Inside Waste June/July 2021 by Prime Creative Media

www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 102 | JUN/JUL 2021

INSIDE 26 Councils 32 Tyre Stewardship 48 Consultants Registry

Victoria’s CDS - who’s right? Funds raised by landfill levies need to be spent on infrastructure within the industry.

State governments lack coordination over levies has pledged to up the price by $5 a year for the next few years. However, the end result is that almost one million tonnes of NSW waste heads north to Queensland every year as disposers take advantage of the state’s cheaper pricing structure. Harmonisation and portability are two popular ideas being mooted by some associations and companies within the industry to try and remedy the situation. Portability is whereby if a company takes its waste to another state it has to pay the same fee as to where the waste originated, while harmonisation is where all the states charge the same amount for disposing of waste. Tony Khoury, the executive director of the Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association (WCRA) of NSW, said the association and its members are one body that favour the portability model. “Our regulators need to ensure that the waste levy is operating as intended; that is incentivise waste minimisation and resource recovery,” he said. “Additional investment in the recycling and resource recovery sector will not only divert waste away from cheap landfill solutions, but it will create more jobs. The NSW Government recognise

this, which is why they created the proximity principle regulation in 2014. Waste levy portability across all Australian jurisdictions will ensure that the disposal of waste doesn’t gravitate to the lowest, lawful cost option. ” Suez Australia’s chief strategy, sustainability and communications officer, Justin Frank, said the company will only ever dispose of its waste in the state where the waste was generated. Even though he acknowledges cynics would argue that the company would do that anyway due to it having landfills in the state, that reasoning is only minor as to why it wouldn’t send its trucks north or south. “They are probably right [about Suez having landfills], but we wouldn’t do it anyway because it is unsustainable,” he said. “It has huge ramifications from a sustainability point of view. The carbon footprint for transportation is ridiculous when there are a number of landfills they can take it to on the way up to Queensland. The safety and transport implications, as well as the chain of responsibility implications, are not acceptable.” (Continued on page 22)

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LANDFILL levies are in place for a variety of reasons, with the two main purposes being to encourage waste disposers to reuse and/or recycle as much waste as possible, as well as, in theory, using the monies collected towards infrastructure that will allow the former to happen. However, there are a couple of roadblocks that many within the industry believes are stopping these outcomes from occurring. First, there is no consensus among the states as to what those levies should be, which means different states charge different amounts. The other issue is that a large amount of the monies collected from the landfill levies go in to the consolidated fund instead of towards infrastructure that would encourage recycling and reusability of items that would otherwise end up in landfill. And the latter is a real issue for the likes of NSW, which has one of the highest landfill levies in the country at $148 a tonne. Its northern neighbour, Queensland, has one of the cheapest at $75-$80, while in Victoria, it is approximately $67 (for a more comprehensive listing of levies, go to page 32). The Queensland government

THE Victorian government announced on April 14 that it had made a decision on its Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), which will follow the NSW split responsibility model where there will be network operators and a coordinator. The Victorian government took its time to develop what it considers to be the best option, with more than 3,000 submissions received and two public surveys carried out. The coordinator will be responsible for managing the finances and commercial viability of the CDS; conduct audits of the scheme to prevent fraud; pay refund amounts and collection network costs to the network operators; and report against performance targets set by the government. The network operators will establish and maintain a network of refund points; distribute refund amounts to consumers; distribute payments to refund collection point operators, and report on CDS participation and redemption rates. As with all CDS’s, the beverage suppliers will fund the scheme. According to Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, 85 per cent of those who were consulted over the scheme agree with the government’s decision. In a statement made when announcing the scheme, D’Ambrosio said that the community was seeking the most accessible, best performing CDS for Victoria. (Continued on page 24)

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Editor’s Note //

Should the fed govt be in charge of levies?

Trusted Advisors in Property, Environment, Planning, Waste & Local Government Law Experts in all areas of waste including: DAs and Land & Environment Court Appeals EPA Investigations & Prosecutions Waste Contracts Operational Issues & Waste Legislation Waste Transportation Asbestos Issues

THIS issue takes a dive into two contentious issues – container deposit schemes and landfill levies. When it comes to the former, I didn’t realise how passionate people are about how such a scheme should be run. As a kid back in the day, I’d go around looking for empty bottles to return to the local milk bar and get a few cents in my pocket so I could buy more soft drinks and lollies. No thought at all was given to how it helped clean up the environment, nor did it even occur to my 10-year-old sugar-addled brain that I would give the money to a charity. Today, these are the main considerations when setting up such a scheme. However, it is definitely not as simple as you would think in terms of the infrastructure and getting everybody on board with the type of scheme that is being mooted. There are two types that the Victorian government considered as it decided to finally implement a program. The NSW model getting the nod. The cover story on the issue looks at both sides of the argument as to which system is better, with both sides wholeheartedly believing that theirs is best.

As for landfill levies, well, this is an interesting subject. Everybody agrees that there needs to be levies, but there are a couple of really hot-button issues that are causing concern. One is the lack of harmonisation between the various states, which leads to tonnes of waste going to neighbouring states with the cheaper levies. But one of the outstanding questions is why does so much money collected from the levies not go back into the industry in the form of infrastructure or other initiatives? Instead, 75 per cent plus of the collected monies goes into the consolidated funds of the various states. And while a fair chunk of cash has gone into waste during the recent federal budget, some might wonder that instead of being thankful, the industry might ask, ‘why not more?’. And yes, I know that it is the states that are collecting the monies, but maybe that is even more reason to have it be a harmonised (ie federal) scheme. We’ll probably have to cut down a small forest, or take up a huge chunk of megabytes on the internet, to get that debate to reach its full potential.

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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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News //

Profile | Jason Pugh, East Rockingham Waste to Energy

What got you interested in the waste to energy industry? I’ve always had a passion for new and innovative industries throughout my career. I started in this industry 10 years ago when many thought waste to energy would never be part of the Australian waste management landscape. There has been so many challenges so keeping an interest in the job has never been difficult. What are some of the main issues surrounding the waste to energy industry?

The main issue facing the industry is a lack of understanding about who we are and what we do. Our main challenge is to educate the community about waste to energy as there is a natural fear of things we don’t understand. The projects in WA are so important in an Australian context so the community, regulators and local government can see for them selves how beneficial these projects can be. How helpful were government agencies in getting the East Rockingham project up and running? Government agencies played an integral role in getting East Rockingham up and running. Local Government was the catalyst with the regional councils creating the first tenders for waste to energy

services. State Government agencies led by the EPA also showed great leadership to create a workable framework for the project to achieve environmental approvals. The Federal Government ensured that the project became a reality with crucial funding support from the CEFC and ARENA.

recover the energy from that waste rather than go and exploit more natural resources to make the same energy. Secondly, Australia needs a sink for non-recyclable plastics and waste to energy provides that. Waste to energy not only extracts energy from the plastic but eliminates it from the environment.

Do you think the public needs more education around waste to energy initiatives? I do. I attended the Coffs Harbour waste conference and one of the issues discussed was, “should waste plastic be landfilled or sent to waste to energy?” Many of the attendees maintained if should be sent to landfill. That just makes no sense on two levels. We exploit natural resources to make the plastic in the first place. We absolutely should

What would you like to see over the next 5-10 years in terms of how the technology is seen as part of the energy landscape? We are learning how damaging methane is as a greenhouse gas, and landfills are a major emitter of methane. Sending residual waste streams to waste to energy just makes sense. I would like to see one or two waste to energy projects servicing each capital city in Australia within 10 years.

Budget will help increase resource recovery rate THE waste and resource recovery sector will benefit from new funding announced in the federal budget

Stewardship has benefitted from the latest budget.

for 2021-22. National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read said it was pleasing to see new funding announced for several initiatives. “It was good to see new funding being committed to help divert organic food from landfill and importantly, put it back into agricultural soils. “This is a key step to addressing the National Waste Policy Action Plan target of halving the amount of organic waste being sent to landfill and reaching the 80 per cent resource recovery rate. “It will also help reduce emissions and extend the life of

landfills,” Read said. The budget allocated additional funds for product stewardship, which Read said was also a good outcome. “These additional funds mean that the government can put more products on the Minister’s list such as textiles and problematic plastics, implement the outcomes of the Product Stewardship Review, including expanding the scope of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme to include all electronics and electrical equipment, as well as ensuring battery recycling actually happens,” she said. “There has also been an allocation

of funds to help small- and mediumsized businesses adopt the Australasian Recycling Label, which is essential to clean up the contamination we are seeing in yellow recycling bins. Read said the announcement of a significant spend on infrastructure should include the mandated use of recycled materials. “This is a perfect opportunity to start significantly increasing the use of recycled construction materials including concrete, asphalt, glass, plastics and tyres by government specifying recycled materials in all tenders,” she said. iw

remains executive chairman during this time and continues to be supported by chief operating officer Brendan Gill. “Mark has demonstrated a strong understanding of our corporate purpose and values. He has a reputation for being a highly visible and engaged leader with a keen focus on building alignment among teams. He inherits a business in a strong financial position, and which is well positioned to further leverage our market footprint and infrastructure. Mark will work with our executive team to build on the momentum in our business

including our recently announced asset acquisitions from Suez,” Chellew said. Schubert said he was excited to be joining Cleanaway at such an important juncture for the company and the broader waste and recycling industry. “I am really looking forward to working with the Cleanaway team across Australia that every day deliver essential services to the communities that they serve. Cleanaway is not only a well performing business but excitingly is also ideally positioned to capture emerging waste streams and future reuse opportunities,” he said. iw

Cleanaway announces new CEO CLEANAWAY Waste Management Limited has confirmed the appointment of Mark Schubert as its new CEO and managing director. “On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to announce Mark’s appointment to lead Cleanaway at a time when we have great momentum and are entering a new and exciting phase in our journey. Mark brings a wealth of senior executive experience, has proven his ability to lead large and complex businesses, and is a strong fit with our strategy and culture,” Cleanaway executive 6

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chairman, Mark Chellew said. Schubert joins Cleanaway from Origin Energy where he has served as executive general manager, Integrated Gas for the past four years. Prior to joining Origin in 2015, Schubert held a number of senior positions during an 18-year international career with the Shell Group of companies. He has a track record of operating and transforming major assets, including world-class LNG projects and oil refineries. Schubert will commence in the role in the new financial year. Chellew

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News //

Profile | Australasian Speciality Coatings

When was Australasian Speciality Coatings and founded and why? Australasian Speciality Coatings was founded in 2003, the business was created after the CEO Louis Longhi spotted a gap in the market for protection of waste facilities. He noticed that concrete floors, leachate ponds, bunds, and steel platforms were being eroded and eaten away by aggressive waste streams and mechanical movements. The business was created to protect floors from assets not meeting their life span. With over 60 years of combined experience in the coatings and asset protection industry, we are able to provide our clients with a turnkey approach to maintenance and protection of the most important and sensitive parts of their

operations. Working on new builds or remediation and maintenance of working structures, ASC will be there to assist every step of the way. To ensure we meet all current standards Australasian Specialty Coatings is fully certified to ISO 9001 Quality, AS/NZS 4801 OH&S and ISO 14001 Environmental Assurance Standards. We are also accredited in NSW Government 5th Edition Work Health and Safety Management Systems. Our experienced staff are key to our performance. What are they key services that Australasian Speciality Coatings offers? Australasian Specialty Coatings is an asset protection company, dealing specifically with industrial/ commercial flooring, corrosion control, chemical-resistant membranes. ASC operates across Australia and New Zealand with a strong installation history in the waste and wastewater industries. We are known for successfully delivering

protective coatings to clients ranging from Councils, governments, corporate and private industries. Products and services include: • heavy industry flooring; • warehouse and AGV flooring; • corrosion prevention coatings; • high-friction coatings; • industrial abrasive blasting; • chemical bund lining; • acid-resistant coatings; • immersion coatings; • tank lining; • steel protection and repair; • waterproofing and membranes; • anti-bacterial coatings; • sacrificial coatings; • concrete repair; • steel blasting; • floor grinding and profiling; and • captive shotblasting. What are some of Australasian Speciality Coatings plans for the next 12-18 months? Australasian Speciality Coatings has just announced an addition to its

Transfer Shed Flooring range with a new rapid cure range of protective coatings for tipping floors. Waste transfer station floors need regular maintenance to prevent the activity in the shed wearing away the concrete and exposing the steel underneath. ASC offers a range of solutions to protect the concrete surface, including wear layers and resurfacing materials. These materials use epoxy and polyurethane technology for rapid turnaround, as well as improved chemical and wear resistance. Turnaround time is important for floor re-surfacing: replacing the concrete slab or adding a topping slab using concrete can require weeks of cleaning, forming, laying and curing, during which the surface can’t be used for tipping operations. The aim is to resurface your floors without interrupting your business. We are able to turnaround large areas in 2-3 days and hand it back resurfaced, cured and ready to take on a front-end loader.

Not enough for FOGO THE latest federal budget didn’t have much in it for FOGO, according to food waste specialist company iugis, even though $486.3 million has been earmarked in new environmental iugis is not happy with the amount of money put aside for FOGO in the 2021 budget.

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funding for oceans, biodiversity, recycling and waste, and climate resilience. Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the Budget is helping

secure Australia’s recovery by building on the Morrison Government’s commitment to practical on-ground environmental outcomes and long term national reform. The federal government is building on its billion dollar transformation of Australia’s recycling and waste industry with $77.9 million in new investments to reduce waste impacts on the environment, create jobs and grow the economy. Up to $67.0 million will be invested in new food organic and garden organic waste (FOGO) initiatives, establishing a Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund to divert 3.4 million tonnes of organic material from landfill for productive use in agricultural soils. Ley claims the fund will generate $401 million in industry value, create up to 2,700 additional jobs and establish an important model for wider recycling and soil partnerships. Then there is the $5 million in new funding that will go to supporting small- and medium-sized businesses to adopt the Australasian Recycling Label, and $5.9 million for additional investments in industryled national product stewardship schemes to reduce waste and increase

resource recovery. Iugis’s global chief of stakeholder relations, Jeff Olling, made it clear more should have been made available for the industry, especially in the FOGO space. “While we welcome the government’s announcement of $480m in new funding for the environment and its commitment to upgrading our recycling capabilities to reduce waste to landfill, we are deeply concerned that incentives to reduce food waste are again overlooked in this year’s budget,” he said. “The problem is not going away. We’re still the fourth largest food wasters per capita in the world, wasting 7.3 million tonnes of food each year at a cost of $20 billion to the economy. Our research commissioned by YouGov last year found that two-thirds of consumers believe the federal government should be doing more to address food waste. There is a clear mandate among Australians for the government to do more to combat the issue and provide much needed initiatives to halve food waste by 2030, which is the goal of the national food waste strategy.” iw

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// News

BINGO talks takeover deal with Macquarie WASTE specialist BINGO has entered into a Scheme Implementation Deed with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and its managed funds (MIRA) to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of BINGO by way of Scheme of Arrangement. Under the terms of the Scheme, BINGO shareholders will have the option to receive either $3.45 cash per BINGO share, or a mixed cash and unlisted scrip alternative. BINGO’s Board intends to declare a fully franked special dividend of up to $0.117 per BINGO share prior to implementation of the Scheme, which would enable shareholders to receive additional benefits from franking credits of up to $0.05 per BINGO share. The cash consideration represents a 33 per cent premium to the BINGO onemonth volume weighted average price up to and including January 18 2021 and an acquisition multiple of 19.5x

The board intends to declare a fully franked special dividend of up to $0.117 per BINGO share.

LTM Dec 20 EBITDA. The takeover is subject to certain conditions, which must be satisfied or waived before the Scheme can be implemented “The IBC is pleased to have reached

unanimous agreement with MIRA on this proposal. The IBC has concluded that the Scheme is in the best interests of BINGO’s shareholders,” BINGO IBC chair Elizabeth Crouch said. “The IBC has explored a number

of alternatives, including standalone value creation opportunities and alternative bidder interest. After considering future opportunities for the business, along with economic, regulatory and execution risks, the IBC has unanimously concluded that the Scheme is a compelling option which realises attractive value for our shareholders.” “The proposal recognises BINGO’s achievements and position in the marketplace, with a strong asset base and highly capable management team,” Frank Kwok, head of MIRA Asia-Pacific, said. “With MIRA’s significant experience investing in and operating recycling and waste management businesses around the world, we look forward to bringing our expertise to support the team in delivering BINGO’s next phase of growth.” iw

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// News

Seven recommendations from chief scientist on EfW SPEAKING at the Waste 2021 Conference held in Coffs Harbour, NSW EPA executive director of regulatory policy, Nancy Chang, outlined the recommendations from the NSW chief scientist and engineer’s report on Energy from Waste (EfW) for the state. “That report informed a revised draft energy-from-waste policy from the EPA,” said Chang. “It is important to know that as of now the NSW government has not yet accepted the chief scientists report. However, it is the expectation that it will be accepted in full.” In May 2020 the initial report from the chief scientist was submitted. The following month he commissioned an review of the air emission limits in that report. In November, the report with the additional advise from the University of Sydney was submitted to the minister. There are two major schematics available in the chief scientists report.

“The first schematic is one on planning and regulatory assessment process as well as technical requirements, which is much broader than the EPAs’ energy-from-waste policy. It includes the planning process,” she said. “The other schematic is the allowable types of feedstock proportional to each waste stream allowed and waste source requirements.” Overall seven recommendations came out of the report. • Recommendation one stated that the two schematics be finalised to provide clarity and transparency and to provide a description of baseline assessment requirement and regulatory processes. Also, the report should be used as a working document and updated as necessary and should be made publicly available. These will be published

soon on the EPA website. • N SW EPA is to describe the process for establishing and updating best practice air emissions limits and make it publicly available – the EPA Energy from Waste Policy has been revised to give effect to this recommendation. • A technical review of the best practice air emission limits developed by the working group is undertaken. These limits were reviewed by the University of Sydney and incorporated into the revised Energy from Waste Policy statement. • Work is undertaken to understand the mix of incentives influencing consumer and industry behaviours to promote adherence to the waste hierarchy. This is to be considered in the 20 Year Waste Strategy. • Undertaking the Life Cycle Assessment is a requirement for all

proposed EfW facilities, and the findings considered in the regulatory assessment process. This is to be requested in the SEARs for future projects. • Approved EfW proposals are required to develop a waste input sampling and monitoring program. Ideally, this requirement would form part of the SEARs. Alternatively, these plans should be required to be developed and approved prior to the plant being commissioned. • A pathway is established and communicated to enable asset and process innovations to be tested and trialled. Requirements should be proportional to the level and impact of the proposed innovation. Any innovation must align with NSW policies relating to waste, decarbonisation and the circular economy. iw

A to Z Demolition Pty Ltd convicted of supplying false or misleading information about waste On 4 November 2020, A to Z Demolition Pty Ltd (A to Z) was convicted by the Local Court of two offences against s 144AA(1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (the Act) for supplying false or misleading information about waste, in the course of dealing with the waste. A to Z is a demolition company. In August 2017, A to Z supplied one of its customers with 11 tipping dockets purportedly issued by Dial a Dump Industries (DADI), showing that that A to Z had disposed of 11 loads of asbestos soil from that customer’s site at DADI’s Genesis Landfill. The tipping dockets were false and not issued by DADI. In September 2017, A to Z supplied another customer with six tipping dockets purportedly issued by DADI, showing that A to Z had disposed of six loads of asbestos demolition waste from that customer’s site at DADI’s Genesis Landfill. These tipping dockets were also false and not issued by DADI. The EPA prosecuted A to Z and, on 4 November 2020, the Local Court convicted A to Z of two offences against s 144AA(1) of the Act and ordered to: Pay a fine of $24,000; Pay the EPA’s legal costs of $16,500.00; and Publish this notice in at its own expense.

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News //

Film produced from mixed wastes Credit: PHERBOLD MECKESHEIM GmbH

The basic principle of the TVEplus system is the configuration of the melt filtration upstream of extruder degassing.

