Recycling Pty Ltd (Aussie Skips) was convicted by the Local Court of an offence against s 64(1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (the Act) for contravening a condition of its environment protection licence. The offence was committed because a mistake was made as to whether 20 April 2019, being a Saturday was a public holiday. Aussie Skips holds an environment protection licence, which includes a condition to not work on a public holiday. The EPA received multiple complaints that Aussie Skips was operating on 20 April 2019, which was the Easter Saturday public holiday. The activities carried out by Aussie Skips, included operating trucks and excavators to move waste and moving large skip bins on a concrete hardstand . In doing these activities, Aussie Skips generated noise and had impacts on the neighbouring residential community. The EPA prosecuted Aussie Skips, and, on 8 December 2020, the Local Court convicted Aussie Skips of an offence against s 64(1) of the Act and ordered it to: 1. Pay a fine of $5,000; 2. Pay the EPA’s legal costs; and 3. Publish this notice at its own expense.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

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APCO report maps the state of local packaging

APCO CEO, Brooke Donnelly said that she couldn’t overstate the importance of taking collective action to work together in response to the issues identified in this report.

THE AUSTRALIAN Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has published ‘Australian packaging consumption and recycling data 2018–19’ a new report tracking Australia’s progress towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets (2025 Targets). The second in a series of annual publications mapping the state of packaging in Australia, the report’s findings demonstrate that overall trends are positive, and Australia is making progress towards the 2025 Targets year-on-year. However, it notes that significant action from stakeholders across the supply chain is still required in order for Australia to meet the 2025 Targets. The 2018–19 benchmarking results include: • Target 1: 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging.

• Result: Proportion of recyclable packaging increased from 88 per cent to 89 per cent • Target 2: 70 per cent of plastic packaging being recycled or composted. • Result: The plastics recycling rate increased from 16 per cent to 18 per cent (Figures are higher for individual polymers e.g., 36 per cent of PET and 23 per cent of HDPE were recycled). • Target 3: 50 per cent of average recycled content included in packaging (revised up from 30 per cent in 2020). • Result: Average recycled content increased from 35 per cent to 38 per cent • Target 4: The phase out of problematic and unnecessary singleuse plastics packaging.

• Result: apparent reductions in some of the priority materials – PS, EPS, PVC. The report shows improvements to packaging sustainability in a range of areas including a reduction in the volume of plastic (-6 per cent) and an increase in the volume of recyclable packaging on market.

Plastics still biggest challenge The biggest area of challenge continues to be the recycling rate of plastics. While the recovery rate increased from 16 per cent to 18 per cent, significant progress is still required to meet the 2025 Target of 70 per cent. This year’s report also contains new data exploring the volume of packaging in landfill and reusable

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The 2020 report also quantified reusable packaging for the first time. The pilot project examined material flows associated with five common reusable packaging systems, which were found to avoid the use of an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of single-use packaging. This demonstrates the enormous potential of reusable packaging systems to reduce consumption of single-use packaging, which will be a major area of focus for APCO and its Members over the next five years.

Plenty of positives

The biggest area of concern is the recycling of plastic.

packaging formats. 2.9 million tonnes of packaging were disposed to landfill in 2018-19, accounting for 50 per cent of the total amount of packaging placed on market. The impacts of landfilling instead of

recycling these materials include lost economic value of around $520 million (the value of this packaging if it had been sorted and diverted to recycling instead of landfill) and an additional 2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

APCO CEO, Brooke Donnelly said that she couldn’t overstate the importance of taking collective action to work together in response to the issues identified in this report. “There are plenty of positives to take away from this year’s findings and it’s particularly heartening to see that almost 9 out of 10 items of packaging on shelves can now be recycled. However, what the data reiterates for us yet again is that plastic recycling is the critical issue that needs to be addressed. “We currently have more than 1500 organisations, representing

the complete supply chain, actively working to deliver the 2025 Targets. It’s time for all stakeholders to actively be part of the community driving the change towards a more sustainable approach to packaging in Australia – to find out more get in touch with APCO today.” Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans welcomed this new report from APCO. He noted that the data that shows we’re working towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets. “Getting to 100 per cent reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging across the country will set us on the path to creating a vibrant circular economy in Australia. “While it’s great to see many improvements in the sustainability of our packaging, significant action from stakeholders across the supply chain is still required in order for Australia to meet the 2025 Targets. The recent passage of the landmark Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 through the Parliament underlines the government’s commitment to taking responsibility for our waste”. iw

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$30 million boost for SA recycling industry SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S recycling industry will receive a $30 million boost with the Federal and State Governments signing up to a National Partnership on Recycling Infrastructure. The partnership is the result of the $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) which will generate more than $600 million in infrastructure investment for Australia’s waste management and resource recovery sector. Federal Minister for Environment, Sussan Ley said both governments have each committed $15 million to advance recycling infrastructure in South Australia under the RMF. “This $30 million partnership will be a significant boost for South Australian’s recycling industry and will help support our commitment to stop Australia’s unprocessed waste plastic,

paper, glass and tyres being sent overseas for disposal,” Ley said. “Expressions of interest are now being sought from industry, local government and non-government organisations who stand ready to commit at least one-third of the project cost. The co-funding model gives everyone skin in the recycling game and will increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials available for business and industry.”

Vic and SA leading The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) CEO Gayle Sloan first acknowledged Victoria which, earlier this week announced $8.1 million in first round funding for seven glass and plastics projects as part of a $46 million co-investment under the RMF.

facilities in Queensland since 2018, nor for relevant facilities in NSW in recent times. The first of the bans have commenced with the next coming up on July 1 2021. Further, we continue to have significant infrastructure gaps in Australia that need to be closed sooner rather than later, if we want to maximise WARR opportunities that will drive positive economic, environmental, and community outcomes. South Australian Minister for Environment and Water, David Speirs said the extra funding will further enhance South Australia’s reputation as a national leader in waste management.

The remaining $38 million will be available through a new round under the Recycling Victoria Infrastructure Fund (RVIF), which will open for applications in March. Sloan said that SA has followed Victoria’s lead with the inking of a $30 million deal with the federal government that would be committed to projects that investigate new technology and equipment for mixed plastics reprocessing, glass remanufacturing, and recovering and separating soft plastics. WMRR welcomeed the announcements and congratulated the Victorian and South Australian governments for finalising and announcing their RMF co-investment agreements that assist in driving a transformation of Australia’s WARR capacity,” Sloan said.

Where is Qld and NSW? “We now have RMF co-investment commitments in almost all jurisdictions, with Tasmania, the ACT, and WA announcing their funding in 2020. These commitments are vital to addressing the immediate issue of the COAG export bans, as well as contributing to the shared vision of transitioning Australia to a more circular economy, increasing the capacity and capability to recycle, reprocess, and remanufacture in Australia. “So, the question that remains is, where are Queensland and NSW in this journey? The COAG bans were announced in 2019 and the RMF in July 2020 and yet, we have not seen a public process to fund 18

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Improvement in recycling infrastructure Meanwhile, South Australian Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the extra funding will further enhance South Australia’s reputation as a national leader in waste management. “I am delighted to see the Commonwealth and the South Australian Government sign this agreement,” Speirs said. “South Australia leads the nation when it comes to resource recovery, with 83.8 per cent of all waste generated being diverted from landfill. This funding will further improve the recycling infrastructure across our state. “The funding in South Australia will be focusing on partner projects that are investigating new technology and equipment related to mixed plastics reprocessing, improving the recovery and separation of soft plastics, and increasing glass re-manufacturing. “Unlocking the potential in these materials and keeping resources circulating through our economy increases our resilience to supply chain challenges and creates local jobs while also benefiting our environment.” More than 4,800 people are already employed in South Australia’s waste and resource recovery sector. The RMF is encouraging further investment and innovation to ensure waste streams are harnessed as manufacturing assets. Partners who are ready to contribute at least one-third of the cost of their project in partnership with the Commonwealth and SA Government, and have projects ready to scale up to deliver improved recycling infrastructure in SA are invited to submit an Expression of Interest now through Green Industries SA. iw

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CRC-P funding for recycling projects A PROJECT TO TURN food waste into biodegradable cling wrap and another that uses AI to sort plastic recycling are being funded by Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) initiative. In an effort to grow the economy and help the environment, $14.9 million is being invested into nine projects worth more than $40 million under Round 10 of Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P). Great Wrap will use its $210,000 to convert food waste into a compostable plastic stretch wrap for use by both the food and shipping industries. It could remove up to 150,000 tonnes of food and plastic waste from landfill each year.

Autonomous sorting system Advanced Circular Polymers will use its $2 million to develop and commercialise an AI-enabled autonomous sorting system for plastic recycling, which could

increase Australia’s recycling capacity by 42,000 tonnes each year and divert almost 17,000 tonnes of plastic residue from landfill. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews said the projects demonstrate the great industry opportunities that come from taking care of the environment. “By strategically investing in our waste management and recycling sector, we’re supporting Australian manufacturers to develop and commercialise cutting-edge technology that creates opportunities for new jobs and exports,” Andrews said. “We know strong collaboration between industry and researchers is key to creating a resilient, competitive and highly skilled manufacturing sector and that’s exactly what these CRC-P grants are going to do. Not only will these projects deliver significant benefits by

take us a step further to realising the full value of our waste, rather than losing that value to landfill,” Ley said. “Cutting-edge recycling technology is critical in building the waste and recycling industry’s capacity, in creating new markets for recycled materials, and with it new jobs. “This CRC support for remanufacturing and product innovation, along with our investments in new infrastructure through the Recycling Modernisation Fund are key to reaching our national target of an 80 per cent recovery rate across all waste streams by 2030.” This round of funded projects will leverage a further $25.2 million of cash and in-kind contributions from 46 project partners. The projects involve 32 Australian companies, including 27 small and medium businesses. Of the companies, approximately 20 per cent are located in regional areas. iw

improving Australia’s waste management capabilities, they will also grow Australia’s capacity to generate high value recycled commodities.” Waste Recycling and Clean Energy is one of six National Manufacturing Priorities in the Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy.

A step further Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley explained that with the passing of the Morrison Government’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Act in Parliament, with its phased ban on the export of waste plastics, paper, glass and tyres from 1 January 2021, there has never been a more important time to support innovation in recycling technology and infrastructure. “The first ever national waste and recycling legislation, and the development of new technologies will

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Paintback asks for levy extension

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AUSTRALIAN PAINT manufacturers have asked Australia’s consumer watchdog to extend a 15c per litre levy on paint sold in the country to increase the success of its used paint disposal and recycling scheme Paintback. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s current levy, introduced when the paint stewardship scheme was established in 2016, aimed to promote the safe disposal of unwanted architectural and decorative paint in Australia. At the time, Australian Paint Manufacturers’ Federation (APMF) members, responsible for more than 90 per cent (by volume) of paint sold in Australia, estimated about half of all waste paint was not disposed of properly.

Levy ends June 1 Initial aims were to establish fixed and mobile unwanted paint collection points within a reasonable distance of 85 per cent of Australians by 2021. The current levy authorisation ends on June 1 this year (2021). Paintback CEO, Karen Gomez said the Scheme has over-delivered on access with waste disposal and collections points available to 88 per cent of the Australian population.

This has enabled 21 million kilograms of unwanted paint and packaging to be disposed responsibly, away from landfill and waterways. The levy extension will take the scheme further – supporting operations and important research activities to establish a circular economy for used paint and packaging. “Paintback is a well-functioning, innovative model that the Australian paint industry seeks to extend,’’ Gomez said. “The momentum we have built, despite interruptions to our usual operations due to the pandemic, saw Paintback collect over 8,100 tonnes of used paint and packaging nationally in 2019/20, exceeding expectations and delivering a net environmental benefit by avoiding inappropriate disposal of unwanted paint. It brings together the best and the brightest through our industry-led scheme, creating a responsible life cycle for products that would otherwise be discarded,’’ she said. Gomez added that the paint industry has also applied for a new 10-year authorisation with the ACCC to continue the 15c per litre funding. The ACCC may grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment. iw

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enquiries@ascoatings.com.au | www.ascoatings.com.au Paintback CEO Karen Gomez added that the paint industry has also applied for a new 10-year authorisation with the ACCC to continue the 15c per litre funding.

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From the CEO’s desk From the CEO’s desk

Environment Ministers will meet for the second time year onto7 you December, HAPPYthis NEW YEAR and thosefollowing you hold the dear;first 2018 Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) we hope you had the chance to relax and recharge in April, was inand part a response to the import after awhich remarkable challenging year. restrictions driven by China’s National Sword It is great to see that 2021 has kicked off with Policy and the effects this policy has had industry projects being funded across Australiaacross the Australian and Manufacturing resource recovery under both thewaste Recycling Fund(WARR) industry. Key decisions derived from the (RMF) and the Modern Manufacturing FundApril MEM include: (MMF). However, the ability to plan and manage

strategically and nationally is being significantly •hampered Reducingbywaste generation, endorsing a target the lack of consistent and transparent of 100% of Australian packaging being recyclable, data about our industry and supply chains. Today, compostable reusable by 2025, and developing it is no longeror enough to simply know what is targets for recycled content in packaging. collected and taken to a facility, we need to know what happens to it! How else • Increasing Australia’s domestic recycling capacity.targets, including 80 per cent will we measure our success against the national • Increasing the demand for recycled products. recovery by 2030? • Exploring opportunities to advance waste-to-energy andconfidence waste-to-biofuels. The absence of this data hinders forward planning and that we are • Updating the 2009 Waste Strategy by wisely year end, which will include circular investing these once-in-a-lifetime funds and future-proofing our industry, economy principles. and the Australian economy and community. Further, with no federal action on the proximity principle, materials we collect will continue to move between It is time to take stock and examine what has achieved since these decisions states, making it even more challenging for been industry to predict what materials it were announced. Now, seven (7) months may not seem like a long time, will receive to assist in preparing the business case for these facilities. however in that we have seen further markets close is (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thetime ability to track cross border movement exacerbated by the Vietnam) fact that and if you are an operator under continued financial stress, seven (7) months could states manage data and planning for infrastructure independently, the inability make break to beorable to you. plan nationally for infrastructure under the RMF due to state confidentiality requirements makes it extremely difficult to build a robust Following the April MEM, we have had three (3) states step in with varying national industry. degrees of financial for industry operators). This should The failure of theassistance federal government to (councils implementand a strong procurement bepolicy expected considering almost all states (except Queensland and Tasmania) prioritising and committing expenditure to buying Australian recycledhave access to significant waste levy income each year. On the eastern seaboard, Victoria products, and no state (other than Victoria) having progressed in this area, has approximately $600 million in waste levy reserves in the Sustainability Fund means we have no real certainty around where our materials will go. and We NSW raises more than $700 million per annum from the waste levy. There is may have important sources of data such as the ABS reports and the certainly lack of funds that can reinvested our essential industry. NationalnoWaste Reports, which arebelargely basedinto on individual state and territory data reporting, but numerous problems remain. For one, the information Funding as we know, the money goes much longerof way with gatheredhelps is notbut contemporaneous; in most cases, theyaare in arrears one to Government support and leadership, as well as appropriate policy levers. two years. Importantly, as state and territory data systems are independent of

industry however the Queensland Government has embarked on the development of a waste management strategy by a waste disposal levy to national WARR data. What we need underpinned is a comprehensive system that brings allincrease recycling and recovery and create new jobs. The State will re-introduce the pieces together from jurisdictions to standardise and harmonise WARR dataa $70/ tonne landfill levy in March 2019. There are also strong attempts to use policy reporting and collection. levers (levy discounts and exemptions) to incentivise the use of recycled material andwhat make do it cost with virgin material. However, little has been done to So, wecompetitive need to do? establish new markets and Government has not taken the lead in the procurement #1ofNationally consistent and harmonised reporting recycled material. There are grants available fordata resource recovery operations in Queensland although nogoal monies in 2018. This is National harmonisation is the in sohave manybeen areasallocated of policy to andassist regulation, troubling Queensland rolled outgovernments its ContainertoRefund Schemetoondevelop 1 November, and there is as a compelling case for all work together which will likely impact the cost and revenue models of the State’s MRFs – as we consistent data reporting systems. This means the creation of a national standard have seen most recently in NSW. in reporting to be adopted by all jurisdictions and supply chain stakeholders; one that stipulates how, when, and what is collected based on, and captured across, WESTERN AUSTRALIA nationally consistent definitions, timeframes, and categories. The Western Australianrules Government set up a Wasteand Taskforce in direct to Nationally harmonised around data collection reporting wouldresponse lead the China National Sword. As part of this announcement, the State Government to consistent data being captured and while the National Waste Report remains all local councils to begin the utilisation of athe three (3)-bin system anurged important reference point and WMRR acknowledges improvements made- red for waste,Waste yellow for recyclables green for organic waste - over the coming togeneral the National Account, there is and an opportunity maximise state/territory years to– reduce contamination. While– this taskforce a step inthrough the right datasets high-level insights and data made publiclyisavailable a direction, we are yet to see any tangible results from it or any funding for industry. federal government-managed centralised data vault that upgrades the way In October, the WAare Waste Authority released its draft Waste Strategy to 2030, which comprises datasets visualised. a comprehensive and detailed roadmap towards the State’s shared vision of a sustainable, low-waste, circular supply economy.chain #2becoming Capturing data across the entire Historically, Australia has focused its attention on the fate of materials, COMMONWEALTH categorised into disposal, recycling, and energy recovery. While the headline Following theNational MEM in April, nowshow has aanew Federal Environment numbers in the WasteAustralia Report 2020 marginal improvement in Minister, our Melissa Price, who in October reiterated to media MEM’s commitment to explore recycling and resource recovery rates, 60 per cent and 63 per cent respectively in waste todoenergy as partusofwith the solution the impacts China’sflows? National Sword, 2018-19, they present a genuinetopicture of our of material which is troubling is not a solution recycling). Commonwealth We know that a true(EfW circular economy is onetothat focuses The on material design has also backed the Australian Recycling Label and endorsed the National Packaging and avoidance of the creation of waste; however, we simply do not have enough Targets developed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (if any) data on avoidance, design, or consumption in Australia. This makes it (APCO), which to hascreate to date, failed to incorporate industrydesign feedback in the development difficult policy settings related to material and avoidance of of these targets. To the Commonwealth’s credit, there has been significant waste creation. coordination in see reviewing the National Policy, with of It is difficult to how Australia can meetWaste its target of 80 perthe centDepartment recovery Environment bringing together industry players and States during the review across all material streams by 2030 if we are not capturing consistent real-time process. data on material flows across the entire supply chain and continue to have a

each other, there is a host of differing classifications, terminologies, reporting VICTORIA systems, timeframes and scopes across jurisdictions. Victoria has arguably beentimely, the most and earnest in supporting the industry Nationally consistent, andactive transparent data for our essential industry post-China, with two (2) relief packages announced to support the recycling must be a priority for 2021. Nationally consistent, timely, and transparent data industry, valued atindustry a total ofmust $37 be million. The Victorian gone for our essential a priority for 2021,Government as recognisedhas by also Assistant above andTrevor beyond all others states by announcing it would take a leadership Minister Evans, who committed $24.6 million in 2020 to improving ourrole in creating market demand for recycled products.

