Inside Waste June 2022

www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 108 | JUN/JUL 2022

INSIDE 36 38 48

Queensland waste levies Wine industry action Waste 2022 Conference

Litter Congress OVER two days in April the Litter Congress covered several seminars on litter and its legacy on our land, inner waterways and surrounding oceans. We look at some of the highlights and work being done by many organisations to lessen litter’s impact in Australia.

Cigarette butts

Softly, softly - the troublesome waste stream of soft plastics 2017 because we could no longer ship its mixed recyclables overseas, and while politicians and producers of soft plastics have been saying the right things in terms of what needs to be done, some believe the time for talking is over and it’s time to start doing.

Latest estimates from both government and industry show that about four to six per cent of soft plastics are being recycled, while the rest ends up in landfill. One of the issues is that most of Australia’s recycling targets are voluntary.

While the likes of Jeff Angel from the Boomerang Alliance are calling for mandatory targets, industries responsible for the production of many soft plastics – especially in food – have been trying to find solutions to lessen the impact of what they see as a necessary packaging product.

Whether it be making prototypes

that are compostable or investing in education programs at schools, they know the public is becoming more perceptive about the way their food and beverages are packaged.

At the recent Litter Congress held in Sydney, Chris Sutton who is the research and development director for Mars Wrigley Australia, said the company has made a commitment to ensure its packaging has less environmental impact.

“In the next three years, all of our packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable. In our case, recyclable or reusable in Australia,” he said.

“That is what we are focusing on – changing our portfolio of products to make sure they are more sustainable, in that they can be recycled or reused, and at the same time eliminating the need for virgin plastics.

(Continued on page 22)

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SOFT plastics are the bane of the waste industry. Hard to collect, a noxious and hazardous substance to the environment, and an item that can take up a lot of time in Material Recovery Facilities when being recycled.

Like politics and religion, everybody has an opinion on what should be done about them. But industry sectors are unanimous on two things – something needs to be done about soft plastics and it needs to be done now; and they are an underused resource that can have a myriad of uses if recycled properly. This includes anything from converting it back to its original form oil, through to making it into such things as park benches and bollards, or even putting it into part of the mix when laying bitumen for new roads.

Australia’s hand was forced when the China Sword policy started in

Laura Barclay is the managing director of Adaptation Environmental Support.

She has been asked by the Tobacco Stewardship Council to put together a National Butt Litter Taskforce to tackle one of the most challenging wastes streams – cigarette butts. It is estimated that of the 11 billion cigarettes smoked in Australia annually, approximately 3.3 billion are littered.

Barclay said the industry is challenging in terms of environmental sustainability initiatives due to the restrictions placed on the industry by legislation. Then there is the attempts to try and educate smokers themselves.

“In the national litter index, cigarette butts are always number one,” she said. “Where does it end up? It ends up everywhere. How do we address the behaviour? In terms of volume, it is quite small, but that isn’t as important as talking about the littering behaviour that needs to be addressed.”

She noted that cigarette butts are coming into the plastics arena and is the number one issue in a lot of overseas environments.

They are part of the National and NSW Plastics Plans in terms of dealing with butts as a serious littering/waste issue.

(Continued on page 26)

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Long time between drinks OVER the past two years, some of us have gone a little stir crazy as lockdowns and isolation continued, so it was with relief that an event finally went ahead – Waste 2022 at Coffs Harbour. And what a great event. Hosted by Impact Enviro, it brought together an eclectic cross section of the waste industry in an environment where collaboration and innovation were key.

Many facets of the industry were covered in the conference speeches, including landfill issues and how to educate the public on better recycling outcomes, as well as robust panel discussions on the state of play for container deposit schemes and extended producer responsibility.

Well done to Greg Freeman and his hardworking team from Impact Enviro.

Our main cover story this issue – and one that was covered in several seminars at the conference – is on the problematic soft plastic waste stream. The good news is a lot of the producers who design and manufacturer these items know they need to do better – not just in terms Publisher Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

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Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher.

The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Managing Editor Mike Wheeler mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au

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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 the publisher. The Editor welcomes Blake Storey, Kerry Pert, contributions but reserves the right to Aisling McComiskey accept or reject any material. While Client Success Manager every effort has been made to ensure the Justine Nardone accuracy of information, Prime Creative justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any Head Office consequences arising from reliance on Prime Creative Pty Ltd sales@triconequipment.com.au information published. The opinions 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia 11 Lucca Road, Wyong NSW 2259expressed in Inside Waste are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed p: +61 3 9690 8766 by the publisher unless otherwise stated. enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.insidewaste.com.au Business Development Manager Chelsea Daniel-Young chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

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of educating the public on how to dispose of them, but also the type of material that is used to make the plastics. Everybody seems to be on the same page with regards to the fact the issue needs dealing with, however the devil is in the detail.

Also in this edition, we get a rebuttal on Marc Stammbach’s piece on WtE from the past issue; we look at what is happening with the Queensland levy space; and there is an overview of some of the highlights from the Litter Congress that was held earlier this year.

Finally, we look at the stellar career of well-known waste industry icon Harry Wilson, who won three gongs at the recent Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards. I had the pleasure of meeting Harry at his processing facility in Coffs Harbour during the Waste 2022 Conference.

He is certainly a visionary of the industry, and even after 50-plus years in various roles he is showing no signs of wanting to slow down. It’s people like Harry who have made the industry what it is today - innovative and forward thinking.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

News //

Profile | CAPS Australia and many more and stocks a vast inventory of spare parts.

CAPS Australia is a privately owned Australian company intent on remaining at the forefront of compressed air, gas and power generation solutions.

CAPS Australia was established in 1980 and now has more than 42 years of experience in the wider Australian market.

CAPS has 10 branches around the Australia with more than 170 employees.

This includes more than 60 service technicians covering the full national footprint with a 24/7 service offering.

CAPS Australia is an independent company with the flexibility to search globally for the best products and technologies that best serve Australia’s market needs.

CAPS partners with a range of well-known brands that includes highend manufacturers such as Ingersoll Rand, Kohler, AIRMAN, Sauer, Pedro Gil, Next Turbo Technologies, Lamson

Products that are suitable to water and wastewater treatment Low pressure air solutions As one of the only Australian companies with access to the full suite of low-pressure air solutions, CAPS is able to provide the optimum blower selection for most low-pressure application.

CAPS blowers are suited to a range of low-pressure industrial applications, including: • In water and wastewater treatment, air is used for a variety of applications including aeration systems and air scouring/filter backwashing.

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Brooke Donnelly steps down BROOKE Donnelly, APCO Chief Executive Officer, has announced her intention to step down after five years in the role.

Donnelly said it was the right time for a new challenge. She will leave APCO at the end of July 2022 and assist with the transition to a new CEO in the interim.

Under Donnelly’s leadership, the APCO was reinvigorated and regained government trust to influence policy on a national scale. Membership grew from 700 to 2200 in that time, expanding the geographical scope to regional participants and global participants. The organisation led the nation in setting the National Packaging Targets as the way forward to achieve circularity in packaging.

It also developed consistent reporting of the packaging value chain, established strong partnerships with Planet Ark, PREP and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, developed and launched a regional approach to tackle plastic packaging waste in Australia, 6

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

• Multi-stage centrifugal blowers.

• Single-stage centrifugal turbo blowers.

Power generation solutions CAPS has solutions for both prime or backup power generation offering customised power generation with product availability nearing 4600kVA, highest in the market; together with sustainable energy such as battery storage – either renewable or hybrid.

Energy from Waste industry (EfW) demands reliable back-up energy solutions such as a diesel generator, with the main purpose for an emergency back-up system is to restore power during a grid failure.

There are multiple processes critical to waste management and electricity generation.

These processes could be adversely affected if there are any prolonged interruption due to an unscheduled grid failure.

Critical factors when selecting a back-up system are costs, minimising noise, and keeping the real estate footprint of the system as

compact as possible.

Delivering a back-up diesel generator, especially for the EfW segment, involves several challenges, such as real estate constraints, rapid start-up along with performance and emissions issues. This is why CAPS Australia has teamed up with KOHLER to deliver a custom Australian built system.

CAPS also has just released its own brand of purpose specified generators designed specifically for the Australian environment.

These units are built in Europe and made from leading Original Equipment Manufacturer components such as Perkins engines, Leroy Somer alternators, as well as Deep Seas controllers.

Where do CAPS want to be in the next 12-18 months?

CAPS continues to grow and a large area of focus for us in the near future is to continue our development into future technologies and products that propel us on our carbon neutral journey. Power efficiency and green energy are big on our radar. iw

Cleanaway Equipment Services Pty Ltd convicted of two water pollution offences and failing to immediately notify relevant authorities of a pollution incident Cleanaway Equipment Services Pty Ltd (CES) has been prosecuted by the EPA, pleaded guilty and was convicted in the Land and Environment Court of causing water pollution when large quantities of kerosene solvent escaped from its licensed premises at Queanbeyan on 14 and 15 May 2020. On 14 May 2020, approximately 2,500L of solvent entered the stormwater system and the Molonglo River. On 15 May 2020, contaminated water (containing solvent) that had been pumped from the Molonglo River by CES following the incident on 14 May 2020 escaped from CES’ premises again and entered the stormwater system and the Molonglo River. The incidents caused actual harm to the environment and significant short-term impacts (lasting approximately two months) on macroinvertebrates in the river. CES also pleaded guilty and was convicted of failing to immediately notify the relevant authorities on 14 May 2020 that a reportable pollution incident had occurred.

New Zealand and the Pacific Islands through the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, and initiated game-changing programs of work that have informed government and members of the challenges ahead.

In a statement, APCO members thanked Donnelly for her dedication and wished her well for the future. iw

On 14 April 2022, the Court recorded convictions and fined CES the amount of $617,000. The Court also ordered CES to pay the EPA’s investigation costs of $110,778 and legal costs and publish this notice.

The Court’s judgment may be accessed at https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/180216e9f9b83a611a72e1b6

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

News //

Profile | Gordon Ewart, CurbCycle collaboration, innovation and investment to enhance targeted material diversion from landfill into a supported value chain starting from households right through to manufacturers and back onto shelves. Over the past 10 years I have progressed development of the value chain for soft plastics – starting with advanced recycling, then modernising MRFs and now my energy is focused on the most important link in this value chain – the community.

What made you get into the waste industry?

I’ve always been passionate about innovation and sustainable development. My journey started when I helped develop a renewable energy start-up in Australia into the largest pure play renewable energy company listed in the London AIM stock exchange. Now, that I have built more than 20-years executive and entrepreneurial experience in renewable energy and recycling in Australia and UK, I have a clear vision of how we can bring

What are some of the key issues facing the industry?

The way you define the problem paves the way you create solutions.

When we are solving the “waste” problem, the industry has been searching for the lowest cost solutions to “dispose” of it. To date this has swept much of our waste offshore or into landfills. The export waste bans, and escalating landfill levies, represent society’s demand for the industry to reframe the problem and start rapidly implementing strategies that focus on developing local value chains to recover value.

The industry needs to collaborate to develop cross-sector value

chains that sustainably manage the challenges of collection, processing, re-manufacturing and retailing recycled materials such as soft plastics, coffee pods, textiles and other difficult materials to recycle. Industry needs to better manage problem material to ensure it does not end up leaking into the environment causing harm.

Tell us about CurbCycle what you hope to achieve with the program The Curby Programs connect community and industry through an innovative extended product stewardship service for soft plastics and other targeted materials through their Council kerbside recycling bin. The Curby App (available at Apply App Store or Google Play Store) and unique QR Codes inspire and empower the community to ‘CurbyIt’: to divert problem materials from landfill and enable ReMade in Australia products.

How do households participate?

Councils recycle their soft plastics by segregating them into a used plastic bag and attaching our CurbyTag that has a QR code to be scanned

before placing the bag into their kerbside recycling bin. The CurbyTag enables efficient identification and sorting of the bag at the material recovery facility and householders receive acknowledgement from Curby. The geolocation, quality and quantity of the targeted material is reported to councils, recyclers, product stewards and industry partners through an interactive dashboard. The Curby Programs build, guide and nurture sustainable behaviour within the community so we can recover and reuse the most problematic materials. The Curby Platform is available to MRFs enabling the program to be widely adopted and we are interested in expanding the program with other councils.