POLIGROUP of Bulgaria has been producing film of a high quality and in part with thicknesses around 30μm from a mixture of wastes since September 2013. The system used by Poligroup consists of a washing plant and an EREMA TVEplus system. The film mix processed by the company comprises three components: the basis is made up of LDPE waste agricultural film which, after the removal of contaminants, is a largely monofraction material with consistent MFI. Second, there is LLDPE film waste, which likewise comes from the agricultural sector and improves physical properties. And third, films from household waste, which accumulate in automatic sorting stations and are a particularly inexpensive material

in the marketplace. These different materials, however, also mean various, in part very challenging, requirements in processing. Due to what is in some cases up to 50 per cent contamination of the agricultural films (e.g. through sand and pebbles) and the household films being composed of a wide variety of plastics, Poligroup demanded flexibility and energy efficiency in its choice of the overall plant concept. Following the optimum preparation of the input material in the washing plant the washed, monofraction film flakes are processed on an EREMA 1514 TVEplus system (throughput 1,100 to 1,200 kg/h) with LF2/350 Laserfilter (filtration fineness 110 μm) and HG 244 hot die-face pelletising

system to make high-quality recycled pellets, which are then in turn reused up to 100 per cent in the production of bin bags, protective covers and construction films. In the cutter/compactor with patented Air Flush Module the washed household film waste material – with a high level of residual moisture of 8-12 per cent and a high degree of contamination – is cut, mixed, homogenised, heated, degassed, densified, buffered and dosed in a single pass. The basic principle of the TVEplus system is the configuration of the melt filtration upstream of extruder degassing, with the benefit that the minimal shearing influence in the melting process prevents any further size reduction of the contaminants

prior to filtration and thus increases filtration efficiency. Furthermore, due to the early removal from the recycling system, the contaminants cannot outgas prematurely, thus additionally minimising any odour formation in the recycled pellets produced. The optimised triple degassing of the TVEplus system also ensures effective degassing of the filtered melt. “The system also stands out through its easy handling and long service life of the wear parts such as filter screen and pelletiser knives. It has been customised exactly to meet our concrete application requirements and this means the highest level of efficiency for us,”said Nikolay Tomov, production manager at Poligroup. CEMAC is the Australian distributor of the system. iw

WCRA disagrees with Cleanaway on pizzas A recent report that 53 per cent of Australians wrongly think a pizza box with greasy stains can be recycled or composted is not entirely true, according to the WCRA. Cleanaway’s Recycling Behaviours report was discussed by a group of WCRA MRF operators who agreed that the statement is misleading. Pizza boxes are made from cardboard and will generally always contain a few greasy stains. However, providing there are no food scraps, the WCRA see no reason as to why these boxes cannot be recycled in the kerbside bin with the yellow lid. “A pizza box may have a few greasy 12

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

stains, but the cardboard will still make great feedstock at the paper mill. In our view, Australians are right to think a pizza box with greasy stains can be recycled,” said the WCRA’s Tony Khoury. This view is also supported by the Australian Council of Recyclers who issued a media release on the recyclability of pizza boxes in September 2020 stating “The simple message is: pizza boxes are fully recyclable, but leftover pizza and food scraps ain’t. Eat your crusts, fellow Australians – it’s better for the environment not to leave ‘em in the box”. iw

Grease is okay on pizza boxes when it comes to recycling according to the WCRA.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

News //

Cleanaway welcomes high court decision CLEANAWAY Waste Management has welcomed the decision of the High Court of Australia to dismiss the special leave application that sought to challenge the legal validity of the works approval to extend Cleanaway’s Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall, Victoria (MRL). In June 2017, the Planning Minister for Victoria issued planning approval for the extension of landfilling operations at MRL until 2046, or such earlier time as the landfill’s capacity is exhausted. This planning approval remains on foot. Both planning and works approvals are required to enable ongoing operations. The High Court confirmed the validity of the works approval, first granted to Cleanaway by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) in March 2017 and, following a review application, granted by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, in June 2019. Cleanaway has also

successfully defended challenges to the decision to grant the works approval in the Victorian Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. The High Court decision today finally resolves this matter, securing critical airspace for managing Melbourne’s residual waste streams into the future. “Cleanaway welcomes the High Court decision today, confirming that the Melbourne Regional Landfill can continue to provide an essential waste service for the community well into the future,” said Brendan Gill, chief operating officer of Cleanaway. “Securing the continued long-term operations at the site supports our Footprint 2025 Strategy. The site is a waste management hub of State importance that provides critical waste management services, including for residual waste streams that cannot be recycled. iw

Planning approval has been given to extend landing filling operations at MRL until 2046.

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// News

Future proofing Australia’s waste management industry THE Waste Strategy Summit will be held on 20-22 July 20-22, 2021 and the Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour. It provides an annual meeting place where environmental/sustainability leaders, policymakers, stakeholders from private and public sectors, innovators, entrepreneurs and strategic thinkers come together to exchange ideas, collaborate on new projects and access the companies, technologies and strategies they need to improve their waste management. The Waste Strategy Summit returns for its fourth year in 2021 to deliver connections and solutions that will positively impact public and private sector operations, environmental impact and CSR, as well as showing them how to seize the financial potential of waste management, recycling and resource recovery.

Over the past four years, the Waste Strategy Summit has been connecting, inspiring and driving positive outcomes for attendees, partners and a range of speakers. Here’s what attendees can expect at the summit: • Prepare for the future of waste management in Australia. • Drive collaboration and action at an event with depth and breadth of content and delegates – local councils, government authorities, private enterprise and academics. • Learn from real life case studies from organisations who are leading the way in waste strategy innovation, cost-savings and sustainability. • Gain insights into the landfill crisis facing Australia and hear how others are reducing upstream waste through sensible material management. • Unlock the power of big data,

blockchain technology and AI to revolutionise your waste management and recycling processes. • Deep dive into product stewardship and examine the importance of bringing a zero-waste mindset to your organisation. Speakers include: • Soko Made, City Government zero waste senior coordinator, San Francisco Department of Environment • Julie Morgan, executive director – environment & sustainability, Transport for NSW • Diarmaid O’Mordha, group quality assurance and sustainability manager, Endeavour Drinks • Susan Mizrahi, chief sustainability officer, Australia Post • Guada Lado, regional waste coordinator, Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) • Ryan Collins, head of circular

The Waste Strategy Summit will return for its fourth year.

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News //

New Community Recycling Centre opens in Blaxland THE new Blaxland Community Recycling Centre (CRC) was opened on May 21 and is a place where householders can drop off problem wastes such as paints, oils, gas bottles, fluoro lights, smoke detectors and batteries for free. The CRC has been established by the Blue Mountains City Council who received a grant of $83,875 from the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. This is the second CRC for the region. The Blaxland CRC expands the service, which is already offered in Katoomba, making access to problem waste disposal easier and more convenient. Blue Mountains Mayor, Mark Greenhill, said establishing this recycling facility will help keep problem wastes out of landfill and improve recycling rates. “We want to encourage communities to recycle problem wastes to help

(l to r) Ziggly Shlemon (BMCC waste resource management manager), James Ellinson (EPA project officer – community recycling), Blue Mountains Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill, NSW legislative council member Shayne Mallard, and Blue Mountains Councillor Brendan Christie.

ensure safe and environmentally responsible disposal,” Greenhill said. “Much of the problem waste dropped off at a CRC can be recycled. If this isn’t possible, it is properly treated before safe disposal.

“The centre will complement the community’s existing recycling services, minimise waste and increase recycling.” EPA director circular economy, Kathy Giunta, said the Blaxland facility is

part of a network of more than 100 facilities being established across NSW. “Most of the items accepted at Community Recycling Centres can be reused or recycled. That also helps us save water, energy and other resources,” Giunta said. “If any of the problem waste dropped off at a CRC can’t be recycled it is properly treated before safe disposal.” The Blaxland CRC is located at Blaxland Waste Management Facility, Attunga Road, Blaxland. It is open seven days a week. The Blaxland CRC accepts the following problem wastes for free: • water-based and oil-based paints; • used motor oils and other oils; • lead-acid and hand-held batteries; • gas cylinders and fire extinguishers; • conventional tube and compact fluorescent lamps; and • smoke detectors. iw

www.envirocom.com.au

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News //

Dedicated rubbish truck to remove dumped waste The City of Greater Geelong Council has put aside $410,000 for a rubbish truck to pick up dumped waste.

THE City of Greater Geelong Council is proposing to buy a large dedicated collection truck to remove rubbish that has been illegally dumped. The City removes dumped rubbish from public areas more than 4,000 times a year, using small-duty trucks. Given the limited size of the vehicles, crews are often forced to take multiple trips to the one site and call on a front-end loader to help pick up larger items. To address this, Council has allocated $410,000 in its Proposed Budget 2021-22 to purchase a fit-for-purpose truck and support a dedicated employee for the job. Greater Geelong Mayor, Stephanie Asher, said Council was committed to reducing the incidence of illegal dumping and its impact. “We know that our community values and takes pride in our beautiful region and we’re all disappointed when rubbish is dumped, creating an eyesore and in many cases, a health and safety issue,” said Asher. “This investment will provide our crews with the right equipment to respond more quickly and efficiently to clear away the rubbish and restore the location to its original condition.” The City Works team will run a trial on the preferred vehicle in coming weeks, before committing to any purchase from July. Cr Anthony Aitken, chair, City Works, Parks and Gardens 18

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

portfolio said dumped rubbish was a huge financial burden on the Council’s bottom line. “This proposed purchase is a direct response to the increasing amount of dumped rubbish in Greater Geelong,” he said. “The volumes are now such that we need to purchase dedicated fleet and have a dedicated team working every single day to respond to community calls to pick up dumped rubbish. Our costs in responding to this illegal activity are growing and they will top $1 million this financial year. We can curb these costs by cutting the amount of time we spend cleaning up dumped rubbish sites and transporting the material to resource recovery centres. This is where the proposed fit-forpurpose truck and staff member can be so valuable.” Residents are urged to access the hard waste collection service, which allows households to recycle or dispose of their bulky items, including mattresses, without charge twice each financial year. The initiative is well supported, with 22,678 requests for hard waste collection from 1 December 2019 to 1 December 2020. As well as hard waste collections at their home, residents can freely dispose of white goods, paint, scrap metals, oils, car batteries, BBQ gas cylinders, televisions, computers equipment and excess recycling at one of the Drysdale or Geelong resource recovery centres. The council urges people to report

licence plate. The dumping of rubbish illegally is a criminal offence and significant fines apply. iw

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// News

$12 million for paper recycling

The new project mean 26,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard will be recycled.

THE Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA) is heading a new $12 million project that will transform the city’s paper and cardboard recycling capability. With Federal and State Government funding, and sustained leadership from its Constituent Councils – the Cities of Playford and Salisbury and the Town of Gawler – the NAWMA is establishing a plant that will maximise the value of recovered paper and cardboard from yellow-lid kerbside recycling bins. Establishing an advanced Paper Recycling Plant, proposed to be co-located with its existing Material Recovery Facility at Edinburgh, will allow NAWMA to continue the drive to create jobs through advanced remanufacturing in the northern suburbs. NAWMA CEO, Adam Faulkner, said the paper and cardboard “clean up” plant would meet new quality benchmarks in paper and cardboard collected from residents’ yellow top recycling bins. “This will ensure that around 26,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard that NAWMA collects from its kerbside yellow-lid bins each year continues to be recycled to its highest value, creating new jobs in the region’s economy while advancing our aims to reach a national resource recovery target of 80 per cent by 2030,” he said. In March last year, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to ban the export of recovered mixed paper and cardboard that is not below strict contamination guidelines. The ban will be implemented on July 1, 2024. The Federal Government has

supported the initiative with a $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund to help turbo charge the nation’s recycling capacity through investment in new infrastructure to sort, process and remanufacture recovered products such as paper, cardboard, plastic and glass. From 1 July 2024, recycled paper and cardboard that does not meet the new standards will be banned from export and local remanufacturers may not have capacity to take all of Australia’s recovered paper products. Faulkner said the Australian Government and the state government recognised this gap with funding to co-invest in recycling infrastructure that will enable the ongoing recycling of these products that will compete on a global scale. “A polishing (or clean up) plant was chosen because it can clean mixed paper and cardboard sold by material recovery facilities such as ours to a specification that meets the highest quality standards,” he said. “With this visionary funding support from the Federal and State Governments and our Constituent Councils, NAWMA will be consolidating South Australia’s leadership position in recycling and a circular economy. Importantly, the new plant will ease pressure on forest-sourced paper by creating a more circular recovery process, which extends the life of fibre resources. From a local perspective it will help to secure the future of our kerbside yellow-lid bin system, while creating about 60 construction jobs and ongoing employment opportunities.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Coles on board to tackle plastic waste AS part of its ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket, Coles has today reaffirmed its commitment to packaging sustainability by joining the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Plastics Pact (ANZPAC) as a founding member. Led by The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the new Pact commits Coles to four clear, actionable targets by 2025, including: eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastic packaging; ensuring 100 per cent of plastic packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable; increasing the current volume of plastic packaging collected and effectively recycled by at least 25%; and ensuring an average of 25 per cent recycled content is in plastic packaging across the region.

By joining the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, Coles joins a group of leading packaging manufacturers, resource recovery leaders, government institutions and retailers representing the complete plastics value chain, working towards a shared vision of a circular economy for plastic. Coles chief executive commercial and express, Greg Davis, said the partnership will help fulfill Coles’ recently launched Together to Zero sustainability strategy, committing to deliver net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and longterm aspiration towards zero waste and zero hunger. “As one of Australia’s largest retailers, Coles understands the importance of working collaboratively to find a more sustainable future for plastic packaging.”

“Following the launch of our new Together to Zero sustainability strategy, we have an ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket, working with our suppliers, customers and other stakeholders towards zero waste. “As a founding member of the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, we now have an opportunity to build and shape meaningful change through plastic packaging and move towards a circular plastic economy as a global community.” APCO Chief Executive Officer Brooke Donnelly said: “A huge congratulations to Coles on joining the ANZPAC Plastics Pact as a founding Member. ANZPAC is a collaborative program that unites businesses, policymakers and NGOs behind a shared vision

of a circular economy for plastic, where it never becomes waste or pollution. “The ambitious new cross-regional program will work to fundamentally transform our response to plastic by eliminating the plastics we don’t need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating the plastic we use, keeping it in the economy and out of the environment. “As one of our founding members, Coles will be one of the leading retail voices throughout this journey, helping us to build and shape a program that delivers meaningful change on the plastics issues. I encourage all of you to follow Coles’ lead and be part of the new approach to plastic in the Oceania region.” iw

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// Strap

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

Environment Ministers will meet for the second time this year December, following INDUSTRY has on long7 advocated that waste the first 2018 Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) in management and resource recovery is a shared April, which was in part a response to the import responsibility that requires a polluters-pay model restrictions driven by China’s National for hard-to-recycle materials because this is Sword the Policy and the way effects this policy has as had most effective to drive circularity wellacross as the Australianproduct waste and resource recovery (WARR) sustainable design. However, to-date, industry. Key decisions April MEM we continue to be the derived whippingfrom boy,the receiving include: materials that are in fact problematic, then

copping the blame and responsibility for where • these Reducing wastemight generation, endorsing a target materials end up. While this has been ofthe 100% of Australian packaging being recyclable, case for a number of materials, per- and polycompostable or reusablecommonly by 2025, known and developing fluoroalkyl substances, as PFAS, targets for recycled content in packaging. are materials that also evoke an emotional response from community, largely • Increasing Australia’s domestic capacity. painted. because the full picture has notrecycling been adequately • Increasing the demand for recycled products. PFAS is often associated with firefighting foam despite being prevalent • Exploring opportunities to advance and waste-to-biofuels. in common household products suchwaste-to-energy as microwaveable popcorn bags, pizza • Updating the 2009 Wasteclothing, Strategycarpet by year whichcookware. will include circular boxes, aerosols, children’s andend, non-stick We have economy principles. seen firsthand the panic that these substances cause, but little is said about the April 2019 findings by an independent expert health panel established It is take stock and examine has been since these decisions bytime the to federal government, whichwhat concluded thatachieved there is “mostly limited, or were announced. Now, seven (7) months may not seem like a long time, however in some cases no evidence that human exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl in substances that time we(PFAS) have seen further markets (Malaysia, Indonesia, is linked with humanclose diseases” and there is “noVietnam) current and if you are an operator under continued financial stress, seven (7) months could evidence that suggests an increase in overall cancer risk.” To err on the side of make or break caution, the you. panel noted that given PFAS continue to persist in humans and the environment, exposure to these chemicals should be minimised and future Following the April MEM, we have had three states step in with varying research should focus on long-term studies and(3) solutions. degrees of financial assistance for industry (councils and operators). This should The confusing information that is sometimes perpetuated and in particular, bethe expected considering almost all states (except Queensland and Tasmania) recent events in South Australia pertaining to end-of-life management have access to significant waste levy income each year. On the seaboard, Victoria of residual waste with low concentrations of PFAS, areeastern cause for concern, has approximately $600 million in waste levy reserves in the Sustainability not just for our industry but also the community. To provide some context,Fund and NSW raises more than $700 million of perPFAS annum from the waste levy. There is SA’s Environment Protection (Disposal Contaminated Substances) certainly no lack fundswas that caninbeParliament reinvestedon into our essential industry. Amendment Billof2020 read 4 March 2021 and while WMRR supports the need to take a precautionary approach towards PFAS, the Funding helps butBillashad weaknow, money goes awhich much waybewith proposals in the numberthe of shortcomings, willlonger hopefully Government support and leadership, as well as appropriate policy levers. addressed when considered by the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, to which this has been referred to. VICTORIA For one, the Bill does not acknowledge, much less address, the fact that Victoria hascommonplace arguably beeninthe mostofactive and earnest in supporting the industry PFAS are a host household and industrial products. Yet post-China, with two (2) relief packages announced to support the recycling the Bill stipulates a restrictive manner in which PFAS are to be disposed, industry, at aimpractical total of $37given million. Theprevalence, Victorian Government has also which isvalued not only their but perpetuates the gone above and beyond all PFAS othersare states by announcing it would leadership role misconception that far more dangerous and toxictake thana what is in reflected creating market demand for recycled products. in current findings (and uses). If the Bill is passed, it could set a precedent for other jurisdictions and we need to genuinely consider what SOUTH wouldAUSTRALIA happen to all PFAS-contaminated materials in Australia, as well as if 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.