myopic view of WARR that ignores material creation and management. The updated Policybasics will now goto before Environment on 7 December. The We must get these right maximise the $24.6Ministers million allocated and Commonwealth can play a key role – one that goes beyond the development of the vast sums currently available for infrastructure in our essential industry. Let’s the National is supportive of the Federal maximising make 2021 Waste a year Policy. where WMAA real results are delivered and moniesGovernment are spent wisely! the levers it has, including taxation and importation powers, to maintain a strong, sustainable wasteExecutive and resource recovery Gayle Sloan, Chief Officer, WMRRindustry.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Government announced a $12.4 million support package comprising $2 million of additional expenditure, $5 million additional funding for a loan scheme, together with targeted funding from the Green Industries SA budget. The Government has also offered grants for recycling infrastructure.

AHEAD OF MEM 2 There may be movement across Australia, with some states doing better than others, but the consensus is, progress is still taking way too long. It is evident that 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 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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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

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Plastic problem is not business as usual (continued from front page) By Inside Waste IT WAS Greens Senator, Peter WhishWilson who proposed the amendment to the Bill and he has some clear and concerning insights into why it didn’t succeed. “The mandating product stewardship amendment didn’t pass because One Nation voted it down, for no obvious reason,” he said. “You therefore have to assume they didn’t support this critical amendment because they don’t care about increased investment in regional recycling jobs. “They clearly put the interests of a few big packaging and retail companies ahead of small business and community groups. It was very disappointing after months of lobbying by recycling and other stakeholders, and numerous indications they were supportive leading up to the vote. “You never know what you are going to get with One Nation, they rarely look at facts, logic, evidence and empirical data. It is worth continuing talking to them however as they are nothing if not inconsistent- so it is possible they may support it next time.”

“As packaging exports are largely now banned, we may well continue to see stockpiles of waste, more landfill and less recycling. We won’t have fixed our waste crisis at all, indeed it might get worse.”

Shadow Minister for the Environment, Josh Wilson said the government has missed the opportunity to deliver meaningful change.

indeed it might get worse. “Consequences of this are other waste management processes that cut across building a true circular economy such as waste-to-energy which will be given a ‘leg up’ to deal with excess packaging waste.

From a conservation point of view, unless voluntary targets are met we will especially see more problematic single-use plastic ending up in our ocean and environment,” he said. Whish-Wilson said that politically, the biggest challenge will remain the power of ‘big packaging’ and retail companies to effectively lobby and get what they want in Canberra. “Firstly, we have to make sure APCO moves from just the coregulatory NEPM framework and also becomes accredited under the new voluntary product stewardship framework as they promised, then be relentless in demanding transparency and updates on their progress towards meeting their 2025 targets. He added that the setting of metrics, benchmarks and timeframes

Continued debate in 2021

invest in new technology, infrastructure and green jobs. “As packaging exports are largely now banned, we may well continue to see stockpiles of waste, more landfill and less recycling. We won’t have fixed our waste crisis at all,

When asked what action could be taken to address this situation in 2021, Whish-Wilson explained that the same packaging amendment comprises part of the Greens Private Members bill before the Senate which will be debated in 2021. He said that the party will continue to keep the debate going in Canberra and keep the public focussed on our efforts. “Additional opportunities may arise to amend other Government legislation related to waste and recycling. We need to keep the pressure up on the Government and One Nation to listen to communities, the recycling industry, local governments and other stakeholders rather than just its big political donors,” he said However, he is explicit that Australia will continue to suffer with a serious plastic waste problem without mandatory plastic packaging targets. “The outcome [for Australia] will be a continued lack of policy framework and the certainty needed for the recycling industry and local governments to

Greens Senator, Peter Whish-Wilson (left) said the amendment will come up for debate again in 2021.

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// Cover Story

contamination of the terrestrial and marine environment from plastics and chemicals, the Australian government has missed this critical opportunity to provide the solutions we desperately need. “The cross-sector nature of our waste problem can only be addressed through a multi-sector and multi-stakeholder approach. We need real leadership to cap plastic production, detoxify our materials production systems and establish a zero waste and circular economy,” she said.

Important opportunity lost

Inside Waste is yet to receive a copy of One Nation’s policy on waste and recycling.

for acceptable progress would be critical for this. “Many stakeholders agree, including those in the packaging industry, that by early 2022 we would be in a good position to know if 2025 voluntary targets will be met.

Election issue The Greens will continue to work with all stakeholders to follow this, and use parliament and the Senate Estimates process to get answers, and keep up the pressure. “Most importantly, next year or early 2022 will be an election year, and failure on progress to meet voluntary targets should be made an election issue. “This is a significant matter of public importance around the country, and I believe Australians will vote with their feet if we don’t resolve this waste crisis and one of the biggest pollution issues on the planet-the fact our ocean is fast becoming a plastic soup,” he said. Inside Waste asked the leader of OneNation, Pauline Hansen to comment on the thinking behind the party’s decision not to support the amendments. We are waiting for her response to these questions: 1. Could you clarify why you decided not to vote for the amendments? 2. What would you need to know that might persuade you to vote for these amendments in the future? 3. Could you describe One Nation’s policy around Waste and Recycling?

“This Bill does little to promote recycling or waste reduction, instead it ensures that the packaging industry continues to selfregulate and that our waste remains within the control of the waste disposal sector.” We couldn’t find one on the website. 4. Do you have a specific position on plastic waste which is our biggest waste problem?

Government’s responsibility One voice which isn’t usually heard within the pages of Inside Waste is that of Zero Waste Australia. The organisation’s co-ordinator and chair of Alliance for a Clean Environment, Jane Bremmer took the plastic challenge back to the Government which she noted was initially responsible for not including a mandate for packaging within the original Bill. “The Federal Government has missed the opportunity to make the deep changes we need in Australia to address the causes of plastic pollution in the global environment and provide the policy support and framework long needed for the recycling sector. “More concerning is the failure of the Government to prevent foreseeable and perverse outcomes associated with Australia’s waste export ban. National policy documents confirm that the Government intends to support the ‘reprocessing’ of waste for continued export and incineration ahead of investment in the recycling sector, zero waste city models and a

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circular economy. “This Bill does little to promote recycling or waste reduction, instead it ensures that the packaging industry continues to self-regulate and that our waste remains within the control of the waste disposal sector. “While we face catastrophic climate threats and irreversible

Meanwhile, Shadow Minister for the Environment, Josh Wilson told Inside Waste that it is a “good thing” that the export bans are in place and that Labor was glad to negotiate improvements to the Bill with respect to consultation and transparency. But he was also argued that the Government had lost an important opportunity to turbocharge the country’s mindset around the plastic waste problem. “Unfortunately, the government has missed the opportunity to deliver meaningful change when it comes to producer responsibility, and that undermines the already weak momentum towards a much-needed lift in recycling, reprocessing, and remanufacturing. “The only change to product stewardship is a minimal ‘wag the finger and tap the watch’ mechanism, and there is nothing new in terms of government procurement, labelling, or material specifications,” he said. iw

Zero Waste Australia co-ordinator and chair Alliance for a Clean Environment, Jane Bremmer believes that the government’s heart isn’t in plastic packaging reform for Australia.

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How Indonesia plans to be plastic-free by 2040 Editorial credit: Don Mammoser / Shutterstock.com

(continued from front page) The vision goes even further: by 2040, Pandjaitan said that Indonesia aims to be a plastic pollution-free nation – one that embodies the principle of the circular economy, in which plastics will no longer end up in its oceans, waterways and landfills, but will go on to have a new life.

Five points of action To successfully reach the 70 per cent reduction target by 2025, Indonesia has committed to leading five systemchange interventions that will change the way plastics are produced, used, and finally, how they are disposed. 1. Reduce or substitute plastic usage to prevent the consumption of 1.1 million tonnes of plastic per year. Indonesia will work with industry leaders to transform their supply chains by rooting out plastic materials that can be avoided. Examples include replacing single-use packaging with reusable packaging; embracing new delivery models, such as refill shops; and empowering consumers to move away from single-use plastic consumption. 2. Redesign plastic products and packaging with reuse or recycling in mind. Recognising that some forms of plastics cannot be substituted with alternative materials, Indonesia will act to ensure that they do not become mismanaged waste. The government will work with manufacturers and innovators to champion an industry-wide shift towards circular plastics, with the ultimate goal of making all plastic waste a valuable commodity for reuse or recycling. 3. Double plastic waste collection to 80 per cent by 2025. Currently, around 39 per cent of the total plastic waste in Indonesia is collected; in rural and remote areas, this figure is as low as 16 per cent. The government accepts that it needs to aggressively invest in its waste-collection infrastructure, both in the formal sector (government employees) and the robust informal sector (waste pickers), many of them women, who play a significant role in national waste management efforts. 4. Double the current recycling capacity to process an additional 24

Indonesian boys go through garbage at in Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia. The local economy is centred around the ferry port and tourism.

975,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. In 2017, only 10 per cent of plastics generated in Indonesia were recycled. The plan states that Indonesia needs to urgently close this capacity gap by directing investment into expanding existing infrastructure facilities and building new infrastructure to match the explosive growth in plastic production across the ASEAN region. 5. Build or expand safe waste disposal facilities to manage an additional 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. The government states that this will be its last chance to put a safeguarding measure at the end of the plastic lifecycle to prevent plastic waste from becoming plastic pollution. It claims that these facilities will enable it to safely dispose of non-recyclable plastic materials, as well as plastic waste that is generated in remote locations without recycling facilities.

What’s next? According to Pandjaitan, the government believes that urgent action is needed to turn the tide of plastic waste and pollution in Indonesia, and that all citizens have a role to play in driving this change. He said that President Joko Widodo has set the course with two crucial pieces of legislation. “The Indonesia National Waste

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Management Policy and Strategy (Presidential Decree No. 97/2017) and the Plan of Action on Marine Plastic Debris 2018-2025 (Presidential Decree No. 83/2018) have put the fight against plastic pollution at the top of the national agenda, creating the enabling environment that we needed as policy-makers to deliver on this ambitious vision. “The first step in this process was to bring the right stakeholders onboard. In March 2019, we joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership a new public-private collaboration platform hosted at the World Economic Forum, as its first international partner. “We became the first country in the world to test-drive the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) model – a nimble, inclusive and solutions-driven approach to solving the challenge of plastic pollution. The same model is now being piloted in Ghana and soon in Vietnam,” he explained. Pandjaitan explained that, through the NPAP, a platform was created for bringing together Indonesia’s top minds to take on plastic pollution together, from researchers to businesses to civil society. “Collectively, we have created a national roadmap that lays out the concrete steps we need to take, in policy-making, manufacturing, awareness-building and driving

investment, to achieve a plastic pollution-free Indonesia,” he said. According to Pandjaitan, it was a crucial step for Indonesia to share its key recommendations and action steps at Davos, “...this unparalleled global convening of decision-makers and innovators, so that all can hear the good news: Indonesia’s unprecedented national effort to take on plastic pollution is crossing a new frontier in what is possible.” “Working from the basis of a radical idea, we have built a platform, mobilized willpower from all sectors, and identified a clear path towards our goal: to show that plastic pollution is not too complex or too enormous a challenge to overcome. “As we move from incubation to implementation in the months to come, I invite all to join us on this journey. As Indonesia puts this plan into action, we look forward to sharing our knowledge and to learning from others on bringing solutions and successes to scale. “Together, we will demonstrate how we can work together to end plastic pollution and build a healthier, more sustainable future for our children and grandchildren,” he concluded.

Road to the 4th Indonesia Circular Economy Forum In commemoration of World Cities Day held every October 31, Indonesia

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// Front Cover #2

Circular Economy Forum (ICEF) delivered a webinar ‘Road to the 4th Indonesia Circular Economy Forum’ with the theme ‘Towards Smart & Sustainable Cities Through Circular Economy’. According to the UN, city population is predicted to grow rapidly, and two-thirds of the population will live in urban areas by 2050. The Minister for National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas of the Republic of Indonesia Suharso Monoarfa noted that, “In line with this growing population, the consumption and individuals basic needs will also be increasing rapidly. “Therefore, it is very important to design the right policies addressing the issues of sustainable cities for a better life of our people. The European Green Deal provides a roadmap with actions to boost the efficiency of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy which aims to restore biodiversity and we will cut pollution,” European Union (EU) Ambassador to Indonesia, Vincent Piket said. The progress on the circular economy between EU-Indonesia includes support of: • RPJMN 2020-2024 National Development Plan, supporting Indonesia Circular Economy. • Forum (ICEF) in November 2019, partnership with UNDP in developing a National Circular. • Economy Strategy, and exchange visit on Extended Producer Responsibility in collaboration with Denmark, Germany and Netherlands.

Close partnership essential

Editorial credit: Simon Roughneen / Shutterstock.com

However, Deputy Minister for Maritime and Natural Resources Affairs of the

Ministry of National Development Planning, Arifin Rudiyanto stated that close partnership between the public and private sector was essential in implementing a circular economy especially through the green industry. The first session of the webinar, ‘The Circular Economy Progress in Indonesia’ highlighted the progress since the formal launch of the national circular economy strategy in February 2020. Co-Founder of AlphaBeta (strategic consultants) Fraser Thompson, stated that the circular economy roadmap for Indonesia was currently being developed with inputs from key-stakeholders. He added that multi-stakeholder collaboration efforts are needed to advance the circular economy movement further in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Ambassador of Denmark to Indonesia, Lars Bo Larsen observed that, “Indonesia as an archipelago is of course, especially vulnerable to the cross-border trade, and to the cross-border transition of waste. I think we also need to think about its provincial and global dimension. Circularity at the provincial level is needed especially in Indonesia with 34 provinces.” Chairman of Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari (LTKL) Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin said that he believed that circular economy practices and regulations should be implemented up to the level that is closest to the general public especially in regencies. Members of LTKL have already carried out several practices that support the circular economy. The second session of the webinar ‘The Circular Economy in Cities’ discussed the importance of circular cities, whilst identifying the

President Joko Widodo has set the course for Indonesia’s waste recovery with two crucial pieces of legislation.

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challenges, opportunities and best practices. Since more than half of the world’s population currently lives in cities and two-thirds of the world’s population will reside in cities by 2050, circular cities have become a very important topic of conversation.