By focusing on community engagement, we can inspire 10 million ‘material recovering households’ within Australia to segregate and send targeted materials of the best possible quality into enhanced collection, processing and re-manufacturing for another time around the loop. Australia can be the leader in developing service innovations and technologies for the circular economy. iw

30 councils benefit from scrap grants TWO sets of grants totalling more than $2.8 million will be a boon for recycling food waste across NSW. The first set, totalling $240,150, are part of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) Scrap Together FOGO education campaign, which will see residents in 25 local council areas armed with the knowledge to become better food waste recyclers.

The second set of FOGO grants, totalling $2.6 million, will give residents of six council areas access to organics waste recycling.

Head of EPA Organics, Amanda Kane, said the projects are built on a multi-million-dollar investment in kerbside food waste recycling that first started in 2013.

“The new Scrap Together grants will remind households of the environmental benefits of turning food waste into compost.

“If past results are anything to go by, the educational campaigns will 8

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increase recycling of food waste while reducing what goes into landfill,” said Kane.

“Food waste sent to landfill in the red lid bin rots, generating greenhouse gas emissions, whereas in the green lid bin it gets processed into beneficial compost and returned back to the land.”

Kane said a further six councils will receive a share of $2.6 million through the Organics Collections grants program, which means they will be able to introduce FOGO services or trial food-only services in multi-unit dwellings.

Across NSW, the Organics Collections grant funding helps recover more than 200,000 tonnes of food and garden waste each year and reduces CO2 -e emissions by 350,000 tonnes a year.

The Organics Collections grants are delivered via a partnership between the EPA and the NSW Environmental Trust. They provide up to $1.3 million per grant for infrastructure like bins

Grants are said to help reduce emissions from waste by 350,000 tonnes.

and kitchen caddies to help transition to the new services.

Meanwhile, the Scrap Together grants provide $10,000 for each council to deliver EPA-designed content, including videos, radio ads, mailbox drops and print advertising.

Kane said the NSW Government had allocated an additional $69 million over the next five years to further expand FOGO services and support councils to meet new requirements under the Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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New pricing scheme for EfC CDS

Beverage suppliers pay a fixed price per material type.

EXCHANGE for Change (EfC) has announced the new fixed pricing scheme per material type for supplier contributions that fund the Return and Earn NSW container deposit scheme, effective for six months for invoices issued from August 2022.

Danielle Smalley, CEO of Exchange for Change, said six-month pricing was set because of ongoing uncertainty.

“We understand pricing certainty and stability is important to suppliers and we aim to return to a 12-month fixed price by material type once economic conditions become more predictable,” Smalley said.

Under the NSW scheme, beverage suppliers pay a fixed price per material type. The current weighted average price per eligible drink container they supply into NSW for the six-month period from February to July 2022 is 10.61c (excluding GST).

From August 2022, the new weighted average price (excluding GST) per eligible container will be 11.71c.

The change in pricing reflects a return to more normal redemption patterns following the reopening of return points in Greater Sydney in September last year.

“The NSW scheme operates on a

cost-recovery basis and the current pricing, announced last October, reflected the drop in redemptions,” Smalley said. “Today however, return rates are starting to recover. The new weighted average price has increased by 1c to ensure sufficient funds to meet forecast scheme costs during the pricing period.”

The pricing for invoices issued from August 2022 to January 2023 was developed following extensive modelling, which reviewed more than four years of scheme supply and redemption trend data, consultation with the beverage industry, and consumer research to understand community redemption behaviour.

Return and Earn continues to deliver strong environmental, community and economic benefits to the NSW community with more than 7 billion containers returned for recycling through its 620-strong return point network across the state.

Participation is high with 78 per cent of NSW residents having participated, while more than $30 million has been returned through the scheme to charities and not-for-profits via donations and fees from hosting return points. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Ipswich takes the lead in FOGO roll out IN August 2018 the Queensland town of Ipswich was in trouble. Four-time mayor Paul Pisasale had resigned in 2017 after being charged with, and subsequently found guilty of, extortion, perjury, fraud and a few other charges. Greg Chemello was appointed as Interim Administrator by then Queensland Minister for Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs, Stirling Hinchliffe, until elections were held in March 2020.

Four months later, David McAlister left his job at the Brisbane City Council and became Ipswich’s Resource Recovery Manager, a job he still holds today. With so much going on, you would think there would be distractions galore. Not for McAlister.

The biggest part of his job is not just turning Ipswich into a leading light in terms of resource recovery, but persuading homeowners and commercial enterprises that this is the right course to follow. The current council is forward thinking, and it needs to be with some of the fastest population growth in the country and with state government legislation starting to come into play soon, especially when it comes to organics and the waste levy rebate.

“Part of our new recovery strategy is a move to a full organic system across the city by about 2024-25 so that we’re well placed in terms of the state’s legislation and the levy charges, and all of those things that are coming into play,” said McAlister.

The council has an opt-in user pays service when it comes to green waste, which has just gone through a rebranding to FOGO, with an uptake of 28 per cent. McAlister said “the uptake and community recognition of the current FOGO service was encouraging”.

Getting a green waste opt-in service is one thing, getting a holistic FOGO collection off the ground means several things have to happen. One is making sure the infrastructure is in place to cater for 60,000 new bins that will need to be collected each week. Moving to a weekly service for organics is a must if they are to meet State targets.

“We are very mindful at the moment that the current infrastructure and the current processes can handle the current volumes, including the current markets from Brisbane and other 12

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An organics bin will be added to the general waste and recycling bin collections.

places around the state,” he said. “But if we were to turn FOGO on for the whole city tomorrow – bring in another 60,000 services, not even considering the like of Brisbane – there’s a significant level of development that the industry has to do in order to be ready.”

When it comes to a FOGO collection, McAlister needs to get kinks out of the system, which is why they are at the trial stage at the moment.

“We have a couple of trial areas up and running at the moment,” he said.

“We have over 1100 homes that we have converted to, in essence, a full FOGO service. They have weekly FOGO services, fortnightly waste services and fortnight recycling services. We split that over two areas of approximately 550 homes. Those people are operating in what we see as the future state.

“They’re operating in the collection paradigm that New South Wales and Victoria have already. That takes us back to analysing the barriers, looking for issues that are going to come out. If we are to transition this to the whole city, we need to get the bugs out now.”

Ipswich has taken rubbish from many other parts of the state for a long time, which makes the community suspicious of any new ventures in the waste arena. Persuading the general population to get on board with the new service is another thing

altogether; there are challenges around perceived loss of service for example, whereas the reality is they will be getting an extra service.

“Ipswich has this perception as being the dumping ground of Queensland,” said McAlister. “At one point, a large amount of waste from all of Queensland’s waste was coming into Ipswich. The community was rightly very triggered by this and wanting to do something about it.

“When it comes to the perception of cost, they think we are increasing their rates and decreasing services.

People think they’re losing weight in their waste bin from the weekly or fortnightly pick-ups.

“However, if you’ve moved from your waste being collected weekly and your recycling bin collected fortnightly, nothing much has changed other than we have provided a new organics bin that’s now collected weekly. In essence, households have an extra 240 litres of capacity that we are now recycling out every week and we’ve reduced your waste pick-up capacity to fortnightly. This perception triggers peoples’ brains that we’ve reduced their waste bin collection.”

McAlister also points out that the public are discounting that now they’ve got an organics bin. Also, most general waste bins at the moment have about 50 per cent organic material, which is going straight to landfill.

“We realise there is also the ‘yuck’ factor’,” said McAlister. “It’s an interesting one because a portion of people separating out organics and are like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to touch that’ or ‘I must bag this material’. I think you’ve just got a resistance to change factor where you’re making people do something different.”

While some negative perception and comments from the trial was to be expected McAlister said, “overall the general feedback and perception from trial participants was very positive”.

Moving forward, McAlister feels he is about 10-20 per cent of the way through the process, with a long way to go. But he is optimistic about the outcome.

“Over the next six months or year, we need to get a detailed analysis of the trials – looking at the barriers and implementing the service,” he said. “We need to get sign-off for the next steps of the process and start to build the education and marketing campaigns to bring the community along that journey.

“What is great, is that it is an independent council with a real drive to make change in this space.

I found very strong political will and engagement. One of the reasons we’re able to be so progressive is because not only are the elected members engaged, they’re the ones wanting the change.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Free food waste recycling A trial by Brisbane City Council is said to be precipitating a full roll out for the whole city.

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BRISBANE City Council has launched a new free food waste recycling service pilot.

The program, which rolled out to approximately 6000 residents across the city in early March 2022, is the largest waste program change introduced in Brisbane over the past decade.

Residents who are existing green waste recycling customers have been invited to throw out their food scraps – excluding meat and dairy – into their green bin. To make this easier, participating households received a free six-litre bench-top kitchen caddy to collect their food scraps for disposal.

To come full circle from food and garden waste to high-quality mulch and compost, Brisbane City Council works with a range of suppliers. This includes Suez who collect residents’ bins and deliver the caddies, SULO who manufacture and repair council’s bins and made the custom caddies for this pilot, plus Cleanaway who deliver the food and green waste to Phoenix Power Recyclers in Yatala, who specialise in turning the waste into quality compost and mulch.

The food scraps and green waste collected from participating residents goes to the council’s Willawong Resource and Recovery Centre (RRC), where it’s loaded onto a larger truck for distribution out to Phoenix Power Recyclers. Phoenix then turn the food and green waste into quality compost and mulch, to be provided to a range of organisations, from local farmers, landscapers to government bodies for large-scale projects across southeast Queensland.

At Phoenix, the waste is received into a large shed, which is a controlled negative pressure environment to ensure

odours are contained. Machines work through the product to shred it, and it’s then mixed with liquid and pasteurised for 11 days in a fully enclosed concrete tunnel. This computer-controlled process destroys any pathogens, weed seeds and eliminates nearly all odour.

The material – which is not yet classified as compost at this stage – is moved outside to a maturation pad, where it matures over the course of four weeks. A wind row turner aerates it over time, maximising oxygen ingress into the product for it to become quality compost. The product is then transferred and screened and moved to a completed compost pile for future agriculture purposes. The highly controlled process takes 42 to 50 days in total.

As this final compost product is utilised for landscaping and soil conditioning in an agricultural environment, it’s important for residents to remove any contamination that is discarded into the green waste and food waste bins. This includes items like non-compostable bags, rocks, rubber bands, ties, tape and wooden items like chopsticks and icy pole sticks.

Council’s food waste recycling pilot will aim to reduce 2000 tonnes of food waste from going to landfill each year, reducing harmful methane emissions in our environment. The initial roll out of the program will provide valuable insights and feedback from residents to help inform how a food waste recycling service could be rolled out more widely across the city.

When the program is in its maturity, rolled out to households across 1.2 million Brisbane residents, it will reduce an estimated 50,000 tonnes of food waste from going to landfill. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Report highlights risks of tyre resource recovery TSA has released a new report to help Tyre Derived Product (TDP) processors, manufacturers and users increase their knowledge of

EOL tyres have many uses including in artificial sports pitches.

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

the environmental and health risks around use of end-of-life (EOL) tyres.

The Tyre Particle Health, Environment and Safety Report 2022 pulls together findings from global research to provide a useful summary of what the world knows about the contribution of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) to chemical and microplastic pollution.

The recycling of rubber from endof-life tyres has great environmental benefits due to the repurposing of an otherwise waste product, as well as additional benefits due to the improved performance features of many TDPs. TSA acknowledges that any utilisation of recycled tyre material must be done in a manner that is safe to the community and environment. As such, TSA continues to remain vigilant in monitoring

new information and research to help drive better outcomes for the utilisation of end-of-life tyres in TDP. “We‘ve done the leg work in identifying relevant literature that will help local governments and businesses who are putting, or want to put, EOL tyres to more sustainable use than stockpiling and dumping,” said TSA science and innovation advisor, Dr Linda Mitchell.

“There are many environmental and commercial benefits of reprocessing EOL tyres, but it’s important we recognise there are still risks that need to be managed. TSA wants to help government and industry push the safety benchmarks as high as we can, to ensure that the benefits of a circular tyre economy are as sustainable as possible for everyone.”

The report lists risks for tyre and road wear particles and tyre derived

products used in applications such as artificial turf, playgrounds, running tracks and crumb rubber modified asphalt. It also includes a risk matrix, which rates the risks according to likelihood and consequence, and identifies any knowledge gaps.

“What interests us the most is the knowledge gaps that exist,” said Mitchell.

“As Australia moves towards improved management and reuse of its own waste, these gaps are opportunities for science and innovation sectors to investigate more and help show us the path forward.

“I look forward to talking with anyone who has questions about the report and wants to explore opportunities to collaborate on more research and development.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// News

MobileMuster to add to growing e-waste streams MobileMuster chief Spyro Kalos (centre) said e-waste has doubled in the past 10 years.