industry however the Queensland Government has embarked on the development of progress would be a waste management strategy underpinned disposal levy toof increase any made in fixing the root ofby thea waste problem, i.e., the use recycling and recovery and create new jobs. The State will re-introduce a $70/ PFAS in production in the first place. tonne landfill levy in March 2019. There are also strong attempts to use policy levers (levy exemptions) to incentivise the use of recycled material So, what isdiscounts WMRR and proposing? and make it cost competitive with virgin littleofhas been done to First, Australia has a national framework formaterial. disposingHowever, and storing establish new markets and Government has not taken the lead in the procurement PFAS given their widespread presence, that being the PFAS National of recycled material. There are(NEMP). grants available resource operations Environmental Management Plan The NEMP,for which SA andrecovery other states Queensland no moniesagreed have been allocated assist in 2018. areinsignatories to,although provides nationally guidance on thetomanagement of This is troubling as Queensland rolled out itsincluding Containerprevention Refund Scheme on 1 November, PFAS contamination in the environment, of the spread will likelyItimpact theacost and revenue of the State’s for MRFs – as we ofwhich contamination. provides consistent point ofmodels reference nationally have seen most recently in NSW. environmental regulators, industry, and the community. Second, our waste and resource recovery industry currently provides WESTERN AUSTRALIA highly engineered containment facilities for PFAS that are already within the The Western set up a Waste Taskforce in direct response to community. As Australian we continueGovernment to manage end-of-life PFAS-contaminated products the China National Sword. As part of this announcement, the State Government that are currently in existence, what we really need is for PFAS management to all about local councils to begin the utilisation beurged thought long before the disposal stage. of a three (3)-bin system - red for general waste, yellow for recyclables greenthat for organic waste - over the This means product manufacturers andand suppliers bring these chemicals to coming years to reduce contamination. While this taskforce is a step in the right direction, market must start to pull their weight – just as McDonald’s has committed to doing we are yet to see any tangible results from it or any funding for industry. In October, by pledging to remove all PFAS from its packaging by 2025 – and if they can’t or the WA Waste Authority released its draft Waste Strategy to 2030, which comprises won’t, then the federal government must hold them to account through a pollutersa scheme comprehensive andmaterials detailedare roadmap the State’s pay so that these managedtowards at end-of-life by thoseshared who vision of becoming a sustainable, low-waste, circular economy. create them. This polluters-pay model must be bolstered by appropriate labelling and classification and the great news is, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. COMMONWEALTH The European Union has for many years managed these chemicals under its REACH Following the MEM in April, Australia now hasofa new Federal Environment program (Register, Authorisation and Restriction Chemicals Program), as wellMinister, as Melissa Price, who in October reiterated to media MEM’s commitment to explore the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP) scheme that requires waste to energy part oftothe solution to thecan impacts identification of theas material ensure consumers make of an China’s informedNational choice. Sword, which is troubling (EfW is not a solution to recycling). The Commonwealth has For our industry’s part, we will continue to provide permanent disposal to also backed the Australian Recycling Label and endorsed the National Packaging highly engineered landfill sites, which must be done within the nationally Targets developed byofthe Packaging Covenant Organisation consistent requirements theAustralian NEMP, in conjunction with existing planning (APCO), which has to date, failed to incorporate industry feedback in the development and licensing frameworks and our treaty obligations under the Stockholm of these targets. the Commonwealth’s credit, there has been significant Convention and BaselTo Convention. coordination in reviewing the National Policy, the Department Our industry has a significant role to play Waste in the safe andwith appropriate disposal of Environment bringing together industry players and States during of PFAS, which we cannot do if snap changes to regulations are made thatthe review process. create national inconsistencies penalising the industry and the community. It is far safer that these materials are containerised in high engineered landfills. The updated willnonow before Ministers on 7 December. The However, as SA Policy now has sitego that can Environment accept PFAS, these materials will Commonwealth can play a key role – one that goes beyond the development of the need to be transferred interstate, which is both inappropriate and truly takes National Waste Policy.new WMAA is supportive of the Federal Government maximising NIMBY-ness to a whole level! the it has, including taxation andPFAS importation to let’s maintain a strong, We levers all have a part to play in managing so, as anpowers, industry, continue and resourceon recovery industry. tosustainable advocate forwaste strong leadership this issue, including a genuine national polluters-pay scheme for these substances, not scaremongering. AHEAD OF MEM 2 There may Chief be movement across Australia, Gayle Sloan, Executive Officer, WMRR 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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Landfills //

State governments lack of coordination with levies affecting desired outcomes (continued from front page) By Mike Wheeler The federal government’s Associate Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans, knows it is an issue, but not one that can be directly addressed at a federal level. However, he is confident that progress is being made in terms of getting harmonisation between the states. “The issue of waste levies being different in different parts of the country was one of the main reasons the federal government felt justified into stepping more heavily into recycling and waste recovery policies,” he said. “It was one of the clear examples of an inconsistent approach, which has led to a great degree of arbitrage between the state systems. In practice, it was leading to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste being transported or trucked around Australia, often passing by local recycling facilities, to take advantage of the waste levies or other rules. “[We] recognise that we don’t have all the legal authority or constitutional power to step in and take over these functions from

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

states and territories. But we do see an opportunity for us to help us bring about a more harmonised natural system.” He said the question of waste levies and harmonising them was one of the priorities that the federal government brought to the table when it started the national waste policy and the action plan in late 2019. “That action plan now has the agreement of all the states and territories and one of the clear components that was agreed on was that the states and territories would work closely to try and harmonise their waste levies. That is something the federal government strongly supports,” he said. MRA Consultants principal, Mike Ritchie, said there are profits to be made for companies who ship their waste to those states with cheaper levies. “The landfill levy came in at Queensland at $70 and that reduced the value of the arbitrage in a very price competitive market,” he said. “While the arbitrage is not as big, it is still profitable. There is still – by one estimate – 900,000 tonnes going north to Queensland and being rebadged when it gets there, as

Queensland garbage.” And thus, as well as the aforementioned transportation issues, another problem comes to the fore according to Khoury – recycling not being carried out as was intended. “The waste levy, which was intended to encourage recycling, is being used to subsidise the cost of long-distance transport,” Khoury said. “There have been a number of serious accidents involving trucks transporting waste from the NSW Metropolitan Waste Levy paying area to southeast Queensland. There are numerous negative issues associated with the long distance transport of waste such as road safety concerns, environmental issues – the excessive use of diesel in heavy vehicles – and perverse environmental outcomes.” Suez’s Frank goes as far to say, that as the system currently stands, it goes against what the levies set out to do in the first place and believes it is time for federal government intervention, even if Evans says it is not part of the government’s purview. “The levy [was designed as] an economic instrument to stimulate investment in infrastructure, policy and regulation to drive a more circular economy,” he said. “If you

Trevor Evans is all for harmonisation of landfill levies but states need to come to the party.

are dodging that, then you are going against the spirit of it for purely profit motives, not sustainable reasons. There is very little visibility as to what the Queensland government spend their money on in terms of what they do with the levy monies. “It shouldn’t be a dilemma. It shouldn’t be allowed and it is unfortunate when you look at. I’ve been with Suez for nearly four years and we are still talking about this. There needs to be state government cooperation and federal government intervention. There needs to be a proper use of the levy for sustainable development and education.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Landfills

Caption

Landfills have a place in society, but levies need to incentivise as much recycling and reusing as possible according to Justin Frank.

He reiterates Ritchie’s point that about one million tonnes of waste is going from NSW to Queensland, purely for profit. He believes that the tens of millions of dollars raised could be used by the NSW government for educating the public or other things. It could be given out in grants to develop higher order processing capacity such as turning glass into glass sand as Suez does at its Spring Farm facility. As for expecting the companies like Suez that dispose of all its waste locally to come to the party in terms of creating infrastructure, as it currently stands – forget about it. “The levy should be used to stimulate off-take markets because companies like Suez will not invest 100s of millions of dollars of

infrastructure unless there is an offtake. Levies should be an economic instrument to stimulate innovation, as well as processing capacity to drive the circular economy. No waste should be going from NSW to Queensland. It is unsustainable and it is purely profit driven. It is dangerous from a chain of movement perspective. The fatigue breaches – there are plenty of examples of that happening on the highway,” Frank said, reiterating Khoury’s point. “One way to address the longdistance transport of waste is for the Federal Government to pass national regulations on interstate waste levy portability,” said Khoury. Frank realises that all waste will never be recycled or reused, and that landfills are a necessity. He’s looking at the end game.

“Landfills do have a place in society and there are things that need to be buried safely to protect human well-being and health, but levies should be there to incentivise engagement with companies, as a deterrent to put things into landfill that don’t need to go into it – items that can be recycled or reused or recovered,” he said. “In a federated country where you have competing parties in different states it doesn’t work. The COAG ban started to change things but the time lines are unrealistic on some waste types. This is because, if we cannot send it abroad, you have to be able to process it onsite, but some of the facilities are not ready to do that. “Landfills are not just hole in the ground, they are highly engineered pieces of kit, said Frank. They

are doubled lined, and they have networks of gas pipes to collect as much as the landfill gas as possible so it doesn’t pollute the atmosphere. That gets turned into energy to power the grid. “They are significant pieces of engineering but they have limited land space – landfills will run out eventually,” he said. “If you keep chucking waste in landfills you will eventually have to build another one somewhere else. They shouldn’t be seen as just being awful, because they are not. They serve a very important purpose especially in landfills for soils and construction materials. They are a very important part of the community, but we need to be working on keeping stuff out of them and protecting that space for things that need to go in there.” iw

Transporting waste to other states means that monies destined for one state go to another, which is not the intention of levies.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Cover Story //

Some believe that the Queensland CDS means less access for consumers.

Victoria’s CDS – who’s right and who’s wrong? (continued from front page) By Mike Wheeler “In considering the final design, we have ensured that it will provide easy access for all Victorians, encourage greater recovery of waste, and create new employment opportunities,” she said. “All charities and community groups can benefit from Victoria’s CDS. The CDS gives charity, community, and sports groups new ways to fundraise, and all Victorians an easy way to earn money while cleaning up our state.” “Victoria’s CDS will provide a stream of clean recyclable materials for re-use in new products instead of going to landfill or polluting the environment and harming our wildlife.” But what does this mean for the industry and Victorians? It depends on who you talk to. It is the one of the last states to put in place such a scheme, but there was fierce lobbying between the beverage suppliers’ proxy, VicRecycle, and the industry in the form of WMRR, the Boomerang Alliance, VWMA, NWRIC, ACOR and other stakeholders who don’t like the SA, WA and Queensland models, 24

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

which VicRecycle favours. Some see VicRecycle’s preferred model as an attempt by the beverage suppliers to hijack the scheme. Jeff Angel, executive director of the Boomerang Alliance, doesn’t pull any punches when talking about who wanted what outcome, and why. He also questions some of the information and its sources with regards to how much money will go back into the community. “VicRecycle ran a very deceptive campaign in an attempt to mislead the government and a whole lot of charities,” he said. “The scheme they wanted was one single coordinator who was in charge of everything, which is not like the NSW scheme. NSW has an independent coordinator with industry representatives. It looks after getting money from the industry. It looks after getting key data for sales and auditing the return rates. “The interest of the bottlers is to handover the least amount of money as possible. VicRecycle spent a lot of time trying to get the key charities to back them up based on data and arguments that do not honesty

compare the two different systems. “[VicRecycle] has refused to publicly release the big study that they claim have all the numbers that back up what they quote, like the $50 million their scheme would give to charities,” he said. “No one knows where that comes from. It really is incumbent on them to release all the research they undertook because that is being used to influence the next stage of the design of the CDS.” Planet Ark CEO and VicRecycle chair, Paul Klymenko, believes one of the main issues is that some of the players in the market do not understand the machinations of what a CDS should be – product stewardship. With an extensive back ground in that space, he said it is vital that the beverage industry is involved and has a say in how the system should work. “We helped set up some of the first product stewardship schemes in Australia,” he said. “Things like the MobileMuster program. We have recently got some money from the federal government to set up a scheme for coffee cup recycling. I understand how those schemes work much better

than most people because they don’t come from a product stewardship background. They come from a ‘I want to fix that up and recycle it’ point of view. “Product stewardship means that the industry is the main driver. You can recycle your computer right now free of charge. Who do you think pays for that? The computer manufacturers do. That is what is product stewardship is all about. In this case, who creates the bottles? Ultimately the beverage industry is responsible for that. And they should be because they are the ones putting it out to the world and they are the ones making money from it. That is how product stewardship schemes work.” And the claims about $50 million would not end up in the hands of notfor-profit organisations? “There was an analysis done by KPMG in Victoria that if the state adopts the NSW-type scheme it could mean that over $50 million would not end up in the hands of the NFP sector,” he said. “I know how hard it is for those groups to raise revenue to do their good work. That is why

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Cover Story

I would prefer that style of scheme. That is a pretty conservative number.” One of the key issues is the handling fee. Klymenko believes that the fee that community groups and charities in Queensland get is 6.5 cents, whereas in the NSW scheme he thinks it is about 2.5 cents. Not so, said Angel. “The critical thing that they have tried to suggest is that charities will get 6.5 cents handling fee,” he said. “In the NSW system they say you will get 3.5 to 4.5 cents container handling fee. That is wrong. The handling fee in NSW is virtually 5 cents. The difference is the 6.5 cents you have to cut off all the costs of the equipment and data recording and various transport elements. In NSW, all of these three elements are provided free above the 5 cents. The 5 cents is a net cost when you take account the automatic sorting machinery, the data recording, while transport is already provided. They are not comparing apples to apples.”

Collection point availability Then there are issues with the collection points. Angel believes the NSW model allows for more collection points than states like WA or SA. “There is no doubt that NSW has a far more accessible system per thousand head of population than Queensland and WA,” he said. “South Australia has an appalling lack of access for its urban population.” Klymenko disagrees. He believes one of the key components to the scheme VicRecycle championed was that community groups and charities would incentivise more collection points being available, especially in rural and regional Victoria. He points to his own living circumstances as an example. “I live in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. We are 100km from Sydney’s CBD,” he said. “I am not in rural NSW, but in terms of CDS collection points I am very poorly serviced because there is a not a lot of incentives in regional areas to get bottles etc back to be recycled. But if there was more money going to the local scouts group or soccer club, I’m sure [these organisations] would set up a collection point to allow me greater access. “The collection points are really important and what I am mainly interested in – having really widespread collection points that maximise the clean stream of products. That is what a CDS does, they give you very clean streams of plastics, glass, metals etc, which then can be put back through into making new packaging.” But having too many collection points can also be a problem

WMRR’s Gayle Sloan.

according to Angel. “The problems with the VicRecycle method was that they were modelling their scheme on Queensland, which means there is less accessibility for consumers,” he said. “The businesses and charities that operate collection points aren’t assured of a guaranteed territory often competing against each other in the same district unlike in NSW where they are very careful to create a viable customer catchment for the major centres and the vending machines. “What is particularly important in places like Melbourne and Sydney, is that you can’t have 100s of little back yard, manually operated sorting centres. They wouldn’t get past the zoning laws, and they are also not viable in such densely populated areas. You need different types of infrastructure than you have. If you look at the tonnages and volume going through those automated centres – 400,000-500,000 containers a week – it is impossible to run that as a manual operation. The scouts in SA, all they do is run manual operations because of the low throughput. You can’t handle those numbers in large urban populations with little backyard charity operations. It wouldn’t work.” Practicalities are also an issue for Klymenko, albeit for different reasons. “Look at somewhere like far north Queensland,” he said. “You aren’t going to put a reverse vending machine up there. And don’t forget they get a lot of tourism up there, too. Those vending machines are at least $500,000 worth of infrastructure. That is what I am concerned about when it comes to regional Victoria.”

Recycled content There is also another issues that need addressing, said Klymenko. With the Australian government pressing beverage manufacturers to use recycled content in their packaging, they not only need clean product, but enough of it to be utilised for

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

The Boomerang Alliance’s Jeff Angel.

the aforementioned products. That can only happen if there are enough collection points. “That is crucial because companies like Coca-Cola have packaging commitments they have to achieve in terms of recycled packaging being used in their products,” he said. “The government is expecting all these beverage companies to have a minimum recycling content in their packaging. To get that they need clean streams. The quickest way to get these streams, is not putting it in a yellow bin, because that has to go to a MRFs and through a CDS scheme and they are quite expensive to operate. “If you are going to have that scheme you want to make sure it is going to have the best collection points, especially if you want to incentivise people, especially those who are in rural areas. That does not happen with the current system. It is very good to service the high-traffic urban areas but I don’t believe this system will help rural places.”

Transparency Finally, there is the issue of transparency. Klymenko can’t help but feel that the naysayers of the proposed VicRecycle scheme have not done their homework, and that it’s more about lack of trust of multinational beverage manufacturers than it is to do with a practical scheme that works for everyone. “I think there are some people that just hate the beverage industry. I’m not a love or hate them type of person. I am neutral to them,” he said. “I use their products, and I’m really pleased they are part of the packaging covenant which goes to the minimum 70 per cent recycled content. Do I love their products? I’m not a huge sugar consumer. But I go, ‘is this a good thing for the environment? Is this a good thing for the community?’ That is my logic stream on how I decided things. I am an evidence-based, functional, efficient person. That is how I run

NFPs based on evidence. I don’t think people are looking at all the facts and they listen to supposition.” Both Angel and WMRR CEO Gayle Sloan disagree. “What VicRecycle are doing is causing confusion, which is completely unnecessary. All the government has said is they are going to have a split responsibility model. They’re going to develop a scheme that works for the community and they going to go to public tender. What is wrong with any of those statements?” said Sloan. “All that is wrong is that the beverage companies are not controlling the design of the CDS, and we have to ask ourselves, ‘what do they want to achieve by controlling the scheme?’ They want less containers and less cost. That is not what the community wants. They want to be able to have access to return their containers and get some money back into the community.” “The thing about NSW is, yes they have a single network operator, but the original tender split the state up into seven different potential network operators, and at that time only Tomra Cleanaway had the experience and qualifications to run a network,” said Angel. “Victoria is different – we have different states running different systems – and I’m sure it will be much more competitive. I have no objection to that. It will be an open tender process – whoever has the best tender, the best set of tenders, will get the job. They have to understand there will be range of criteria they will have to meet. It will not just be on charities, it won’t be just on consumer price – it will be a mix so everybody in the community benefits.” Klymenko will not be drawn into the arguments about costs. He said he doesn’t know how much each system would cost and he is not interested in that aspect of the CDS. “I don’t know if the Queensland scheme is cheaper for the beverage companies,” he said. “But whether it is cheaper doesn’t matter, as long as the overall system works. You want a financially efficient system or a bottle of coke might cost 50 cents more. Also, are you getting the environmental outcomes, the social and also functional outcomes that the scheme was set up to do? “We don’t want litter. We want maximum throughput of clean schemes so they can be turned into new bottles and packaging. On the social side we want to maximise the amount of opportunities for community groups and charities. What is wrong with that? They are always struggling for money. That is what VicRecycle was proposing.” iw JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Council Fees //

Council waste charges need to be consistent across all communities By Inside Waste NEW SOUTH WALES councils need to be more consistent in their pricing and will be regulated to do so, according to Gerard O’Dea, principal analyst for IPART NSW. The independent government agency/regulator published a draft review in late May of the state of domestic waste in NSW. Speaking at the Waste 2021 Conference in Coffs Harbour, O’Dea said that the agency would have several recommendations moving forward when it comes to Domestic Waste Charges (DWC). The review has found that prices have doubled over recent times, with the rise going up 178 per cent more than inflation, with charges ranging between $390 to $750 depending on the council. “We also found that the audits that had been conducted by councils were generic and not as specific or forensic as we had understood. They didn’t go into anywhere near the detail that we had understood they would go into,” said O’Dea. O’Dea pointed out that he knows that there are many reasons for these differences including China Sword issues, the recent Basel export ban, regulatory risk, market concentration, The federal government gets a huge say in how charges are put in place.