Strategic focus In the last of the webinar session, ‘Strategic Focus Area for the Circular Economy’ efforts and chances in five core economic sectors for circular economy strategies were highlighted, namely plastics conversion and waste management, food and beverages, electronic manufacturing and e-waste,

construction and built environment as well as, textile and the fashion industry. This session’s speakers ranged from public-private, socio entrepreneur along with international speakers which organisers ICF said indicated that all walks of life are involved in this circular movement. Founder of Greeneration Foundation, M. Bijaksana Junerosano stated that the transition to the circular economy paves the way to smart and sustainable cities, where municipalities are the hub of energy flow which are: people, information, currency, water, materials, energy, food and waste. iw

Packaging companies form PRO The Packaging Recovery Organization (PRO) has been established by several food and beverage companies with the intention of ramping up their recycling efforts in Indonesia. The businesses, which are already members of the Packaging and Recycling Association for Indonesia’s Sustainable Environment (PRAISE), initiated the PRO. Among the members are PT Coca-Cola Indonesia, Danone-Aqua, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, PT Nestle Indonesia, Tetra Pak Indonesia and Unilever Indonesia. “PRAISE is very proud of launching the PRO to enable us to collaborate on our waste management as a solution to single-use plastics. With the PRO we promote extended stakeholder responsibility,” PRAISE steering committee head and Coca-Cola Indonesia public affairs and communication head Triyono Prijosoesilo said. He added that the new organisation would have at least three programs: • to build a system to recycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in plastic bottles. • to increase the collection rate for used beverage cartons, flexibles and highdensity polyethylene packaging. • to educate the public on recycling. PRO is aiming to achieve a 60 per cent recycling rate for PET plastics before moving on to recycling other kinds of packaging in 2021, while expanding its membership, Triyono said. “These objectives fall in line with recommendations laid out in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest National Plastic Action Report on Indonesia, which proposes a System Change Scenario (SCS) that would reduce ocean leakage in the archipelago by 70 per cent by 2025. “The SCS model combines five system changes, which include doubling current recycling capacity and plastic waste collection, among other things, according to the WEF report,” he said. PRAISE chief and Danone-Aqua sustainability director Karyanto Wibowo, said industries would use PRO as a vehicle to honour their environmental responsibilities, stipulated in Law No. 18/2008 on waste management. “PRO would convene players from the packaging industry, manufacturing and retailers, which are responsible for the flow of plastic products from factories to the consumer.” He said the organisation would also cooperate with local administrations to increase the recycling rate of plastics. Presently, PRO is teaming up with the East Java administration. According to the WEF report, about 70 per cent of Indonesia’s plastic waste, estimated at 4.8 million tonnes per year, is considered mismanaged. A 2019 report jointly commissioned by environmentalist groups found that plastic waste had made its way into Indonesia’s food chain. It was discovered that eggs produced by free-range chickens in two villages in East Java had been contaminated by the plastic waste that locals used as a fuel source for local tofu factories. The sampled eggs collected near a tofu factory in Tropodo village, for instance, contained the second-highest level of dioxins in eggs from Asia, second only to eggs collected in an area in Vietnam contaminated by the Agent Orange chemical weapon, the report found.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

AWRE Online Conference //

AWRE Online reviews an expanding WARR industry MINISTER FOR ENERGY and Environment, Matt Kean opened AWRE Online with an insight and update into where NSW stands with its 20-Year strategy. The Government’s 20-year strategy sets goals for reducing waste, driving sustainable recycling markets and identifying and improving the state and regional waste infrastructure network. Their focus for the 20-Year Waste Strategy and accompanying policies is sustainability, reliability and affordability. This strategy will contribute to NSW’s vision of a circular economy where resources are more valued by keeping materials in use for as long as possible.

The Minister acknowledged that, “managing the global pandemic has forced everyone into uncharted territory,” adding that, “adaptability has become the order of the day.” The WARR industry has remained active throughout 2020 with much of the industry out each day ensuring that the nation stayed clean and safe. For that, Kean thanked the industry for all of its hard work throughout the pandemic. As NSW begins to refocus towards waste goals and strategy, the Minister gave some assurance: “We have to do what’s right for the environment and what’s right for the community as we move to a more circular economy.”

However, based on current trends, it is looking like NSW will not meet the target of diverting 75 per cent of waste from landfills by 2021. Kean stated “… if we don’t act now, there is a risk that NSW waste systems will not cope.” Cutting down and managing our waste is a joint effort by many and Kean thanked everyone who provided a comment on the issues paper ‘Cleaning up our act: The future of waste and resource recovery in NSW’. “The inputs will be incorporated in the draft 20-year waste strategy which we can expect to see early in 2021, with the final strategy coming in June 2021, which will include the ‘Plastics Plan’.

“We are serious about phasing out key single-use and problematic plastics,” Kean said. “We have to shift the idea of waste from being a problem to be managed, to a resource to be used.” Kean stated the following goals for NSW, which include: • Tripling the proportion of plastic recycled in NSW by 2030. • Reducing plastic litter items by 20 per cent by 2025. • Making NSW a leader in research both in Australia and internationally Kean described waste as a wider effort, not solely the work of the industry and government. “We have to acknowledge, that waste management is a basic community

As part of the national policy action plan, ambitious targets have been set to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.

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NSW Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean tells AWRE Online final strategy will arrive in June.

amenity. Plus, this 20-year waste strategy is also partly the responsibility of the producers who are creating all of the products which end up in our waste. “We need to change the behaviours and attitudes of the community as well.”

Kean said that he sees positive change happening with the example of the ‘Return and Earn’ scheme, stating that almost three quarters of all adults in NSW have participated in this scheme. “Meanwhile drink container litter has plummeted, and ‘Return and Earn’ has provided the recycling industry with a reliable stream of clean and recyclable material. Overall, this is helping to promote the development of the domestic recycling industry. “It’s proof that smart policy can reduce costs. The community has demonstrated that it is ready to make changes to the way they live and generate waste if the industry and the government can guarantee it will make a difference to the health of the environment and community.”

that may not be currently set up or equipped with the necessary processing capabilities. A greater focus on paper recycling was highlighted as a key area by the minister, as the looming ban on export recycling drives demand for a domestic solution to manage our waste. With other focus areas for the fund including textiles and building and demolition materials, Ley was clear that there is still a lot of work to do, but all in a positive direction. Bansal supported the minister is saying that he is a “big fan” of the recycling modernisation fund and the work going into it. 2. Procurement and Infrastructure With the RMF designed to create more than 10,000 jobs and divert over 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill, a heavy emphasis has been placed on the importance of investing in critical infrastructure both locally and nationally to better Australia’s recycling game. Ley stated that the government needs to “act now” in procuring new facilities and infrastructure that will create jobs, while also providing a solution to Australia’s waste system. “The focus on next year’s budget is based around jobs, this is the perfect time to invest,” she advised. 3. Our Targets As part of the national policy action plan, ambitious targets have been set to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. By 2030 Ley outlined that

one of the key targets is to reduce total waste by 10 per cent per person, as well as a focus on phasing out wasteful plastics and having better sorting systems in place to phase out organic material going into landfill. Bansal observed that, while the set targets may be ambitous they are “doable”, however he stated that we can’t achieve these targets without waste being accepted as a key priority by everyone, including the government. 4. A Push for a National Standard Waste contamination continues to be the biggest driver for waste education when it comes to knowing what to recycle and where. Bansal supported the minister’s statement stating that reducing contamination comes from the “ground level”. He stated that a national standard to streamline the process is well overdue, which would make education simple and easy to follow no matter where you were geologically located, “It’s as simple as ‘4 bins, 4 colours”. He did commend Victoria and Tasmania on their container deposit scheme and said it’s a step in the right direction for Australia. 5. Next Year With so many key focus areas for the industry, Ley outlined that in 2021 a national plastics plan will be launching as an important step to keeping our environment clean and as a drive to keep plastics out of our oceans. Ley said that plastics continue to be

Where to with the RMF? The Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) investment of $190 million is expected to generate $600 million of recycling investment, driving a billion-dollar transformation of the waste and recycling landscape. The majority of the fund will be spent on infrastructure intended to sort, process and remanufacture materials such as mixed plastic, paper, tyres and glass. In this AWRE session, panellists National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read, Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley and Cleanaway CEO Vik Bansal discussed the RMF, exploring its intent to divert several million tonnes of waste, redevelop infrastructure and create more than 10,000 jobs in the sector. 1. RMF Update According to Ley, the RMF is taking big steps towards a better waste management system in Australia. In the coming year she advised that there will be a strong focus on FOGO, especially in our rural and regional councils Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the RMF is taking a big steps towards a better waste management system in Australia.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

AWRE Online Conference //

but rather one tool which must not unnecessarily take precedent. “It’s not about energy from waste, but where it fits into the whole scheme. It’s part of an overall hierarchy treating different materials,” Kirkman said. Efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle must be at the forefront of any sustainable waste-management plan. Only after the community have successfully re-used and recycled all materials possible, can we sort the rest into residuals, which can be used for energy production. “We want to see a top-down strategy for sorting” Stammbach added, “Recyclables, food and green waste are separated. Then we have residual waste which can be used for energy”.

“We are serious about phasing out key single-use and problematic plastics. We have to shift the idea of waste from being a problem to be managed, to a resource to be used.” one of the biggest pain points for the industry and that work cannot stop in this area. “Fortunately, the Prime Minister and Federal Government have a keen interest in the recycling industry and are prioritising its importance in the future of Australia,” she said.

A waste dilemma The panellists who discussed the AWRE session titled Can we solve Australia’s waste problems while simultaneously providing alternative energy sources? included National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read, Hitachi Zosen Inova managing director Marc Stammbach, Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment director, Circular Economy Policy and Markets Justin Koek and Veolia CEO Richard Kirkman. Renewable, reliable energy holds growing demand in global and local markets. The UK recently announced a ban on combustion engines after

2030, as they shift towards sustainable options. How close are we to getting national agreement between states and territories on the role of recovering energy from waste in solving Australia’s waste problems while also providing alternative energy sources? Modern European waste-to-energy plants are clean and safe, meeting strict emission limits placed in the EU Industrial Emissions Directive. This session explored Australia’s future in using waste to provide alternative energy sources, as the practice continues to gain global traction in other countries such as Japan, the US and Europe. These countries are focused on diverting residual waste from landfill, generating energy and reducing emissions.

Community engagement is key Justin Koek was clear that positive engagement is key when introducing waste-to-energy systems.

Veolia CEO Richard Kirkman said that it has been proven that employing Waste-to-Energy systems encourages people to do more recycling and composting.

“A degree of confidence from (the community) in new projects meeting stringent environmental criteria is very important”. Communities where waste-to-energy plants are built want to make sure energy from waste is not usurping resource recovery and recycling. Koek explained that if Australia is to get the most out of new waste-toenergy plants, community support and engagement in providing solutions will be key to state-wide roll-outs of policy and facilities.

Australian policy is not following EU regulations

Waste 2021 – The industry’s leading Waste Management Conference Opal Cove Resort | Coffs Harbour | 4 – 6 May 2021 The Waste 2021 Conference is scheduled to take place on 4-6 May in Coffs Harbour, and will be a hybrid event featuring both face-to-face and online streaming of presentations. The program will provide inspiring keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and 2 concurrent streams allowing delegates to tailor the program to their own learning needs. There will also be the opportunity to network with industry experts during 3 dedicated social events. This premier industry event will operate in a COVID safe manner and numbers will be strictly limited to comply with regulations: - Registration and accommodation bookings will open LATE FEBRUARY 2021 - Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities now available The 3 day event is coupled with an extensive indoor exhibition and interactive outdoor product displays. Waste 2021 has been listed on the Schedule of Approved Events on the Austrade program website as part of the Australian Business Events Grants Program with applications now open to all exhibitors. For further information visit www.coffswasteconference.com.au Email: wasteconference@impactenviro.com.au Phone: 02 6583 8118 | Mobile: 0474 629 908

The waste hierarchy comes before energy production

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Marc Stammbach commented on the lack of similarities between Australian waste-to-energy policies and those that have been successful in Europe. “Commonality with Europe is stopping, only emission limits are still similar”. He explained that waste-toenergy plants are becoming more commonplace across the European landscape and are enjoying greater success than those in Australia. Locally, waste-to-energy has been slow to adopt due to a lack of social license and desire to change, coupled with early proposal complexity and confusion. Stammbach recommended that Australia follows a national policy which is more standardised, while Koek argued that a slower, thought-out process of implementation is important for each state, especially NSW. The panel agreed that Australia could benefit more from following certain aspects of European regulations, to capitalise on their success and leverage confidence in the community.

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One point that united all members of the session was that waste-to-energy systems are not a solution to waste,

Waste-to-energy systems increase other sustainability efforts Kirkman explained that the benefits are further reaching than simply new sources of energy production. “The amount of energy actually gained from the process is minimal in comparison with other sources. The greatest benefit is elimination of landfill and leaving a positive legacy for future generations. “It has been proven that employing waste-to-energy systems gets people to do more recycling and composting, as their awareness and level of education around the hierarchy of waste increases. “Additionally, communities where waste-to-energy plants are built can expect to see a great number of new long-term jobs available, supporting their economy,” he said.

Exporting waste-to-energy components is unproductive The session turned to the topic of exporting waste to other countries, which has faced criticism and many changes in Australian legislation. The panel argued against the export of waste-to-energy components. “Why export shredded waste for energy production and refuse exporting recyclables?” Kirkman asked. He said that communities must consider landfill sites and geographical placement requirements when deciding on the location of new energyproduction plants. Build them closer to landfill sites, reduce costs and de-incentivise waste export which has been done in the past, to keep energy production and benefits local. Continuing to speak on a localscale, Kirkman reinforced a benefit of waste-to-energy systems, “They are not dependent on weather as are solar or wind”. Adding that these facilities can power communities independently of the constraints of weather. iw

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How global warming is boosting WTE market THE GLOBAL WASTE-to-energy (WTE) market is expected to witness expansion as a result of the rapid depletion of conventional energy sources which contribute to harmful emissions. In terms of value, the

waste-to-energy market stood at A$32,514.09m in 2019 and is expected to reach A$47,031.56m by 2025. According to Fairfield Market Research, global Government bodies are framing and promoting favourable

Europe is expected to lead the global market with such innovation as Amager Bakke, a waste to energy plant with a ski slope on top.

policies to encourage proper waste disposal and energy production. There has also been a rise in demand from end-user sectors, forcing Government bodies to commercialise alternative energy sources such as WTE regulatory bodies are also imposing strict environment policies for reducing carbon emissions released due to excessive use of fossil fuels. WTE plants are expected to flourish during the forecast period as it aids in reducing a significant amount of harmful emissions by offering alternative forms of heat or electricity. Although the market is also expected to face certain restraints such as environmental hazards associated with the incineration process, this has resulted in increased investments in research and development activities to find safer and technologically advanced production processes.

Thermal technology to lead the way The type segment is divided into thermal and biological. The thermal segment is expected to dominate the global market as the technique remains simplest to deploy. The demand for thermal technology will also be driven by the fact that is environmentally safer for urban landscapes as it ensures complete combustion of gases that are released from waste. Reduction of waste volume and limited greenhouse gas emissions

are anticipated to boost the uptake of thermal technology in the global waste-to-energy market in the coming years. This technology also provides the advantage of recycling metal and the bottom ash, making it an ideal choice.

Dominance of key players Europe is expected to lead the global market as this region has the presence of key players such as Veolia, Suez, EQT AB and Ramboll Group A/S. According to Fairfield’s research, North America is also anticipated to hold a strong position as this region is technologically ahead of others. Meanwhile, regulatory and government bodies are also exercising integration and utilization of clean electricity generation, bolstering the demand for the WTE technology in this region. The key players are also investing in R&D activities to stay ahead in the competition. They are collaborating towards the waste-toenergy initiative by partnering with organizations to get assistance for improving results. For example, in the West Midlands, UK, waste-to-energy specialists are collaborating with Low Carbon and Verus Energy Limited, the two environment centric companies to provide electricity to around 70,000 houses diverting around 395,000 loads of garbage from export operations or landfills. iw

Citywide MoU for Maryvale project A MEMORANDUM of Understanding has been entered into by Citywide to explore participation in a stateof-the-art Waste-To-Energy (WTE) facility in Victoria. This follows the signing of an agreement with the project’s participants. The Maryvale WTE project in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley is being developed by a consortium comprising Opal Australian Paper, SUEZ Australia and New Zealand, Tribe, Masdar, and Acciona. “We are excited to have entered 30

into this agreement which will enable Citywide to supply feedstock to the new WTE facility via a rail link, and potentially also participate as an equity partner,” Citywide’s CEO Chris Campbell said. “Consistent with Citywide’s Waste and Recycling Strategy, participation in this project is about our commitment to finding alternatives to landfill for non-recyclable waste; it’s about the relentless pursuit of more sustainable solutions for effective waste management that

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

help shape healthy, safe, thriving liveable cities and communities. “Last year, Victoria sent 4.6 million tonnes of material to landfill. Even with the best recycling practices, there is still a lot of material that needs disposal. The WTE facility will allow us to divert waste from landfill by turning it into something that can benefit the whole community,” he added. Citywide chairman, John Brumby explained that the company was pleased to be part of a process that it expected would reshape

the waste sector in Victoria, divert non-recyclable rubbish from landfill, reclaim energy from resources and create employment through existing and streamlined logistics systems. “Our participation in this world class project underscores Citywide’s commitment to continually push the boundaries of innovation, be it through products, services, systems of work, as well as to work collaboratively with likeminded partners to facilitate better outcomes,” he said. iw

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Landfill //

Is Landfill part of the ‘Circular’ Economy? By Sam Bateman THE CIRCULAR Economy is where materials are reclaimed from end-oflife products and recycled or re-used back into the same product. This is claimed to be the way of the future and the best approach to a sustainable economy. Avoidance of waste going to landfill is a key part of the Circular Economy. In this paper I make a case for landfill itself to be a circular economy for organic wastes and one that is linked into the natural carbon cycle. What is a Circular Economy? In contrast to the ‘take-make-waste’ linear model, a circular economy is regenerative by design and aims to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources. However, it meets headwinds if you consider Australia imports most of its consumer goods and mines and grows far more resources than we can consume. Co-operation in our circular economy is a very big ask. Nevertheless, WMRR and others keeps pushing the concept as the solution to waste in Australia.