MOBILEMUSTER has announced the planned expansion of its product stewardship program, broadening their recycling capability to include three new, growing e-waste product streams.

The expansion of the charter reflects MobileMuster’s aim of playing a genuine product stewardship role to create a more sustainable circular economy, alongside the changing nature of the challenge related to electronic waste as an increasingly diverse range of

products enter the Australian market as technology evolves.

The new product streams cover network connectivity (modems and routers, landline phones etc.), smart home technology (smart speakers, smart digital hub displays), and wearables and peripherals (smart watches, tracking tags, VR headsets).

Run by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), MobileMuster is the only voluntary government accredited electronic product stewardship scheme in Australia and provides a complete e-waste solution to address the environmental, health and safety impacts of telecommunication products across their full lifecycle.

Independent research conducted on behalf of AMTA found that for every 1.6 modems in use in Australia, there is 1 being stored and not in use, and for

every 2.1 smart devices in use, there is 1 being stored and not in use. In total, that is over 20.1 million devices in line with the new product streams stored in homes across the country.

Spyro Kalos, head of MobileMuster, said, “In the last ten years, the rate of e-waste generated each year in Australia has more than doubled.”

The recent E-Product Stewardship in Australia report, produced for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, found that in 2019, 975,000 tonnes of e-products were estimated to have entered the Australian market, while 521,000 tonnes of e-waste were generated, equating to 20.4kg of e-waste on a per capita basis.

The report estimates that in 2030, approximately 12 million tonnes of e-products will be in use, about 12.3 times the amount of product entering the market, while 674,000 tonnes of

e-waste will be generated.

As part of the announcement AMTA has confirmed that Technicolor is the first modem manufacturer to confirm their participation in the expanded scheme, with more businesses expected to join in the coming months as the launch date was set for 1 July, 2022.

“With the amount of electronic waste sitting in people’s drawers, MobileMuster is looking to change the way Australians looks at waste more broadly, protect the environment, and ensure effective recycling strategies are in place to meet future industry demand for new products. This expansion shows we are continuing to deliver on that promise,” Kalos said.

MobileMuster is a scheme that is currently funded by all the major handset manufacturers and network carriers including Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom (Vodafone). iw

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News //

Behr takes over from Becker at REMONDIS JOCHEN Behr has been appointed chief executive officer of REMONDIS Australia, replacing Björn Becker who steps down after leading Australian operations since 2018, having positioned the company for sustainable, profitable growth.

Having served as chief operating officer of REMONDIS Australia since 2020, Jochen Behr has accumulated a wealth of commercial experience with REMONDIS and with former roles at DS Smith, CHEP and GE Capital, operating in complex multi-country environments in recycling, waste and supply chain management and logistics.

“I congratulate Jochen on his well-earned appointment and have no doubt REMONDIS Australia will continue thriving under his leadership,’’ Becker said.

“Jochen takes over at a pivotal

Becker will become CEO of Asia Pacific within REMONDIS International.

time of expansion and acquisition, including our re-entry to the South Australia market.’’

“I’m proud to be taking on the CEO role, particularly as REMONDIS marks 40 years of operations in Australia,’’

Behr said. “Since arriving in Australia in 1982, REMONDIS has introduced international waste management and environmental experience, technology and innovation to Australia, growing into one the country’s biggest

players with more than 20,000 customers coast-to-coast. With environmental responsibility on the minds of so many Australians, from top business leaders through to suburban households, there are many opportunities to pursue.

“A priority is defining REMONDIS’ role in Australia’s circular economy.

I’m looking forward to scaling our recent investments in food organics, container deposit scheme innovation and Energy from Waste – among other resource recovery projects – to yield operational, environmental and customer benefits,” said Behr.

Becker has recently joined the Board of REMONDIS International GmbH and became CEO of Asia Pacific within REMONDIS International.

Becker will remain involved in the Australian business as chairman of the REMONDIS Australia Board. iw

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From the CEO’s Delivering netdesk zero through a circular economy Environment will meet for the second THE overarchingMinisters themes across the election campaigns time thisAustralia year oncan 7 manage December, followingcost theoffirst are how its increasing 2018 of Environment Ministers (MEM) in living Meeting and the need to continue building a resilient April, which was in part a response to the import economy while we come out of four difficult years. restrictions driven by China’s National Sword With the number of natural disasters and changing Policy and the effects this policy has had weather patterns, climate change has become a across the Australian waste resource (WARR) mainstream issue, withand major parties recovery turning some of industry.

Key decisions derived from the April MEM their attention to addressing and managing emissions. include: The waste and resource recovery (WARR) sector is primed to meet these challenges both economically •and Reducing waste generation, endorsing a target environmentally.

WMRR has written and spoken of 100% of Australian packaging being recyclable, to parties and ministers about how we can get cut compostable or Australia’s reusable by 2025, developing through to make green dealand vision a reality. targets for recycled content in packaging.

The WARR sector has progressed since 2018, when China’s National Sword policy • Increasing Australia’s recycling It capacity. put our industry in thedomestic national limelight. is through the efforts and leadership • Increasing the demand for recycled products. of, as well as investment by, the current federal government that our industry • Exploring to advance waste-to-energy and waste-to-biofuels. remains onopportunities the national agenda.

We must continue to challenge the status quo • Updating Waste with Strategy by year which willWhy? include circular and rethinkthe our 2009 relationship the planet and end, climate change.

Because we economy principles. continue to see the devastating consequences of natural disasters in recent years, and we have consistently come in fourth globally to reach our Earth Overshoot Day. It is time toistake and examine has been achieved decisions Australia alsostock the second highest what generator of waste in the since world these per capita. wereAustralia announced.

Now, seven (7) months may not seem like a long time, can accelerate towards a net zero, resource efficient future, buthowever in an that time we have seen further markets (Malaysia, Indonesia, indispensable component of our effortsclose is a genuine transition to aVietnam) circular and if you are an operator under continued financial stress, seven (7) months could economy. We have called on Australia’s leaders to commit to five policy priorities, make break you. that or must be underpinned by a commitment to funding by the federal government.

1. Maximise carbon abatement through WARR Following the April MEM, we have had three (3) states stepas in with WMRR believes that the sector can reduce its direct emissions well as varying degrees of financial assistance for industry (councils and operators).

This should double the amount of ACCUs generated. In addition to mitigating our end-of-pipe beemissions expectedthrough considering almost all states (except Queensland and Tasmania) have landfill diversion, organics processing, and methane recovery, a access to significant waste levy income each year.

On the eastern seaboard, Victoria regenerative economy that is bolstered by re-use, remanufacturing and repair will has approximately $600 millionofinindirect waste emissions. levy reserves in the Sustainability Fund further enhance the reduction and WMRR NSW raises more than $700 million per annum the waste levy.

There is has called on the government to ensure thatfrom the National Waste Policy certainly no lack of fundscarbon that can be reinvested our essential recognises the positive mitigation impact into of WARR processes,industry. and follow in the EU’s footsteps by requiring sectors to measure carbon emissions across material Funding we know, the throughout money goes a much longerWe way streams helps used inbut the as production process a product’s lifecycle. are with also Government support and leadership, as well as appropriate policy levers. calling for a review of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee, an extension of the crediting periods for both the Alternative Waste Treatment and Source VICTORIA Separated Organic Waste methodologies, the development of an Energy from Waste Victoria has arguably beenunder the most active and earnest Fund, in supporting the industry methodology and others the Emissions Reduction and for financial post-China, with two (2) relief packages announced to support the recycling WARR incentives to reduce Australia’s reliance on virgin materials. industry, valued Extended at a total Producer of $37 million.

The Victorian 2. Mandated Responsibility (EPR) Government has also gone above beyond others efficient, states by less announcing it wouldeconomy, take a leadership To and create a moreallresource carbon intensive and to role in shift creating market demand for recycled products. towards a circular economy, we need to start by tackling product design to eliminate waste and pollution at first instance, and to enable efficient processing SOUTH AUSTRALIA and recycling of materials, as well as the management at end-of-life, including Government a $12.4 million package comprising $2 million of meeting theannounced costs associated with these.support We heard at the Waste 2022 Conference additional expenditure, $5 million additional funding for a loan scheme, together in Coffs Harbour that France places the end-of-life-costs for managing e-waste on with targeted funding from the Green Industries SA budget.

The Government has labels for consumers to make an informed choice. Why can’t we do the same here? also offered grants for recycling infrastructure.

industry however Queensland Government hasmandatory embarkedEPR on the development We are asking for athe national framework that requires schemes a wastestreams management strategy underpinned by a waste disposal levy to increase forofmaterial that cannot be recycled via standard collection schemes, the recycling and recovery and create new jobs.

The State will re-introduce development of a national program that requires all manufacturers to report and a $70/ tonnehazardous landfill levy in March 2019. arethey alsoproduce strong and attempts use identify chemicals within theThere products supply,to and to policy levers (levy discounts and exemptions) to incentivise the use of recycled material prioritise a national phase-out of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) starting with and make it cost competitive with virgin material.

However, little has been done to PFAS by banning the use of these substances as raw materials in products. establish new markets and Government has not taken the lead in the procurement 3. Sustainable design of recycled material.

There are grants available for resource recovery operations Australia needs to accelerate a step change in the way products are designed in infirst Queensland although no monies have been to assist the instance to prevent waste and pollution fromallocated being created, andinto2018. ensureThis is troubling as Queensland out its Container Refund Scheme ondesign 1 November, that reusability, repairability rolled and refurbishment are objectives during the which will likely impact the cost and revenue models of the State’s MRFs – as we and production stages, supported by appropriate systems. have seen most recently in NSW. To drive this, WMRR has recommended introducing economic incentives to encourage sustainable design that will minimise waste as well as take up of WESTERN AUSTRALIA recycled content, developing enforceable national sustainable design guidelines The Western Australian Government setWe up also a Waste in direct response to and regulated design standards like the EU. needTaskforce to build standards the China National Sword.

As part of this announcement, the StatetoGovernment and certification systems for reused, repaired, and remanufactured goods urged sustainable all local councils utilisation of aand three (3)-bin system promote design,toasbegin well asthe financial support incentives to design- red for general waste, yellow forthat recyclables and green forWe organic waste - over systems and infrastructure support these stages. have also called forthe thecoming years to reduce contamination.

While this taskforce is a step in the right direction, establishment of national standards for reusability and repairability. we are yet to see any tangible results from it or any funding for industry.

In October, 4. Sustainable procurement the WA Waste Authority released its draft Waste Strategy to 2030, which comprises To drive market development that will assist in achieving 80 per cent recovery by a comprehensive and the detailed roadmap theexport State’s shared vision of 2030, as well as to ensure objectives of the towards COAG waste bans are met, becoming a sustainable, low-waste, circular economy.

Australia requires mandated sustainable procurement, starting at the federal level and cascading down to state and local governments.

COMMONWEALTH WMRR is seeking a commitment to set and enforce national sustainable Following the MEM April, sector Australia now has a new the Federal Environment procurement targets forinpublic entities, including development of Minister, Melissa Price, who in October reiterated to media MEM’s commitment to explore specifications with a minimum percentage content of Australian-recycled materials waste to energy as part of the solution to the impacts of China’s National Sword, required to be used in materials across all new publicly funded projects. which is troubling (EfW is not a solution to recycling).

The Commonwealth has Federal incentives such as awards and tax breaks to encourage sustainable also backed the Australian Recycling Label and endorsed the National Packaging procurement practices in the private sector are also important, as is developing a Targets consistent developedcommunity by the Australian Covenant Organisation nationally educationPackaging campaign that builds on the ReMade (APCO), which has to date, failed to incorporate industry feedback in the development in Australia program, highlighting the benefits of preferencing and purchasing of these theAustralian Commonwealth’s credit, there has been significant products thattargets. are madeTofrom secondary raw materials. coordination reviewing the National Waste Policy, with the Department of 5. A concerted,inwhole-of-government approach to circularity Environment bringing together industry players during the review Finally, the federal government must collaborate with and stateStates governments process. to ensure a whole-of-government approach, following in the EU’s footsteps to establish a nationally coordinated and consistent pathway for policy and The updated Policy willand nowroll goout before Environment Ministers on 7 December. The business that will enforce circular principles and infrastructure Commonwealth can play a key role – one that goes beyond the across Australia, given we are one common marketplace. WMRR has development recommended of the National Waste Policy.