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

Domestic waste charges need to be transparent according to O’Dea.

increases in the waste levy and also the CDS within the state. However, that doesn’t give the council’s carte blanche to charge what they want. “Why are we regulating? We have the delegation from the Minister to do that,” he said. “If we know that most of the cost issues are outside the councils control why are we regulating? We can’t justify

the variations in charges between councils so we have an obligation to act and that is in the interest of the rate payers. We don’t shy away or apologise for it.” According to O’Dea, there are three options available for IPART to regulate, not all of them are great, he said. First, is detailed individual reviews

which IPART does for the water utilities such as Sydney Water, Hunter Water and for the Central Coast Council utilities too. However, O’Dea said it is an expensive and timeconsuming exercise and the agency has issues with regard to specific variations around that. Second, is the default option that IPART was presented with, which was that it should be regulating domestic waste charges much like the delegation it got for council rates. “We set a domestic waste cost index and we have a domestic waste peg. That would mean you would have to have special variations if you had individual impacts,” he said. “We don’t think either of those options harnesses any of the knowledge or experiences that are in the local government waste sector.” What IPART prefers is option three. This is a set clear pricing principles so that everyone is on the same page and there would be a simplified benchmarking process. What would that mean? “We are not going to benchmark Blacktown and Bankstown, “ said O’Dea. “We are not going to compare Caringbah and Cobar; it would against peers. We would only

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Council Fees

Why are we regulating? We have the delegation from the Minister to do that... If we know that most of the cost issues are outside the councils control why are we regulating? We can’t justify the variations in charges between councils so we have an obligation to act and that is in the interest of the rate payers. We don’t shy away or apologise for it. be regulating by exception. What we would do is have a two-year phasing period where we would have benchmarking. The councils would benchmark. “We wouldn’t publish those numbers – first, it would be just for the councils. This would give them time to align with the pricing principles and benchmarking and learn and exchange information from each other. “At that point, we would only regulate by exception – i.e. that is the councils that were outliers. Without wanting to put specific numbers on it, if peer councils’ pricing is different from either other by two or three or four per cent, that is not an outlier. Fifteen per cent? That is probably an outlier.” O’Dea said the pricing principles should reflect a user-pays approach. He said that the Local Government Act specifically separates out domestic waste charges and also water and sewage charges from general rates. Part of the pricing principles are establishing the categories of cost you can charge for. “Domestic waste charges should

reflect the efficient cost. They should be transparent. Everybody should be able to see them. That applies to contractors as well,” said O’Dea. He believes incremental costs are consistent with legislative intent. One of the concerns with rushing out to tender, such as collections, he said, is if an average cost approach is being used, and tenders are sought – they’re not the costs that disappear, they’re just the incremental costs that disappear. IPART is concerned about protecting rate payers in that they don’t end up paying more. This is standard competition approach. A number of councils are doing it well, according to O’Dea, but a number have some catching up to do. Then there is what is reasonable to charge and what isn’t. “There are some challenges for people in understanding between reasonable and efficient costs,” said O’Dea. “Reasonable costs are the categories. Some things that aren’t reasonable to have in domestic waste charges are street sweeping and illegal dumping. “Efficient costs are the least cost for achieving the categories that

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Council Fees //

are reasonable.” O’Dea also knows that one of the concerns of council is that rearranging waste costs – and vicariously any rates that might get caught in the crossfire of any shift – is that the councils will lose money. Not so, he said. “One of the biggest concerns for the councils is they are going to lose money,” he said. “That [IPART] is just another government agency kicking them and taking money off them. This is not the case. All the items that are councils are currently charging with regard to DWC that shouldn’t be in there can be recovered via general rates. “Things such as some executive overheads, street sweeping, illegal dumping, pension rebates – they are not going to be lost. What we are talking about is having a rebalancing exercise – moving them back into general rates. “Some of the concerns that were expressed in response to these ideas, and the submissions to our discussion paper, were things like; ‘how are you going to do this?’ You are comparing apples with oranges.

IPART makes no apologies for looking out for consumers when it comes to increased fees.

We are hoping that in the stuff that we have put in we are going to be comparing apples with apples. As far as possible we are trying to build that in the comparison, this is not only for rate payers, but also councils so they can compare against other councils.”

Government and councils O’Dea was at pains to point out that when it comes to the pricing of domestic waste, a small percentage is controlled by the councils while the rest is the purview of the government. But that didn’t stop him from pointing out that maybe the

government should look into some of the recommendations that IPART is putting forward. “What we found that 15 per cent of the stuff within this subject is inside the remit of what we can do, while 80 per cent is outside,” he said. “We have no control over

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Council Fees

Pensions are a social function and should generally be funded through consolidated revenue, but the tribunal is concerned about the impact on the budget. the costs put in by government but we like to think we can give some recommendations to government to consider. What we have found, so far, is that here seems to be a dearth in planning – certainly since about 2011-2012 for a number of reasons.” He believes the government needs to look at more centralised planning in the waste sector. That doesn’t mean the government has to build everything and do everything, but it means that there’s some coordinated planning for hubs and what they are going to do over the next 30 to 40 years. That may require direct funding. “One of the things we have seen is around regulatory risks,” he said. “What we are proposing that government underwrite regulatory risk. A simple example – and we know nothing about the technology – is if somebody wanted to build an Energy to Waste plant and meet the

current regulations. Let’s say it was a $100 million plant, and it had a 20-year life. What we are saying is instead of the contractor putting up the contract price to cover the regulatory risk, the government would guarantee that the plant would be able to run for 20 years for its whole lifecycle. If the EPA turned around after 10 years and said, ‘We’ve discovered some carcinogens that the plant is putting out and we need to shut it down’, in simple terms the government would return half the money to the contractor. Much like an insurance policy with cars. We are basically talking about underwriting regulatory risk and how you would do that is through an increase in the waste levy.”

Pensioner rebates O’Dea pointed out that there are challenges in some areas of the NSW like Broken Hill where 50 per cent

The government needs to look at centralised planning in the waste sector.

of the population that are receiving pensioner rebates and the working people in Broken Hill are having to subsidise the pensioner rebates in waste charges as well as general rates charges. Whereas you have some more affluent areas in Sydney where only two or three per cent of people are pensioners. “Pensions are a social function and should generally be funded through consolidated revenue, but

the tribunal is concerned about the impact on the budget,” said O’Dea. “So, the second best option is that there is a standard Ad Valorem charged for pensioner rebates that is charged across the whole state and is then funnelled back to the pensioner rebates in these areas. This would have a minimal impact on the more affluent local government areas but a big benefit to the poorer ones.” iw

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Landfill Levies //

Levies on the move and under review – progress towards harmonisation By Inside Waste WITH the Victorian levy to increase by $40 to $105.90 from 1 July 2021 and the Queensland government due to commence its three-year levy review, National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO Rose Read assesses the progress of levy harmonisation. In 2019 the NWRIC white paper – A Review of State Waste and Landfill Levies, found that there was a significant differential in levies between and within states, with nationally only 25 per cent being reinvested back into activities to

More monies from levies need to go towards recycling initiatives.

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

drive greater resource recovery (local government or industry) and that accounting of levy funds collected and spent was inconsistent, confusing, and lacked transparency (see cover story). Waste or landfill levies are a key regulatory tool used to improve recycling and fund environmental liabilities from waste generation. “Since they were first introduced in NSW in 1971, waste levies have had the effect of increasing resource recovery through the support of businesses, processing facilities, waste treatment plants and waste-to-energy facilities as well as funding waste and recycling initiatives that reduce

1 July 2019 levy (msw) per tonne

1 July 2021 levy (msw) per tonne

NSW

Metro: $143.60 Regional: $82.70

Metro: $146 Regional: $84.10

Levy increases by CPI. Future of waste levies may be considered in the NSW Government’s yet to be released 20-year waste strategy.

QLD

Metro and Regional: $75

Queensland’s waste levy commenced on 1 July 2019. It is proposed to increase by $5 on 1 July each year (deferred due to COVID-19); and is being reviewed this year.

VIC

Metro: $65.90 Regional: $33.03

Metro: $105.90 Regional: $33.03

Victoria is increasing rates: 1 July 2021- 30 June 2022 Metro: $105.90 Regional: $52.95 1 July 2022- 30 June 2023 Metro: $125.90 Regional: $62.95

Metro: $110 Regional: $55

Metro: $143 Regional: $71.50

Changes to waste levy collection from 1 December 2021 (incl.10 per cent daily cover deduction, $0 levy on waste fill removed – solid waste levy rates apply).

Metro: $70

WA Government is reviewing the waste levy to determine if it meets the objectives of WA’s Waste Strategy 2030; levy rates are being introduced in nonmetro regions.

TAS

No levy

Tasmanian Government’s Draft Waste and Resource Recovery Bill proposes to introduce a levy from 1 November 2021starting at $20 per tonne and rising to $60 per tonne after four years.

ACT

Fee of $170.55 per tonne (C &I >0.25 tonnes)

Gate fee increase on existing fees for waste disposal at ACT Government facilities

ACT announced a levy in 2019/20 budget; however at present remains in gate fees; indexed by 2.5 per cent plus 7 per cent for commercial waste.

No levy

Waste management strategy for the NT (2015-2022) does not reference the introduction of a levy.

State/ Territory

the environmental impact of waste,” said Read. “However, up until 2018 the differential in levies between states, territories and regional locations had the opposite effect, where we were seeing vast volumes of waste, including potentially lowvalue recyclables being trucked large distances and dumped into landfills to avoid the levy.” In response to this levy avoidance and loss of potentially recyclable resources, states have been responding. Queensland introduced a levy of $75/tonne from 1 June 2019, SA increased its levy up to $143 from 1 July 2021 and Victoria announced it

Current situation

would increase its levy from $65.90 to $125.90 over three years starting from 1 July 2020. Due to COVID-19, the Victorian government deferred its levy increase for metropolitan and rural regions from 1 July 2020 to 1 July 2021. More recently, the Western Australian government completed a review of its levy and will be expanding levy rates to non-metro regions while Tasmania has decided to introduce a levy at $20/tonne starting from 1 November 2021 and rising to $60 per tonne after four years. As a result of these changes, we have seen a greater alignment of levies across states and territories

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Landfill Levies

(see table). This has in part reduced the movement of waste to avoid levies (e.g. less waste volumes being trucked to Queensland). However, we are yet to see any significant shift in resource recovery rates. Even though some states and territories have increased their investment in the sector because of the matching Commonwealth government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund, there doesn’t appear to have been a significant upward shift in the proportion of levy being reinvested into this sector. This is most notable in NSW which still only invests less than 20 per cent of its $750 million plus annual waste levy revenue, unlike many other states who are investing at least 50 per cent or more back into the sector. In regard to increasing transparency on levies collected and spent, there has been no improvement. “If we are serious about meeting the target of an 80 per cent resource recovery rate by 2030 as outlined in the National Waste Policy Action Plan, the harmonisation of levies must be matched by a greater proportion of these levies being

All state governments are increasing their landfill levies, which will hopefully lead to harmonisation.

invested into activities that will improve the recyclability of materials and products. We need to stop the use of non-recyclable and hazardous

materials, develop more effective collection, sorting, processing infrastructure and most importantly, incentivise and remove barriers to

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JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Product Stewardship //

A new era of sustainability in the roads sector By Inside Waste FIVE years ago, a quiet revolution began – first in a Queensland laboratory, then in a field trial on roads across the state’s vast south western region. The landmark research project’s aims were simple enough: to develop new specifications for spray seals and open-grade asphalt, then plan and conduct crumb rubber demonstrations, monitoring air emissions and performance properties. It was the first project funded by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), a not-forprofit company created to administer the National Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme. TSA invested $150,000 through its key investment mechanism, the Tyre Stewardship Fund, and partnered with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and the Australian Road Research Board. TSA has recently been endorsed as the best practise tyre product stewardship scheme under Australian Government. TSA’s mission is to increase demand for tyre-derived products – like crumb rubber - and help address the challenge presented by the equivalent of 56 million tyres that reach end-oflife in Australia every year. While 72 Puma Bitumen’s Bulwer Island plant has gone through a major upgrade.

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

percent is recovered for productive outcomes, only 21 percent is being consumed domestically. The rest either ends up as landfill, are illegally dumped or stockpiled. In fact, EOLTs were the most common illegally dumped waste in Queensland in 2018-19. Apart from the environmental and health impacts, these discarded tyres represent a loss of potentially valuable resources. TSA CEO, Lina Goodman, insists a strong roads market is a key component of a strong tyre resource recovery sector. Around 70 per cent of the weight of a standard passenger car tyre is made up of rubber and carbon black. Crumb rubber is obtained by buffing techniques performed on EOLT, leaving residual steel and fibre, which can be recycled. Contaminants such as dust, glass or rock are removed and discarded as waste. The modification of bitumen by incorporating crumb rubber enhances its elastic properties, making roads more durable and less prone to bleeding, cracking and stone loss. Crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB) is one of the most promising applications of tyre waste in Australia. In the 2018/19 financial year TSA approved 13 new crumb rubber roads projects. The successful delivery of those projects will create a potential market demand for the Australian resource recovery industry of 11,700 tonnes per annum – the equivalent of more than 1.5 million EPU. While the 2016 crumb rubber research project in regional Queensland may have seemed straightforward, it was the first bold step in TSA leading an aggressive transformation of the use or recycled materials in the roads market globally. The project focused on the transfer of crumb rubber modified surfacing technologies to Queensland and Western Australia, with an initial focus on increasing the use of spray seals. It also monitored emissions associated with the use of crumb rubber asphalt (CRA). One of the biggest barriers preventing the large-scale uptake of CRM is the perception its use may produce harmful emissions during installation. Completed in June 2017, it helped create a national specification for open graded asphalt and trialled it for implementation across Queensland and Western Australia. The results also showed that emissions from crumb rubber were similar to that of

asphalt with conventional binder. “While the research results themselves were really positive, our key learning was that projects with the roads sector need to incorporate realworld trials with industry – the people who lay roadwork every day across the country – with input from expert road authorities,” said Goodman. Five years on, the market for EOLT in Australia has changed, going from occasional user of crumb rubber (and other tyre-derived products), to a world leader. TSA has invested more than $6.3 million nationally to fund real-world outcomes for TDP like crumb rubber. In Western Australia and Queensland alone, $2.1 million has been invested across 13 crumb rubber roads projects. It is a testament to TSA’s commitment to driving a comprehensive, national program to increase the development and penetration of crumb rubber products in Australia. Its strategy is as simple as it is transformational: play a lead role as an enabling agency to help the roads sector deliver the best solutions to better manage EOLTs and drive uptake of domestic TDP. TSA doesn’t process rubber or build roads itself. Rather, it provides the support to better enable the resource recovery and roads sector do what they do best. TSA brokers connections between government, industry, manufacturers, researchers, recyclers and investors; invests in early-stage commercial opportunities; creates potential demand; demonstrates benefits and enables supply. Goodman claims Australia is at a “critical juncture in terms of a circular economy: it’s time for us to truly take responsibility for our own waste and use this incredible resource to instead create jobs, spark innovation and deliver strong environmental outcomes”. And, she adds, the environment is perfect for investment in the recycling of used tyres: “Through its export ban of whole baled tyres, expected to come into effect at the end of this year, the Federal Government has set the scene for greater consumption of tyre-derived products such as crumb rubber, permeable pavements and other innovative products across infrastructure nationally.” The south-west Queensland project was the first step in a multi-phase research and specification program. It was soon followed by $170,000

in funding for the development of specifications for crumb rubber gap graded asphalt for Queensland and WA which, in 2017, did not exist in either state. Both projects were part of the first stage of TSA’s phased funding program, aimed at addressing demand barriers and proving the technical merits of crumb rubber. These successful research and development projects allowed TSA to re-orient some of its focus in the crumb rubber market to larger scale demonstration and capacity building projects in both Queensland and WA, as well as Victoria and South Australia. This second phase of market stimulus has been geared to stimulate demand, combining specifications with field demonstrations. It has seen TSA partner with councils and road departments in WA and Queensland, as well as road research bodies and industry. Goodman said local council in particular have a crucial role to play in helping drive a viable crumb rubber market across Australia’s road network. “With 85 per cent of all Australian roads managed by local councils and significantly more low traffic roads found nationally, local government procurement power is critical to using resources like crumb rubber to create a better performing, longer lasting road network,” she said. “Local governments can carry real influence in the circular economy, so TSA is keen to partner with as many councils across Australia as possible.” Take Queensland, where crumb rubber consumption has increased by around 40 per cent in the past two years, replacing PMBs as the modifier of choice. While the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads is leading the way, its local government sector is also active in driving crumb rubber demand. TSA has provide Brisbane City Council with $150,000 in funding for crumb rubber-related projects in recent years. The first saw Council and TSA partner with industry to develop a plan on how best to increase the use of crumb rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) on council roads in south-east Queensland. The second involved a TSA-funded $100,000 upgrade to Council’s manufacturing plant in Eagle Farm to use crumb rubber in asphalt production. Council intends to use the mix for its own roads and intends to supply to other local councils within Queensland.

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// Product Stewardship

Councils are key players in making sure crumb rubber is used in roads.

Crumb rubber will be included in Council’s technical specification used on projects across Queensland. Last year, TSA also teamed with Logan City Council to develop an asphalt mix with crumb rubber and a high amount of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) suitable for local government roads. Logan City Council Director of Road Water Infrastructure, Daryl Ross, said Council is always looking at innovative ways to deliver better roads. “Council wants to build a road network that is suitable for our growing region,” Ross said. “This partnership with Tyre Stewardship Australia aims to enhance road quality for users in a costeffective way.” TSA’s senior strategy manager, Liam O’Keefe, said local governments can see the connection between procuring crumb rubber product and supporting a strong resource recovery sector. A stronger resource recovery sector that collects and processes more tyres for productive outcomes means less tyres being dumped and stockpiled to be managed by councils at great expense. TSA’s work in stimulating demand has meant that industry suppliers have co-invested in new plant equipment to produce crumb rubber at commercial scales; and to ship crumb rubber asphalts and spray seals to a high standard, to more remotely located road projects. It has included a $175,000 co-investment with Downer EDI, a manufacturer and supplier of bitumenbased products and an innovator in the sustainable asphalt industry. The funding was used to buy a mobile plant that can mix crumb rubber asphalt for spray seal projects that cannot be feasibly serviced by fixed plants. One of the benefits of a mobile crumb rubber blending solution is that it can be quickly and effectively moved to demand points, providing top quality, consistent product to consumers nationwide. This will alleviate market barriers occurring due to the distance between production facilities and

remote road projects – particularly relevant in WA and Queensland. The equivalent of more than a million used car tyres can now be recycled to make crumb rubber bitumen following a major upgrade at Puma Bitumen’s Bulwer Island plant in Brisbane. TSA contributed $300,000 to the upgrade, expanding Puma’s manufacturing capacity and building two new storage tanks to produce large volumes of high-quality crumb rubber bitumen. The crumb rubber bitumen will be used to make roads across much of southern Queensland and across the border into northern New South Wales. Phil Chirnside, national manager Puma Bitumen, describes the upgrade as “a game changer for Puma and road contractors”. “Puma’s Bulwer Island plant is the largest of its type in the country and it can now produce 1,200 tonnes of crumb rubber bitumen a week,” Chirnside said. Equipment specifically designed for blending crumbed rubber and bitumen has been installed and commissioned for the first time in Australia this year construction giant by Fulton Hogan in partnership with TSA. Fulton Hogan’s general manager (Northern Region), Richard Pearson, said the Queensland roads built using the open, dense, and gap-graded crumb rubber asphalt produced at the new plant would be more durable, longer lasting, quieter and safer than roads paved with conventional asphalt. “Crumb rubber modified bitumen used as a binder for asphalt mixes for community roads is a tangible contribution to the environment through recycling used-tyres, and a lower life-cycle cost of the resulting road pavement,” Pearson explains. “It’s about taking a waste stream – in this instance, used tyres – through to an environmentally beneficial product to build infrastructure of critical value.” The new blending plant, located at Fulton Hogan’s Geebung emulsion manufacturing plant in Brisbane, will be the first in Australia to

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

use the US equipment. In WA, TSA has committed $180,000 for Boral Asphalt to install two vertical agitated storage tanks. Boral’s current storage tanks are horizontal and new Main Roads specifications detail the requirement for rubber modified bitumens to be stored in vertical tanks. Installing vertical tanks will provide the opportunity for the Boral Asphalt plant to deliver high volumes of rubberised bitumen and crumb rubber asphalt products across metropolitan and regional Western Australia. TSA projects have created potential demand for crumb rubber in the roads sector of up to 63,000 tonnes, while crumb rubber blending capacity funded by TSA totals 24,500 tpa. The result? TSA has helped the roads supply chain absorb crumb rubber worth up to $16 million a year. The cumulative impact of these projects with partners is creating a tangible benefit to the tyre sector, resource recovery industry, road procurers and the community. “Through our partnerships, we’re striving to strengthen road supply chains and build scale economies so that crumb rubber roads are accepted as the reliable and cost competitive option – not only in WA and Queensland, but

nationally,” said Goodman. “TSA-funded research is evolving into commercial markets and infrastructure that will ensure consistent, ongoing consumption of Australian tyrederived product. Our projects focus on progressing from an idea to a bonafide, successful tyre-derived advanced manufacturing product. It’s exciting to witness the evolution from research into real world impact. “But while the progress is exciting and the impacts significant, there is still plenty to do to support road markets in absorbing crumb rubber – particularly in converting potential demand into actual consumption. “Creating widespread change does not happen overnight. It’s TSA’s academic and practical research and demonstration projects over years – and under various climate conditions and scenarios – that I believe makes our work so impactful. “We need a measured approach for the long-term viability of crumb rubber in roads. And it’s vital that research continues because terrains, environments and uses differ between each state and territory. There is no magic list of ingredients that can be adopted nationwide.” iw

CLOSED EXPORT BORDERS NEED OPEN LOCAL MINDS The Australian ban on the export of whole used tyres from December 2021 demands real-world and innovative thinking from local rubber processors and manufacturers. Tyre Stewardship Australia support and fund local solutions for end-of-life tyres. If you use raw rubber or tyre derived rubber in your products or have an innovative use for end-of-life tyres, we want to hear from you. Get in contact with Tyre Stewardship Australia to discuss the myriad of options for virgin rubber right through to tyre derived products and applications.

tyrestewardship.org.au

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Wastewater //

A bugs life in wastewater

Anammox bugs create a shortcut when it comes to wastewater treatment.