The carbon cycle Nature has quite a few ‘circular economies’ such as the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle and one I will expand on the carbon cycle. The biogenic carbon cycle illustrated below. Biogenic means produced by

living organisms and refers to the short-term carbon cycle. Fossil fuels contain carbon derived from living organisms that died millions of years ago and the carbon cycle was disrupted by formation of coal, oil and gas deposits. The biogenic carbon cycle circulates carbon through the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and then into plants by photosynthesis and into animals and other invertebrates by digestion of the plants. The plants and animals die and degrade back into carbon dioxide and circular carbon economy continues. There is no market to satisfy, no industrial processes to perform. It is all done by living plants, animals and importantly bacteria.

Carbon cycle with landfill If the plant and animal waste is deposited in landfill a different carbon cycle occurs as shown below. The first part of the carbon cycle is the same as before, but instead of letting the animal and plant material degrade naturally, it is placed in a landfill. There the carbon undergoes a series of complex changes by bacterial action, the last of which is methanogenesis. 50 per cent of the organic carbon is resistant to the bacteria in landfill and is stored for many 100’s of years thereby taking that carbon out of the biogenic carbon cycle.

Basic Carbon Cycle of Living Systems air (atmosphere) carbon dioxide (respiration)

carbon dioxie (photosynthesis)

animals

plants

carbohydrates (eating) Diagram 1

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Sam Bateman makes a case for landfill itself to be a circular economy for organic wastes and one that is linked into the natural carbon cycle.

The other 50 per cent is split into methane and carbon dioxide called landfill gas. The methane is burned in an engine to generate renewable electricity that offsets fossil fuelled electricity generation. The methane will be converted to carbon dioxide and water by combustion and be released into the biogenic carbon cycle as though it never entered the landfill. A portion of the landfill gas will escape into the atmosphere directly and the methane part of that is a greenhouse gas which causes climate change. The carbon dioxide that escapes is part of the carbon cycle and does not cause climate change. Carbon Cycle with Landfill carbon dioxide greenhouse gas methane carbon dioxide (photosysthesis) carbohydrates (eating) air (atmosphere) animals plants landfill carbon storage Renewable electricity The only part of the landfill carbon cycle that is not the same as the basic carbon cycle is the release of methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. The greenhouse emissions are offset by the carbon storage and by the renewable electricity. Carbon storage is a natural effect due to lignin in the waste. Lignin will not break down in anaerobic conditions. An example is timber which is preserved in landfill and basically unaltered after being buried for decades. The renewable electricity offset depends on how the grid electricity is generated. In Victoria brown coal fuelled electricity generation has a high

offset, whereas in other states it would be less. The only negative effect of landfill is the release of methane and this is subject to strong regulation in all States. With modern landfills that are built in cells that fill in two years or less, the waste does not reach full methanogenesis before the cell is completed. If extraction bores are drilled within two years of starting the cell most of the methane is captured and collection efficiencies of more than 80 per cent can be reliably achieved. Capping with an impermeable membrane helps to maintain the high collection efficiency. Small leaks in the cap can be oxidised by methane oxidising bacteria in the cover soils with the use of biofilters. In the very long term, methane oxidation will eliminate residual methane emissions when the cap might have deteriorated. All these benefits of methanogenesis allowing renewable electricity generation, carbon storage and methane oxidation happen naturally by some of the oldest types of bacteria on earth, that have developed amazing capabilities to utilise the waste for its energy source with no additions from humankind. The reliability of landfill gas electricity generation is well known in the industry with availability greater than 98 per cent. It uses no other fuel and burns a very small amount of lubricating oil in comparison to its electrical output. In fact, taking everything into account landfills are greenhouse sinks and the only waste management

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// Landfill

technology that is reducing biogenic and fossil carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

How does landfill circular economy compare with other treatments for organic wastes? Alternative waste such as mechanical/ biological treatment and composting all have considerable energy inputs in the way of electricity and diesel fuel to power the waste handling and air blowing machinery. Anaerobic digestion can generate biogas that is used for electricity generation, but experience has shown that little is exported and most is used in plant. Aerobic processes have no energy offset but may have an offset benefit from substitution for fertilizers. The compost produced by alternative treatment has to find a market and this has been difficult from a mixed waste feedstock. Compost itself is a valuable commodity but only if made from carefully controlled feedstocks. Landfill has no market to satisfy except the natural carbon cycle. If it emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere it is part of the carbon cycle and there is no limit on that market.

Diagram 2

The critical component of the landfill carbon cycle is the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere. Comparative studies often use very low collection efficiencies below 50 per cent. This is simply not realistic. Modern landfills with electricity generation on-site can easily collect 60 per cent and more. If they follow best practice this increases to 80 per cent and more. With the offsets available

for renewable electricity and carbon storage landfill can easily achieve net carbon storage.

Conclusion If the proponents of the circular economy looked at landfills as part of the natural carbon cycle they would be encouraging best practice and the disposal of organic waste to landfill. It is so much closer to the ideal of

“a circular economy as a systemic approach to economic development designed to benefit businesses, society, and the environment” than any of the alternatives. iw SAM Bateman is the Principal Consultant at Bateman Brothers and augural chair of the Landfill Division of WMRR and manager of the Hanson Wollert Landfill that won the WMRR Gold Landfill Excellence Award.

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Landfill //

Let the levy do the talking By Dr Marc Stammbach MOST AUSTRALIAN states have copied the UK landfill tax idea to some extent, actions which have resulted in increased recycling and organics treatment. If we look at the current situation, it appears to be characterised by: • Levies which differ by state and regional settings, causing transborder and inter-regional movement when opportune and allowed. • Abuse of the landfill levies towards no-waste purposes and mostly general revenue (a levy is by definition revenue raised for a specific purpose, not for general revenue). • Some waste types in some jurisdictions are treated differently with local examples such as asbestos, clinical waste, shredder floc and hazardous waste. • Recycling has increased, although a lot of it is actual downcycling such as glass to sand and plastic to asphalt. Although this is better than landfill, it’s still missing the objective. • Fear by stakeholders that wasteto-energy (WtE) might consume too much waste which is actually recyclable, with discussions of

ceilings/restrictions per state whilst imposing no limits to landfill. This is a rather stark contradiction of the idea of resource recovery. • Fear by state treasurers about losing general revenue which is most striking in NSW which has the highest levy and a prohibitive WtE policy. • A wishful drive towards sustainability while conveniently ignoring the greenhouse and levy producing landfills which fill the pockets of some states with high remediation costs to be expected for future generations.

Stuck halfway After all, landfills are aptly called ‘storage facilities’ in the French language! In effect, we are now stuck halfway down the track while not knowing how to increase recycling, recover organics and deal with the landfill levy addiction. The latter point seems to be the crux of the matter, running concurrently with a desire not to run foul of our state treasurers. Consequently, there is a strong need for Australia to become more consistent and move towards changing to a source separation and homogeneous levy structure. This

If downcycling of recyclables was levied at $75/t it would keep the incentive towards real recycling going, while placing a levy on residues from WtE like bottom ash and stabilised flue gas treatment residues at $37.5/t, similar to those in the UK.

Dr Marc Stammbach is keen to encourage a broader discussion on how we can increase resource recovery and move towards near-zero waste to landfill.

could start with source separation of recyclable organics and residual waste as a minimum for all waste producers (households, commerce and industry). Next, we need to apply all levies uniformly over Australia and all regions and then subside some transport from remote areas to centres of resource recovery to achieve scale and affordable treatment costs. We could then levy hazardous waste to landfill at $600/t and general waste to landfill at $300/t. This is a step where treasurers will likely clap their hands, but might find out that this will ultimately drive the trash out of landfills. There is also the unintended risk that illegal dumping will increase. Residual waste could also be levied

Image credit: Lynda Disher / Shutterstock.com

There is a case for landfill itself to be a circular economy for organic wastes and one that is linked into the natural carbon cycle.

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

to WtE at $150/t to appease the WtE fear and to keep the treasurers happy in the long-term. It would, however, be essential to keep a levy difference between landfill and WtE at a minimum of $150/t.

Keeping the incentive moving If downcycling of recyclables was levied at $75/t it would keep the incentive towards real recycling going, while placing a levy on residues from WtE like bottom ash and stabilised flue gas treatment residues at $37.5/t, similar to those in the UK. While not a zero, there will still be an incentive to drive them out of landfills. Meanwhile, a levy could be placed on recycling and organics recovery at $0/t and levy asbestos and disaster waste to landfill at $0/t. Such an approach would allow us to move quickly towards more than 65 per cent recycling and organics recovery, around 25 to 35 per cent thermal treatment, and less than 10 per cent landfilling. We can achieve best-in-class practice in Europe, which is already now at less than one per cent landfills. At the same time, we would drive a massive infrastructure boom, create jobs and sustainability while doing away with the oozing landfills. I imagine that some within the WARR industry might consider these as provocative, but this contribution is intended to kick-start a broader discussion on how we can increase resource recovery and move towards near-zero waste to landfill. iw DR Marc Stammbach is Managing Director at Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia.

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// Product Stewardship

Review of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 By Kathryn Pacey and Jessica Howe THE RECYCLYING and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 (RWR) Bill also reforms the regulation of product stewardship, replacing the existing Product Stewardship Act 2011 (Cth), which was recently reviewed. The Bill sets out obligations for manufacturers, importers, distributors and designers of certain products identified in rules made under the co-regulatory or mandatory provisions of the Bill, and will also provide for the accreditation of voluntary product stewardship arrangements. The review of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 (Cth) found that while the Act provides an appropriate framework for enabling product stewardship outcomes, there is further scope to broaden its reach and impact. The recommendations of the review included: • promoting product design and reparability within the objects of the Act, expanding product stewardship regimes to a broader range of products (including materials). • addressing issues with free-riding in voluntary product stewardship schemes. • increasing transparency with the Minister’s product list; and • improving the administration of coregulatory schemes. Several key drivers for a national approach to product stewardship are cited in the explanatory notes to the RWR Bill, including a need to have the regulatory tools to respond to the growing, complex and potentially hazardous streams of waste from rapidly changing or evolving products. There is also a lack of information that prevents consumers and producers from understanding the impacts of certain products, and related issues around their repairability and reusability. The Commonwealth believes that accreditation of voluntary product stewardship schemes can help Australian consumers make better choices when purchasing and disposing of products, and to have confidence that the products they are choosing meet government accreditation requirements. The Government has promised that the framework introduced under the

RWR Bill will be flexible, allowing regulators to be responsive to change and issues as they arise.

Enforcement and compliance mechanisms The RWR Bill will provide for a range of compliance, enforcement and audit mechanisms that can be exercised by the Minister, Secretary or authorised officers, including the making of rules and decisions. Other powers will include actions such as revocation and suspension of an export licence and cancellation of an approval of a coregulatory arrangement, as well as administrative remedies such as injunctions, enforceable undertakings, and infringement notices. For more serious compliance issues, the Bill provides for a number of civil penalty provisions, as well as criminal offences. Merit reviews will be available under the RWR Bill in relation to decisions by the Minister that affect individuals. Decisions will also be able to be reviewed externally by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Any fees and charges under the RWR Bill will be imposed on a cost-recovery basis. The Environment and Communications Legislation Committee has recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment continue its engagement with State, Territory and local governments, as well as with industry, business and environmental stakeholders in the implementation of the RWR Bill, particularly in relation to costs, penalties and “naming and shaming” criteria, which allow the Minister to publicise certain offences, contraventions and decisions.

Other recent Commonwealth initiatives The introduction of the RWR Bill is one of a suite of initiatives introduced by the Federal Government to promote a circular economy, improve Australia’s waste management systems, and boost its domestic recycling, with other initiatives including: • t he establishment of a Recycling Modernisation Fund, which aims to generate $600 million in private investment in the recycling industry.

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• t he implementation of the National Waste Policy Action Plan commitments; and • a $24.6 million fund to improve data on national waste, to track recycling outcomes and national waste targets. The Government has also recently released the terms of reference for the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Right To Repair, which aims to investigate the challenges that consumers and third parties can face when repairing products that develop faults or require maintenance, due to a lack of access to necessary tools, parts or diagnostic software. Initial submissions were due by Monday 1 February 2021 in response to the issues paper released on 7 December 2020. With the introduction of the RWR Bill we also expect to see a push

for more sustainable government procurement, with the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee reporting that a consistent theme of evidence was that Australian governments, of all levels, should adopt more sustainable procurement models, particularly regarding the use of recycled materials. The implementation of this legislation is being recognised as a significant step forward for Australia’s approach to recycling and waste management, with the suite of bills expected to have positive effects on the sustainability of our national product stewardship arrangements. iw Jessica Howe is a Lawyer and Kathryn Pacey is Environment and Planning Law Specialist at Clayton Utz Brisbane.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

FOGO //

Collaboration key to FOGO reform in WA By Reg Howard-Smith WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S FOOD organic and garden organic (FOGO) household collection program is driven by a clear strategy, supported by a behavioural change program, and most importantly, a strong commitment to engagement and collaboration with all sectors. At this stage, we are pleased to be among the handful of states committing to this important change. So far, I have been impressed by the genuine thirst for informationsharing within the industry, and the strong appreciation for WA’s approach to fostering partnerships among all sectors involved in the FOGO process.

work with local government, regional councils, stakeholder groups, the waste management sector and the community to promote understanding of resource recovery. DWER acts as a supporting agency. Both organisations work to implement WA’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030, which aims for the state to become a sustainable, low-waste, circular economy. The strategy includes a material recovery target of 75 per cent by 2030, with a focus on organic waste. This cotmmits WA to a rollout of a consistent, three-bin kerbside collection system, which includes separation of FOGO from other waste

Waste Authority WA chairman, Reg Howard-Smith described the feedback from a series of online sessions in 2020 as “overwhelmingly positive”.

Despite the interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of participants, from WA state and local governments to interstate and national recycling and recovery groups, attended. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly in relation to the way WA engages with local governments and other sectors to make them an active part of the decisionmaking process, for program delivery and problem solving. This willingness to collaborate was evidenced by the interest in the online sessions which ran between April and September last year to support the rollout of FOGO kerbside collection services in WA. Despite the interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of participants, from WA state and local governments to interstate and national recycling and recovery groups, attended. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly in relation to the way WA engages with local governments and other sectors to make them an active part of the decision-making process, for program delivery and problem solving. For those that missed these sessions, summaries and full recordings can be found on the Waste Authority WA website at www. wasteauthoritywa.gov.au - under the FOGO tab.

How the FOGO program works in WA In WA, the FOGO funding support program is administered by the Waste Authority WA, which was established under the Waste Avoidance and Recovery Act 2007 to 36

categories, by all local governments in the Perth and Peel regions by 2025. In May 2020, the $20 million Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO funding support program was launched to support local governments to achieve this aim. The funding will be provided over six years to support the transition to the FOGO service. Already, four out of the 33 local councils in the target area have adopted FOGO household collection services, and eight are in the process of adopting the practice, having received funding under the Better Bins Plus program.

Four main themes The Waste Authority, supported by the FOGO Reference Group, has developed a plan to support the rollout, which has four main themes: • Market development – to identify markets for FOGO-derived materials and identify the key issues, barriers and actions required to develop them • Education and engagement – to provide support services and resources to build knowledge and capacity among waste educators

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

• FOGO processing – to deliver services and engage to build knowledge, capacity and support for the organics/composting sector • Local government services - to develop resources and services to build knowledge and capacity in the local government sector. The FOGO rollout is also supported by a number of resources, such as: • The WasteSorted Toolkit – including a catalogue of FOGO resources such as newspaper ads, stickers, magnets, email signatures, social media images, truck decals and more to help local governments and regional councils communicate with residents about how to sort their waste correctly. • The WasteSorted behaviour change campaign and website: Be a GREAT Sort to reframe waste as a problem

that can collectively be solved. • A new Better Practice Composting Guideline to be released in 2021. A FOGO Market Development Strategy is being developed to ensure that market development actions pursued to 2025 are targeted to the markets or sectors that have the greatest potential to use significant quantities of FOGO derived products. WA will focus on simplifying pathways into the FOGO program, such as the development of a step-by-step guide to help local governments plan and implement FOGO services. Ultimately, however, we will continue as we started: sharing our learnings and looking to other jurisdictions for theirs. iw Reg Howard-Smith is Chairman of the Waste Authority WA.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// FOGO

Inside Randwick Council’s journey to FOGO THE REGULATORY CHANGES that impact councils’ ability to maintain resource recovery rates of organic matters, has meant that more are looking at FOGO as best practice. The first metro Sydney council to seriously address the disposal of food and organic waste is Randwick City Council. The Council is the second oldest local government area in New South Wales, proclaimed in 1859. The boundaries of the city have remained largely unchanged since this time and stretch from Centennial Park in the North to La Perouse in the South. It is home to around 154,265 resident and covers the iconic Clovelly, Coogee and Maroubra beaches. Randwick will be the first Sydney metropolitan council to implement a new FOGO service in both free-standing houses and apartment buildings, starting in March 2021. Randwick Mayor Danny Said told Inside Waste that, “All the food and garden waste we collect throughout

Randwick City will be sent to a composting facility which will be used to improve soil quality and grow more nutritious food. We then eat this delicious food, throw the scraps in our green FOGO bins and start the cycle all over again. It’s a welcome new service that we’re very pleased to offer to all of our residents.”