WMAA is supportive of the Federal Government maximising the implementation and enforcement of a federal proximity principle to ensure the leversrecovery it has, including taxation and importation to maintain a strong, collection, and processing of end-of-life materialspowers, occur within a distance sustainable waste andofresource recovery industry. proximate to their place generation, formalising the role of the Heads of EPA to provide it with responsibility for determining policies and regulations that ensure AHEAD OFconsistent MEM 2 approach, and developing a national circular economy a nationally There may be to movement across Australia, with some doing blueprint, similar the EU’s Green Deal.

It is time to step upstates our action to better move than others, but the consensus is, progress is still taking way too long.

It is evident to a resource efficient, genuine circular economy so that we may future-proof our that there are funds available almost all to States to assist with developing secondary environment and economy foringenerations come. manufacturing infrastructure, however the only way that this will really happen is Gayle Sloan, Chief Executive Officer, WMRR if there is government leadership around mandating recycled content in Australia now, not later.

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

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

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

Gayle Sloan Chief Executive Officer

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

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Soft plastics //

Softly, softly – the troublesome waste stream that is soft plastics

By Inside Waste (Continued from cover) IN other words, we are looking to incorporate higher and higher levels of local content in our packaging.

That is key.”

Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association’s CEO, Gayle Sloan, wonders why some soft plastics producers changed course with some of their products.

“As much as possible, where possible, soft plastics should be designed out of packaging from a circular point of view,” she said.

“While Nestle etc are trying to come to the party, I think of the KitKat example. It used to come in tinfoil

and paper and used to be highly recyclable. Now it comes in a plastic wrapper. Why was it changed?”

What about the argument that plastic helps food last longer on the shelf, which is a good thing? After all, if you can make food last longer on the shelf, there is more chance of it being consumed instead of going to landfill. One tonne of organic waste causes more greenhouse gases than one tonne of plastics.

“WRAP UK has recently come out with a study that says it is not always necessarily the case that plastic adds to food life,” said Sloan.

“And when you think about a KitKat, most people buy it and eat it on the spot. You don’t tend to put it

away to eat later.”

Speaking of KitKats, Nestlé’s director of corporate affairs, Margaret Stuart, addressed the audience at the recent Waste Strategy Summit held in Sydney and too them through the process of developing a new ecofriendly piece of packaging for the iconic confectionary. Developing such packaging is an arduous process, she said. The company wanted to turn the plastic back into oil, which would then be taken to a resin manufacturer where pellets are created. A plastic film maker would use these pellets to make new film, which food manufacturers would then use on their products.

“To turn soft plastics back into

Replas managing director Mark Jacobsen.

Soft plastics are being recycled so they can be used in roading.

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Soft plastics

plastics, it has to be turned into oil,” said Stuart. “This is a vision for where we want to head but we wondered how we could bring this to life for others. And there is nothing like chocolate. We made a prototype KitKat wrapper – working right around the supply chain with nine other companies – to make a soft plastic wrapper from recycled content.”

Stuart said Nestle realised early on it couldn’t do the work on its own. And it’s not just because there were nine companies involved, but other stakeholders, too. There were three levels of government, as well as the waste and food sectors. Nestle also wanted to get its competitors onboard.

“This was not about companies that usually work together but a group of companies that saw a value chain,” said Stuart. “When you do that you unpick some funny things.

It was a miracle that we ever got the prototype made. When we tried to get oil made from soft plastics into the oil refinery it was clunky and didn’t work.

It was messing up the system because of the chlorine contamination in the soft plastic. We needed to look at the question of, how do we get chlorine out? That meant going back to the sorting process and how do we screen things more effectively? That in itself, was a huge process.

“With optical sorting, Australia now has its first soft plastics engineering facility that is screening soft plastics to get rid of the chlorine. This isn’t just helpful when you think about advanced recycling or chemical recycling, it helps with any sort of processing with soft plastics.”

There are companies turning soft plastics back into oil. Pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) are two ways of doing this. In order for more of these initiatives to occur the infrastructure needs to be built, and this is starting to happen. In the

IQ Renew’s Danny Gallagher at the podium at Waste 2022, Coffs Harbour.

case of HTL, Dr Len Humphreys and his team at Licella have a plant up and running on the New South Wales’ Central Coast with another five plants being built around the world in the future (see story on page 46).

Meanwhile, Australian Paper Recycling’s Darren Thorpe has imported a one-tonne P1000 from Germany, which uses Biofabrik WASTX technology, and will turn soft plastics into oil for plastic remanufacture (see story on page 42). Thorpe is so sold on the idea that he has ordered a five-tonne machine that will arrive in August and has applied for a grant from the Federal Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund to buy a 50-tonne unit.

New Products Oil is but one outcome when it comes to reuse. Mark Jacobsen is

The prototype KitKat wrapper made from recycled soft plastics.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

the managing director of Replas, a company that has been at the forefront of recycling for more than 30 years and now manufactures goods out of hard-to-recycle plastics. The company was started by brothers Brad and Russell Muller under the name Australian Recycling Technologies in 1991. They registered the name Replas in the same year. Replas is one company that didn’t lose sleep when China stopped Australia sending its waste to its shores. While some scratched their head and had an “oh boy” moment, Replas saw it as an opportunity.

“It’s a big opportunity for manufacturing, innovation and labour growth in Australia,” Jacobsen said when interviewed at the recent Waste 2022 Conference in Coffs Harbour.

“The government is supporting a lot of infrastructure grants. There is $360 million of such grants coming over the next few years to produce facilities and infrastructure for this type of thing.”

Like a lot of leading lights in the waste industry, Jacobsen is a huge fan of education. He says there is still a long way to go – ask any MRF operator about the types of articles they regularly find in ‘sorted’ waste stream – and you know it is true.

However, having been in the industry for many years, Jacobsen is seeing the change. Mainly from the younger generation. And it is that generation that needs to be listened to because they are more environmentally savvy than any generation before them.

“The public is now leveraging towards circularity and looking at

brand owners who have end-oflifecycle analysis of what they are doing with plastics,” he said. “If you look at Coles and Woollies you will see bench seats at the front of all their counters made from waste. Over the next two years you’ll see checkout counters, cardboard box holders and even the REDcycle box holders being made out of their own waste.”

In the past five years he has also seen a change in expectations when it comes to consumers and corporates seeing the value in such products.

“Until recently, the only narrative was, ‘I want a product that looks perfect,’” said Jacobsen. “Now they want the flecked duck, where they have spots all over and it is obvious that it has been made from the most problematic waste stream.”

Recycled soft plastics have also been used in asphalt to build roads.

This first occurred in Australia in 2018 in the Sydney suburb of Engadine.

Since then, plastics have been procured by a number of councils around the country to be used in road projects.

When it comes to feedstock, Jacobsen said that Replas processes about 3000 tonnes of soft plastics a year but has capacity for up to 10,000, with most of it coming from the aforementioned REDcycle program.

Isn’t he worried that they might run out of feedstock, especially if soft plastic producers find compostable alternatives? Not in the immediate future anyway. As he points out, currently only about 6 per cent of soft plastics are recovered, so there is still plenty out there.

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Soft plastics //

Food packaging needs to be redesigned to make soft plastics compostable.

There also are other plastic alternatives, according to Sloan.

“Replas and other companies will be okay,” she said. “There are a whole lot of other, commercial-grade plastics that are not in the yellow bin. There are those hard plastics that are on cars and others that come from scrap.

If you look at the Australian plastics report that [consultant] Kyle O’Farrell does every two years, you will see the majority of plastics are not necessarily on the kerbside. There is a whole pile of C&D and C&I plastics that those businesses could use.”

The Collection While REDcycle is a great initiative and its uptake is increasing – depending on who you talk to anywhere between one to three per cent of soft plastics are being collected by the scheme – innovative companies and people are looking at other ways of collecting the waste.

One of the men behind REDcycle, who is also the managing director of IQ Renew, is Danny Gallagher. One of the many things that IQ Renew is doing is developing a largescale value chain for soft plastics in Australia. Gallagher is such a passionate advocate for recycling and reusing he is hoping to change the national mindset of how we think of waste, by not calling it waste at all.

He wants the narrative to change in that it is not a waste industry but a resource industry. He believes there is very little of what we call waste that needs to go into a landfill. We just need to find better uses – be more innovative, find markets, and pressure federal and state governments to put 24

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

a mandatory percentage of recycled products in any new works’ projects such as buildings and roads. As with Jacobsen, Gallagher lost no sleep when China closed its doors to our ‘recycled’ products. The only issue he sees is the lack of infrastructure, but governments are starting to play catch-up.

“I would frame soft plastics as uncharted territory; it is an unmet demand material,” he said. “If you look at the past 10 years and the role our disposable society has, what coincided with that was more plastic in the market, whether it be packaging or goods coming from Ali Baba or Amazon.

“The equipment to deal with it as a waste stream hasn’t been there. There has been capital investment lag. For 25 years we exported our recyclables to other countries to do that next part, so capital was deployed in other countries. Then bans came in and there was a moment we realised that we didn’t have infrastructure, not for just soft plastics but for milk bottles and coke bottles.”

Enter another enterprise that Gallagher is associated with, CurbCycle. Company director, Gordon Ewart, spent time at IQ Renew before starting work full-time at CurbCycle.

Using its mascot, Curby the Bilby, the program is designed to turn the household recycling bin into a collector of soft plastics. How is it done? At its most basic, consumers buy compostable yellow bags, put their soft plastics in them, put a tag on the bag and throw it in the yellow bin. The recycling truck picks up the bin like it usually does and take the

contents back to a MRF where the yellow bags are separated and put into their own waste stream (for a more thorough explanation look at our profile of Ewart on page 8).

The company has trialled the idea on the New South Wales’ Central Coast.

It was an opt-in trial, and, according to Ewart, has proven popular with both households and the councils involved.

“The way we are trying to solve the problematic soft plastic waste stream issue is via a shared value with stakeholders,” he said. “We’re giving householders an engaging process that is 20 times more efficient than the CDS and reverse vending machines.”

Ewart’s attitude is not only optimistic, it almost evangelical.

He sees it as a product stewardship program, and with the likes of Nestlé and Nespresso Australia collaborating with CurbCycle, it’s easy to see why he envisions a bright future for the endeavour. He also thinks laterally in terms of what a household’s role is in the equation. He is getting others onboard too, but is coy – at the moment – as to who they are.

“There are 10 million mini MRFs in Australia – they are the householders,” he said. “We have 20 to 25 named brands engaged at the moment. Global brands. I can’t say who, but there are leading brands seeking solutions.”

As with any new initiative, Ewart knows there is a hard road ahead. But he is confident that if he sticks at it, stakeholders will eventually come on board.

“I see it as having to be a shared value proposition to the council, MRFs and community,” he said. “The hard part is getting the MRFs across the

line. They are worried about crosscontamination.”

Gallagher said the system is a good one and once the trials are over, and hard data is in, it will be embraced by other councils.

“I genuinely believe a combination of complementary services and programs like REDcycle and CurbCycle are the best ways of increasing recovery rates because there are 10 million homes that could be collecting them for us,” he said. “It’s easy, it’s convenient and the infrastructure is out there. Let’s get smarter on how we deploy it.”

Sloan is a critic of the scheme.

Although she does support one of Gallagher’s other enterprises, REDCycle, she believes contamination will be the main issue with the CurbCycle plan.

“With soft plastics, the best type of stream is a source separated stream that can be collected and recovered,” she said. “I really support REDcycle, but was very disappointed that funding was given to try and put soft plastics into the yellow bins and contaminate the recycling rather than putting money into REDcycle and promoting that scheme.

“The Central Coast Trial was for a single MRF. It was a voluntary trial.

It is not scalable because no other MRFs will want to take them because it pollutes 50 per cent of the paper because plastic looks like paper. Once you compact it...there is a good chance those bags will burst and go through the stream.”

Ewart disagrees.

“I’ve got the data to back it up in terms of how it works,” he said. “To make sure the bag doesn’t burst in the garbage truck as it is being collected, you make sure it has perforations in it.

It can survive 200 kilograms per cubic metre compaction rate. It has been tested. We have bales and bales of it.”

Where to next?

Whatever method of collecting, recycling and reusing soft plastics is being used, everybody spoken to for this article was positive about the future. It’s not so much ‘are attitudes going to change and if not what will we do?’, it’s more, ‘the public, industry and government are unanimously on board. How do we execute plans moving forward?’”

Globally, Mars Wrigley has drawn a line in the sand for all of its waste, including soft plastics. Currently, it doesn’t hold any of its suppliers to account in terms of waste streams.

But that might change.