By Inside Waste URBAN Utilities and Veolia Water Technologies have unveiled new treatment technology that harnesses the natural power of the anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) bacteria to create a shortcut in the essential sewage treatment process. The full-scale sidestream Anita Mox treatment is up and running at Queenland’s largest wastewater treatment plant – Urban Utilities’ Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre. Organic nutrients like ammonium and nitrogen must be removed from sewage to protect the environment. Traditional sewage treatment

processes produce a by-product called centrate, which is rich in nitrogen and ammonium and needs to be returned to the head of the plant for further treatment. Urban Utilities’ process engineer, Justin Todhunter, said anammox bugs not only made the treatment process cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but they are also more efficient that some traditional methods that are utilised. “Using the side-stream plant, the anammox bugs naturally remove the ammonium and nitrogen, requiring less energy for aeration and eliminating the need to add carbon,” he said. “By using less energy and

Farming anammox bugs was time consuming.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Wastewater

Using the side-stream plant, the anammox bugs naturally remove the ammonium and nitrogen, requiring less energy for aeration and eliminating the need to add carbon... by using less energy and chemicals, the anammox creates a more efficient treatment process. chemicals, the anammox creates a more efficient treatment process. The process will save around $500,000 per year in operational costs and boost capacity at the Luggage Point Plant, which treats around 60 per cent of Brisbane’s sewage – the equivalent of around 50 Olympic swimming pools – every day.” Urban Utilities has spent 10 years researching and farming the slow-growing anammox bugs at the Luggage Point Innovation Centre to have enough to use in the sidestream plant. Todhunter said the most exciting part of the milestone was that the completion of the plant meant other wastewater utilities in Australia could have instant access to anammox bugs if they were looking to implement the same innovative technology. “We’ve finally grown enough bugs to introduce them into the

treatment process and start reaping the benefits, as they’re very efficient at removing ammonium and nitrogen from sewage,” he said. “The increased efficiency means Urban Utilities’ Luggage Point plant will have more capacity to cater for Queenland’s population growth.” Veolia Water Technologies general manager for projects, Michelle Moroney, said farming the anammox was one of the most time-consuming parts of the process. “Due to biosecurity laws, you can’t import anammox bugs into Australia so it’s taken a long time to grow them for this project,” she said. “The plant will operate as a biofarm, which means other wastewater utilities can have instant access to seeded carriers if they’re interested in using the technology.” Moroney said the bugs grow on special disc-shaped carriers

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

The bugs remove ammonium and nitrogen.

in the Anita Mox process, which was one of the other reasons the technology was unique. “The carriers provide a home for the biofilm to grow on and they’re a critical part of the process,”she said. “Around 500 cubic metres of carriers were craned into the sidestream tanks

at Luggage Point.” Urban Utilities was able to retrofit existing unused aeration tanks at the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre for the sidestream plant, which helped them reduce the capital investment the needed to get the system up and running. iw

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Organics //

FOGO in MUDs – how do I make it work? By Maya Deacock, James Cosgrove and Mike Ritchie AS our cities become bigger we are living more in units and flats (MUDs or multi-unit dwellings) rather than houses (SUDs or single unit dwellings). MRA is regularly asked to explain whether FOGO (Food Organic and Garden Organic waste collected in a dedicated green lidded bin, from households) works in MUDs. Although FOGO has multiple benefits and is being adopted around the country, councils with high MUD density are naturally cautious about FOGO and want to know if it is worth the effort in terms of benefits (dollars, greenhouse as emissions, compost value etc). FOGO is usually 55 per cent by weight of all waste produced by a household. Our planning team regularly advises councils and developers on the preferred mechanisms for FOGO, recyclables and garbage from MUDs. We also recently completed an international review of organics recovery in MUDs including Europe and North America. There is a real mix of methods for collecting FOGO (and recyclables) in Australian MUDs. Let’s look at each:

Chutes Developers are providing fewer chutes in MUDs today. They take up valuable real estate, are expensive to operate, and often gum up with waste. Residents like the convenience when they work, but maintenance can be a killer. Mostly developers are now opting for bin options but if they do provide a chute they generally only provide one chute (with an e-diverter to allow both recycling and waste to go down the same chute) or two chutes (one each for recycling and waste). Chutes for FOGO are rare. In our view, chutes are almost always unnecessary. Cardboard clogs them up, E-diverters break or are misused. The taller the building the more likely that the chute system will fail or clog up due to the many additional mechanisms with height. Broken chutes leave residents frustrated and often leads to improper disposal (dumping on the floor etc). Many state guidelines still require 36

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

There are a multitude of methods to collect FOGO waste from MUDs.

chutes for buildings above seven storeys. But it takes no more time to go down in a lift from the 9th floor than the 7th, or 20th for that matter. Thankfully most state documents are guidelines only (and not statutory requirements). For many reasons, chutes and FOGO are not a good mix.

Bins in the basement This is the best option in terms of costs and contamination. Walking or taking the lift to the waste room is almost always preferable. It reduces the likelihood of dumping on each floor, it reduces contamination of streams and allows for more and different recycling options in the basement (e.g. FOGO, textiles, batteries, fluoro tubes etc). However, it requires the resident to bring the FOGO bag down to common FOGO bins in the basement or bin bay. In general, 1 x 240 litre FOGO bin per 3-4 units collected weekly adequately substitutes the weekly volume of food being taken out of the red bin. There are many MUDs providing successful FOGO services with good recovery rates and low

contamination, via this method. It is simple and provides the flexibility to accommodate changing services.

Bins on each floor A smaller number of MUDs provide a FOGO bin on each floor. Usually in a bin room. Of course that takes up more space on each floor but is very convenient for residents. Littering, contamination and improper disposal are also minimised. It does require an agreement with the cleaners or corporate body to remove the bins to the ground level for bin night. Bins placed on each floor can work for low-medium rise buildings but it becomes increasingly labour intensive for taller buildings. There are many MUDs providing successful FOGO services with good recovery rates and low contamination rates via this method.

Pneumatic Systems Pneumatic systems use vacuums to suck waste along a tube to a central waste hub, from which it is removed by a truck. These are very expensive

and are generally only cost effective across a CBD or a large greenfield development. You still need to drive a truck to the hub so doing it for a single building doesn’t add any value. To permit recycling you need colour-coded bags and optical sorting at the hub. MRA research did not find a single example of FOGO collection using pneumatic systems in Australia. There are pneumatic systems operating for FOGO (mainly FO) in Europe, but usually as part of a district wide scheme.

Suburban or street corner hubs Some European cities provide organics (and recyclable) collection via a bulk bin located centrally to a suburb or located on prominent street corners. This works well in terms of quality and contamination because only the most committed households use the system. On the other hand, recovery rates of organics are usually lower than a system operating in each MUD.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Organics

In-sink macerator In-sink macerators are shredding units installed in kitchen sinks. Food waste is shredded to small pieces which are then flushed with water into the sewerage system. This is a space-efficient way of managing certain types of food waste. Bones and fruit stones still need to be disposed of separately. Fifty per cent of Auckland MUDs have in-sink macerators. They work well to capture food waste from MUDs. However, the water/ sewage authorities in Australia have generally taken a dim view of them because of the additional load they place on the waste water treatment system. While the FO adds to BOD (biological oxygen demand), the bigger challenge is the additional volume of liquid going down existing (and often constrained) sewer lines. On the positive side FO is a brilliant source of energy for anaerobic digestion at the sewage treatment plant. But unless the water authorities have a change of heart, this is not a serious contender for FO collections.

Onsite food processing units This technology is not really a FOGO collection method but works well for high density FO sources such as mixed use developments with MUDs and food courts or restaurants on ground level. There are a range of onsite food processing types – including macerators, digestors with disposal to sewer, and dehydrators. However, they are a relatively high cost option compared to universal FOGO collections (i.e. a 240 bin service rolled out to all households in a Council area), due to the lower economies of scale. Having said that, on-site processors are becoming much more common for large commercial food generators, mixed use developments, universities, hospitals etc. They have had a fairly limited application in MUDs only. In summary: • Councils should definitely include MUD FOGO in their waste strategy evaluations. MUDs will generate a preponderance of FO. • Most Councils collect MUD FO as part of a universal FOGO roll-out to all SUDs and MUDs.

FOGO is usually 55 per cent by weight of all waste produced in a household.

• I rrespective of the collection method, a FOGO service will improve recycling rates, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and most often reduce costs (especially where landfill levies are rising). • Contamination rates are best managed via a comprehensive and ongoing education program,

whichever collection system is adopted. Kitchen caddies and liners are also highly beneficial in terms of recovery rates and lowering contamination. • The most effective systems for collecting FOGO in MUDs are bins in the basement and bins on each Floor. iw

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JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Energy from Waste //

Private hospital waste products to good use

Old uniforms are put to use rather than into landfills at Epworth’s Richmond hospital.

By Inside Waste EPWORTH HealthCare’s sustainability manager Simon Mikedis knows how important it is to make sure the company waste doesn’t head to landfill. There are several plans in place that will help the company keep waste to a minimum. Approximately 90,000 loaves of bread, 78,000 litres of milk, 33,000 kg of beef, 33,000 kg of apples and 18,000 kg of potatoes are just part of the 1.2 million meals that Epworth HealthCare makes at its Richmond hospital in Melbourne. That is a lot of food, but also a fair bit of food waste, too. At a corporate level, Epworth HealthCare decided it needed a new strategy when it came to sustainability. This not only included the leftover food it was producing, but also ways to make sure its excess PVC products and even old staff uniforms were kept out of landfills. 38

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Mikedis, knew he had a job ahead of him, and in the case of the food waste, the solution came via a grant from the local council, that also helped turn the waste into energy. “We came across the Sustainability Victoria/Yarra City Council Food Waste Minimisation scheme, which allowed a waste audit to be conducted,” said Mikedis. “This highlighted what our key impacts were in the area, and it showed that food waste was by far the biggest problem for us. Once we had the audit done it was a period of six or so months to verify results, and then go through the grant process.” The company received a grant to trial the Wastemaster Dehydrator as it was looking into the feasibility of a number of different systems. The biggest issue the hospital had with the Richmond site – which is about 100 years old – was space, or lack thereof. Mikedis had to run the idea through various departments so the

company could free up the space, which it did. Then, it was a matter of tweaking ventilation, electricity provisions and staff training and other resources. How does the equipment work in a practical manner? “[The machine] doesn’t require any food additives,” said Mikedis. “Food – most forms of food and organic waste – is emptied into a bin lifter at one end and then is blasted with oxygen to dehydrate it at a rapid rate of knots. Within 12 to 24 hours all the moisture content is reduced from the food. For every 100 kilos of food that goes in, about 20-30kgs comes out, so we reduce it by about 80 per cent by just removing the moisture content. It is a highly calorific product at the end.” Mikedis said that some people would call the final product compost, but he’s not sure it meets the criteria to be proper soil compost. However, it is calorific and it can used as a fuel source or added with other

things to be a soil conditioner and other additives. Epworth has gone down the road of doing some good for the community by sending the final product to an anaerobic digester in Wollert, which produces green electricity. It closes the loop in the whole system. “Although food waste was only 30 per cent of our waste stream at our Richmond hospital, by weight it was 73 per cent, which was a huge amount,” said Mikedis. “This facility is able to handle 400kg a day of waste. We produce probably a bit more than that, so our aim is to reduce the amount in excess of that so we aren’t throwing any away and that is being done through systems in the kitchens themselves. “The amount of food waste we have is almost zero, but there are a few items that we can’t recycle, like some of the larger bones and cooking oils and those sort of things that can’t go in the system. There are

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Energy from Waste //

some packaged food items where it is too problematic to separate the packaging from food, such as uneaten snacks and things like that. We are approaching 0 in terms of food waste at the Richmond site.” In the first 12 months the company has been using the device it has removed more than 52 tonnes of food waste. It produces enough electricity from the food to power more than 1,200 homes for a day. Even though the dehydrator scheme is technically a trial – albeit a long one at three years – it has been a huge success in its first year and a half, and Mikedis doesn’t see a pathway where it won’t be used into the future. That doesn’t mean the company is not looking at other ways to improve its sustainability goals. “We’ll continually look at the feasibility of other technologies,” he said. “Some of our other hospitals don’t have any space at all to fit a dehydrator, so there are other options around. “This includes waste-to-water facilities that go through the sewage system and break it down and also

Food – most forms of food and organic waste – is emptied into a bin lifter at one end and then is blasted with oxygen to dehydrate it at a rapid rate of knots. Within 12 to 24 hours all the moisture content is reduced from the food. For every 100 kilos of food that goes in, about 20-30kgs comes out. companies that take the waste away to process it off site. We are weighing up options across all our sites but the technology, as it currently stands for Richmond, is generally accepted as a success. It will be there long term. “We’re lucky in that we have been offered this machine as part of the grant, so it is a free trial over the course over those three years,” he said. It has essentially paid for itself from the beginning, and we are currently looking at expanding it to our other hospital sites. We worked out that with the rate of landfill levy increases and other environmental obligations we need to meet with carbon disclosures, and greenhouse energy reporting scheme, it will still pay for itself in a relatively short amount of time. Then there are the social benefits, which are a little harder to measure.”

When it comes to the recycling of PVCs, Epworth HealthCare has a large supply of products that are made from the material. It currently has more than 20 different streams that need recycling due to infection control and the requirement to use, in a lot of cases, single-use items. This includes used oxygen tubes, IV fluid bags and masks. “All that stuff gets recycled in a plant in Victoria. It is within close range of the hospital and they produce things like garden hose and children’s playground matting and that sort of thing,” said Mikedis. “More than six kilometres of garden hose alone has been produced from PVC recycling last year. There are huge environmental benefits in recycling PVC. It is a valuable resource in that it is better to recycle than get the raw products from oil.

We repurpose it and it can be used over and over again. By doing that, we provide a longer life for useful products and it is a free service. If we were paying for it to go to landfill it would be a bigger cost on the hospital.” Finally, there is the recycling of old uniforms. With 11 sites around the state, Epworth HealthCare’s staff get issued three or four sets of uniforms a year. Because of staff turnover, there is a lot of old staff uniforms that go to waste. Again, Mikedis and the company try and make sure it doesn’t all go to landfill. “Considering the uniforms are Epworth property, we had to ensure the logos were adequately destroyed after somebody ceased being employed by us,” said Mikedis. “We work with a company that securely destroys the fabric. Through Textile Recycler’s Australia, they are able to repurpose that fabric as underlay for carpet and stuffing for gym equipment, as well as other textile fabrics for blankets and thinks like that. It is another success that keeps it within the state of Victoria and not having export it as waste.” iw

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Circular Economy //

Convergence: The future of waste in infrastructure By Kirsty Bauer THE evolution of sustainable practices, which include waste management, within the infrastructure sector in Australia and New Zealand presents a huge opportunity to make real and valuable long-term positive benefits for the environment. The industry is at cross-roads and through innovation, investment and most importantly, partnerships. We are moving towards a future where we look at what waste we generate and what resources we need and develop new and innovative technologies or products. Most are familiar with the ‘waste hierarchy’ – avoid, minimise, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose. Recycling and waste minimisation have been utilised over the past few decades on major projects; utilising fly ash in concrete is a common example. Increasingly the demand from the community to do more is driving our clients, particularly Government agencies, to seek new techniques

Using recycled asphalt in new asphalt projects is common practice.

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The policy brings a uniform approach to the existing ‘ad hoc’ use of recycled and reused products on major transport infrastructure projects, and aims to drive greater use of these materials, encourage innovation and develop demand for recycled and reused materials. and technologies. The result is the infrastructure industry increasingly adopting an integrated approach that aims to optimise the complex infrastructure requirements, improve resource recovery and deliver better value for the economy and environment. Complementing the hierarchy is the concept of a circular economy which challenges the traditionally linear take-make-use-dispose behaviour on which our society is built, and envisions an economy based on regeneration, re-use and repurposing the resources we have. The circular economy is “a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy

loops. This can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing and recycling”.

Where we stand now At its core, a project needs to deliver on specific outcomes to an agreed quality and specification. For example, concrete needs to be fit for purpose, with sufficient strength and durability. The utilisation of fly ash and other recycled alternatives can be limited by the need to meet these fundamental requirements – crucial to delivering a safe and durable outcome. The current governing standards across most states and territories have been in place for quite some time and include allowances for

the range and amount of recycled content that can be included in key materials (like concrete and asphalt). This has been a significant step towards embedding sustainable design and construction practices within infrastructure projects and has resulted in many positive outcomes for the environment. For example, using recycled asphalt product (RAP) in asphalt is common practice and is often the cheaper option, with better durability outcomes. This reduces the requirement for virgin bitumen (a petroleum product) and reduces embodied carbon of the material footprint. Tenders for infrastructure projects continue to include more robust expectations and requirements for the inclusion and use of the ‘waste hierarchy’, as well as sustainability outcomes. Contractual obligations include local manufacturing of materials to reduce the carbon miles, as well as stimulate the local economies surrounding a project. This also includes waste minimisation procedures that limit the amount of project waste going to landfill, which over the project lifecycle can result in financial savings, as well as social benefits from reduced truck movements. Although, on the one hand tenders are requiring more recycled products to be used and better waste to landfill divergence requirements, there are barriers that slow the progress of the circular economy and use of more sustainable materials. A study undertaken by the Wealth from Waste Cluster identified the following barriers to a circular economy; high cost of collection, complex product design, preferences for new products and immature secondary supply chains. In addition, it was noted that circular economy was not a priority for small- to medium-sized enterprises, there was inconsistent and incomplete policy and investment was not forthcoming due to a lack of performance data. Other common barriers include slow inclusion and update of the requirements and specifications to assist in the adoption of new materials. This includes successful material trials influencing the advancement of the specifications.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Circular Economy

The adoption and use of recycled product in construction materials for infrastructure is slow.

This includes the results from successful material trials not being translated or included in specification updates. Furthermore, interstate silos and differences in relevant specifications mean that it is challenging to adopt innovative materials used in one state to another.