Service for all households An audit of Randwick Council bins showed that almost 40 per cent of the waste that’s currently thrown out in red lid bins is food. The FOGO service will allow Council to divert food waste from landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use the waste to create compost that can be used in farms, parks, sports fields or even in residents’ gardens. The journey to offering the new service to all households started in 2013 when Council ran a food scraps collection trial involving approximately 130 blocks of multi-unit dwellings

(MUDs), making up approximately 4000 participating households. This trial provided meaningful insights into the complexity and risks associated with resource recovery activities in MUDs and the need for engagement. Following a community consultation in 2016 it was established that there was community support for a food waste service and in 2017 Council’s new Waste Management Strategy was released with plans to roll out food waste collection services to all multiunit dwellings by 2020 and FOGO to all dwellings by 2025.

New challenge A new challenge was introduced in October 2018 when the EPA announced that it did not intend to allow Mixed Waste Organic Outputs (MWOO) to be used as a soil amendment on agricultural, mining rehabilitation or forestry land. Until this point, Randwick Council had been using an Alternative Waste Technology treatment plant to

Randwick Mayor Danny Said that an audit of Randwick Council bins showed that almost 40 per cent of the waste that’s currently thrown out in red lid bins is food.

produce Mixed Waste Organics Output (MWOO) from the food waste in the red bin. In response, Council once again sought feedback from the community specifically about FOGO services and found that 60 per cent supported food waste collection and 55 per cent supported collection of food waste and garden waste in the same bin. Half of the respondents were even prepared to pay more for this service (however this will not be the case). Coordinator Strategic Waste Management Waste, Talebul Islam explained that Randwick is a densely populated Sydney metro council, so implementing FOGO services faces lots of challenges. “I like to take challenges for good causes and work through those challenges. I’m most proud of the FOGO services that are coming to fruition now.” While most councils take 12 to 18 months to run a community engagement and education plan to introduce the changes associated with new FOGO services, Randwick Council had just eight months to introduce FOGO to the community.

Community education plan Conceived and delivered in partnership with MRA Consulting Group and Cleanaway (Council’s collection contractor), Said has described the education and engagement plan as “an innovative and comprehensive program that introduces the new services, encourages high participation rates and will see low contamination rates due to appropriate use of the new bin system.” The ongoing campaign, which commenced in October 2020, covers outdoor and cinema advertising, promotion on the side of garbage trucks, mail outs to every household, digital advertising and direct messaging, a long-running social media campaign as well as a roll out of new rubbish, recycling and FOGO bins, kitchen caddies and compostable liners. All of these initiatives include additional education materials. “The introduction of FOGO is a source of great pride for us at Randwick Council. It reflects our ongoing commitment to environmental initiatives that create positive change for this generation and those of the future,” Said added. iw Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Resource Recovery //

Tyre Recycling poised for a dynamic year By Robert Kelman 2021 IS SET TO BE A dynamic year for the Australian used tyre recycling sector with export bans implemented and increased domestic demand for used tyre products, coupled with uncertainty for traditionally safe overseas markets. The planned Federal Government ban on the export of whole baled tyres will take effect in December 2021. This long overdue reform was welcomed by India’s Deputy Environment Minister when I met with him in Delhi last year. India has now cracked down on the import of this waste, however it appears bales of tyres from Australia are now unfortunately being shipped to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Australia’s legitimation of this sorrowful, polluting and irresponsible

export has been shameful. Everyone connected with the industry has known for years that these bales were either burnt in the open or at best in highly polluting pyrolysis operations in India or Malaysia, producing rubbish oil and carbon char. These facilities would never have been licenced in Australia.

Traditional owners in WA are now demanding their country isn’t a dumping ground and some miners are responding appropriately.

Watchout for oil-slicks

Renewed calls Federal intervention in the waste and recycling sector along with COVID initiated discussions of more domestic manufacturing, has renewed calls for domestic procurement policies, including used tyre related products. The adoption of sustainable procurement policies by Local, State and Federal Governments, as well as the private sector, could be extremely productive in generating additional markets for tyre derived fuels (TDF),

Robert Kelman says that 2021 will bring opportunities and challenges for the used tyre recycling sector.

used tyres in civil works, rubber crumb in asphalt and domestically manufactured re-treaded tyres. Australia exports around 180,000tonne of TDF to high-end industrial facilities in Japan and South Korea every year. This material replaces coal and has positive greenhouse gas benefits. But we don’t use much domestically, and we could.

Demand for crumb rubber asphalt There are, however, positive signs of growing demand for crumb rubber asphalt with plans for further capacity and investment to produce more of this material to meet demand. There are more than 500 people employed in Australia in re-treading, processing around 500,000 truck and bus tyres per annum. Why doesn’t every Federal, State and Local Government stipulate procurement of these tyres for their bus fleets? Large private truck fleets could follow and be required to use domestic retreads when tendering for government work. Hopefully 2021 will see talk of sustainable procurement manifest in increased demand for re-treads, as these products save on virgin materials and greenhouse gases. A big missing piece of the puzzle is that around 40 per cent of total tyre imports into Australia are for the mining and earth moving sectors and most of this material continues to be buried on site at the end of life. 38

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Australian used mine tyres are being processed, shipped to India and further processed. This material is micronised and used in the manufacture of new tyres in India. Of course, it’s often the case that industry change allows for government regulation to also change. Given the massive quantities of used mine tyres produced each year, repurposing and not just burying this waste is not only smart but essential, and state governments should mandate to ensure this happens. While there are many positive signals and opportunities for 2021, there are also some oil-slicks on the road ahead. Queensland remains a hot spot for dodgy and unlicenced operators, although DES seems to be making some headway. Despite regulations being in place, there’s been insufficient compliance and enforcement and there remains very poor waste tracking processes and verification. ATRA will continue to support Queensland regulators to try and rectify these problems that pose risk to the legitimate industry, the community and the environment. Australia’s refrain of ‘make local, buy local’ is not unique. South Korea, a traditional outlet for much of Australia’s TDF is now preferring the replacement of this material with locally generated waste materials. In the absence of replacement markets including domestic consumption, Australia may be forced to return to landfilling some of that material. But as tyres are ‘never meant to come apart’, recycling them is not easy and end-of-life markets can be fickle. Through 2021, the industry and policy makers will need to remain alert and flexible to realise the opportunities presented by the numerous policy and market interventions now impacting the sector. iw Robert Kelman is executive officer of the Australian Tyre Recyclers Association (ATRA).

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Circular Economy

Inquiry looks at the ‘right to repair’ By Inside Waste THE AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTIVITY Commission has been asked to look at the issue of consumers’ ability to repair faulty goods and to access repair services at a competitive price. The inquiry will specifically investigate the barriers and enablers of competition in repair markets and the costs and benefits of a regulated ‘right to repair’, including facilitating access to embedded software in consumer and other goods. The APC will also look at arrangements for preventing premature or planned product obsolescence, the proliferation of e waste, and means of reducing e waste through improved access to repairs. The release of the discussion papers in December followed investigations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) into the car repair aftermarket. Consumers had been finding it increasingly difficult to access car repairs outside of authorised manufacturer networks, and it appeared that the auto industry had devised various ways to keep consumers locked-in to overpriced repairs through the car manufacturers.

Complexity of repairs Consumer products can break, malfunction, or require maintenance. Once a product fails, consumers face a choice: they can choose to repair or maintain their product, replace it with a new one, or live without it. A range of factors influence this choice. These factors include the quality, cost and convenience of repair; the availability of, and consumer preferences for, newer and better products; and concerns about resource use and the environment. Over the past two decades, there has been rapid growth in the number of products that incorporate sophisticated technology — it is now commonplace for cars, mobile phones, refrigerators, and even coffee machines to have software and computers embedded within them. These technological advances have provided many benefits to consumers, but in some cases have also increased the complexity of repairs. Other

Consumer activism to repair household items to reduce waste and support a sustainable lifestyle is growing.

In recent years, concerns have been raised around the world that repairs of consumer products are becoming more difficult (sometimes impossible), and that this is resulting in costly and wasteful outcomes for both consumers and broader society. products have always been complex and difficult to repair, such as some mechanical watches. Partly as a result of this complexity, consumers often have to rely on manufacturers or their authorised repairers to fix or maintain their products. In recent years, concerns have been raised around the world that repairs of consumer products are becoming more difficult (sometimes impossible), and that this is resulting in costly and wasteful outcomes for both consumers and broader society. In part, this has led to the creation of numerous ‘repair cafes’ around Australia and a growing network of self repair hobbyists.

How to balance the benefits and costs Difficulties with repair have also led to calls for government to introduce a ‘right to repair’. Although there is no universal definition of a ‘right to repair’, nor is there a single policy

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Impact of waste

that would enable it, in essence a ‘right to repair’ relates to the ability of consumers to have their products repaired at a competitive price by the repairer of their choice (box 1). Enabling a right to repair may involve various policies, such as a requirement for manufacturers to make repair information and tools available to third party repairers, or to produce spare parts for a certain period. A key issue in the debate about a right to repair is how to balance the benefits and costs to consumers, suppliers and manufacturers. Proponents say that a right to repair will lead to increased competition in repair markets, greater consumer choice, and improved environmental outcomes due to less resource use and waste. Manufacturers and some suppliers raise concerns about consumer safety, data security risks, the quality of repairs, and the protection of their intellectual property.

The Commission has been asked to assess the costs and benefits of a right to repair in Australia and the impact that regulatory or policy changes could have on market offerings for repair services and replacement products. In undertaking the inquiry, the Commission will examine: • whether there are regulatory or manufacturer imposed barriers to accessing repair services, including the role of embedded software, intellectual property and commercially sensitive knowledge in limiting access to repairs, as well as trade offs with more competitive markets and innovation • the impacts of waste (especially e waste generated from the disposal of consumer electronics and household goods) on the environment and community, and the current arrangements for the disposal and management of e waste. This will include the examination of the effect of premature and planned product obsolescence on the growth of e waste. iw

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

WasteWater //

From wastewater to natural gas Biogas produced from Sydney Water’s Malabar wastewater treatment plant is to be upgraded to biomethane for injection into the Jemena gas distribution network.

THE AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE Energy Agency (ARENA) will inject $5.9 million in funding to Jemena to trial injecting biomethane into the natural gas network in New South Wales. The demonstration project is the first of its kind in Australia. Jemena is a leading energy infrastructure company and is contributing $8.1 million to the joint initiative with Sydney Water. The demonstration scale project will upgrade biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion process at Sydney Water’s Malabar wastewater treatment plant to biomethane for injection into the Jemena gas distribution network, as natural gas consists primarily of methane. Biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas, is produced when bacteria break down organic material such as human waste. The $14 million project involves the installation of gas cleaning and upgrading equipment that will be located at Malabar, with the infrastructure then connected to the Jemena natural gas network. The project will see Sydney Water initially supply 95 terajoules (TJs) per year of zero emission biomethane. Under a long-term agreement, this will be scaled up to 200 TJs annually; equivalent to the gas demand of approximately 13,300 homes. 40

The project will also investigate renewable gas trading opportunities linking gas users with renewable gas production facilities. Such trading mechanisms would support a highly replicable ‘green gas’ market across other gas networks.

Wider uptake by waste industry If successful, the project is expected to support wider uptake of biomethane technology by the Australian waste industry with the application expected to have broader application than just the wastewater treatment sector. According to Jemena, there are more than 30,000 TJs of potential biogas in the vicinity of the NSW gas pipelines, enough to supply 1.4 million households in NSW. The world’s biogas and biomethane resources could cover 20 per cent of global natural gas demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent International Energy Agency report. Jemena executive general manager, Gas Distribution, Dr Jennifer Purdie, said that as Australia looks to recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19, circular economy opportunities have the potential to create jobs, support business growth, and enhance energy security, with no impact to the network or customer

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

appliances. “This agreement will see biomethane injected into the gas network for the first time in Australia with an initial capacity of 95 Terajoules of renewable green gas per year, which is enough to meet the gas demand of approximately 6300 homes. This has the potential to be scaled up to 200 Terajoules per year, enough to meet the gas demand of around 13,300 homes.” ARENA previously funded a Jemena trial that is producing hydrogen using renewable energy for injection into the Sydney gas network in Horsley Park in western Sydney. Renewable hydrogen and biomethane can be used as complementary gases to displace natural gas and reduce emissions. The injection of both hydrogen and biomethane allows for further decarbonisation than hydrogen alone due to blending limits of hydrogen in current gas infrastructure. The Malabar plant is expected to produce the first biomethane for injection into the gas network in early 2022.

Meeting customer needs ARENA CEO Darren Miller said this first-of-its-kind project would show how biomethane could help to supplement domestic gas supplies and

decarbonise the gas network. “The injection of biomethane into the natural gas network is currently unproven in Australia due to a range of technical, regulatory and commercial factors. “Displacing natural gas with biomethane and renewable hydrogen is recognised as the likely pathway to decarbonise natural gas networks. With a successful demonstration by Jemena, we could see biomethane use increasing across the country,” he said. Sydney Water managing director, Roch Cheroux added that this has the potential to supply zero-emission renewable gas to thousands of households, a fantastic demonstration of Sydney Water’s innovation to support a circular economy. “Wastewater recycling also allows us to produce recycled water, electricity and biosolids, all of which we are currently doing across parts of our network.” This year, ARENA has also been developing the national Bioenergy Roadmap on behalf of the Federal Government to identify the role that the bioenergy sector can play in accelerating Australia’s energy transition, stimulating regional development, enhancing energy security and helping Australia further reduce our emissions. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// WasteWater

Biosolids National Conference 2021 The conference will bring together experts from the Biosolids arena and a high quality technical program.

THE AUSTRALIAN WATER Association (AWA) and Australian & New Zealand Biosolids Partnership (ANZBP) biennial Biosolids Conference will be held from Thursday 4th - Friday 5th March 2021. The conference will examine key developments across areas of the water industry and aim to drive discussion, debates and collaboration which will help set the future direction for these specialisms. It will align the conference with the aim of progressing the value of biosolids within the water industry, with regulators and the community. The conference will bring together experts from the Biosolids arena and a technical program has been curated to ensure quality and a broad representation of case studies with an emphasis on problem sharing and solving. For the first time, this event will be delivered as a premium online

conference, with smaller in-person participation and networking at hubs in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland on Friday March 5 - day two of the event.

There are two ways to participate in the conference: 1. Online Engage with the conference presentations and speakers live via the online conference platform. Delegates will be able to watch presentations, ask questions of the presenters in the live Q&A sessions and access presenter details, abstracts, full papers and presentations.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

2. Day 1 Online + Day 2 In-person Hubs Engage with the conference presentations and speakers live via the online conference platform on day one – Thursday 4th March. Then on day two, Friday 5th March, there is the option to attend a small, in-person participation and networking hub in either Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or Auckland. Attendance at these hubs will enable delegates to watch the online conference on a large screen, engage and network with each other during morning/afternoon tea breaks and lunch - catering is included. Maximum

capacity at each hub is 40 delegates. Additional hubs may be added subject to delegate locations and demand.

In-person Networking Function After the conclusion of the conference on day two, Friday 5th March, a two hour in-person networking function will be held from 5.00 – 7.00pm at an offsite venue close to each in-person hub in the cities listed above. Both the in-person hubs and networking function venues will be in a CBD or central location in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. iw

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

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Submersible pumps do the essential – but dirty work – of transporting sewage to treatment plants. Prone to blockages, ragging, and general wear and tear, pumps need to be monitored to avoid events such as overflow and environmental contamination of public and residential areas. Smartobserver can detect the following: n Ragging n Blockage by foreign objects n Faulty or damaged bearings & seals

Optionally, the system can also monitor: n Excess Current n Sewage Level and Control n Flow and Temperature

Interested in a demonstration of how this solution works? Our team would be more than happy to show you – and to discuss how this can be customised to your specific operational needs.

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// Young Professional

For Hyatt, commitment underlies career vision By Inside Waste IN THIS MONTH’S Young Professional article, we profile MRA Consulting Group senior environmental consultant and acting general manager, Matt Hyatt. It was a chance conversation with a family friend that initially attracted Matt Hyatt to a career within the Waste and Resource Recovery industry. He told Inside Waste that the discussion eventually led to his first job in 2015 as an Environmental Scientist for Pulpmaster Australia, a food waste recycling company based in Sydney. “I have been in the waste industry since and was warned ‘once a wastie, always a wastie’. But I am passionate about sustainability and the recycling/waste sector is somewhere I can make a real and practical difference. At Pulpmaster, Hyatt’s role ranged from helping to build machines, educating clients, liaising with the NSW EPA and preparing grant applications. He described it as “a great first professional job because it was in a relatively small but experienced team from whom I learnt a great deal. “I had two great mentors in Noel Mancuso and Steve Geraghty who were patient in answering all my stupid questions and encouraged me to be an active participant in discussions with clients and in the growth of the business,” he said.