“We have to look at the whole supply chain,” said Sutton. “Mars globally has had a zero waste to

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Soft plastics

There is plenty of feedstock when it comes to recycling soft plastics for other uses.

landfill policy for five years. In Australia we don’t send anything from our sites to landfill. Everything will go into some form of waste stream that is not landfill, and that includes the plastic packaging.

“We are working back in our supply chain. We don’t hold our suppliers to be zero waste to landfill at the moment, but part of our broader regeneration plan is looking beyond our direct operations.”

Sloan said she would like to see more initiative from the producers in terms of funding recycling efforts.

“I would like the likes of Nestlé etc to take responsibility for their packaging that doesn’t fit in a yellow bin and actually support product stewardship schemes such as REDcycle,” she said. “If they partner with REDcycle, we have a pathway to capture soft plastics. We just need to make it work.”

Like Mars Wrigley, Nestlé has gauged the public mood and is taking steps to make sure it has a viable soft plastics strategy in place.

“We have a commitment globally to make all our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025,” said Stuart. “But there is no ideal, unicorn magical packaging that disappears into dust when you have finished using it.

There are some great advantages with plastic. If you use the right type you have a mono material, which makes it easy to recycle. The weight of plastic

will have an impact on transport and therefore carbon emissions. Plastic is low carbon, even more so when it is recycled compared to most other things.

“I have heard the idea of getting rid of soft plastics and not use them.

However, there are so many ways that soft plastic is such a good resource and there is no easy substitute for it, so we need to look at the issue holistically and a more systems approach. There is a place for bans.

For example, we are getting rid of PVC and I’m 100 per cent behind that.”

Jacobsen is optimistic.

“I think the future is quite bright despite challenges,” he said. “The fact that they banned waste from Australia made companies like ours possible.

Manufacturing is going to grow. Right now, we are a scalable solution for the soft plastics coming through REDCycle and other channels. We are seeing huge growth mainly because the value of plastic these days is different from what it was five years ago.”

Not only is Gallagher sure about the future of soft plastics, he has a vision of where they will be in the next

decade, and their value chain, too.

“Within 10 years we’ll have a recovery rate of 80 per cent of problematic, challenging plastics going back into either alternate fuels, new products like benches, bollards and roads, but most importantly will be going back into new things like packaging – food grade and nonfood grade,” he said. “The value of what we are doing can be measured in monetary terms as well as socially and holistically. It’s all of those. It’s quality service value. You can’t have one without the other.” iw

More than four million pieces of soft plastic go through the REDcycle pick-up points every day.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

25

Litter Congress //

There has been a 52 per cent reduction in drink container litter.

Litter Congress highlights a lot of work still needs to be done

By Inside Waste (Continued from cover) “WHEN we talk about community engagement it really is an issue,” said Barclay. “The tobacco industry can’t go there. They are the most legislated industry in terms of any forms of communication, which means it is a challenge for the industry to become involved and engaged.”

One of the fundamental aspects that Barclay looked into was why smokers littered in the first place. Most stated they littered outside because there were no ashtrays.

“The outcome is that there should be more designated smoking areas, and they need to look nicer,” she said.

“However, that would be a hard sell for the tobacco industry, because if you put in nicer smoking areas that might solve the problem. However, cynics would say the tobacco industry is just trying to make themselves look good by beatifying a smoking area.”

It is a perfect storm, according to Barclay. People have been pushed outside to smoke, but the industry can’t communicate with them about ideas of making sure they don’t butt litter.

“People who are anti-smoking and anti-tobacco don’t want to engage with the industry or smokers,” she said.

“Some people believe putting aside designated smoking areas will lead to more people smoking.”

Barclay also touched on the biodegradability of cigarette butts.

There is a lot of plastic in them, 26

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

but people don’t seem to realise it.

Research shows that many people think butts will biodegrade quickly over time.

“You will hear that biodegradable butts are the holy grail of this issue,” she said. “At a global level, this is something that is being researched extensively. It will be a competitive advantage for anybody who can come up with such a solution. There is no viable alternative at the moment.”

Rubbish bins Up until recently Hiral Patel was a waste environmental specialist in the city of Forbes in New South Wales.

He was asked to put together a new strategy to help tackle the town’s public rubbish problem. The last time it had been addressed was in 2016 and it took four years before a new review was undertaken. By that time the council’s collection needs had changed significantly.

Bin capacity, which stood at 250 receptacles around town, was one issue.

Patel found that a lot of the high-use bins were full to overflowing by the time it came to bin collection day. What didn’t help was the confusion within the council as to who was responsible for what aspect of rubbish-collecting.

“The bin infrastructure – such as how many bins go where – was run by the parks and garden team within the council,” he said. “Ensuring the bins are serviced properly, and on time, was the responsibility of the waste and management specialist, which is me.

“We had a lot of complaints from

Laura Barclay said trying to change public perceptions about the tobacco industry is not easy as the industry tries to address the issue of cigarette butt litter.

the community. It wasn’t 100 per cent clear who should be owning this issue – should it be myself because the bins are not being serviced properly? Or should it be the parks and garden team?

Do we have enough bins? That was the question. It wasn’t clear.

“We got all the stakeholders together to discuss the issues so there would be no blame game. That was myself, the parks and garden team, the community events team, the contractor.”

Patel put together a strategy to meet the city’s emerging needs. He had to put new bins in places where they were needed as well as develop a collection routine that would cause minimal impact on the environment. There were a few considerations that needed addressing.

“Which days of the week needed to

be considered?” he said. “We gave the new list of bins to the contractor and when we wanted the rubbish collected.

We had a column on the spreadsheet where they would put down when the bin area was serviced and by whom.

They filled in those times in advance.

“For example, they told us that one collection point would be serviced by 12pm on a Monday and Friday. This meant that if the parks and garden teams were around the area they would really have a good look at 12 o’clock and tell me if the bins were serviced or not. If they were overflowing they could tell me, and remedial action could be taken. This worked really well. The drivers were up to speed and made sure all the bins were locked in properly.

They knew they would be followed up if a bin or series of bins were not emptied

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Exchange for Change CEO Danielle Smalley is happy how the CDS is progressing in NSW.

Hiral Patel said collaboration was key in instigating a new bin collection system for Parkes Shire Council.

at a certain location.”

Once the action plan was in place, Patel found that there was a reduction in the number of servicing frequencies as well as the clean ups that were required by the parks and garden team.

Exchange for Change Founded in 2017, the New South Wales Exchange for Change is the coordinator for the state’s container deposit scheme. CEO Danielle Smalley has been in charge of the organisation for almost two-and-a-half years.

Smalley gave an overview of where the scheme is at in terms of meeting its brief, some of the highlights since its inception, and where it is heading.

First of all, some stats: more than 90 per cent of people in New South Wales know that the scheme exists.

Approximately two out of three containers created are redeemed through the program, while there has been a 52 per cent reduction in drink container litter. More than seven billion containers have been returned, which has resulted in $700 million being returned to consumers and charitable organisations within the state. Finally, more than 8 out of 10 people have participated in the CDS at one time or another, and of the remaining 2 out of 10, one third have said they intend to do so at some point. Meanwhile, 67 per cent of those returning bottles and cans said they would recommend the scheme to others.

Smalley also talked about how the organisation has created a dashboard that the public can interact with that shows them the collection impact of the scheme, the transparency and how the scheme is performing. Then there is the ability to show consumers their own personal impact.

“To complement the dashboard, we really wanted something that appealed to individuals and showed how their efforts are making a difference,” said Smalley. “We worked with Lifecycles Australia to complete a lifecycle

assessment of containers that go into the NSW scheme using that data we have. What they did was calculate the average cost of running the return and earn scheme, such as the electricity to run the machines, the trucks that come to collect the containers and all those sorts of things. Then we talked about the energy savings achieved in resources without having to make containers from virgin materials.”

People can enter the number of containers they have recycled and click on the “show my impact” button. They get a dashboard that shows them the energy and water savings, carbon offset, and how many emissions have been saved and the impact on landfills. They can also the impact there would be if all their community participated.

When it came to the ‘why’ people were participating, there were a couple of key factors. Research showed that financial rewards and environmental reasons are the main motivators for those outcomes.

“It is also important for people to understand the ‘how’ of the scheme,” said Smalley. “People may be reluctant to participate if they are unfamiliar with the scheme. For example, they might turn up to a reverse vending machine with wine bottles but can’t return them.

That can be frustrating. We had to make sure there was a lot of information out there on how to participate and how easy it was to do so. Let them know the different types of return points. How they can check the status of machines when they get there.”

Smalley said that there is high trust for the scheme. Her team is trying to take away any excuses people might have for not participating.

The true cost of litter Ben McNair and Laura Cassar from the Centre for International Economics placed an economic lens of the issue of litter.

They gathered information on litter and illegal dumping (LID) and the costs

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

that affected the environment, human health, recreational, the cost of cleanup, industry costs, as well as amenities.

“To explore the environmental impacts of LID, we conducted a literature review for three environments; marine, terrestrial and waterways,” said Cassar. “The scope was broad and included all LID types and impact categories. We looked at these from two angles – we first looked at high level indicators of the impact of LID. Then we went through a framework to identify and validate environmental effects based on the literature available.”

They identified key gaps. The framework consists of six steps with the first step gathering evidence of LID in the environment – analysis on trends, and duration and spending environment. The second step was to identify potential impacts from LID. The third step gathered evidence on incidents of the impacts.

“The fourth step identified where the individual impacts were contributing to population level impacts,” said Cassar.

“From an economic perspective, we value these impacts at the population level rather than individual level.

We’re trying to really determine: are population level impacts happening to a broader group rather than individual flora or fauna?”

The fifth step attributes the identified impacts to LID for the jurisdiction of interest. For the purpose of the exercise, it was Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Cassar said this was a tricky step, particularly in the marine environment where there’s a lot of litter and debris.

The main issue was who to attribute the litter to. Was it Australia? Another country? Was in New South Wales? Was it Sydney?

And the sixth step applied economic values where they were available. Across the three environments examined, the majority of the research was focused on plastics in the marine environment.

There were many key impacts,

according to Cassar. For example, the total cost for entanglements in derelict fishing gear is estimated to be roughly $364 million per year.

This is estimated for 20 threatened species that were identified under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The company interviewed people using the Choice modelling method to see what their preferences where when it came to dealing with litter. People were presented with different options when questioned, which resulted in a rich data set model of consumer preferences, according to McNair. “[That data can] be really useful for a lot of people to measure the benefits of different litter reduction programmes and projects,” he said.

Some of the outcomes were predictable, others not so much. For example, it was of no surprise that the litter items people dislike the most are hazardous dangerous items like syringes, nappies and condoms. Also, the public see biodegradable items like food scraps, paper and cardboard as less of an issue.

“One thing that was interesting to pull out of the data was that consumers prefer to reduce the proportion of sites that have noticeable litter rather than the same proportion reduction in the amount of across all sites,” said McNair.

“Basically, the benefits are seen to be higher if a few sites are cleaned up completely, rather than just at little levels across all sites even though they have the same reduction in the total volume of litter.

“It can be important from a policy perspective in terms of making a distinction to the benefits of cleanup programmes that clean up sites completely versus initiatives like container deposit schemes that reduce the amount of litter across all sites.”

Finally, it was noted that peoples’ willingness to pay to reduce litter was a bit higher than the willingness to pay to reduce illegal dumping. iw JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

27

Thought Leadership //

Many opportunities still to be realised in waste sector

By Inside Waste HARRY Wilson is the accidental waste expert. When he first started in the waste industry more than 50 years ago, it wasn’t by design.

He was an accountant. A number cruncher. Somebody who knew the different sides of an accounting ledger, not the differences between PVC, PET and HDPE. Fast forward 50-plus years and Wilson is still going strong in a career that has included introducing the first wheelie bins, trialling FOGO kerbside collections and culminated in three wins at the Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards that were held in March this year in Melbourne, including Leader of the Year. It is an accolade thoroughly

“What is happening in packaging though – and this goes for glass and plastics and other packaging – is they are mixing recyclables together at the design stage. That makes it more difficult for the sorters and reprocessors who might have – for example – HDPE laying over some PET. That creates a problem.” deserved for a person who has spent the majority of his working life dedicated to an industry that has changed in many different directions over the past five decades.

But what made him make that fateful decision all those years ago?

It’s a story he tells often.

“I was in the process of changing careers from cost accounting to accounting,” he said. “Three opportunities came up in a short

space of time. One was in the Northern Territory in Katherine. If I had taken that job, I would have had to leave for it two days after I got married. I didn’t think it wise to get married on the Friday and take a city girl to Katherine.