The future: investment, innovation and collaboration For the most part adoption and use of recycled product in construction materials for infrastructure is slow, but we are now seeing small pockets of real application of sustainability methodologies, including the circular economy, come to life and evolve into sophisticated mechanisms, driving outcomes for waste recovery, reuse and minimisation. The key to this is strengthening collaboration and delivering consistent, high-value outcomes, fostering innovation and ultimately, investment. In Victoria, the state government is committed to optimising the use of recycled and reused Victorian materials across all rail and road construction through the Ecologiq program and the Recycled First policy. The policy brings a uniform

approach to the existing ‘ad hoc’ use of recycled and reused products on major transport infrastructure projects, and aims to drive greater use of these materials, encourage innovation and develop demand for recycled and reused materials. This initiative includes recycled materials guidance and requirements for projects which outlines how to maximise the recycled content utilised within a project using the existing specifications. Making integration of waste material use easier and more efficient. There is a similar approach in Queensland with the Department of Transport and Main Roads Technical Note TN193 - Use of Recycled Materials in Road Construction (September 2020), which provides a matrix informing industry about the quantity and type of recycled content that can be included within the authorised specifications. Project owners are focused on contractually driven outcomes and best practice procurement behaviours to help drive innovation and challenge the boundaries beyond the previous use of waste materials. For example, within tenders there is an increasing demand for projects

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

to include a recycled material that is not steel or concrete, to utilise locally sourced material which is not a virgin product, and to build longterm community value. We are also seeing private investment and collaboration with the establishment of joint ventures like the new $45 million Albury/ Wodonga recycling plant in NSW/ VIC. This is joint venture between Cleanaway, packaging company Pact Group and drinks manufacturer Asahi Beverages, to build a domestic circular economy and boost regional jobs. Cleanaway will provide the plastic to be recycled through its collection and sorting network, Pact will provide technical and packaging expertise while Asahi Beverages and Pact will buy the recycled plastic from the facility to use in their packaging. The plant will also create many jobs directly and indirectly – driving local investment and growth. There are positives in the work done to date to advance the circular economy, but given the sheer quantity of waste being generated and already in the system, there is much more that will need to be done to bring society towards a true

circular system for waste. Broader investigations on the resources available from existing waste storage facilities (including landfills, glass and plastic stockpiles and transfer stations), and the resource requirements of industry and manufacturing, need to be conducted. To take the next step, partnerships like that of Cleanaway, packaging company Pact Group and drinks manufacturer Asahi Beverages will need to become the norm. It will also mean that Australia and New Zealand’s manufacturing capability will need to grow exponentially. The issue of waste is seen as a community problem that requires a holistic approach across all sectors, not just a waste industry problem to be solved. The future for the circular economy is looking optimistic, but only if we can expand the collaboration models, share knowledge and break down barriers to achieve truly impactful positive outcomes. iw Kirsty Bauer is an associate environmental scientist with SMEC. She is an advocate for generational change in the implementation of sustainability. JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Regulations //

Regulators have extensive powers when it comes to investigating waste issues.

When the regulator comes knocking By Gavin Shapiro WASTE is a highly regulated industry, given it has the potential for significant impacts to human health and the environment if not managed carefully. For this reason, many in the industry will, from time to time, receive an unwelcome visit, call, request, or notice from regulators. These are most commonly WH&S regulators, or environmental regulators (the EPA in most states and territories). We are often asked for advice on how to manage these interactions. There is no single answer – each scenario varies – but there are some fundamental things to be aware of.

Why is the regulator contacting you? The first question to establish is, why are they contacting you? Was there an incident, or is it for another reason? You have a right to understand why the regulator is visiting or contacting you. This is especially the case if they are investigating a 44

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potential breach or offence. If they turn up onsite, for example, the first question you ask should always be, “Can I please ask the purpose of your visit?” This will help you understand, respond to, and manage any visit or contact. For example, if it is because the regulator has received complaints about odour or noise, you can try steer them to relevant parts of the facility, and provide relevant information to address concerns. You can also then query the regulator if they try to visit other, irrelevant areas (though, legally, you may not be able to stop it in some cases). It can also be important in terms of evidence. If a regulator states they are onsite for one purpose, but is actually there for a different reason, and obtains evidence under false pretext, this can possibly affect permissibility of evidence. You also have the right to ask any person from the regulator to identify themselves, and provide evidence of their authorisation.

Powers of investigation Regulators have extensive powers of investigation. These include entry to facilities, powers to compel answers to questions and require people to attend interviews, powers to take evidence, and powers to issue various notices. Typically, when those powers are exercised, you are required to comply, and it may be a criminal offence to refuse, or to interfere. However, regulators often first ask permission to be allowed onsite, or send letters “requesting” a response. These requests can be couched ambiguously, so it is not clear if you must comply, or if it is just a “polite” request. Be clear on this – are the regulators formally exercising their powers, which you must comply with, or are they just asking you nicely? You should establish early on – whether it is simply a “request”, or is it a requirement that you must legally comply with, as this may change the way you respond. It also pays to be familiar with the regulator’s powers. Are they acting within power? Are they potentially

Gavin Shapiro.

pushing the envelope? Are you able to challenge this? For example, – should the regulator have first provided a notice of entry? Or were they required to obtain a warrant? And when the regulator does attend site – you should always have someone accompany them, and take notes of everything they say and do. This is important both so that you can understand what occurred, but may also be important in evidence.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Regulations

Having a good, trusting relationship with a regulator helps pave the way for better understanding of government regulations.

Finally, just because they are a regulator, does not mean they can ignore your site WH&S and environmental requirements. You should still ask them to carry out any necessary induction(s) and abide by relevant procedures (although you cannot force them to do so).

Managing the relationship One of the most difficult questions we are asked is around managing the relationship with the regulator. Specifically, how open to be with the regulator. If it is only a “request”, should we comply? Should I only answer questions briefly, yes/ no, or should I provide lots of additional information? This is a very difficult question to answer, because it will depend on the circumstances. In many cases, it pays to have a good, trusting relationship with the regulator. Many of the internal guidelines used by the regulators emphasise that prosecution and fines are the most drastic steps in enforcement, and where a better result can be achieved through education, voluntary action etc, this is preferable. If you have a good relationship, and the regulator trusts you – often you can achieve better results with an open dialogue – including admitting when noncompliances have occurred, why, and how you will remedy them. However, I have also had clients

who have felt themselves in the crosshairs, and that anything said or done by them may be used against them as evidence in a prosecution. And hence, perhaps it is best to stay as quiet as possible (or as quiet as is legally allowed) in such cases. It can even vary from site-to-site, as different regional offices, and indeed officers, can have different personalities and approaches. Therefore, the best advice is to use your discretion – always be polite, always comply with any legal requirements, try to foster a trusting relationship. Be very careful about making admissions, or sharing too much information unnecessarily. It also makes sense to have a single point of contact for the regulator – someone that they know they can contact, and vice versa. This can help maintain the relationship, and ensure that visits and the like proceed more smoothly. It is also important in terms of organising information – if it is all sent to the regulator via a single person, they can ensure that all information is correct and consistent, rather than multiple different, conflicting answers from different people.

Asking questions/interviews Regulators typically have powers to require answers to questions – either by way of recorded interview, or written notice. There are two golden rules to follow.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

If you have a good relationship, and the regulator trusts you – often you can achieve better results with an open dialogue – including admitting when non-compliances have occurred, why, and how you will remedy them. First, if you do not understand the question, or are unclear – do not be afraid to say “I don’t understand – please can you explain what you are asking.” Second, never assume. For example, if the regulator asks you what caused an incident, if you do not yet know, if you are still investigating – say so. Say “We have not yet established the cause, as we are still investigating. We would be happy to provide you with an update once those investigations have been completed.” You do no one favours – not yourself, nor the regulators – by providing answers that are potentially wrong, misleading, or need to be corrected later. Another matter to be aware of is self-incrimination. The WH&S and environmental regulators have powers to commence criminal prosecutions. Like the police say – anything you say can and will be used against you in a Court of law. Some WH&S and environmental laws are unique in requiring companies and people to answer questions even if they may be incriminating – there is no ‘pleading the fifth.’ However, while companies typically do not have these rights, individuals

can usually register an objection – meaning even though they must answer, the answer cannot be used as evidence against them personally. Remembering this can be the difference between an individual being pursued or not.

Duty to notify Under some WH&S and environmental laws, there is a duty to notify the regulator when an incident occurs. Be aware of these requirements and build them into your emergency procedures, otherwise, failure could create another breach for the regulator to investigate. Finally, like in Who Wants to be a Millionaire, you have the right to phone a friend. If you are ever unsure of what to do, you can ask the regulator to pause while you call your manager/head office/friendly environmental lawyer for advice. Gavin Shapiro is a partner at Hones Lawyers. He specialises in the waste industry, including waste contracts, waste legislation, EPA investigations and prosecutions, and operational issues. Gavin has advised federal, state and local governments on waste policy, legislation and issues. iw JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Material Recovery Facilities //

What happens to MRFs when a CDS is implemented? When a CDS system is introduced waste contractors will have to reassess their resources as less waste will be collected.

By Inside Waste A Container Deposit System (CDS) is a great idea, but there also has to be changes to other parts of the waste collection equation when such a system comes into play. Speaking at the Victorian Waste Management Association conference, consultant Anne Prince asked the question “What changes are there to the composition of kerbside bins under a CDS scheme?” When NSW introduced its CDS in 2017 it brought with it approximately $100 million of new income to MRFs each year, according to Prince. “The reasons NSW MRFs did not fail when the China Sword happened was there was all of this new funding available to them if they could sell their commodity,” she said. “The introduction of the CDS scheme was not without its controversy with significant lobbying and politicking, but at the end of the day, the NSW government took a stance to introduce CDS to help meet then Premier’s ambitious litter reduction 46

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target of 40 per cent and to increase resource recovery.” However, with the scheme, things changed on the ground for waste contractors. And those that were up with the play – had done their homework before the system was implemented – wouldn’t have found the impact as jarring as those who thought it might be business as usual. Prince likes to collect data because she believes if ‘you can’t manage if you can’t measure’. This is why it is important to get ahead of the curve when it comes to anticipating the changes the CDS will have on kerbside recycling once the CDS comes into play. “If you are a waste contractor, and you currently have a fleet of 10 vehicles, you need to know what is going to happen to those recycling bins when the CDS hits because your 10 trucks might be able to be reduced down to eight because there is going to be a substantial amount of material coming out of the bins,” she said. “What comes out of the bins depends on the convenience of the system. The

more convenient the system, the more people will use it, the more material will get reclaimed. If the system is clunky, then chances are residents will continue to do what they have always done, which is put it in the recycling bin, which is where the MRFs come in. That unredeemed item worth 10 cents now goes to the MRF operator, who then has to share it with the local council.” Prince’s firm did a lot of baseline waste audits to inform the NSW EPA of what was happening on the ground. It looked in litter bins at airports, train stations, hotels, cafes, restaurants, kerbside bins – they sorted the contents of all those receptacles; garbage and recycling – to see what was in them. They then sorted the streams into seven different material types, 51 different product types and eight different sizes. The reason for that level of detail was so the NSW EPA could model impact and coverage if certain sizes and products were included or excluded as they were designing the NSW scheme. The EPA didn’t really have a good

grasp on consumer purchasing and disposal behaviour. They knew what was littered but where were the rest of the containers? All of that data provided an invaluable baseline about consumers when the CDS system was introduced. “That then allowed us to go back some time later and say ‘where are all those containers now? Are they still in those bins or are they somewhere else?’” said Prince. “We did kerbside audits of single dwellings and a range of multi dwelling both pre and post CDS sampling households in the same areas in the same climatic season to see what the differences were. The behaviour of the people living in units or medium density, is quite different in terms of both waste generation and disposal behaviour than that of people living in single dwellings. As an example, in 2015 we did an audit of 1600 households in nine councils and in 2019 almost 3,000 households in 13 councils.” What the audit found was that in a single dwelling household before the CDS came into effect there were

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Material Recovery Facilities

on average 17 eligible containers each week that the residents were disposing of in the garbage or recycling bin. By 2019, that number had dropped to seven. Sixty per cent of the eligible containers had been taken out and taken somewhere else – either intentionally removed and refunded, or scavenged due to bin diving, said Prince. When it came to multi-unit dwellings, it was found that there were much less containers than in single dwellings, with only seven containers generated in 2105, which was reduced down to four containers three years later. A 40 per cent decrease in the number of containers in the waste stream bin. Prince believes Victorians can expect – based on the NSW experience – a similar decrease of between 40-60 per cent of eligible containers in their waste receptacles bins. “We still have some eligible used containers in the general waste bins - 2.5 containers in the garbage and 3.5 containers in a recycling bin per week,” said Prince. “That is around 5.5 containers that are not being redeemed by the consumer compared to the initial 17 we found. The majority of containers have certainly come out of kerbside bins. In terms of what type of materials those 5.5 containers represent, they vary. About 26 per cent were aluminium, 37 per cent was PET, 29 per cent is HDPE and 7 per cent was glass. You might think that most people would be recycling their aluminium cans because

it all easy to do, but they were still a quarter of all cans in kerbside bins.” Prince said her company is engaged to audit 3,000 households recycling bins on a quarterly basis to work out how many glass containers are eligible before they get crushed through the MRF process. At the kerbside is where most glass is unbroken. Typically, 16 NSW MRFs are also sampled to work out how much of the total amount of each of the materials that a MRF processes, are eligible containers. This data informs the NSW EPA about the eligible container factor, which varies by quarter. Of the 3,000 random households in 30 councils that are being audited, 2,000 of them are in the metropolitan area, while 1,000 are in the regional areas based on population. In the ACT, 1,000 household bins are audited per quarter. “The sampling is proportional to the household stock,” said Prince. “If you are in a council and you have 80 per cent single dwellings and 20 per cent units, our sample of 100 households is 80 from single dwellings or 20 from single units. Or if you are in Randwick, where there is a highdensity area, it is the other way around – 80 per cent maybe units, and 20 per cent from single dwellings. We are trying to reflect what is happening in each council area.” When it comes to the MRFs, looking back on the first three years, changes can be seen. For example, with aluminium containers there was a 12 per cent drop in the first year,

then 2 per cent in the following year and then 0 decrease last year. Glass dropped 43 per cent in the first year, another 33 per cent disappeared in the next year and nine per cent in the third year. Aluminium plateaued first, then glass, while plastics varies by quarter according to Prince. “MRFs will produce a product that they can sell. In recent years that has changed with some producing a mixed plastic bale and others producing separate polymer outputs. Due to these changes over time, and by quarter, plastics decreased up to 30 per cent in the first year and a further 44 per cent in the second but we are still seeing anomalies happening.” Overall, the NSW scheme achieved what it was set up to do, litter is down and the scheme is working. “There is new income for MRFs and new income streams for councils from some residents leaving their eligible containers in the kerbside bins but only if those containers are in the recycling bin. In NSW, each MRF and council must have a revenue sharing agreement in place until a new processing contract came into effect. This caused some consternation with greed on both sides of the table. Some MRFs and councils engaged lawyers to ink out a deal while others decided on a 50/50 split and moved on,” said Prince. “There were quite different reactions by both parties and differing opinions in councils between officers and elected representatives. We were engaged by the Dept of Local

Government to investigate the additional compliance cost of MRFs to meet their new reporting and compliance obligations. In reality every MRF is different - in age, size, design, throughput, processes, recovery and costs structures. To be fair, the MRF should be able to subtract the cost of compliance and the remaining funds be negotiated. If the councils didn’t sign off on the interim agreement, none of the money went to the MRF or council and the money stayed in the coffers of the beverage industry. “The agreement between the council and the MRF had to be sent to the EPA for them to register. The EPA wanted to make sure the MRFs didn’t keep all the money, but it was up to the council and the MRF to agree to what the split was.” Prince said the key learnings were to allow ample time to get the system in place. There is a huge amount of work to implement such a scheme. Everyone’s first interaction with the scheme should be positive – convenience is the key. Assuming the Victorian scheme is similar and the community embrace the program like their NSW counterparts, Price would expect to see a drop in eligible containers in recycling bins of 60 per cent and a decrease of 25 per cent in containers in the general waste bin. Importantly, the littering target has been achieved, resource recovery is up, and both kerbside and redemption centres are co-existing. iw

The monies earned from the CDS should be split between the MRF and council, according to Prince.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Consultants’ Registry //

Firms optimistic about future WELCOME to the 2021 Inside Waste Consultancy Directory, which is the precursor to the Inside Waste Consultants Awards that will be announced in the December edition of the magazine. In past years there have been issues with some companies not being included in the listing, which we acknowledge has not been ideal. This year, we have done our best to make sure that all of those companies that wish to be on the list have had ample time and opportunity to send in their information. Inside Waste has put out emails blasts on all its relevant platforms, as well as sent out reminders in newsletters and put up articles on the website. We also extended the registration deadline to make sure we had the most comprehensive list possible. And while we believe that we have given consultants within the industry ample time and opportunity to be involved in survey, we cannot guarantee that every company was covered. If you are a consultant who has not been listed, please get in touch so we can be sure to add you to our relevant databases. As readers will have noted, another difference from last year is that the Inside Waste Consultants Awards

associated with the listing are not being published in this edition. For those not familiar, the awards are decided annually as a readers’ choice award to recognise excellence within our impressive waste consultants’ industry. To increase the prestige and exposure of these wonderful consultants, we have decided instead to announce the winners at the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards. These awards are being held at the end of the year on October 27 at the Showtime Events Centre in Melbourne. They will take place in conjunction with the Waste Expo. The Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards are sponsored by ResourceCo, Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group and the Waste Expo. The awards recognise outstanding programs and people from across the waste and resource recovery sector. Inside Waste has partnered with Waste Management Review to bring the industry these awards in 2021, and we’re looking forward to celebrating success stories from across the industry in addition to acknowledging our waste consultants. The listing in this issue will give readers the opportunity to see who the players are and the various consultancy they carry out.

Most consultancies still rely on the public sector for a large portion of their business.

FOGO + FO are coming... We can:

• design FOGO and FO trials • design education programs • audit new and existing programs • undertake cost benefit analysis • benchmark performance

APC can sort it out! COVID has had little or no impact on most consultancy businesses in the waste space.

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

02 9907 0994

admin@aprince.com.au

www.aprince.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Consultants’ Registry

Cut Council’s emissions... go FOGO MRA’s experienced team provides a range of services to enhance your recovery of organics. It’s one of the reasons we were voted Australia’s best recycling and waste consultancy in 2020.

Finalists will be notified at the end of August, and invited to attend where they can meet other nominees, as well as mix and mingle with their peers.