Comprehensive role Hyatt explained that the most challenging aspect of his current role with MRA is ensuring that he is across all the major developments within the waste industry. “The industry is evolving rapidly, with regulatory/market changes including China National Sword/export bans, Container Deposit Schemes, Extended Producer Responsibility, Energy from Waste, FOGO services and of course levy increases driving new services and infrastructure investment. I expect the rate of change to only increase in the future, with the new 80 per cent diversion from landfill target by 2030.” Like most WARR industry executives, the main impact of COVID-19 on

10MT / year or 40 per cent of our Paris target. The recovered organic outputs (compost and digestate) can be applied to land to improve Australia’s nutrientpoor agricultural soils. It would generate 10,000 jobs and many in the regions.

Matt Hyatt is happy to be known as a “wastie”.

Hyatt has been videoconferencing and working from home. However, he explained that the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have not been good for many of MRA’s clients. “COVID has resulted in up to a 20 per cent drop in C&I waste generation. Consequently, some C&I infrastructure projects have been postponed. “On the other hand, as the lockdown has kept people at home, domestic waste generation has increased by up to 15 per cent in 2020. I have spent quite a bit of time working with clients and the EPA to resolve tonnage and licencing limit issues. “For example, MRF’s are seeing a big spike in recycling tonnages. There are only so many MRFs, so the additional tonnes either go to these MRFs or to landfill. Thankfully the EPA’s have taken a practical approach to resolving these issues,” he explained.

Moving forward In 2025, Hyatt sees himself holding the position of general manager at MRA.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

“I aim to help waste generators, processors, technology providers and governments achieve Australia’s ambitious new waste targets, especially the halving of organics to landfill and the 80 per cent average recovery rate by 2030. These two targets alone will create thousands of jobs, lots of investment and plenty of world-leading initiatives.” Ultimately, the WARR industry is governed by the policies developed and promoted by the government. If Hyatt were either the Prime Minister or the Environment Minister, he is very clear about the top three priorities he would tackle for the WARR industry. “Apart from lifting recycling/ waste management up the political agenda, my top three priorities would be: • FOGO: I would mandate the provision of FOGO bins to all urban households and all commercial premises (generating more than say 250kg of food waste per week). This will achieve significant GHG savings in the order of

• Infrastructure: I would require state and territory governments to establish “Resource Recovery Precincts” in major cities to protect critical infrastructure, close to the point of waste generation. Waste facilities suffer acutely from ‘Not In My Backyard’ planning approval disputes. Waste infrastructure is either not built or is pushed to the urban fringe of our cities increasing transport costs (thus reducing financial viability of recycling initiatives), increased GHG emissions and traffic congestion. • Asbestos in waste: I would develop a program to remove asbestos waste from the economy through a proactive campaign to identify asbestos waste in buildings that are proposed to be demolished and provide levy concessions and other incentives for its lawful disposal. C&D recycling facilities face significant financial penalties if asbestos is identified in their recovered products. At the moment they bear all the risk. We need to take a more strategic approach to identifying and capturing asbestos before it gets into the recycling stream.” If you are interested in joining the WMRR Young Professionals, please contact office@wmrr.asn.au. iw

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

CSS Recycling Equipment Solutions Company Overview: With 20 years of experience in our unique Australian and New Zealand region, CSS Recycling Equipment customises waste, organics, and scrap metal processing solutions, by taking a collaborative and consultative approach with their clients. From the provision of ad hoc machinery and technology to fit an existing processing line, up to complete plant and materials handling solutions, CSS Recycling Equipment designs each solution specific to client’s requirements. CSS Recycling Equipment takes a comprehensive approach, starting with on site reviews of existing processes, machinery and capability, analysis of client objectives, challenges, and end materials. By working closely with clients and with exclusive global suppliers to curate the best possible solutions, CSS becomes a trusted strategic partner, integrating technology, improving processes and bottom line results. The technologies represented by

CSS Recycling Equipment Solutions are sourced from around the world, are proven and reliable and have been tried and tested in our region. CSS Recycling Equipment specialises in processing all types of materials from C&D to C&I, from MSW to FOGO, Biomass and Wood, Compost and to hard to process waste. Products and Services: Specialising in all aspects of reduction, separation and recycling technology: • Complete consultative and collaborative plant design and delivery • Fuel Preparation Technology • Shredding • Screening • Air Separation • Baling and Shear Baling • Plastics Washing and Preparation • FOGO • Waste to Energy technology Brands: • 3Tek Scrap Metal technologies (USA) • Beier Machinery (China)

• Ecostar Dynamic Screens (Italy) • Ecohog Air Separation Technologies (Northern Ireland) • Hammel Recyclingtechnik (Germany) • Jono Enviro (China) • Lindner Recyclingtech (Austria) • Vezzani (Italy) Core Capabilities: Collaborate, consult, design, deliver and the supply of high quality equipment and plant solutions for C&D, C&I, Biomass, Organics, Wood Waste, FOGO, MSW, Scrap Metal industries. Source innovative and strategic solutions both within and outside of our stable of equipment solutions, always with the client’s outcome as our focus.

Utilise our global relationships and local knowledge to deliver positive business outcomes for our clients and continually improving environmental solutions for Australia and New Zealand. Specialists in: • hard to process waste • mobile and static processing solutions • manufacture of custom components • high quality and on budget projects Contact Details: CSS Recycling Solutions PO Box 359, Dee Why NSW 2099 Phone: 1800 644 978 Email: info@cssequipment.com.au Web: www.cssequipment.com.au

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd is a family owned and operated company, specialising in a broad range of services. These include waste recycling, mulching services, land clearing, concrete crushing and screening, quality recycled landscape and building supplies, heavy haulage, glass recycling, as well as plant and equipment hire. Established in 1975, our Australian owned company has a rich 45-year history as an industry leader delivering projects for Councils, Government and private companies across NSW. Davis Earthmoving has over 100 pieces of plant and equipment in our privately owned fleet. These range from mobile concrete crushers, soil screens, timber grinders, forest mulchers, dozers, excavators, dump trucks to an extensive range of earthmoving equipment. This enables us to meet the client’s needs at any time. Our high-end plant & equipment are portable to work on site and our floats bring them directly to site. We have experienced personnel, our own service centre and service trucks for field maintenance to ensure minimal delay in works. We have a proud reputation for

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

our high quality of work, safety and client satisfaction. With Eric Davis at the helm, his passion for the industry, hands-on approach and vision to innovate continues to lead our company successfully into the future. Products and Services: • Waste Recovery • Crushing & Screening (Soil, Glass, Brick, Concrete) • Green Waste Shredding • Timber Mulching • Concrete & Brick Recycling • Land Clearing, Road Widening & Forestry • Earthmoving Plant Hire • Recycled Landscape Supplies • Glass Recycling • Heavy Haulage Brands: • Concrete Crushers • Soil Screens • Timber Grinders, Feller Bunchers & Forest Mulchers • Dozers, Rollers, Compactors & Drotts • Dump trucks

• Floats, Tipper Trucks, B-doubles • Excavators 5 ton – 46 ton with multitude of attachments • Loaders tracked & rubber tyred

for sale and delivery. We offer bulk haulage. We also have a civil arm in excavation and demolition. With over 45 years experience, we’re armed with exceptional skills to deliver quality services.

Core Capabilities: Contact Details: Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying is a market leader in Environmental and Green Waste Shredding and Mulching. Our experience spans across land clearing for subdivisions, new road constructions, road widening, pipelines, dam access, rail projects, firebreaks and grubbing. We process timber and green waste at Resource Recovery Facilities and landfills across NSW. We specialise in soil screening and concrete crushing for brick, concrete, soil, sand, fill and glass. The company produces recycled landscape and building supplies

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd PO BOX 19 TERREY HILLS NSW 2084 Phone: (02) 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: davisem.com.au Key Contacts: Lynne O’Sullivan Administration Manager Phone: (02) 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

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 specialized 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 aftersales 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. Contact Details: Sydney 6 Skyline Crescent Horningsea Park, NSW 2171 1300 352 378 www.komptechcea.com.au

Melbourne 109 Merola Way Campbellfield, VIC 3061 1300 352 378 www.komptechcea.com.au

1300 352 378 www.komptechcea.com.au Auckland 96 Gavin Street Mt Wellington 1060 0800 435 269 www.komptechcea.com.au

Brisbane 103 Axis Place Larapinta, QLD 4110 1300 352 378 www.komptechcea.com.au

Key Contacts: Craig Cosgrove Product Manager 0417 320 082 c.cosgrove@cea.net.au

Adelaide 260 Cormack Rd Wingfield, SA 5013 1300 352 378 www.komptechcea.com.au

Simon Humphris Product Manager 0478 196 263 s.humphris@cea.net.au

Perth 230-232 Welshpool Rd Welshpool, WA 6106

GCM Enviro Company Overview:

Brands:

GCM Enviro is a leading distributor for the latest in waste management and recycling equipment; from landfill compactors and shredders through to state-of-the-art screeners and compost turners. We offer high quality equipment from world-renowned European manufacturers including TANA, Terra Select, Backhus and Jenz. GCM Enviro’s mission is to provide customers with innovative technology in soild waste management combined with state-of-the-art control and monitoring systems. The objective of this mission is to improve our customer’s business and enable them to increase revenue - “from waste to value”. Our philosophy is to maintain constant dialogue between manufacturers and clients to ensure that design is governed by market requirements, particularly in the harsh climatic conditions we experience. Throughout the country, we have sold over 3200 machines. These machines have earned an excellent reputation for robust design and reliability.

• • • • •

TANA Terra Select Backhus Jenz Gremac

Core Capabilities: We offer a variety of waste management solutions for our clients with our range of Landfill Compactors, Shredders, Trommel Screens, Windsifters, Windrow Turners, Lane Turners and Biomass Processors. At GCM Enviro, we build lasting relationships with our customers, from the sale of quality equipment and machines, to the servicing, maintenance, spare parts and technical assistance to support the equipment in the field. Our service team has specialised knowledge, training and experience to carry out all types of maintenance to our range of machines. We also have a comprehensive spare parts department for products from our manufacturers.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Recent Projects/Installations: KARRATHA CITY COUNCIL This month Karratha City Council took delivery of one of our new Tana E520 Landfill compactors, the 52 tonne compactor will be put to work at their waste management facility. GREMAC E2 TROMMEL SCREEN The GREMAC E2 Trommel Screen has just been released in Australia and is set to be a game changer for landscape

companies, recycling businesses, contractors and farmers. It is now available exclusively through GCM Enviro. Contact Details GCM ENVIRO 34 Beaumont Road Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080 Phone: 02 9457 9399 Email: sales@gcmenviro.com.au Web site: www.gcmenviro.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

Hitachi Zosen Inova Company Overview: Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) is a global leader in energy from waste (EfW), anaerobic digestion (AD) and Powerto-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 Dec 2022. Products/Services: • Thermal treatment of residual waste, energy recovery, flue gas treatment, and residue recycling • 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

carbon-neutral economy • Development, Design, Build, Finance, Own, Operation & Maintenance Brands: • Hitachi Zosen • Aquaroll, DYNOR, Kompogas, • HZI Etogas, HZI DryMining Core Capabilities: Energy from Waste, Renewable Gas, EPC Recent Projects/Installations: EAST ROCKINGHAM WTE East Rockingham, Perth 300,000 tpy EfW for domestic and industrial waste from Greater Perth. Designed, built and commissioned by the EPC consortium HZI and Acciona Industrial with HZI’s scope ‘chute-tostack’. First EfW plant in Australia by HZI inclusive integrated bottom ash aggregate and metal recycling; partowned and operated by HZI. www.erwte.com.au

ANRÖCHTE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION & COMPOST PLANT Anröchte, Germany Digests and composts 30,000 tpy food and green organic resources to renewable electricity and nutrientrich compost. Demand-driven power is generated with 12 hours biogas buffering and two generators. In accordance with Germany’s latest requirement for >90% organic anaerobic digestion and low emission standards for biological treatment. https://www.esg-soest.de/?mp_id=314 HZI JÖNKÖPING BIOGAS AB Jönköping, Sweden Processing 40,000 tpy food and green organic resources into liquid fertilizer, compost, and carbonneutral biogas which is upgraded

to bio-CNG and used as a renewable alternative in diesel trucks. The plant contributes to Sweden’s transport sector decarbonisation strategy. It is designed, financed, built, owned, and operated by HZI. https://hzi-biogas-operations.com/ Contact Details: Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia Pty Ltd Level 17, 40 Mount Street 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

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

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

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. 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 • 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 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

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Onetrak

Onetrak Company Overview:

Products and Services: Onetrak is an Australian owned heavy equipment supplier with a national footprint.

• • • • • • • • • •

Sales and service outlets are located in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The business now consists of 7 branch locations, 40 field service vehicles and around 100 staff members.

Material Handlers Bulldozers Excavators Wheel Loaders Graders Backhoe Loaders Crushers & Screens Grapples & other attachments Carbonisers Rockbreakers

Brands: Onetrak specialises in equipment for bulk material handling including waste and recycling, extractive industries, construction, earthmoving and forestry.

• • • • • • •

Onetrak offers complete heavy equipment solutions including new and used machine sales, rental equipment, attachments, service and parts.

• • •

The aftersales teams service and supply parts for all makes and models.

Fuchs Material Handlers Dressta Bulldozers Hidromek Construction Equipment Rotobec Material Handling Attachments Striker Crushing & Screening Anaconda Material Handling Screens Hyundai Construction Equipment (Tasmania only) Tigercat Carbonisers Alicon Rockbreakers Timbermax Winch Systems

Applied Machinery

Contact Details: Phone: 1300 727 520 Email:contact@onetrak.com.au Web: www.onetrak.com.au

Onetrak Tumut 208-216 Snowy Mountains Hwy Tumut NSW 2720

Onetrak Hallam 1-5 Marlo Place Hallam VIC 3803

Onetrak Davenport 8 Wallis Road Davenport WA 6230

Onetrak Bridgewater 80 Possum Road Bridgewater TAS 7030

Onetrak Mount Gambier 11 Pinaceae Court Mount Gambier SA 5290

Onetrak Somerset 2 McKays Road Somerset TAS 7322

Onetrak Rocklea 28 Shettleston Street Rocklea QLD 4106

Australasian Specialty Coatings that allows for bespoke designs for your particular needs.

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 • Polystyrene recycling machines

• • • •

Genox Polystar Fimic Greenmax

Core Capabilities: Applied Machinery has the capability to service the smallest single machine requirement, through to the largest of multi-site, staged installations and complete recycling line, turn-key projects. We supply some of Australia’s largest recycling organisations. A wide range of shredders and granulators are always in stock for quick delivery. Recent Projects/Installations: PORT PLASTICS Port Macquarie Polystar Repelletising system and Genox large format shredder to drive recycling operations in the Port Macquarie region and reduce the need for transport of recyclables to metropolitan centres.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Products/Services: Contact Details: ASC Head Office 1/14 Chicago Avenue Blacktown, NSW 2148 Phone: 02 8840 8888 Email: enquiries@acoatings.com.au Web: http://ascoatings.com.au Company Overview: ASC is a team of experienced coating and flooring professionals. We specialise in repairing and coating concrete and steel surfaces in harsh environments – waste handling, tipping sheds, chemical storage and high traffic surfaces. We are fully certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and AS 4801 Standards. When you call in ASC you get a professional, reliable team dedicated to solving your problems and delivering the best outcome, on time. We have a solutions-oriented approach

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Tipping Shed Floor Resurfacing Chemical Bund Coating & Lining Concrete Repair & Remediation Corrosion Prevention Coatings High Traffic Surfaces Leachate Resistant Materials High Grip & Anti-Slip Coatings Waterproof Membranes Tank Lining Acid Resistant Coatings Expansion Joint Rebuilding & Sealing Water Treatment Plant Coatings

Recent Projects/Installations: TIPPING SHED FLOOR RESURFACING Banksmeadow, NSW Remediation of Eroded Concrete Slab 1500m² Leachate-Resistant Floor Surface CHEMICAL STORAGE AND PUMPING BUND Lidcombe, NSW Acid & Chemical Resistant Bund Re-lining Full Remediation of Bund Internal Surfaces

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

Diverseco

ResourceCo

• Truck wheel washes for EPA and road safety compliance. • Automated waste sortation systems: comprehensive and completely automated robotic sortation systems for MRFs.

Company Overview: As one of Australia’s leading measurement and automation solutions providers, Diverseco prides itself on the sheer scope of its problem-solving expertise and supply of industry leading innovative technologies. Diverseco is heavily involved across a wide range of industries, with a comprehensive solutions portfolio specific for the waste management industry that includes both driver-specific solutions and robotic automation solutions for material recovery facilities. Products and Services: • Waste vehicle on-board payload optimisation and overload monitoring (Chain of Responsibility and legal-fortrade operations). • Weighbridges and portable truck scales for accurate vehicle weighing and accountability.