“Another was in construction with a company whose 80 per cent of turnover was in a plastic/ aluminium plant and it only had about four or five months to run

so the downsizing would have been phenomenal. The last was the Hunter Brothers who were involved with Brisbane’s sanitation industry.

I thought I’d take that role as the admin manager for 12 months until I settled down with my new bride and get something more interesting later.

Nothing interesting came along.”

For the next 10 years Wilson worked at the Hunter Brothers until they were purchased by Brambles in 1978. He worked with Brambles as the administration manager for Queensland and quickly moved into the municipal manager role for Queensland and then onto national municipal manager for Australia, which entailed a move to Sydney.

Brambles waste business was eventually named Cleanaway.

Harry was one of the first people to trial the wheelie bin in Australia.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Thought Leadership

It was in this role that Wilson got involved in domestic contracting.

He managed to convince Brambles to send him to waste conferences in America and Europe. He identified IFAT in Munich as a must-go-to event, which he has returned to again and again over the past 40 years. He learned many lessons during those visits including that it was better to trial and run something developed in Europe rather than the US. He believed that American innovation was “a bit hit and miss”.Wilson also felt Americans have an idea, trial it, and then forget it pretty quickly if they didn’t like it whereas in Europe they trial, trial and trial some more until they have it as close to perfect as possible. It was while attending IFAT that he brought back some of Europe’s brightest ideas to Australian shores.

“From one of my first trips, I trialled one of the MGB (mobile garbage bins/wheelie bins) in Australia in Wagga,” he said. “I got the council to convert to those bins from the 60-litre can on the street that was collected twice a week.

Harry (far right) at his waste recycling facility based in Coffs Harbour.

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29

Thought leadership //

“The labour cost savings were significant. However, to change from the 60-litre hand-loaded bin to a mechanical system with an investment in the container of more than 10 years – based on economics – was not easy.

“That started the trend. Over some time with Brambles/Cleanaway I oversaw the conversion of 12 to 15 councils converting from a 60-litre bin to a 240-litre bin.”

In June 1990, Wilson trialled mobile garbage bins, crates, bags and sectionised crates. He got the trial approved by the Waste Management Authority in New South Wales. The system that yielded the most recyclables from the OH&S point of view was the wheelie bin.

Following that, he presented the wheelie bin solution to the market.

“You ended up with the fortnightly recycling yellow bin pick-up,” he said. “It has been sectionised a bit more and we have blue bins as well and Victorians are now talking about a bin for glass. I think it has gone a little bit further than intended.”

Wilson decided to go it alone in 1992 and purchased Sulo Municipal Services, which became SMS Municipal Services. It specialises in waste management services.

Does he see Australian states and territories going down the same route as Europe whereby several more wheelie bins with different lid colours will be added to the collection roster as different waste streams become recognised and need to be separated?

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I spoke to the committee that made the decision about glass in Victoria.

Glass has always been a problem in the recycling bin. What has happened in the last five years will be MRF to CDS nationally changing the profile of what is in your yellow bin.

“SA is looking at reviewing their CDS scheme and they are looking at more glass types being included (wine bottles are not included at the moment) and changing the financial reward. Both those changes are going to change further the profile of what glass is left in the yellow bin. There are all sorts of variations due to people thinking they can change consumers habits by downsizing bins. Each one of those has a different argument.”

One of the biggest changes Wilson has seen is more recent – the China Sword policy. Not that he is upset by it or didn’t see it coming. He feels that Australia made a rod for its own back with the introduction of what he calls “fast” MRFs. 30

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

Harry (second left) at Redcliffe in Queensland in 1986.

“I used to recycle through the local government recycling co-op, which operated in Sydney,” he said.

“We got into some trouble operating through that body because they shifted overseas, and I had to send staff to Korea to sort out a moisture content problem. Then we had the development of fast MRFs, which were designed to meet the overseas market demands ¬ they processed it quickly and then sent that material to Asian markets who would then do the final sorting,” he said. “I thought that was a negative on the Australian market.

I never engaged with it after my experience in Korea. I am happy with the China Sword policy. I can assure you the MRFs aren’t.

They have to rethink the way they do things. This is happening in Europe too.”

With the China Sword policy came the inevitable, “what do we do now” mentality. To Wilson, it shouldn’t be an issue. He said there are plenty of things that can be done with the waste, but there needs to be government incentives, as well as whole-of-life accountability through all the processes. Also, packaging designers need to be held accountable.

“I can see markets for the end product. It is a matter of costs identified and then getting the incentives to utilise those products,” he said. “As far back as the 1990s I was looking at a furniture maker in Europe making products out of mixed plastics. The technology for these

uses have been around for a long time. It is the costs that is the issue.

“It is expensive, but what is the cost of raw materials? I have made the change on my patio. I have changed the wood twice in 20 years.

I now have plastic planks. I paid about a 50 per cent premium for using plastic. However, it will last longer than the wood. I don’t have to worry about screws coming up or kids splintering their feet or chips coming off the wood.

“And the other issue is that governments need to make recyclable content mandatory on procurement for government projects. We can work out what those percentages are by the waste streams that are in the marketplace. It’s whole-oflife accounting. And nobody thinks about it, but they should. It’s about finding markets and then utilising the products.

“What is happening in packaging though – and this goes for glass and plastics and other packaging – is they are mixing recyclables together at the design stage. That makes it more difficult for the sorters and reprocessors who might have – for example – HDPE laying over some PET. That creates a problem.”

Another issue that he thinks could be addressed are commercial and domestic contracts. He believes with domestic contracts you can work with councils and show them what works and how there can be an advantage for them. In other words, it doesn’t just come to dollars and cents even though they are part

of the equation. With commercial it is a bit different, he says, because you work with a large generator of waste. He cites the example of food waste collection. If a commercial operator comes along and offers a cheaper overall system – i.e., one bin and offering to take it to the tip – what is the customer going to do?

“We have come across this,” he said. “We had McDonald’s at one stage on a three-bin system and a new player came to town, saw the volume of material, and said ‘I’ll do it for this price, and I’ll give you one bin to put everything in it’. After developing a commercial customer to three bins, resource recovery over a long period of time, he went straight away to the single bin. McDonald’s did come back over a period of time. The point I’m trying to make is that commercial people make commercial decisions.”

Wilson is always looking for new ways to do things. Whether it be wheelie bins, or collections being streamlined, or new waste streams being entered into the collection cycle.

This includes collecting plate glass – mainly from commercial areas – as well as shattered windscreens from cars.

What is his final piece of advice to the power brokers in the industry?

“Work on ensuring we have markets for this used packaging that we are going to get. We need it clean. So that there is less pressure on the consumer to pay for it themselves.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Residual waste //

Residual waste – a differing point of view

By Sam Bateman THERE have been a few pieces in Inside Waste in the last year, which continue the rent seeking tradition of the alternatives to landfill in Australia. Mike Ritchie’s critique on the basis of carbon storage is typical.

Of course, landfill remains as the only waste disposal option that actually stores carbon.

But reading Marc Stammbach’s piece in the current edition of Inside Waste really takes the cake. He starts with a grab bag of information from various sources and concludes that continuing landfilling of organic waste will make the commitment to net zero by 2050 doomed to failure because of fugitive landfill methane emissions.

He doesn’t mention that cattle and LNG development are the really serious

The carbon dioxide emitted by landfills is short-cycle biogenic carbon dioxide.

emitters of fugitive methane.

Proponents of incinerator technology like to take a view on landfill based on the lowest average performance they can find from various data sources.

This is ridiculous and I’m sure Marc

would not like the performance of his company’s MSW incinerators judged on some database of industry averages.

The performance of the landfill you seek to replace with an incinerator must be used instead.

Landfills are all different and so is the performance. The overall methane emissions of a landfill have been managed to such a low level that the carbon storage inherent in burying organic waste in an anaerobic environment leads to a net carbon sink. Rapid cell construction, early gas collection, electricity generation and methane oxidation in the final cap can all be realistically managed to achieve this, as I have proven by direct measurements at the Wollert Landfill over 10 years ago.

How will Marc manage the waste inputs to his MSW incinerator so that plastics that contain fossil carbon are not burned and greenhouse CO2 released? How will he manage the Incinerator Bottom Ash that is 25 per cent of the waste input and will contain levels of heavy metals that

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// Residual waste

will make it a prescribed waste in Victoria, which must be landfilled?

Landfills can manage the disposal of this potentially toxic waste and safely store it to protect the environment as opposed to indiscriminate use as road base. For this reason, in Switzerland the reuse of bottom ash is prohibited and it must go to landfill and this has been common practice in Europe and other parts of the world.

It is often said that, “Dilution is not the solution to pollution”, but MSW incinerators are in effect the opposite of this and concentrate heavy metals in the waste stream. This is the case for the fly ash in the pollution control equipment, but heavy metals also concentrate in the bottom ash. The bottom ash has a high pH when it is produced in the furnace and has to be allowed to stabilise and there is the chance of generation of hydrogen gas as well. It is not the innocuous material as some suggest.

Marc offers the line “didn’t we just discuss the importance of carbon dioxide in landfill above? Yes, CO2 will be formed and around 50 per cent therefore is of fossil origin from the waste and harmful”. The carbon

dioxide emitted by landfills, whether directly or after combustion of landfill methane, is short-cycle biogenic carbon dioxide – the same as when we breathe out or organic material decomposes aerobically. It is not of fossil origin.

It comes from plants. Fossil carbon in plastics are safely stored in a landfill.

Some would propose carbon capture and storage scenarios for the incinerator, which are unproven and will never be financially viable.

MSW incineration is a common feature of waste disposal in Europe, the USA and Asia. We even had garbage incinerators in Australia at Waverley Woollahra and the Burley Griffin designed incinerators of the 1930s.

They closed down because of emissions, technological challenges and expense.

MSW incinerators are expensive – in region of hundreds millions of millions. They only stack up in specific circumstances and landfills are always cheaper and can have an equivalent performance to an incinerator if managed properly.

Adoption of incineration is as much a cultural phenomenon as a technical one. As the Mayor of the City of Cagliari once exclaimed to me after a long a

Landfills have created hundreds of hectares of parkland around the country.

protracted debate about incineration versus landfills at the 2011 Landfill Symposium in Sardinia, “We want to be like the North!”

He believed that incinerators would show his community was as advanced as the northern cities in Italy (and never mind the cost).

What is undeniable is that landfills have created hundreds of hectares of parkland in Melbourne over the past 100 years by filling in disused quarries.

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JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

33

Clothing and textiles //

Australians need to be accountable with clothing obsession

By Simon Webster

Up to 10 per cent of our wardrobe is never worn.

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THE global symbol of recycling – the iconic Mobius Loop – was created in 1970 and it’s everywhere worldwide.

When we see that symbol, the vast majority of us envision paper, plastic or glass being recycled. But, what about clothing and textiles? The Australian textile industry in 2018 generated close to one million tonnes of waste.

That year, it also had the second lowest waste recovery rate in Australia.

This resulted in 77 per cent of textiles ending up in landfill. This begs the question, “Why aren’t we putting out our council controlled ‘clothing recycle bins’ every Thursday evening?”

I’ve been involved in the clothing industry most of my life. I love producing a piece of fashion – from concept to store – and feel tremendous pride when I see a one of my customers wearing a piece of my collection and showcase it as a part of who they are.

This is what gives me and my brand purpose and meaning.

Australians have become obsessed with new clothing. The Australian fashion industry generates $27.2 billion annually and produced more than 1.6 billion garments in 2021 in a tidal wave the industry calls ‘fast fashion’. The term fast fashion was first heard in the mid 1990s, when brands like Zara were on a mission to take less than 15 days to produce a garment from design to sale. At first it was sexy innovation, and consumers loved it. It was a supply chain, delivery model that was different from the seasonal ranges we were used to producing twice a year. This fast fashion process has been copied by thousands of brands across the globe including those based in Australia.

Australians purchase annually, on average, 27kgs of new clothing per person, while throwing out 23 kgs each year. This means Australians are disposing of around six tonnes of textiles every 10 minutes. Statistics show that Australia is the second largest consumer of textiles per capita in the world, second only to the United States.

Recently, two new terms became stitched into the Australian textile

industries mainstream ecosystem and will change the way we all operate – sustainability and circular economy.

These two terms will define what the textile and clothing industry looks like in the future.

On the 26th May 2021, Sussan Ley, Minister for the Environment, hosted Australia’s first Commonwealth-led Industry Clothing Textiles Waste Roundtable and Exhibition at Australian Parliament House. Industry leaders discussed the ways business and government could work together to realise and deliver innovate solutions to combat the increasing amount of clothing waste being sent to landfill.