The Registry This year’s registry has more than 40 consultancy firms, all offering a range of services to the wider waste community. The results of the survey have been both interesting and insightful. They vary in size from those that have less than 10 staff members to some that have more than 200. And while the past 18 months has been trying for many companies and industries, it appears that COVID has had little or no effect on most consultancy firms. In addition to requesting this information, Inside Waste asked consultants about how the pandemic has affected their business. Just under 18 per cent said they had seen a decrease in the amount of work coming their way since the pandemic hit, while the remaining 82 per cent had no effect at all, or had seen an increase in business. In terms of who their clients are, 91 per cent said they had dealings with the private sector. Unsurprisingly, the three tiers of government is where a lot of work comes from, with local government at 77 per cent, being the busiest sector

for consultants. States and territory governments account for 49 per cent of the sectors’ work, while the federal government utilises 33 per cent of consultants on the list. Australia is well covered in terms of the states and territories and the number of consultancies that are available for potential customers to utilise. Unsurprisingly New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland are home to majority of companies, but many are well represented in Western Australia, too. The ACT, Northern Territory and South Australia have a smattering of businesses that specialise in waste. What is notable is that a large number of companies offer an array of services. Very few specialise in one or two aspects of the waste industry, with most choosing to spread their wisdom and knowledge throughout the industry. Voting in the consultants awards will be underway later in the year, so be on the lookout for links on how to vote for your favourite consultant in the various categories that will be up for grabs. iw

Contact our award-winning team today to find out what we can do for you

02 8541 6169

info@mraconsulting.com.au

Voting for the Inside Waste Consultants Awards will open on June 7. Nominations for the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards are open now, and will close on August 13. For more information or to nominate, please visit www.wasteawards.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Waste Consultants Registry //

Waste Consultants Registry Federal Government

Private sector

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

•

50+

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

•

Less than 10

76% to 90%

10% to 25%

•

Less than 50

26% to 50%

VIC

TAS

QLD

•

ALL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS

•

ARCADIS AUSTRALIA

Less than 50

• •

AARGUS

•

ARDEA WASTE

•

ASK WASTE MANAGEMENT

•

ATC WILLIAMS

•

ARUP

•

Sectors serviced

State Government

•

Number of staff

Local Government

A.PRINCE CONSULTING

ACT

COMPANY NAME

NSW

States and territories serviced

•

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

•

Less than 10

90%+

•

200+

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

51% to 75%

•

Less than 10

51% to 75%

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

•

Less than 50

76% to 90% 26% to 50%

10% to 25%

BLUE ENVIRONMENT

•

Less than 10

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AUSTRALIA

•

Less than 50

90%+

Less than 10

76% to 90%

•

DONUT WASTE

•

EC SUSTAINABLE

•

ENCYCLE CONSULTING

•

ENTECH SOLUTIONS ENVIROCOM

•

ENVIROPACIFIC SERVICES

•

EUNOMIA

•

FAPIC GLOBAL

•

• •

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

•

10% to 25%

Less than 50

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

Less than 10

10% to 25%

51% to 75%

Less than 10

10% to 25%

76% to 90%

Less than 50

51% to 75%

10% to 25%

100+

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

51% to 75%

100+

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

Less than 10

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

10% to 25% 26% to 50%

26% to 50%

Less than 50

• •

26% to 50%

Less than 10

•

FORESIGHT ENVIRONMENTAL

GOLDER

•

FINN BIOGAS

GHD PTY LTD

•

26% to 50%

76% to 90% 90%+

•

200+

26% to 50%

•

100+

51% to 75%

10% to 25%

26% to 50% 51% to 75%

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste Consultants Registry

•

• •

•

www.aargus.net

•

www.allenvironmentalconcepts.com.au

•

www.arcadis.com/en/australia

•

www.ardeawaste.com

•

www.arup.com

•

www.askwm.com

•

www.atcwilliams.com

•

www.blueenvironment.com.au

•

www.circulareconomyaust.com.au

•

www.donutwaste.com.au

•

• • •

•

• •

•

www.ecsustainable.com

•

www.encycle.com.au

•

www.entechsolutions.com.au

•

www.envirocom.com.au

•

www.enviropacific.com.au

•

ww.eunomia.co.uk www.fapicglobal.com

•

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

•

www.aprince.com.au

•

Contact

Procurement - tender development & evaluation, contract management

Environmental approvals

Environmental/ greenhouse management, reporting & compliance

•

Education, training & community consultation

•

• •

•

Web Addresses

Economic evaluation & modelling

•

Strategy, policy & planning

Technology/infrastructure reviews & evaluation

Design & engineering of facilities

Landfill - design, operation, gas, closure, rehabilitation etc

Waste auditing

Logistics - collection & transfer studies

Main service areas

•

www.finnbiogas.com

•

www.foresightenvironmental.com

•

www.ghd.com

•

www.golder.com

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Waste Consultants Registry //

•

GREENTEC CONSULTING

•

HARBAK

Private sector

Federal Government

State Government

Sectors serviced

Local Government

Number of staff

VIC

TAS

QLD

ACT

COMPANY NAME

NSW

States and territories serviced

Less than 10

51% to 75%

26% to 50%

•

Less than 10

10% to 25%

76% to 90%

•

Less than 10

•

INSITU ADVISORY

•

IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING

•

Less than 50

90%+

10% to 25%

JACKSON ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING

•

Less than 50

10% to 25%

Less than 50

51% to 75%

Less than 10

10% to 25%

•

JUSTWASTE CONSULTING

•

LEIGH DESIGN

76% to 90% 26% to 50%

10% to 25%

76% to 90%

LOGICUS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

•

Less than 10

76% to 90%

METHOD RECYCLING

•

Less than 10

10% to 25%

MGB ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULANTS

•

Less than 10

26% to 50%

Less than 50

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

Less than 10

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

26% to 50%

Less than 10

51% to 75%

10% to 25%

Less than 10

90%+

10% to 25%

•

Less than 50

10% to 25%

•

Less than 10

26% to 50%

MRA CONSULTING GROUP

•

RAWTEC

10% to 25%

26% to 50% 51% to 75%

RESOURCE HUB CONSULTING

•

RESOURCE INNOVATIONS

•

RICARDO ENERGY ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING

•

SALT

•

SLR CONSULTING

•

Less than 10

•

200+

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

•

200+

76% to 90%

10% to 25%

•

Less than 50

51% to 75%

10% to 25%

Less than 10

26% to 50%

10% to 25%

51% to 75%

SLR CONSULTING AUSTRALIA

•

SMEC AUSTRALIA

•

TALIS CONSULTANTS TERRA SANA CONSULTANTS

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

• •

•

10% to 25%

•

10% to 25%

76% to 90% 51% to 75%

51% to 75% 10% to 25%

10% to 25%

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste Consultants Registry

•

www.greentecconsulting.com.au

•

www.harbak.com.au

•

www.insituadvisory.com

•

www.impactenviro.com.au

•

www.jacksonenvironment.com.au

•

www.justwaste.com.au

•

www.leighdesign.com.au

• •

•

• •

•

www.mgbconsult.net

•

www.mraconsulting.com.au

•

www.rawtec.com.au

• •

•

• •

•

www.resourcehub.com.au www.resourceinnovations.com.au

•

www.ricardo.com

•

www.salt3.com.au

•

www.slrconsulting.com

•

www.slrconsulting.com

•

www.smec.com

•

www.talisconsultants.com.au

•

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

•

www.logicusem.com www.methodrecycling.com/au

•

Contact

Procurement - tender development & evaluation, contract management

Environmental approvals

•

Environmental/ greenhouse management, reporting & compliance

Education, training & community consultation

Economic evaluation & modelling

•

• •

Web Addresses

• •

•

Strategy, policy & planning

Technology/infrastructure reviews & evaluation

Design & engineering of facilities

Landfill - design, operation, gas, closure, rehabilitation etc

Waste auditing

Logistics - collection & transfer studies

Main service areas

www.terrasanaconsultants.com

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Young Professional //

Variety of work makes environmental consulting worthwhile AFTER studying for a master’s degree in chemical engineering, Kuo Tian decided that working in regional Australia in a refinery or mining site wasn’t going to be long-term career option. Plus, he had fallen in love with Melbourne so decided to make the Victorian capital his home, which meant a career in environmental consultancy beckoned. Add to that Tian comes from Anshan, a very industrialised city in China’s north east, the affinity with working in the environmental field has always been in his DNA. “I consider environmental consulting as a booming industry with great potential in the coming decades,” he said. “I have been in Australia for 11 years. I don’t really miss home because I don’t consider China home anymore.” For more than three years, Tian has been working for Melbourne-based Peter J Ramsay & Associates (PJRA), which is part of a global coalition of consulting firms, the Inogen Alliance. “I was quite fascinated by this and really excited to be involved in some major projects with multinational companies,” he said. “Being an environmental consultant at PJRA, has been very rewarding, with great exposure to major projects and opportunities to improve my skillsets.” One of the highlights about the job is that Tian had the opportunity to work for many of the main waste management and resource recovery

companies in Victoria, across a broad range of sites. The environmental auditing of landfill cell/lining system construction is a major aspect of the company’ waste management team’s role. Over the past 10 years, it has completed audits of the construction of more than 81 hectares of lining system across 43 projects, which is equivalent to 41 MCG fields. “Prior to this role, I did not have direct experience in waste management” said Tian. “However, I was fortunate to start my career in a company with direct mentorship from the associates and managing director, Peter Ramsay. My role has given me in-depth experience in landfill construction auditing and design assessment and also allowed me to develop project management and time management skills, which are very important in consulting “As part of Inogen Alliance, we have several major multi-national clients. I hope to have more exposure to these projects, particularly in the areas of carbon emission and ESG compliance.” What are some of the key issues in the waste space at the moment, according to Tian? “There are many facets to the waste management industry,” he said. “From my experience in Victoria, airspace issues are a common problem, as is progressive rehabilitation. With changing requirements from the regulator, there is constant need to

Landfill with current best practice and suitable materials is a totally different type of facility compared to the old, legacy landfills.

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

update the current guidelines to provide a good interpretation to inform the landfill operators, CQA consultants and auditors in relation to what they are expected to achieve to protect the environment. “With the ever expanding metropolitan area/regional development, there are increasing disputes regarding encroachment into landfill buffer areas and the environmental impact from legacy waste facilities. With the upcoming EP Act in Victoria, and the corresponding guidelines, people will have a better understanding of what is expected and there are more incentives to encourage good practice for landfill construction, operations and rehabilitation.” Landfills are a hot-button topic. He believes people do not like landfills as they are not sustainable and the waste will not get recovered and recycled. He said zero waste to landfill sounds pretty good in principle, however with the limitations of the current waste reuse technologies, landfill will likely play a key role to protect human health and the environment for the foreseeable futures. “Landfill with current best practice and suitable materials is a totally different facility from the legacy landfills,” he said. “With appropriate LFG and leachate management, there is negligible environmental impact from the landfills. Good landfill construction operation and rehabilitation provide great options for not only the aftercare use of landfills, but also the land use for adjacent area. It is important to develop a recycling industry in Australia, but at the same time it is also important to continue to optimise the existing design and technology for landfill. There is a lot of room for improvement in the landfill space such as implication of recycled material in landfill construction and better containment performance for contaminations including PFAS. “We have great relationships with all the major landfill operators/owners in Victoria. We have been involved in landfill construction auditing and design assessment.

Kuo Tian works with a variety of multinational clients.

As for the future, Tian hopes to continue with what he is doing. There are many facets to his job that he enjoys and is intent on making sure that the environment is safe for all Australians. “From my professional career point of view, I have experience in environmental investigations, soil sampling and environmental audits,” he said. “I assist the landfill audit project team in survey review, material data review, audit site inspections, review of CQA reports and the preparation of audit reports for landfill cell construction. I am also knowledgeable with the EPA’s requirements for audit reporting.” And what if somebody was thinking about getting into a career within the waste management sector? Is it an industry that has a lot going for it in terms of a career path? “It is definitely and interesting area,” said Tian. “Don’t let other peoples’ perspective on the industry scare you into not getting into it. Landfill is important and we need to improve what we have. It is an exciting industry and there will be a lot of changes over time, which means there will be lots of opportunities for people entering the field. I would definitely encourage anybody who is interested in a career in waste management, in protecting the environment, to get involved to know more about waste management and maybe consider a career in this area.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// 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

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

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

• 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 JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

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

STEINERT Company Overview: STEINERT is a manufacturer of superior magnetic separation and state-ofthe-art sensor sorting equipment. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany with subsidiaries in Australia, USA, Brazil, STEINERT supplies the waste, metal recycling and mining industry globally. With over 130 years of history STEINERT is at the forefront of technology and innovation with a focus on quality, reliability and continuous research. STEINERT’s presence in Australia encompasses a manufacturing facility in Melbourne, Victoria where the Australian designed and made magnets originate. STEINERT’s Test Facility in Perth, Western Australia provides customers with the opportunity to test small and large samples under conditions that very closely match real life scenarios. Customers beneﬁt from the very latest ﬁndings and technological advancements in a tried and tested environment, utilising the latest STEINERT sensor-based combination sorting solutions. STEINERT’s Service Technicians are based on both the east coast and 56

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

west coast of Australia and have the capability to support your service requirements around the country, both on-site and remotely. This strong presence ensures best support of the magnetic and sensor sorting equipment for the customers in Australia. Products & Services: • Overhead suspension magnets, electric and permanent • Magnetic drums, electric and permanent • Eddy current separators • Near Infrared sorters • Optical sorters • Induction sensor sorters • X-ray transmission/fluorescence sensor sorters • Combination sensor sorters • Service & maintenance Brands: • STEINERT MAGV/MAGX suspension electromagnet • STEINERT MAGP permanent suspension magnet

• STEINERT MTE electric drum • STEINERT EddyC eddy current separator • STEINERT ISS induction sensor sorting system • STEINERT KSS combination sensor sorting system • UniSort PR EVO 5.0 NIR sensor sorting system Core Capabilities: We support customers from the project design stage with application knowledge, material testing in our test facilities, process consultation, supply of equipment, on-site commissioning to continuous service support, maintenance and repairs from our Australian team. Our manufacturing facility in Melbourne

enables us to hold critical spare parts for our equipment and perform full repairs and refurbishments in local response times. Together with our team of service technicians we are able to provide a high standard of after-care for our equipment. Contact Details: STEINERT Australia Pty Ltd 14 Longstaff Road, Bayswater VIC 3153 P: +61 3 8720 0800 E: sales@steinert.com.au W: www.steinert.com.au Key Contacts: Johann Hefner Resource Recovery P: +61 499500801

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// 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

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

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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 JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

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

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

• • • •

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.

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 Recent Projects/Installations: storage and high traffic surfaces. We are fully certified to ISO 9001, ISO PORT PLASTICS 14001, and AS 4801 Standards. Port Macquarie Polystar Repelletising system and Genox When you call in ASC you get a large format shredder to drive recycling professional, reliable team dedicated operations in the Port Macquarie region to solving your problems and and reduce the need for transport of delivering the best outcome, on time. recyclables to metropolitan centres. 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

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// 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:

million dollar plant at Erskine Park in Sydney in June 2021, producing in excess of 9000 tonnes of rubber crumb for the construction industry and providing a local circular economy solution to rubber waste.

Contact Details: As one of Australia’s leading measurement and automation solutions providers, we at Diverseco pride ourselves on the sheer scope of our problem-solving expertise and supply of industry leading innovative technologies. We are 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 Core Capabilities: At Diverseco, our 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.

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 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.

Contact Details: Recent Projects/Installations: 3309 Logan Road Underwood, QLD, 4119 M: 1300 069 970 E: onboardsolutions@diverseco.com.au W: diverseco.com.au

ESKINE PARK PLANT ResourceCo’s tyre recycling division, Tyrecycle will launch a new multi-

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

Core Capabilities:

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 /HSRSX is the ‘one stop shop’ for the commercial vehicle and waste handling industry, providing a wide range of high-quality equipment including installation, engineering, service and repair in our workshops or onsite. Contact Details: 35 Holbeche Rd, Arndell Park NSW 2148 Phone: 02 9725 3347 Email: admin@hsrsx.com.au Web: www.hsrsx.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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

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

www.FAB-COM.com.au

Contact Details: Contact Details:

Products and Services:

Harrie - 0414 37 66 99 E: info@spartel.com.au W: www.FAB-COM.com.au Company Overview: Spartel Pty Ltd was founded in 1995 by Dr Harrie Hofstede, specialist waste management scientist in waste composting and pollution control. The company has a consulting arm, Hofstede & Associates, and waste technology R&D programme under the umbrella. The R&D has resulted in six patents in international markets. We have designed and developed two main large-scale composting systems under the FABCOM® Brand. FABCOM® Tunnels and the FABCOM® MAF system. Core Capabilities: The overall core capability is all

aspects organic waste processing from waste generation to soil beneficiation products, technology, process data processing and control, odour prevention and control Products and Services: • FABCOM® Tunnel compost plants • FABCOM® MAF composting system • Wireless data transmission and processing over a 2 km radius • Aeration controlled by process data • Remote access process control • Design and construct of compost plants • Development and optimisation of compost process and products • ODOROV™ effective odour control agent for organic waste • High nitrogen composts (4% N) Recent Projects/Installations: : FABCOM® MAF SUEZ Newcastle Raymond Terrace NSW Dedicated FABCOM® MAF aeration system for post Bedminster compost maturation & drying; Capacity 10,000 tpa

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Product Profiles - Waste Processing Equipment //

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/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 Equipment

Beier Machinery Recycling Lines

CSS Equipment

Ecohog Mobile Separation

Ecohog Eddy Current Separator

CSS Equipment

Ecostar Screen

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

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

CSS Equipment

Ecohog Mobile Windshifter

CSS Equipment

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

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 Equipment

Jono

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

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

VB Primary Shredder

Unit dimensions: 4 to 7 Metres long. Weight: 17 - 22 tonnes on crawler tracks Motor: Diesel/Electric Screens material this size: Various (double or triple fractions) Screen type: Dynamic (Hardox Discs) Designed for (material): All waste materials Throughput: Up to 200tph+ More: www.cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978

Speed (slow/high): Twin Shaft – Slow Speed Throughput: 200tph+ Suitable material: All waste types Drive type: Diesel or Electric No. shafts/speed: Twin Shaft/Slow Speed up to 40rpm Hopper size: Up to 16 cubic metres Unit Dimensions: TBC Weight (tonnes): Up to 66 tonnes No. of units in range: 6 Models Base price: $250,000 + GST More: www.cssequipment. com.au or 1800 644 978

JONO Enviro Turn-Key Recycling Plants

CSS Equipment Lincom Group

Bezner Waste Management Solutions Application: For all type of waste processing and storage facilities. Features: Bezner designs and builds the highest quality solutions for handling, processing and storing waste materials in all applications. Bezner are the leaders in European design and technology, designing plants from materials recovery to compost and anaerobic digestion. Options/Extras: All options and designs are available for the waste management sector. Contact: www.cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978 or www.bezner.com

CSS Equipment

Application: For C&D, C&I, MSW, MRF, MBT’s and other specialised recycling applications. Features: JONO Enviro utilises more than 80 engineers to customise designs for separating all types of waste and recyclable materials in all applications, from small skip bin companies to multi-national waste management companies. From the layout to the complete building if required, the company offer a unique type of solution. Options/Extras: Screens, density and specific material type separators, optical sorting and automated processing available from JONO Enviro. Contact: www.cssequipment.com.au or 1800 644 978 or www. jonochina.com

CSS Equipment

Hextra Model

Morbark 3400XT

PRONAR MRW2.85g

Unit Dimensions: Operating - 17.37m Long X 2.59m Wide Weight: 32,700Kg Drive Type: Diesel Hydraulic/Electric Motor: Caterpillar Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 812mm Dia X 1,490mm Speed (slow/high): High Speed Suitable material: Greenwaste/Timber No. of units in range: 4 Throughput: Material and Machine Configuration dependant Finished product size: Material and Machine Configuration dependant Designed for (material): Options/Extras: Price: Call for Pricing More: www.lincom.com.au / Sales@lincom.com.au / 1800 182 888

Unit Dimensions: 7800/2550/3200 Weight: 26,500Kg Drive Type: Diesel Hydraulic/Electric Motor: Caterpillar/Volvo Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 1700mm / 685mm Speed (slow/high): Slow Speed Suitable material: Greenwaste, Timber, Tyres, etc. No. of units in range: 2 Throughput: Material and Configuration dependant Finished product size: Material and Configuration dependant Designed for (material): Options/Extras: Available with various Shaft and Breaker Bar Configurations Price: Call for Pricing More: www.lincom.com. au / Sales@lincom.com.au/ 1800 182 888

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Lincom Group

CSS Equipment

// Product Profiles – Waste Processing Equipment

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

OCT/NOV

SPECIAL FEATURE www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 102 | JUN/JUL 2021

INSIDE 26 32 48

Councils Tyre Stewardship Consultants Registry

Victoria’s CDS - who’s right? Funds raised by landfill levies need to be spent on infrastructure within the industry.

PP: 100024538

ISSN 1837-5618

Meet the XR - Low cost, high performance waste shredding and alternative fuel production. Visit a reference site | Book a trial | Request a free waste audit | info@focusenviro.com.au

OUR BRAND PROMISES We offer you the best exposure to decision makers We provide the best platform to showcase your product We will be the best external marketing partner you’ll ever have

WASTE HANDLING MACHINERY In order for a MRF or landfill to run properly it needs the right type of waste handling machinery. Whether that is a wheel loader, dozer, excavator or other material handing machine, owners and operators of these facilities rely on these pieces of equipment to make sure operations run smoothly. These machines not only make for efficient work, but can save a lot of time and money for operators who need reliable and safe machinery to get the job done. If you are a manufacturer or supply of these machines for MRFs and landfills, then you need to be in the October/November issue of Inside Waste. It is the ideal platform to get your message out to the industry that your machinery is the best, cost-effective solution to your waste management needs.