Brands: • Waste Robotics • BinWeigh and WasteWeigh Core Capabilities: Diverseco’s core capabilities reside in our ongoing ability to meet and exceed customer requirements through our extensive problem-solving resources: we are ideal partners for any organisation looking to turn their operational problems into new, profitable capabilities. Contact Details: 3309 Logan Roas Underwood, QLD, 4119 M: 0448 910 227 E: wesley.sheriff@diverseco.com.au W: diverseco.com.au

management of a new Topcoat Asphalt Plant in 2020. A collaboration between leading companies Topcoat Asphalt, ResourceCo, Tyrecycle and McMahon Services, the plant will produce high recycled content mixes including recycled asphalt and crumb rubber.

Contact Details: ResourceCo Head Office Level 1, 162 Fullarton Road Rose Park, SA 5067 Phone: (08) 8406 0300 Email: enquiries@resourceco.com.au Web: www.resourceco.com.au

Products and Services: • C&D & C&I Recycling • Disposal, Treatment & Management of Contaminated Soils • Renewable Energy & Alternative Fuels • Tyre & Waste Rubber Recycling • Recycled Construction Material

Company Overview: ResourceCo is a global leader in the recovery and re-manufacture of primary resources, extracting maximum value from materials otherwise destined for landfill.

Brands: • • • • • • •

Recent Projects/Installations: TOPCOAT ASPHALT PLANT 6 Meyer Road, Lonsdale SA 5160 ResourceCo Property led the project

ResourceCo Pty Ltd ResourceCo Material Solutions Southern Waste ResourceCo Cleanaway-ResourceCo SUEZ-ResourceCo ResourceCo Property Tyrecycle Pty Ltd

Hyva Pacific

Contact Details:

Products and Services:

72 Glenwood Drive Thornton, NSW, 2322 Phone: 02 4966 3777 Email: hyvapacific@hyva.com Web: www.hyva.com

• Waste Handling Equipment (Rear loaders / Compactors) • Hookloaders • Skiploaders • Vehicle Loading Cranes

Company Overview:

Brands:

Hyva Pacific is a leading provider of innovative and highly efficient transport solutions for the commercial vehicle and environmental service industries. Its products are used worldwide across a range of sectors including transport, construction, mining, materials handling and environmental services providers. HSR Southern Cross is the HYVA distributor for NSW and the exclusive Australian HYVA PRESS Waste Handling Equipment distributor. HSRSX is strategically located in Western Sydney.

• • • •

Hyva Press Hyva Lift Flli. Ferrari Cranes Hyva Crane

| OCT/N OV ISSUE 98

ste.com.au

www.insidewa

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

2020

INSIDE

Conference 26 Waste 2020 32 Technology sional 35 Young Profes

as a much The RMF comes the industry. to needed boost

hts in their sig

dy Plastic stu p reveals dee to e intransienc change

from investigation ion A COMPREHENSIVE g Markets Foundat of shortlisted the Changin lack in February, a disturbing submitted y developing rs to has revealed are currentl . plastics produce applicants local jobs. s will by global for their projects landmark support new recycling activitie business cases will invest in deliver these g accelerate their unprecedented “In order to e to work ground-breakin (RMF) “This package of an sort and will continu AUSTRALIA’S in the face growing to collect, isation Fund reforms, we , community n crisis and infrastructure including ls pollutio the industry Recycling Modernapplause from the with these materia plastic closely ent on to address it. process priority glass and local governm arrived to much July. Yet, the public pressure of the report, Inside cardboard, industry sectors and in plastic, paper, The package will also like to thank WARR industry is dependent on state In this review up logy, findings programs. I’d for rolling the methodo required chemical waste. businesses release of funds industry matching Waste covers infrastructure textiles, board groups and endations for and getting on consider the governments positive recomm commitment, materials, Badged in and sleeves and g ies. Federal organic their recyclin and compan to process waste and the $191 million critical projects it policymakers e Playbook to transform the ed The Corporat and tyres. said. for and many of spanned Talking Trash: due to be submittthis Victoria,” she won’t be realised s, the report “These are until underwrites of False Solution regions across five weeks and years. ment s and a’s in the coming another five ed, we cannot 15 countrie voluntary Record invest has talked to Australi and analysed process is complet , or the funding Inside Waste n Government plastic continents Environment projects ent of The Victoria from the largest identify the a record investm state and territory the status of their prominent commitments she added. announced industry d the most gauge requested,” that the million for Ministers to how swiftly polluters, dissecteand revealed how she believes nearly $100 ent. This plans, and es Meanwhile, positioned ucture investm budgets and aid the en supply group initiativ ent is well and infrastr projects to ent and across the plasticto consumer state governm million to strength ies they can move battered economy. investm $49.5 compan to drive g industry includes of the oil industry to continue and recyclin as a result country’s COVID Minister for Energy, chain, from privately. the sector Victoria’s waste state can the retailers, act outcomes in In Victoria, ucture, so the global Change ent. brands and and infrastr and Climate by a team of its record investm e to work materials locally. Environment tackling a It was prepared sts, researchers target process more sio has been “We will continu the Commonwealth will initially ative journali way the Lily D’Ambro the package investig of collect, with This to sourcing mation as well as collaboratively partners to deliver in infrastructure major transfor state’s waste, freedom of and experts, ls investment interviews, manages the priority materia projects in and our industry government extended literature reviews, requests and on-theinfrastructure sort and process paper, cardboard, enduring the (FOI) these critical while also information n. including plastic, l waste. ations. a timely manner. of current Victorian lockdow ion ground investig challenges Foundat the glass and chemica Recycling Victoria t Market has g “Despite the The Changin commitmen (COVID), Victoria of In February, working in made $300 million organisation circumstances ions Fund (RVIF) of Waste that is a global drive the deliveryVictoria, other foundat Infrastructure investment told Inside g with NGOs, continued to immediate D’Ambrosio more than in Recyclin to create partnership materials available an committed organisations, projects outlined ld recycling targeting priority Victoria had the state’s and research that shift market of househo paper. $28 million to transform er deposit campaigns s the delivery , glass and through $300 million for a contain and support inable product such as plastics recycling system and from unsusta reforms, options Victoria’s needs, the waste and mentally share away that meets g Victoria policy developing towards environ on how ies scheme ants program the Recyclin compan n s. Applic and educatio nt cases g beneficial solution start of our action plan. of Recyclin ely, and significa business for and socially 24) the launch that the process to recycle effectiv ced added. ed on page “As part of said she announ sio (Continu we ucture reform,” D’Ambro February institutional research, g Victoria Infrastr g the Victoria, in on page 22) the Recyclin million to drive (Continued y and followin close to $100 ing and underwa is were process Fund that local more of interest expand the expressions industry, create ls and manufacturing recyclable materia products from

ve waste States ha

The CDS is a still ongoing go but there is the design tension around and control.

www.insidew

aste.com.au ISSUE

99 | DEC/J

AN 2021

INSIDE

20 Future Directions 26 Inside Packaging 39 Circul ar Econo my

CDS: th

e battle

Anatom y of a plas packag tic ing tax

is over

AS AUSTRA LIA welcom WHEN IN first-ever es 2013, a waste legislat the country’s Federal Court ruled that continues the Norther judge to outpace ion, the UK container n watched imminent us with its deposit schemeTerritory’s as the “battle legislation under Commo between ” played packaging was illegal for green out nwealth tax to take a new plastic up of the law, the to see SA-style groups who wanted of Re.Turn April 2022. effect from battlelines drawing It program dominant for the nation’s nationally, charity groupswhich works with It is expecte Container and a beverags roll out as part of Deposit d that this (CDS) model framed the collection have the e lobby that Scheme the recyclin tax could began. programs system. most g Over the as too “That battle and recyclin impact on the He said that, ensuing waste is now over expensive. g sector seven years, as Austral a struggl community operator tax was – the e for the ia’s largest of staffed absolutely introduced, since the landfill ideological economic there depots, has wants as indirect is been it and high-ground still some brings in CDS - but able to improve Return-It taxation, ongoing within the around scheme has played rather outcomes the Packagi tension recyclin industry. out by produci ng Recove than just design On the model There are materials ng cleaner g (a type of ry Note system dependant one side was some historic and control. for remanu document companies, on also need facturing, creating al quirks evidence that which and the beverage to be thousands that while waste packagi provides operational is present of new jobs. “For exampl fixed. has been ng materia ly in South recycled e, people Meaningful l Queensland Australia, confused into a new are rightly to boost when their and more jobs recyclin product Australia. recently, g. ) is eligible glass beer “We’re really HM Revenu While Western , but their bottle responsibility on the other, isn’t. All glass wine offer meanin proud to be able has publish e and Customs (HMRC) a split beverage bottle to CDS with ed details suppliers network be equally an indepen Australians gful employment legislat of operator the should ion which involved; for draft dent – particu has running into CDS getting wine will affect like this, larly at a producers in NSW since been up and is an obvious where time UK of plastic 2017. it causes opportunities we’ve seen job issue, because packaging, importers so Historical of plastic impacted people at much confusion packaging, business “And of course, by COVID. quirks for the start customers In Octobe of a new this he explain scheme. of produce importers r, the scheme,” ed. We’re getting is a deposit rs and of fall in favour balance appeare into the Lamb said consumers plastic packaging, money back d to hands of he the who and believes of people WARR industr when the buy goods participation recycle, packaging that the who Victorian in plastic along y in the UK. governm endorsed will deliver of all the jurisdic dollars being with seeing millions ent a split respons tions a of Consultation model. That back facilitie national network communities. raised to support ibility CDS of takestate, conside local s. on desig country’s really maximi Benefits like that “Then we However, red the n recycling should look there will are sed by Re.Turn leader, has put its model other product work with be an for produce at since It – we local organis s we could all the rs and importe exemption consideration. to the public for recover through charities amounts better ations and rs of small to ensure of plastic this network can through WMRR chair that each tailor-made packaging mitigate than we depot against and chief to and officer at jurisdictions, kerbside bins. In development administrative disproportiona “By engagin serves its commu is Re.Group, many operato other te nity. Garth Lamb Inside Waste the range organisations, g with local to tax liability burdens in compar rs expand told of that for ison . decades over time,” products they will help custom Re.Turn It is able This is a he accept he new ers raise to Lamb’s compan added. revenue, much needed plastic packagitax that applies while to y is also ng produce environmental delivering social imported the operato d in, or into, the and r benefits. (Continued UK, that not contain does on page at least 20) recycled 30 per cent plastic. (Continued on page 22)

538

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A fleet of service vehicles offers on-site solutions for all hydraulic, fabrication, electrical, air-conditioning and engineering requirements.

Low wear. Versatile, world-classLow maintenanc e. Low shredding. running Contact costs. Maxim us for a um perfo free waste audit: info@ rmance. focusenviro. com.a

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Anaconda 518 Scalping Screen

Anaconda SR520 Finishing Screens

Model name: Anaconda 518 Scalping Screen. Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 15490mm, Width 13840mm, Height 4860mm. Transport Dimensions: Length 15800mm, Width 3000mm, Height 3400mm. Weight: 35,000kg. Drive Type: Hydraulic. Motor: Tier 3 - JCB 444 DieselMAX – 85kw Engine. Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 18x5 Screenbox. Suitable material: Rock, Concrete, RAP, Aggregates, quarry aggregates. No. of units in range: 4. Throughput: Up to 500 tonnes per hour. Finished product size: Varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material):Pre-screening for wash plant, scalping road waste, rock, road sub base, demolition waste, virgin overburden, aggregates, mining. Options/Extras: Apron Feeder. TOP DECK Bofor Bars, Punch Plate, Heavy Duty Finger Deck, Mesh. BOTTOM DECK Square Mesh, Harp Wires, Agg-vibes, Triangle Harps Radio Remote Control for Travel. Price: POA More: onetrak.com.au 1300 727 520 wwwonetrak. com.au

Model name: Anaconda SR520 Finishing Screens (available in 2 or 3 deck configurations). Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 19800mm, Width 19690mm, Height 6280mm. Weight: 38,500kg-43,000kg Drive Type: Hydraulic. Motor: Tier 3 Engine Cat C4.4 – 96.5kw or Tier 3 - JCB 444 DieselMAX – 120kw Engine. Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 20x5 Screen Box. Suitable material: Sand, Soil, Aggregates, quarry aggregates, recycled aggregates. No. of units in range: 2. Throughput: Up to 450 tonnes per hour. Finished product size: (if applicable) varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Specifically designed to work best in applications where retaining fines is the priority. Options/Extras: Two deck vibrating grid on hopper 4500kg, square mesh, piano wire, agg-vibes, triangle harps, radio remote control for travel, dust covers on main and discharge belts, anti-roll back, over-band magnet, rinser kit with catchbox. Price: POA More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Onetrak

// Product Profiles -Sorting and Separating

Model name: Anaconda FSL100 Scalping Screen Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 12300mm, Width 13840mm, Height 4860mm. Transport Dimensions: Length 15800mm, Width 2560mm, Height 4050mm. Weight: 20,000kg. Drive Type: Hydraulic. Motor: Tier 3 - JCB 444 DieselMAX – 63kw Engine Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: Vibrating grid 1830mm long x 3150mm wide. Suitable material: Sand, soil, RAP, concrete, rock, aggregates, quarry aggregates. No. of units in range: 4 Throughput: Up to 600 tonnes per hour. Finished product size: (if applicable) varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Heavy-duty scalping applications including quarries, mines, road waste and concrete. Options/Extras: Over-Band Magnet, Dust Cover for Main Belt. TOP DECK Bofor Bars, Punch Plate, Heavy Duty Finger Deck, Mesh. BOTTOM DECK Square Mesh, Harp Wires, Agg-vibes, Triangle Harps. Radio Remote Control for Travel. Price: POA More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Anaconda TD516R Trommel

Onetrak

Anaconda FSL100 Scalping Screen

Anaconda TD620 Trommel

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Onetrak

Anaconda TD620 Trommel Model name: Anaconda TD620 Trommel. Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 13850mm, Width 6900mm, Height 3740mm. Transport Dimensions Length 11350mm, Width 3000mm, Height 3450mm. Weight: 20,000kg. Motor: Tier 3 JCB 444 DieselMAX – 85kw Engine. Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: Drum 5500mm x 2000mm. Suitable material: Compost organics, mulch, sand, top soil, wet materials. No. of units in range: 2. Throughput: Up to 200 Tonnes Per Hour. Finished product size: (if applicable) varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Designed to retain the most fines as possible from your given application. Options/Extras: Single deck vibrating grid, remote tipping grid, radio remote control, hopper extensions, scroll screening drum, punch plate mesh. Price: POA More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Model name: Anaconda TD516R Trommel Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 13370mm, Width 6370mm, Height 3150mm. Transport dimensions Length 11690mm, Width 2280mm - 2420mm, Height 2540mm - 2730mm. Weight: 14,500kg. Drive Type: Hydraulic. Motor: Tier 3 - JCB 444 DieselMAX – 63kw Engine. Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: Drum 5150mm x 1370mm. Suitable material: Compost organics, mulch, sand, top soil, wet materials. No. of units in range: 2 Throughput: Up to 130 tonnes per hour. Finished product size: (if applicable) varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Designed to retain optimum fines when screening the first pass of material. Options/Extras: Remote tipping grid, scroll screening drum, punch plate mesh. Price: POA. More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Model name: Anaconda TD620 Trommel. Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 13850mm, Width 6900mm, Height 3740mm. Transport Dimensions Length 11350mm, Width 3000mm, Height 3450mm. Weight: 20,000kg. Motor: Tier 3 JCB 444 DieselMAX – 85kw Engine Rotor diameter/lengths/speed:Drum 5500mm x 2000mm Suitable material: Compost organics, mulch, sand, top soil, wet materials. No. of units in range: 2. Throughput: Up to 200 Tonnes Per Hour. Finished product size: (if applicable) varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Designed to retain the most fines as possible from your given application. Options/Extras: Single deck vibrating grid, remote tipping grid, radio remote control, hopper extensions, scroll screening drum, punch plate mesh. Price: POA More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Product Profiles -Sorting and Separating //

Beier Machinery Recycling Lines

Model name: Anaconda DF410 Scalping Screen. Unit Dimensions: Operating dimensions Length 11,540mm, Width 11,250mm, Height 3,700mm. Transport Dimensions: Length 9,900mm, Width 2,350mm, Height 3,090mm. Weight: 15,600kg. Drive Type: Hydraulic. Motor: JCB 444 DieselMax – 63kw Engine. Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 10x4 Screen Box. Suitable material: Rock, concrete, soil, RAP, aggregates, quarry aggregates. No. of units in range: 4 Throughput: Up to 250 tonnes per hour. Finished product size: Varies depending on mesh fitted. Designed for (material): Pre-screening for wash plant, scalping road waste, rock, road sub base, demolition waste, virgin overburden, aggregates, mining. Options/Extras: Apron Feeder, Over-Band Magnet on Oversize Conveyor, TOP DECK Bofor Bars, Punch Plate, Heavy Duty Finger Deck, Mesh. BOTTOM DECK Square Mesh, Harp Wires, Agg-vibes, Triangle Harps. Radio Remote Control for Travel. Price: POA More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Product/model name: Plastic & PVC Recycling Lines. Weight: Varied. Drive Type: Electric. Suitable material: Most Plastic & PVC Materials. No. of units in range: Complete washing lines Throughput: Dependant on material type & density. Designed for (material): Processing Plastic/PVC to pellet form. Options/Extras: Contact CSS Equipment. Price: Contact CSS Equipment More: CSS Equipment Info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