In November 2021, $1 million was awarded to the Australian Fashion Council through the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF).

The scheme will bring together fashion designers, manufacturers, retailers, charities and the recycling sector to help tackle the mountains of clothing and textile waste reaching landfill in this country.

This is the beginning of what will be a positive chain of events, as the clothing industry focuses on reducing textile waste by adapting to a sustainable, circular economy.

Australia is second only to the US as the largest consumer of textiles per capita.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Clothing and textiles

a sub industry that will open up Australian employment opportunities and strengthen the local economy.

Simon Webster

Australian made

Consumers must be encouraged to look for quality and longevity in a garment, wear clothes longer and purchase less. Statistically, only 55 per cent of our wardrobe is worn regularly with 10 per cent worn once or not at all. Collectively, wearing our clothes twice as long can reduce our environmental impact by 44 per cent.

Should brands driving sustainable supply chains and using natural or recycled materials be incentivised?

If yes, by who? Textiles made from recycled materials are mainstream today however recycled plastic being made into a fabric suitable to wear has been around since the early 1990s. It’s

important consumers support brands using these types of materials as they generally imply those behind the brand focus on a sustainable managed production and supply chain process.

The government should be supporting upcycle enterprises where garments and fabric are given new life within a circular economy. It’s these enterprises that will defy the industry for the future. Businesses such as BlockTexx, the Circular Centre and Worn Up are game changers and are focused on repurposing fabrics, both natural and synthetic, across the textile industry. Not only are they reducing landfill they are creating

Today, textile and clothing brands are fortunate because they have a number of countries they can choose to produce their products. With each location there are pros and cons.

What is most important for Australian made is that making locally supports local industry, improves quality of specialised textile workers, supports the community and encourages economic growth.

Australian made is also better for the environment. Let’s face it, clothing does more travel than you and me these days and that’s even before it’s purchased. Producing locally reduces each garments carbon footprint, which overall is better for the environment.

Brands should encourage C2C resale networks or consumers should donate to charity before throwing away.

However, they must be respectable when donating to charity by ensuring the clothing donated is useable.

Unusable donations are sent to landfill, which costs charities up to $13 million a year.

We must remember the environment is a shared responsibility. Our choices and our habits, no matter how small, impact the environment and our planet’s future. There is nothing wrong with selling new clothing or clothing being purchased, but we need to pay special attention to brands with a sustainable purpose and brands choosing sustainable methods when it comes to producing products and focusing on a circular economy Australian clothing brands spend billions of dollars on traditional and digital marketing every year encouraging us to buy their products with just a few clicks. However, some of this marketing budget should be set aside to educate the consumer on where the garment comes from, how it was made, what it was made from, and most importantly, what we need to do with the clothing at the end of its life.

We’re slowly moving into a circular economy. We must choose brands with a sustainable purpose. The ripple effect starts with you. iw Simon Webster is a director of tscudo, a company that specialises in making sun protective garments from recycling plastic bottles.

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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

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Landfill levies //

Queensland looks to revamp its levy charges

By Inside Waste QUEENSLAND has taken a lot of criticism from various stakeholders due to its landfill levy system. When Campbell Newman was premier he scrapped the tax as part of his election promise. However, when Annastacia Palaszczuk was sworn in as premier she decided to reinstate the levy. This did little to appease critics who said they did little to dissuade people to divert waste from landfills.

In 2019-20, data reported by Queensland’s waste and resource recovery industry showed a 62 per cent decrease in interstate waste, from 1.188Mt in 2018-19 to 447,000 tonnes in 2019-20. Then there is

the issue of the rebate provided to local councils for their calculated levy liability on municipal solid waste only. It has stayed at 105 per cent – 100 per cent to cover the dumping, while the 5 per cent covered the admin fees. Hardly ideal in encouraging waste disposal companies to reuse, recycle and repurpose, said critics. In 2019-20, commercial and industrial waste recovery increased to 52 per cent (from 49.8 per cent in 2018-19) and construction and demolition waste recovery increased to 75 per cent (from 58 per cent in 2018-19).

This year, the state has decided to revamp its levy system with a final review to be completed by 30 June. However, will it make a

difference? Will it encourage moving waste away from landfills? And exactly how much is it?

At a February webinar chaired by the Waste Recycling Industry Queensland CEO Dr Georgina Davis, Dylan Walker from the state’s Office of Resource Recovery outlined the new levy strategy and charges that will be in force from July 1, 2022.

Of note was the government has divided the existing levy zone into two new areas – regional and metro. The metro area will be made up of the 12

local government areas in SouthEast Queensland, including Noosa and Toowoomba, whose levy rate will increase by $10 a tonne a year for general waste until it reaches a ceiling of $145. Thereafter, the levy will increase by the rate of the Consumer Price Index.

In the regional area, made up of the remaining 27 local government areas in the current levy zone, the rate will increase by CPI every year, while the non-levy zone will not change. Walker said there were some queries as to why there is a difference in the annual increases for the two new areas, but that it was easily explained.

South-east Queensland has the largest amount of waste that is disposed to landfill.

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// Landfill levies

“South-East Queensland has the largest amount of waste that is disposed to landfill in Queensland,” he said. “It also comes with greater opportunity for recycling and resource recovery to be able to divert materials away from landfill.”

As for the change to CPI increases in later years for the metro area.

“The main reason behind that turning point is based on the price differential between landfill disposal and resource recovery, particularly when applying it from a gate perspective,” he said.

“For organics in particular, of note is that when reaching a general waste levy rate of $145 a tonne, certainly brings into play those higher order processing technologies.”

Walker also pointed out that the levy is meant to be a pricing mechanism to be able to encourage changes in behaviour and discourage disposal at landfill.

Annual Payments and Exemptions Walker said that for the next financial year there will be a continuation

of the existing arrangements and the existing payments to local government of 105 per cent, with changes starting to occur in 2023-24.

“When we get to 2023-24 we start to see a difference in annual payments that are being provided to local councils.

“There will a gradual taper of annual payments for each of the metro councils and seven of the regional councils – Cairns, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Fraser.”

He said there is more specific work being done on the formula for calculating annual payments to be able to work more towards a baseline year of waste to do the calculations.

“Previously, the current annual payment formula, as prescribed, requires the use of MSW tonnages from two years before to be able to allow calculation for financial year,” he said.

“The reason behind that was the collection of levy data from landfills hadn’t commenced by the time the levy started on 1 July 2019, and we needed to use that annual survey data for the Recycling and waste in

Queensland reports to complete the payments. Now that we have moved into quite a number of years of levy implementation, we can look at using MSW tonnages reported via the levy system.”

He said that in parallel to the regulatory changes to be able to give effect to the metro and the regional area, and for the levy rates, there is also the work that is happening in policy and legislation.

This was especially around the amendments required to be able to look at that annual payment formula and the way that will change in the lead-up to 2023-24. Then there is the change relating to clean earth disposal and the current waste levy exemption.

“The other thing to note from July 1, 2023, is around the decision to remove the exemption around clean earth disposal to landfill and make it leviable,” he said.

“We recognise from an Australian perspective that Queensland is the only jurisdiction in the country providing an exemption for this waste. As recently as 1 December 2021, South Australia had removed

its exemption.

“It is also fair to say that removing the clean earth exemption can encourage greater upstream recovery or, at the bare minimum, greater diversion from landfill for appropriate uses.”

He said that clean earth is a resource, and that where possible, it should be utilised earlier in the supply chain and waste stream, with landfilling being the last option.

He believes that the right type of levy will be the catalyst to drive change.

Large sources of clean earth, such as infrastructure projects, are being provided time to consider alternative approaches to its management.

“There were conversations with the Department of Transport and Main Roads on potential impacts for them and in reaching the decision, but then there can be impacts on the broader land development and infrastructure industry,” he said.

“The time frame out to July 1, 2023, provides that opportunity to look at alternative ways and mechanisms to recover clean earth and divert it away from landfills.” iw

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JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

37

Sustainable packaging //

Wine industry recycling – A collaborative approach

WISPA’s Tim Hackett.

By Inside Waste AT the recent Waste Strategy Summit held in Sydney, Tim Hackett from South Australia wine maker, Henschke, spoke about how the industry came together to find solutions to packaging and waste issues.

As well as being the QSE Manager for Henschke, Hackett is the chair of the Wine Industry Sustainable Packaging Alliance, or WISPA as it

is known among its members. It is a collaborative group of individuals formed by a group of wineries, which was assisted in terms of set up by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). Its focus is to solve packaging sustainability issues that surround the industry. It is seen as a collaborative rather than competitive entity. One of the key elements is that all members realise that packaging and the waste it causes

are a priority that needs addressing.

“In 2018, APCO reached out to the wine industry about sustainable packaging, and we visited a Visy MRF. I had asked APCO to help me try and establish a similar group a few years earlier, but the timing wasn’t right, so it didn’t happen,” said Hackett. “On this occasion in 2018, a workshop was established, and after looking at some of the things that could be done by our industry, we ended up doing a brainstorming session. From that, we established some projects we could consider and work on as a group and assigned individual responsibilities.

Some great ideas came out of that session.”

They met regularly to discuss the progress of each project and by 2019 the group had already evolved to include new members such as suppliers and other interested parties. They met again for a second workshop to finalise some existing projects and to come up with some new ones.

When COVID hit, as with most industries, meetings were done online,

and a management team was formed.

In late 2021, WISPA met – mostly in person – and discussed other projects they could initiate.

“We closed out most of the projects we brought about from 2018 and 2019.

This year we are planning to formalise the alliances’ structure, establish a website for both public and member access for information, and have a membership drive so we are more of a national body,” said Hackett.

Projects that the organisation are championing included: sustainable packaging guidelines for suppliers; industry transparency on recycled content; packaging assessments – glass and cardboard; reducing stretch wrap; a glass stewardship study; and a glassine paper recycling initiative.

“These are initiatives by certain sectors in the industry. The packaging assessments for example were put together by a specific brand owner – something physical in terms of guidance came out of that. Similar to the sustainable guidelines for suppliers,” said Hackett.

Wineries produce a lot of recyclable products. WISPA got together to brainstorm strategies about what to do with problematic waste streams within the industry.

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

The WISPA team during one of its planning sessions.

The Barossa Recycling Project One of the initial projects the association put together was to improve the recycling of packaging waste at production facilities in the Barossa while at the same time assist small wineries with packaging sustainability initiatives. They were not trying to just benefit the wine arena, but the whole community.

“I put forward the idea in 2018 when the group of wineries came together on that first occasion,” he said. “Besides Henschke, others that wanted to be involved were Pinnacle Drinks, Pernod Ricard and Yalumba. Other stakeholders that were approached and agreed to be part of the project were the local Barossa and Light Councils, Green Industries SA, Colby Philips Advisory who provided a report for us, and the various waste and recycling services provided in the Barossa.”

Some packaging waste generated by wineries and bottling plants are hard to recycle due to the low volumes and limited end markets. This is not an issue for bigger wineries as they have better economies of scale.

Aggregating the hard-to-recycle materials at a regional drop off would make collection for recycling more attractive by increasing quantities and improving collection efficiency. WISPA gained some funding through Green Industry SA’s LEAP program and that funding was used to put together a

report about where those holes were in the recycling chain. It also helped provide a plan moving forward as to how they might improve on those processes.

“By February 2019 we met to start the process off,” said Hackett.

“In March we discussed it with the regional development association of Barossa, and they agreed to help with the project. In April 2019, I attended a council meeting with their waste committee during which we learned of a council project that was already happening with a group called The Fathers Farm. They were receiving help from council to aggregate some problematic waste. They were having issues with electronic waste, which wasn’t part of our waste stream, but we decided to adopt a similar methodology.”

By June WISPA had come up with a plan, a mission and goals to move forward. By August both councils had agreed to engage with the association in the project and take it to their meetings for discussion.

Later that year WISPA engaged Colby Philips and they put together an application for the funding that would fund Colby Philips’ report.

“It was an interesting approach using the consultants to put forward the application so they could get paid because we didn’t have the ability to do that ourselves,” said Hackett.

“By 2020, wineries had submitted reports to support the project, which

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

they needed to do to gain the funding.

The Regional Development Association had agreed to put their name on the funding because none of us as individual wineries wanted to run the project. We wanted an external party to take it on because we didn’t want to be seen as pushing one winery’s view above the others.”