BOOKING DEADLINE

2 SEPTEMBER 2021 For sales please contact Chelsea Daniel-Young on: M: 0425 699 878 or E: chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd

Peterson 5710D (Track) Unit Dimensions: Length 18.0m, Width 3,48m, Height 5.13m Weight: 43,091kg Drive Type: Track (Triple grouser, 60cm wide) Track Length:4.63m Travel Speed: 2.3kph – 3.7 kph Motor: Caterpillar C27 Tier II or Tier IV 772kW (1050hp) Hopper Capacity: 5.39 m³ Hopper Length: 4.33m Wide :1.52m Rotor diameter/lengths: Length 1.61m, diameter 1.02m, Speed (slow/high): Speed 840rpm @2100 engine rpm Suitable material: Recyclable & Green Wood Material No. of units in range: Five Models available as Track Self- Propelled or Wheel Trailer Throughput: PRODUCTION – C27 772 KW ENGINE Green Waste: 383 m³ / 125 metric tons per hour Scrap Board: 452 m³ / 82 metric tons per hour Finished product size: Mulch, Rough Chip, Designed for (material): Green Waste Recycling, Raw Timber, Demolition Wood Recycling, Salvage Timber Price: A$1,375,000 More: Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd T: +61 2 96473600 E: info.au@komatsuforest.com

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd

// Product Profiles – Waste Processing Equipment

STEINERT

Unit Dimensions: 11371 x 3327 x 3635 working unit position Weight: 26.50 tonne Drive Type: Hydraulic Motor: Cat C18 Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 3m Speed (slow/high): 38 rpm max Suitable material: Mattresses, tyres, bulky goods, C&D, greenwaste No. of units in range: One Throughput: Up to 100 tonne per hour Designed for (material): Mattresses, tyres, bulky goods, C&D, greenwaste Options/Extras: On tracks with remote control and an over-band magnet Price: Hire or Contract. Rates available More: Contact Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd for further information: Phone: 02-9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: davisem.com.au

UniSort PR EVO5.0 – Near Infrared Sorting System

STEINERT EddyC - Eddy Current Separator Application: Non-ferrous metals recovery from incinerator bottom ash, automotive shredder residue, commingled recycling waste, plastics, glass cullet, foundry sand, electronic scrap and other. Features: Utilising STEINERT’s established eccentric pole system with powerful neodymium-iron-boron magnets and trusted robust construction. A self-supporting C-frame design enables belt changes without additional hoists in only 10 minutes. Maintenance and operator friendly design with optimised accessibility and variable pole system adjustment. Options/Extras: Wide range of rotor assemblies, splitter design, cleaning/ maintenance variants to suit application ideally e.g. high frequency rotor assembly with parabolic FINES splitter for extra fine materials More: For more information contact sales@steinert.com.au or +61 3 8720 0800

Komptech Terminator

Application: MSW & commingled waste sorting, paper sorting, commercial waste sorting, refuse derived fuel sorting, compost decontamination, mixed plastics sorting Features: STEINERT utilises hyperspectral Near Infra-Red camera-based technology that reaches best in market visual and spatial resolutions. This enables a wide range of applications with best sorting performance. The latest EVO5.0 generation brings the latest developments for ease of operation, automation and digitalisation to the platform. The AI object recognition uses machine learning to detect and sort objects that are not detectable with conventional NIR technology ensuring the future-proof aspect. Options/Extras: Colour camera also available & the addition of an induction sensor allows for metals recovery while a fines nozzle bar allows for small fraction material down to 10mm. More: For a trial or more information contact sales@ steinert.com.au or +61 3 8720 0805

Rotochopper FP66 High Speed Grinder Unit Dimensions: 13.4m X 2.5m X 4.7m (LxWxH) Weight: 39.2 Tonnes Drive Type: Diesel Hydraulic Motor: Tier 3 / Tier 4 Final Caterpillar 420HP Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 655mm Diameter X 2m Long Speed (slow/high): Slow Suitable material: Green Waste, C&D Waste, MSW, Rubber Tires, Wood Waste, Mattresses No. of units in range: 2 (Tracked / Wheeled) Throughput: Up to 100tph Finished product size: (if applicable) 200-400mm Designed for (material): The rapid volume reduction of MSW, wood waste, C&D waste, green waste, end of life tires and mattresses Options/Extras: Overband Magnet, Reversible Fan, Hydraulic Hopper Extensions, Dust Suppression, Central Autolube System and Various Chamber Configurations Name: Robbie McKernan Phone Number: 047 822 0088 Webpage: https://focusenviro. com.au/products/vs420/ Email: info@focusenviro.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

FOCUS enviro

EDGE VS420

Unit Dimensions: 12.8m X 3m X 4.1m (LxWxH) Weight: 25.8 Tonnes Drive Type: Diesel Hydraulic Motor: Tier 3 630-755HP Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 1070mm Diameter X 1.6m Long Speed (slow/high): High Speed Suitable material: Green Waste, Wood Waste No. of units in range: 2 (Tracked / Wheeled) Throughput: Up to 100tph Finished product size: Designed for (material): The rapid volume reduction of wood waste and green waste. Options/Extras: Overband Magnet, crawler tracks, Generation II PAS grind and colour system, dust hood(s), air compressor, Rotolink telematics monitoring system and a high abrasion package, Name: Robbie McKernan Phone Number: 047 822 0088 Webpage: https://focusenviro. com.au/products/vs420/ Email: info@focusenviro.com. au

JUNE/JULY 2021 INSIDEWASTE

Komptech Crambo 5200

Unit Dimensions: (working) 14347mm L x 6689 W x 3900mm H Weight: 22t Drive Type: Diesel / Hydraulic Motor: Perkins Industrial Drum diameter/lengths/speed: 5.5m L x 2m Dia Speed (slow/high): Variable Suitable material: Compost, mulches, soil, gravel, waste No. of units in range: Multiple in mobile and stationary Throughput: to 170 m3/hr Finished product size: (if applicable) range of drum screens to choose from Designed for (material): Compost, mulches, soil, gravel, waste Options/Extras: Various Price: TBA

Unit Dimensions: 11372mm l x 3290w x 4088mm h Weight: 27t Drive Type: Mechanical direct drive Motor: CAT C13 T3 Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 23/34 rpm Speed (slow/high): Slow speed / high torque Suitable material: green waste, waste wood, bark, root stock, FOGO No. of units in range: Multiple in mobile and stationary Throughput: to 120 t/hr Finished product size: (if applicable) range of screen baskets to choose from Designed for (material): green waste, waste wood, bark, root stock, FOGO

INTAREMA 1714 TVEplus Pelletising system

Unit Dimensions: (working) 4484mm L x 5580 W x 4056mm H Weight: 16t Drive Type: Diesel / Hydraulic Motor: CAT C9 Tier 3 Windrow dims: 5m x 2.2m Speed (slow/high): Variable Suitable material: Green waste compost, biosolids, biosolids, MSW No. of units in range: 3 Throughput: to 4500 m3/hr Finished product size: (if applicable) N/A Designed for (material): Green waste compost, biosolids, biosolids, MSW Options/Extras: Various Price: TBA

INTAREMA 1714 TVEplus Pelletising system for recycling of plastic materials that are difficult to process, e.g.: heavily printed films and/or very moist materials (up to 14% moisture content) thanks to: - Patented EREMA Preconditioning Unit with Counter Current Technology - Excellent homogenisation efficiency, Triple degassing Unit Dimensions: approx. 16-20 meters long Weight: approx. 2 tonnes Drive Type: electric Motor: Frequency Controlled Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: 140 mm screw Speed (slow/high): medium Suitable material: LL/LDPE, PP, HDPE, other thermoplastics No. of units in range: several models Throughput: from 200 kg/h up to 3000 kg/h Finished product size: (if applicable) Designed for (material): plastic material Options/Extras: upon request Price: POA More: CEMAC technologies, Ph: 03-8400 6066, info@cemactech. com, www.cemactech.com

CEMEC TECHNOLOGIES

Komptech X5000 wheel

Multi Purpose Rasper MPR160HD

Super Chopper SC1412 FD150

Unit Dimensions: (L)2800 x (W)3500 x (H)5300 mm approx. Weight: 24000 kg approx. Drive Type: V. Belt drive, twin motors with clutch protection and revolution guard Motor: 2 x 110 kW electrical motors Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: (L)1600 mm, 125 rpm Speed (slow/high): High Suitable material: Tyres, steel wire, cables, electronics, aluminium, fridges, municipal solid waste No. of units in range: 7 Throughput: Up to 12.000 kg/processing hour depending on material Finished product size (if applicable): adjustable, 10-50 mm depending on screen size Designed for (material): Tyres, steel wire, cables, electronics, aluminium, fridges, municipal solid waste Options/Extras: Frequency drive for lower power consumption, service platforms, vibrating discharge conveyor Price: Contact for price More: Carsten Nielsen, Area Sales Manager E-mail: cn@eldan-recycling.com Phone: +45 21 49 19 67 Web: www.eldan-recycling.com

Unit Dimensions: (L)1850 x (W)4850 x (H)3750 mm approx. Weight: 15.000 kg approx. Drive Type: Frequency drive, 2x planetary gear Motor: 2 x 75 kW electrical motor Rotor diameter/lengths/speed: (L)1400 mm, 5-30 rpm Speed (slow/high): Slow Suitable material: Tyres, cables, electronics, aluminium, fridges, municipal solid waste, plastics, glass fibres, etc. No. of units in range: 6 Throughput: Up to 12.000 kg/processing hour depending on material Finished product size: 50-300 mm Designed for (material): Tyres with bead wire, cables, electronics, aluminium cans, aluminum profiles, fridges, municipal solid waste Options/Extras: Hydraulic operated upper part for easy access and maintenance, service platform, rough screening bars for reduced output size, vibrating discharge conveyor Price: Contact for price More: Carsten Nielsen, Area Sales Manager E-mail: cn@eldan-recycling.com Phone: +45 21 49 19 67 Web: www.eldan-recycling.com

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

ELDAN Recycling A/S

ELDAN Recycling A/S 64

Komptech CEA

Komptech Nemus 2700 Track

Komptech CEA

Product Profiles - Waste Processing Equipment //

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Wasted Space //

CDS shemozzle

CMY

here is not necessarily a bad thing. Lessons we can learn etc. Anyway, I’ve managed to collect more than 1000 empties during the past year, nursing my way through this lockdown. Think once I cash

At Inside Waste, we provide up-to-date, in-depth information on policy and regulation news affecting the waste industry. The publication offers a comprehensive overview of the innovations, challenges and achievements shaping the industry in Australia and internationally. Sign up for your copy and free newsletter today at the link below.

insidewaste.com.au 66

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2021

them in at the local collection point I’ll be having a jolly old night of ‘free’ martinis at the Royal Yacht Squadron with the proceeds. Shaken, not stirred of course. Regard, JB iw

www.insidew

aste.com.au ISSUE 102 | JUN/J

www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 101 | APR/MAY 2021

INSIDE

Funds raised by landfill spent on infrastructure levies need to be within the industry.

30 Landfill 37 What circular economy? 42 Truck feature

State gove Just-in-time model not ments working coordina rn tion over lack levies Waste needs to be treated as a resource – report Glass achieved a recycling rate of 59 per cent.

THE leading report on waste management and recycling data in Australia shows that Australians are reducing their waste and increasing their recycling. Blue Environment’s National Waste Report 2020, commissioned by the Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture, Waste and the Environment, was released in December last year. The report is the authoritative compilation of national data on waste and resource recovery and the mechanism for measuring progress against national waste policy targets. Issued every two years, the 2020 edition focuses on the status of waste and recycling in 2018-19, with data analysed on a per capita basis as well as on state and territory levels. Findings cover waste generation, source streams, material categories and fates, together with trends measured back to 2006. While the data precedes the significant investments in recycling and resource recovery the Federal Government has made since the 2019 election, its revised 2016-17 data set (first published in the National Waste

UL 2021

INSIDE

26 Counc ils 32 Tyre Stewa rdship 48 Consu ltants Regis

try

Victoria’s - who’s righCDS t?

THE Victoria n governm ent announ on April 14 ced that on its Contain it had made a decisio n er Deposit Scheme (CDS), which will follow the NSW split responsibility model where network operato there DURING the recent Australian Circular rs and a coordin will be The Victoria LANDFILL levies ator. Economy Conference (ACEC), one of n governm are in ent took its place time to develop of reasons, for a variety webinars delved into Food and with what it conside hasthe pledged to be the best being to encoura the two main purpose rs to up the priceinbyAustralia the Circular Economy s option, with ge waste dispose for the $5 more a next 3,000 reuse and/or year few years. than submissions rs to this, which and China. recycle as much result received and is why is that almost However, the end public surveys possible, as waste as two proximity principl they created the one million of the speakers was Alana well carried out. of NSWOne tonnes waste heads e regulation monies collecte as, in theory, using the The coordin north in associated professor for the 2014. Waste levy ator will be d to Queens everyMann, year as dispose responsible portability for managi that will allow towards infrastructure land ng the finance across all of Arts rsand Social Sciences Australian jurisdic the of theFaculty state’s cheaper take advantage s and commercial tions However, there former to happen. viability of pricing structur (FASS) at the University of Sydney. the disposal of waste will ensure that are a couple Harmon the CDS; conduct audits roadblocks isation e. of doesn’t gravitat to the lowest, portabi waste that Australia generating continuespopular Mann notedand that one lity outcome Report 2018) will be used as baseline of the scheme many iswithin e lawful cost are twoof ideas being prevent fraud; industry believe the to option. mooted Suez Australi pay refund to increase, pandemic was that data to measure Australia’s progress s up five million tonnes associathe by some a’s chief strategy ” tionsCOVID-19 amounts and collecti outcomes from are stopping these and compan on network , occurring. since 2016-17. lot of countries, ieslike China and sustainability and against the National Waste Policy industrya to costs to First, there the is no consens commu try and remedy within the network nication operators; s among “We us need to continue to work hard Portabi to Australia, were taking a fresh look officer, Justin Frank, Action Plan’s 2030 targets. the situatio the states and report lity against perform to what those is whereb n. said the compan will only ever if a compan levies ance targets reduce the amount wasteaswe create, how theiryfood systems “The release of the leading takes itsatwaste y shouldofbe, dispose of y operated, the governm means differen set by which to another its waste in state where ent. states more it, if we are topay the both in terms of supply state it chain report on waste management and amount and to trecycle the the waste was chargeofdifferen has to andEven same fee The network s. The other as to where generated. t though he operators will originated, Australia’s national food wastage. Mannthe said it was recycling data in Australia, shows amount achieve issue is ambitious waste acknowledges and maintai that a large while establish of the monies would argue n a network all the states of recovering per cent of our pleasingharmon to seeisation how both countries, that Australians are reducing their landfill target that the compan cynics collecte80 is where of refund points; distribu d from the charge the levies go in y would do te refund amount same for disposiand waste by 2030.” the world at large, had risen that anyway due to it waste and increasing their recycling,” to the consoli amount consumers; fund instead ng of having landfill dated waste. Tony in the state, distribute paymen s to of towards s Khoury, that this was thethe executi tovethe challenge of feeding the Assistant Waste Reduction and that reasoni infrastr refund collecti that would Evans explained ts ucture director of ng is only minor as to encoura on point operato to the Waste Contractorsworld’s population ge recyclin driver behind “unprecedented” action during a trying Environmental Management Ministerand reusabi why it wouldn and report g & Recyclers rs, ’t trucks send on lity CDS particip Associa its items that to turbocharge (WCRA) of time, but it had theofgovernment also exposed some north or south. Trevor Evans said. tion ation and redemption otherwise by NSW, said the end up in landfill would “They are probabl rates. associa “This is a great outcome. We can And all the waste and recycling industries,its membersofare the intrinsic weaknesses tion and within . y right [about As with all the latter is one Suez body CDS’s, having that favour the portabi some of the systems. a real isissue the beverag landfills], but be proud that our efforts are paying treated suppliers will the likes ofso that waste lity model. for as a wouldn’t do we NSW, which fund the scheme e “Our regulat“Circular economies and other it anyway because off, to take care of our own waste which hascan theand onebe According . highest resource of recycled and ors need to unsustainable,” landfill levies to Victoria’s it is ensure to do the right thing by sorting country our remanufactured into valuable the waste levy models of food provisioning that he said. “It Minister for Energy, is operati at $148 tonne. in the ramifications has huge Environment ng as intende that is incentiv from a sustain recycling and diverting more waste including supported and Climate Its norther Change, Lily neighbour, new aproducts. d; ise wastecommunity point of view. n ability Queensland, D’Ambro minimis and sio, 85 per resourc recover The carbon has this ation away from landfill.” protects and cooperatives, are cent of those cheapest at He said that one of footprint for the the“Additio e agriculture transportation y,” he $75-$80, while who is ridiculous Evans highlighted that Australia creates jobs and keeps all coming tosaid. the fore,” she said. nal investm over the scheme were consulted it is approxi environment, in Victoria are a number when there , mately in the recyclin agree with and resourc “Chinaent of landfills created 3.3 per cent less wastecomprehensivewaste $67 out (for of landfill. in these areas government’s a more the g e recovery is a leader they it to on the sector will decision. listing of levies, only way up to Queens can take divert waste not waste and the in 2018-19 compared to 2006-page 32). The “Our billion-dollar in new along with recycling In a stateme go investment to away The safety land. Queensland from cheap nt made when landfill solutiondevelopment and transpo government is changing announcing 07, the foundation year of the recycling infrastructure of smart technologies rt implica s, as well as the the it will create jobs. The NSW for but chain of respons tions, said that the scheme, D’Ambrosio national data set. the face of the waste and recycling ecommerce. Howmore we connect Governm implica ibility community ent recogni was seeking se users ensures tions, are not accepta the most accessi “In effect, we each produced waste industries in Australia,” Evans said. with consumers and ble.” (Contin CDS for Victoria ble, best performing that weighed the same as 40 full “We are also the first country in the supply chains to address food ued on page 22) . (Continued kegs of beer and we each sent the the world to ban the export of its insecurity and also manage issues on page 24) equivalent weight of 24 full kegs unprocessed waste plastic, paper, glass around waste are addressed, which ISSN 1837-5 618

each state and territory. Well, “So what?” you might say, “still not that hard of a job to get going”. Well Minister, you would be wrong. One of the last states over the line has been the great state of Victoria, humbly named after our greatest Monarch (in my opinion, although William the Conqueror needs some kudos thrown his way). “Why not just have one system for all?” you might say? Why not indeed. Or maybe the state and territories could all get together and come up with a common solution? No, that would be too easy. Instead one crew (the guys paying out all the money) wanted to follow the Queensland model (another state named after you know who), which on the face of it is not a bad one. Then the other stakeholders (those not dishing out the dosh) want to follow the New South Wales (is there even an Old South Wales?) ideal, which in their opinion would put more money in the hands of community and charities. Me? I wouldn’t know where to start, as both sides of the fence are adamant that their scheme is the one that will work best. Victoria – like their namesake was apt to do (remember Crimea anyone?) put a line in the sand and decided that the New South Wales model was the way to go. There’s not too much of a brouhaha from the drink manufacturers, but one can’t help but wonder whether this little incursion might make the states and territories work in harmony better like it has being mooted for the harmonisation of landfill levies. A lot is happening down here at the moment Minister. From a purely information-gathering point of view I believe COVID getting me stuck

to be recycled,” he said. “However, our growing population means that the overall amount of PP: 100024 538

DEAR MINISTER, Well, well, well. Talk about setting the cat among the pigeons, or should I say, single-use plastics among recyclables. There’s been a bit of an ado within the waste sector about container deposit schemes. Unlike home, where everybody know their place in Her Majesty’s United Kingdom, it seems our antipodean cousins are slightly more discombobulated when it comes to agreeing on, well, just about anything. I’ve always found it strange that a country with less than half the population of our green and fair isles is split up into states, which separately don’t have the population of Greater London, which in turn means that the federal government has its hands tied on certain aspects of running the country. I get the tyranny of distance, but still, three levels of government for a population of 25 million? I can see some bureaucrats in Westminster green with envy at the amount of red tape they could create to justify their memberships at their local gentlemen’s club. But this does lead to some issues. Take Australia’s aforementioned Container Deposit Scheme, or CDS as the major players like to call it. Shouldn’t be hard to come to grips with, right? Everybody on the same page – it’s all about getting plastic and glass out of landfills, and moolah into the hands of charities and individuals? A win-win, no? Well, hhhmmm, apparently not. As you can see, I used the singular when introducing the scheme. However, you will not be shocked to hear, it should be said in the plural, because there is not one national CDS, but one for

and tyres overseas thanks to our new national recycling legislation.” (Continued on page 22)

is an important piece of the circular economy model.” (Continued on page 24)

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