CSS

Anaconda DF410 Scalping Screen

Onetrak

ELDAN Classifier

The very fine metal left in the plastic fraction after typical separation can be removed with an ELDAN Classifier, ensuring both minimum metal loss and an almost completely clean plastic fraction. Unit Description: The Classifiers use oscillating motion and screens to separate metals and the plastic fraction. They feature an efficient anticlogging system consisting of bouncing rubber balls, that ensures the screens do not get blocked by material. The screens are very easy to change and are available in different hole sizes depending on the input material. The Classifier can be installed to upgrade both ELDAN and other types of recycling plants, proving a cost-efficient upgrade for most recyclers looking to recover more metal from their plastic fraction. More: info@eldan-recycling.com

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Product Name: (Hogmag) EH-1500/2000 ECS (Static or Mobile Eddy Current Separator). Weight: From 10 tonnes. Drive Type: Electric or Genset. Motor: Electric or Genset. Suitable material: Most waste types and scrap metals. No. of units in range: 4 Models (Static & Mobile). Throughput: Dependant on model & material type & density. Designed for (material): Separating ferrous & non-ferrous from other materials. Options/Extras: Static or mobile with Air Suction System. Price: From $290,000. More: CSS Equipment info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

Ecohog Mobile Windshifter

CSS

Model name: Daemo DMR800 Sorting Grab. Unit Dimensions: Max. width gap 2,180mm. Weight: Suits 18-25ton carriers. Drive Type: Hydraulic or Fixed. Suitable material: C&D Waste, Skip Bin Waste, Timber, Green Waste. No. of units in range: 2. Throughput: Capacity 0.6m2. Price: POA. More: Onetrak www.onetrak.com.au contact@onetrak.com.au or 1300 727 520

Model name: EH-1500 TWS (Mobile Windshifter). Weight: From 8.5 tonnes. Drive Type: Genset (CAT). Motor: CAT 100KvA. Suitable material: Light and Heavy Waste Materials. No. of units in range: 2 Models (Static & Mobile). Throughput:: Dependant on material type & density. Designed for (material): Separating light materials from heavy materials. Options/Extras: Static or Mobile, with Metal Separation. Price: From $220,000 More: CSS Equipment info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

Ecohog Picking Station

CSS

Onetrak

Daemo DMR800 Sorting Grab

CSS

Onetrak

Ecohog Eddy Current Separator

Model name: QCS 1200 Picking Station (Semi-Mobile Models). Weight: From 15 tonnes. Drive Type: Electric or Genset. Motor: Electric or Genset. Suitable material: Most waste types and scrap metals. No. of units in range: 2 Models (4 Bay or 6 Bay). Throughput: Dependant on model & material type & density. Designed for (material): Mobile separation of recyclables. Options/Extras: Semi-Mobile, with Air Separation System and Over-Belt Magnet. Price: From $210,000 More: CSS Equipment Info@cssequipment.com. au or 1800 644 978

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Ecohog Mobile Separation

Jono

Product/model name: Airhog 81 & HSB 81. Weight: From 800kg. Drive Type: Electric or Genset. Motor: Electric or Genset. Suitable material: Most waste types and scrap metals. No. of units in range: 2 Models (Electric or Diesel Genset). Throughput: Dependant on model & material type & density. Designed for (material): Mobile separation of light materials from heavy materials. Price: From $33,000. More: CSS Equipment info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

Product name: Screens, Eddy Currents, Density Separators, Ballistic Separators and Turn-Key Lines. Weight: Varied. Drive Type: Electric & Diesel Mobile. Suitable material: Most waste materials. Throughput: Dependant on machine, material type & density. Designed for (material): Sorting & Separating All Waste Materials. Options/Extras: Contact CSS Equipment for full details Price: Contact CSS Equipment. More: CSS Equipment Info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

CSS

// Product Profiles -Sorting and Separating

Product/model name: HEXACT Or HEXTRA Screens. Weight: Varied. Drive Type: Electric or Diesel Genset. Motor: Electric or Diesel Genset. Suitable material: Most waste materials (wet and dry). No. of units in range: Multiple (static & mobile). Throughput: Dependant on material type & density (highest screening capacity for waste materials). Designed for (material): Screening of waste materials. Options/Extras: Static or mobile. Price: Contact CSS Equipment for more details. More: CSS Equipment Info@cssequipment.com.au 1800 644 97

Eriez Magnetics Recycling Equipment

ELDAN

ELDAN Separation Table The ELDAN Separation Tables are reliable companions for recyclers processing many different types of scrap, like cables, electronic and electrical waste, aluminium scrap, end-of-life tyres. Product name: ELDAN Separation Tables Unit Description: The Separation Table consists of a grading deck with an air distribution plate and upper covered with a woven steel cloth with mesh size depending on input type and output size. The deck can be easily adjusted in both speed, deck stroke length, air intake volume, and deck inclination (lengthwise and crosswise). The outlet section is equipped with adjustable flaps to guide the product to the product outlets. Purity: 99.9 per cent and unopened material is sent back for re-cutting to ensure minimum material loss. Price: POA More: info@eldan-recycling.com

Lindner Shredding and Washing Product: Plastic Shredding & Washing Plants. Unit Dimensions: Contact CSS Equipment for more info. Weight: Varied. Drive Type: Electri.c Suitable material: Most plastic materials. No. of units in range: Complete washing lines. Throughput: Dependant on material type & density. Designed for (material): Cleaning & Washing Plastics for Re-processing. Price: Contact CSS Equipment. More: CSS Equipment Info@cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978. Eriez_RecoverRecycleAd_IWM_2_21.qxp_Layout 1 1/21/21 5:45 PM Page 1

Lindner Washtech

CSS

Ecostar Screen

Recover Recycle Re-use ERIEZ Resource Recovery and Separation Equipment for the Waste Management and Recycling Industries

Eriez Revx-E Eddy Current Separator Application: Removes nonferrous metallic contaminants from plastics, glass cullet, electronic scrap, automobile shredder residue (ASR), boiler bottom ash, spent foundry core sand, and mixed metals. Product Model: Eriez Revx-E Eddy Current Separator. Features: Designed with an eccentrically mounted magnetic rotor within the non-conductive larger diameter shell for separation of non-ferrous metals. The eccentric rotor concentrates its eddy current forces into a zone of separation at the end of the belt. By focusing its field, this design ignores ferrous material in the flow. Options/Extras: Choose the correct rotor assembly to suit the application. More: sales.au@eriez.com www.eriez.com.au or call Jonathan Schulberg 03 8401 7400

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Turn waste into a tradeable commodity:

• Composting • Household Waste • MRF/AWT • Solid and Electronic Waste • Scrap Metal, Tyre and Plastics • Glass Cullet Beneﬁciation • Construction and Demolition • Waste to Energy ERIEZ range of separation equipment is in stock and ready to ship

03 8401 7400 | Eriez.com.au

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Wasted Space //

Whishing for one more vote preserve, but goodness knows we’ve done a great job on keeping the good old Thames clean since those dreadful days of the Industrial Revolution. Did I mention I’ve even got my eye on a quaint little riverboat that I can tie up and watch the ducks sailing past? Whenever you choose to bring me home, of course. Perhaps what the Aussies need down here is a good dose of Thatcherism to

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

www.insidew

aste.com.au ISSUE 100 | FEB/M

www.insidewaste.com.au

AR 2021

INSIDE

ISSUE 99 | DEC/JAN 2021

The CDS is a go but there is still ongoing tension around the design and control.

26 Awre Confe rence 40 Wastewater 43 Young Professional

INSIDE 20 Future Directions 26 Inside Packaging 39 Circular Economy

How Indone plans to be sia plastic-fre e by 2040

All industry stakeholders loop on packagi need ng in Australi to work together to genuine a by using ly close Australian recycled product the s.

Anatomy Plastic pr of a plastic oblepackaging m is notaxt bu as usual sine

WHILE INDON ESIA is one of the biggest contributors to the plastic AS AUSTRALIA welcomes the country’s in the ocean, pollution this situatio first-ever waste legislation, the UK n became exacerbated ON DECEMB ER 8, 2020, after China continues to outpace us with its the Recycli banned waste imports and and Waste ng Reduction the country the ineffecimminent legislation for a new plastic Bill was passed emerge major portal the Senate tiveness of in without for global plastic d as a the efforts packaging packaging by thefrom industry to tax to take effect Now its landfill Despite a senate amendment. waste. local busines manage the April 2022. s She are inquiry ses, told runnin issue. driving new space with and attemp Inside Waste into the Bill g out of job creatio Indonesia’s ts by the Greens industries, that the that this tax could support for It is expected n, and environ strong largest landfill Bantar Gebang the amendm and the amendm mental protection. watched as the “battle” played , out ents of Re.Turn It whichLabor, works with was an ent have (the the most impact on the to waste to the only the Bill that would one serving indication Bill Jakarta) predict address plastic between green groups who wanted of a desire “It is disappo charity part of the recycling pollutiogroups sector ed since the landfill Australian and recycling within n and as inting that this year, accordi to run out of space the community support to see SA-style programs rollthe some in outrecycling sector collection to deal with introduced, as it brings the in Senate did not ng to govern packaging tax was did system. the officials. understand pass. problem. Thisthat ment nationally, and a beverage lobby has resulteHe saidnot However, it that, as Australia’s largest that. taxation, rather than just d in concern “While it isindirect is extremely Coordinating disappo framed the programs as too within encouraging the WARRoperator expensive. see the level of staffed depots, Return-It the Packaging intingRecovery Note system Ministe industr amendm to that the of support r for Maritim y that the ent fell throug Affairs and “That battle is now over –govern for change the ment’s commi has been able e to improve recycling (a type ofh document Investment, on a singlethat providesHowever, Sloan vote, it is hearten tment to the Coordinating Ministry for massiv is not withou .” community absolutely wants CDS e- but by producing cleaner problemoutcomes suggestions ing towaste evidence packaging Maritim material t see of consen e Affairs of growing plastic pollutio on how sus Indonesia Luhut there is still some ongoingremain tension s fragile despite we been materials for remanufacturing, n while thathas need recycled into a new product) “With the export to move forward. to do more tackle the packag World Econom B. Pandjaitan told the assurancesof new jobs. to bans coming around scheme design andand organisationcreatingitsthousands control. in shortly, boost recycling. that ic Forum, “In we of the first and dispose to ing and the our waterw Plastic that our cities, e There are some historical quirks Nationa of. HM Revenue consum Summit in national targets need to meet and Customs (HMRC) ays and our Canberra, priorjobsl “What we have coastlines, Meaningful , WMRR is urging accumulation also need to be fixed. COVID-19. to hasseen published the governments of the draft of toxic plastic to-datedetails all commu to is strong is harming “For example, people are Much rightlyof the “We’re really proud to be able to nity suppor legislation which will affect UK tackle packag think about how we can t for action. our food system waste frustration action ing Real around the confused when their glass health of our failure s and the beer of bottle offer meaningful employment for to be taken producers plastic packaging, voluntary tools with the limited and the amendm to tackleofpackag people. and create ent has been that we’ve is eligible, but their glass focused wine bottle Australians “Our boomin jobs in – particularly at a time importers packaging,“WMRR on the continu Australia.of plasticing g proposes that been given. “The messag al relianc isn’t. All beverage suppliers second-larges fishing industry, the the packag should like this, where we’ve seen job customers of producers e on e isbusiness it’s and set clear,” time ing industr up t in the world, to a genuinely Sloan said. y to self-regimpacted by“The business-as-us be equally involved; getting wine threat from Despite independent is under COVID. importers of plastic packaging, ulate. this industropportunities trulyand ual approa rising levels representative body not accepta y’s“And ch is best of into CDS is an obvious issue, of marine plastic debris. addressbecause course, efforts a deposit of all stakeho ble anymor consumers who buy goods in plastic this issue (Inside to this is deserve in the e. Australians By 2025, the supply chain, lders it causes so much confusion for scheme. Waste more thanpackaging We’re plastic waste the Austral getting money back amount of including but in the UK. covered limited to a continuation ian leaking into not the packag voluntary, te Packag people at the start of aVirtual new scheme,”Institu of hands of peopleawho our oceans could increas ing industr packaging ing’s Conference intoofthe find produc e to 800,00 y, to industry-led on design scheme and tive ways in Consultation he explained. the APCO recycle, along with seeing 0 tonnes – thatofhas made millions no action is initiatives which we can work togeth if in taken,” he little, if any, progress.” Lamb said he believes that the depth during dollars2020), said. being raised to support local However, there needle will be anloop exemption er to genuinely close Despite this on the the on packaging gloomy scenari the participation of all the jurisdictions decreascommunities. e of plastic Benefits like that are for producers and importers country has fails of small in Australia o, the to move by waste Austral Senate didn’t developed by using any signific will deliver a national network of takereally maximised a strategy amounts of plastic packaging toian recycled products. was present ant degree.by Re.Turn It – we unde WMRR CEO, which rstand “This ed at Gayle Sloan Sloan pointed back facilities. workiswith organisations and to mitigate against disproportionateis key if we are serious Forum’s Annual the World Economic leader who one local WARR the “real opport making real has consistcharities about Meeting in “Then we should look at all the closedepot to ensure thattoeach progress while ently pointed is administrative unities burdens in comparison the year. Davos loop Here last domestically”. hamstrung being to the world took other products we could better tailor-made and by the lack servesthat its community. this could to tax liability. She said a first look Indonesia’s of regulation be achieve the packag at plan, with recover through this network than we d by on “By engaging with local This is buildin a new a radical target taxgthat applies to ing industry,” she to cut marine plastic (Contin added. can through kerbside bins. In other organisations, Re.Turn It is able to plastic packaging produced in,ued debris or on page 22) cent within the next five by 70 per jurisdictions, many operators expand help customers raise much needed imported into, the UK, that does years. (Continued on page 24) the range of products they will accept revenue, while delivering social and not contain at least 30 per cent over time,” he added. environmental benefits. recycled plastic. Lamb’s company is also the operator (Continued on page 20) (Continued on page 22)

CDS: the battle is over WHEN IN 2013, a Federal Court judge ruled that the Northern Territory’s container deposit scheme was illegal under Commonwealth law, the drawing up of the battlelines for the nation’s dominant Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) model began. Over the ensuing seven years, a struggle for the ideological and economic high-ground has played out within the industry. On one side was the model dependant on the beverage companies, which and is presently operational in South Australia, Queensland and more recently, Western Australia. While on the other, a split responsibility CDS with an independent network operator has been up and running in NSW since 2017.

Historical quirks

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In October, the balance appeared to fall in favour of the WARR industry when the Victorian government endorsed a split responsibility CDS model. That state, considered the country’s recycling leader, has since put its model to the public for consideration. WMRR chair and chief development officer at Re.Group, Garth Lamb told Inside Waste that for decades he

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put them straight about plastic waste. I know she’s recently been re-incarnated by the glorious Gillian Anderson courtesy of The Crown, but she sure knew how to knock a country into shape even if she didn’t know how to dress for a Balmoral shooting party. Yours JB Permanent Secretary for All Things To Do With Waste iw

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of waste. And look at how we are really leading the way. Move over Japan! How about that Bill that you succinctly crafted that recently passed through our Parliament to put a tax on virgin plastic! Surely that would have given the Aussies some confidence about what could be achieved when you really bring the country along with you. I know that we don’t have the Great Barrier Reef and Marine Parks to

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DEAR MINISTER, Well, the Aussies have done it! Just days before Parliament curled up into a Christmas ball and rolled quietly into the night, the federal politicians managed to pass the Waste Recycling Bill. Well, it ‘sort of’ passed, if you don’t count the big hole in the middle where any mandatory legislation for plastic could have gone. “Beggars belief” is a phrase often used down here and from my reading of the story it fits quiet well. But, I must admit it wasn’t yours truly who first coined it. It was said (and quite sharply) by Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson. That’s the unvarnished truth and Senator Whish-Wilson who proposed a whole slew of amendments that included reducing single-use plastics or meeting plastic packaging recycling targets, has really been “whishing” that things had gone very differently. His amendment failed to get up by one vote. Yes, just one more vote and the plastic packaging industry would have been looking very different in 2021. Definitely with a lot more accountability. I have to admit that I’m with the Senator on this. It’s true to say that this country is a paradise, but the unrelenting march of plastic into the land environment and the waterways doesn’t seem to have registered with those who operate within the ‘Canberra bubble’ (that’s a strange term that refers to Australian’s disillusionment with politics, and that politicians are more preoccupied with the goings-on in Canberra than the everyday concerns of Australians). Even more strangely, it was the current Prime Minister who first coined it! I know that you are with me on this Minister, because you like myself are super keen to have our world cleansed

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