In 2020, a survey was sent out to all of the Barossa wineries to get their feedback and a report was

put together. In February 2021, a workshop was conducted where the report was put forward to the community. Hackett said there was a massive turnout at a public forum where their feedback was taken into consideration. Now the association is looking to action some of the points of the report.

Overall, Hackett is happy with how WISPA has created a collaborative environment in what would otherwise be considered a competitive industry.

In his opinion, getting together is absolutely necessary to succeed.

“Working with your competitors on such things as sustainability is important to gain industry-wide success especially for small players like Henschke,” he said. “We would not have been able to achieve some of the things we have without the help of others in our industry. It has been key to our success.

“We are now starting our fifth year.

For those that are at the start of their journey, I say don’t be afraid to reach out to others in your industry for assistance.

“WISPA 2.0 will be a more formal organisation with a paid subscription, as well as a website that will be launched to show what we can provide to others and provide resources. WISPA has been successful to date and will continue that success into the future.

We want to create an industry road map to help guide future successes.

“We have inspired other industries to do the same including the dairy industry, who l believe has even surpassed WISPA in some areas of their plan moving forward. We plan to learn from their successes.” iw

Collecting used wine bottles can be a problem if not part of the recycling stream.

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

39

Recycling //

Coffee Cups and the Circular Economy: Achieving an idealistic dream

By Brendan Lee THE circular economy purist will tell you that recycling is not the answer.

Instead, they insist we must aspire to higher order waste hierarchy outcomes like avoidance, reuse and redesign.

While this principle is well-placed, if we hold onto it too tightly, we are likely to only propose solutions that preach to the converted, and meanwhile lose engagement with the majority of the population.

Using the Simply Cups coffee cup recycling program as an example. In this article I will explore the different levels where people from all walks of society can actively make progress towards a circular economy future. But, first, let’s explore some of the basics.

Why are coffee cups a recycling problem?

Over one billion disposable coffee cups are used by Australians every year.

They fill up our bins, overflow into the streets and parkways, and blow into our waterways and beaches.

They also create great recycling confusion. They are primarily made

Ignoring the majority of consumers won’t make the circular economy occur any faster.

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

Brendan Lee at the Litter Congress 2022.

from paper, right? So why can’t they go in the recycling bin?

A coffee cup has an internal liner that keeps liquid in. This functional design means users can drink their coffee instead of wearing it. However, this lining creates a problem when

it comes to the pulping process that makes cardboard from recovered fibre.

Almost all the pulp mills (paper manufacturers) in Australia are designed to turn old cardboard products into new cardboard. Like any industrial process, these mills are designed to maximise efficiency to operate in a commercially viable manner.

A key part of this process involves tipping recovered cardboard into a large tub of cold water and applying some gentle agitation, much like a top-loading washing machine. The agitation period is typically brief – several minutes – during which the fibre particles disassociate, producing a porridge-like slurry.

For this step in the process to be effective, it requires the water to penetrate from both sides of the cardboard. The coffee cup liner therefore reduces the liquid penetration by around 50 per cent.

The bonding agents that secure the internal liner to the fibre body of the cup grips onto the adjacent fibres, further reducing the fibre recovery rate.

Finally, when the centrifuge is turned on at the end of the agitation phase, the unwanted liner (which is now a small plastic bag) captures some of the fibre slurry with it as it is spun out into the out throw line. These

factors combine to deliver a nett fibre recovery rate of around zero.

Furthermore, because almost all Australia’s pulp mills are designed to make plain brown cardboard, the bleached and dyed fibres of a coffee cup are undesirable. Consequently, the upstream sorting process is designed to divert coffee cups and other threedimensional packaging away from the pulp mill inputs and into landfill.

Are compostable cups a better option?

Generally, no. While compostable cups can be effective in a closed environment where it can be guaranteed that 100 per cent of the packaging is compostable, in most situations the compostable packaging gets lost in the crowd.

Like standard coffee cups, compostable cups are not desirable for a pulp recovery operation. Relatively few industrial composters accept compostable packaging because it takes longer to break down than food/ green waste and it often contains bleach, dyes and chemicals. These combine to compromise the efficiency of the composting operation and the quality of the end product (potting mix, etc) making it an unattractive commercial prospect.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Recycling

What are the solutions and how can everyone play a part?

There are many actions consumers can take to minimise the impacts of their daily coffee consumption. Thankfully, these actions span across the circular economy or the waste hierarchy spectrum so that people from all walks of life can participate.

The purist will say that disposable coffee cups should be banned, and consumers should avoid them by dining in or choose a reusable cup for their daily fix. The aspiration of this approach is commendable, and a segment of consumers hit this highlevel outcome.

However, what about the majority of consumers for whom this just doesn’t work?

Australia’s two biggest take-away coffee sellers are McDonalds and 7-Eleven, who, between them, sell around 400 million coffees per year.

There is no ceramic dine-in option, and a large proportion of customers are vehicle-based workers – tradies, delivery drivers, taxi/Uber drivers, etc.

For many of these people a reusable

cup isn’t an option because it will spend at least part of the day in a hot car, which means their reusable cup would soon become rank and unusable.

7-Eleven’s participation as the pioneering partner in the Simply Cups program means that their customers can also be circular economy participants by recycling their coffee (and slurpee) cups at the in-store collection units. Vehicle-based workers require fuel multiple times each week – for their vehicle and for their bodies – so they can store their disposable cups in their car and drop them off every few days when they next visit the store.

From there it’s up to Simply Cups to maximise the circular outcome of the collected coffee cups. To achieve that, Simply Cups works with a range of manufacturers to incorporate the cups into new products that are durable, high-value and are recyclable at the end of their life. Examples of these products include: • A high-performance asphalt, PAKPAVE, which outlasts standard asphalts, is quieter and reduces skidding distance.

plasterboard replacement, • A saveBOARD, which is made from recycled paper board and soft plastics – with no glues or chemicals meaning no VOCs. (saveBOARD is used in the Tesla Gigafactory in the USA).

• A range of non-structural, lightweight, precast concrete products such as mini-slabs for mounting pool pumps. By incorporating recycled coffee cups, these products can be made at half the weight, reducing OH&S issues, without compromising their functionality.

While recycling is considered a lowerorder circular economy outcome by the purists, sometimes this can be a narrow view. The outcomes described here transform a low-value item designed to last for minutes into high-value items designed to last decades. All these products can be recycled into the same product at the end of their life, and all displace the consumption of virgin materials. While this is initially a recycle outcome, it then transforms into an avoid or redesign outcome.

Rather than snub the majority as circular economy Luddites, we need to find ways to engage with people from

The majority of people need educating on the recyclability of coffee cups.

all walks of life and open their minds to circular economy participation. After all, 8 out of 10 consumers consider social and environmental outcomes when they make a purchase, so let’s make sure they don’t feel excluded. iw Brendan Lee is the circular economy manager for Closed Loop.

More people are doing away with disposable coffee cups and bringing their own to their local cafe.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

41

Technology //

APR is bringing in a machine with an even bigger capacity to process plastics to oil.

New plant could be game changer in soft plastic stakes

By Inside Waste AUSTRALIAN PAPER RECOVERY (APR Plastics) is tackling the soft plastic issue at its Kerbside Material Recovery Facility. The company’s Soft Plastics to Oil initiative aims to provide a solution to help tackle Australia’s soft plastic pollution problem.

The roll-out of the project will involve the introduction of the Biofabrik WASTX technology. The unit, the P1000, is an advanced recycling unit that will convert soft plastics such as chocolate wrappers and bread packaging, into feedstock oil for plastic remanufacture.

APR Plastics managing director Darren Thorpe believes the machine will be a game changer in terms of making good use of one of the most problematic waste streams in the world. He realises that the machine is but a small step, but it’s all about momentum.

“About 3.5 million tonnes of plastic is made in this country every year, that’s how much we have available to be able to recycle,” he said.

“We’re not going to get all of that, but this is a very good solution to help us reach national recycling targets.

It’s a drop in the ocean but it starts the ball rolling.”

The first one-tonne Biofabrik WASTX unit is undergoing commissioning on site at the APR Plastics Sorting Facility in Dandenong South, Victoria.

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INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

APR Plastics worked with Plastoil Australia and Biofabrik Group to deliver the solution to the market in March this year.

This initiative will escalate and almost double Australia’s capacity to recycle soft plastics by 2024.

The project is anticipated to divert soft plastics that are currently not collected and processed through the kerbside stream from going to landfill.

Using the pyrolysis method, it is seen as a circular solution for plastic waste.

The unit is a sealed system, which means it has little to no emissions compared to traditional disposal methods such as incineration.

The P1000 transforms waste plastics such as multi-layer films into highquality, energetically usable products.

Pyrolysis is the process of applying high temperatures under zero oxygen conditions, to break down products.

This modular-based plastic recycling plant allows for ease of scalability and the opportunity to recycle plastic waste through the innovative pyrolysis process while solving critical environmental issues sustainably.

Manufactured by the Biofabrik Group in Germany, it is the first of its kind in Australia.

One unit has the capacity to process up to one tonne of plastic per day.

One tonne of plastic waste becomes 840 kilograms of recycled oil.

However, Thorpe is not resting on his laurels. Although with the new

one-tonne machine that is being commissioned, he is already thinking ‘bigger’, with a five-tonne machine that is capable of processing up to 1800 tonnes of soft plastics annually heading Down Under. The five-tonne machinery is anticipated to arrive in

August 2022. With this unit, 5000 kilograms of plastic waste can make 4200 litres of recycled oil.

And if that isn’t enough, he has even bigger goals – a massive 50-tonne unit is in his sights, with an application via the Federal

The P1000 can process up to one tonne of plastic per day.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Technology

Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund having already been lodged to help fund the venture. The onetonne piece of equipment is seen as the testing ground for bigger and better things.

“We want to make sure we can give the end user a quality material with minimal contaminants,” Thorpe said.

“For every hour we put 40kgs of plastic in, theoretically we should be getting

30kgs of oil out, but there’s a lot of information we don’t know about the types of plastics and contaminants.

“There’s a lot of testing to be done before we start production. We’ve got to crawl, walk, and then run.”

Thorpe’s team includes special projects manager Logan Thorpe, who is adamant that this isn’t just about taking soft plastics out of landfill.

There is a bigger picture, too.

“We have companies overseas through connections with Biofabrik who will take the oil, but we want to keep it in Australia,” he said. “We want to be part of the Remade in Australia [initiative].”

“We’ve got big aspirations,” Darren Thorpe said. “We’ve done enough homework to see this is the way of the future. There’s a lot of seasoned industry people getting

For every 40kgs of plastics, approximately 30kgs of oil should be produced.

excited about this. There are a lot of other companies looking at it in different shapes and forms, but we’re the forerunner. iw

How it works: 1. T he plastic waste is shredded so it can be consistently fed into the process.

2. Once fed into the day silo the system automatically draws the material for processing.

3. A corkscrew conveyor transports the plastic waste into the reactor and breaks it down.

4. In the reactor itself, the material is split at high temperatures.

5. The pyrolysis process shortens the long hydrocarbon chains of the plastic and creates an oil vapour.

6. The oil vapour flows into the subsequent condensation stages, where it becomes liquid again.

7. The achieved products are stored in sealed containment and used locally and internationally.

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Packaging // With careful thought, redesigning a pack or bottle to be recyclable should improve its quality and reduces costs.

Australia needs to take packaging design to next level

By Professor Edward Kosior DESPITE setting targets for 70 per cent of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted by 2025, and phasing out unnecessary single-use plastic packaging, a report by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) recently estimated that the country will only be able to recycle 36 per cent of plastics annually by 2025.

Of the 1.1m tonnes of plastic packaging placed on the market in 2020, only 179,000 tonnes were recovered. Products with recycled plastic content still remain dismally low, accounting for just three per cent of plastic packaging on the market.

Yet vital CO2 savings can be achieved if we increase recyclables.

This highlights the need for countries to stop exporting plastics or burning them. By handling our plastic waste ourselves we could reduce Australia’s CO2 emissions and 44

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

our reliance on virgin plastic not to mention the amount of recycled plastic we import.

The Albury/Wodonga plant is a good example of this and will transform PET recycling in Australia.

It also demonstrates the key role played by the recycling industry in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Material recovery from both recycling and waste streams could result in potential savings of 2.76 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions.

As Australia continues to work towards this, we need to take inspiration from those countries that have already become zero waste economies such as Taiwan and the Netherlands.

As with all countries around the world, there is no silver bullet to resolve Australia’s waste and recycling challenges. To shift the status quo, the entire packaging ecosystem has to pull together by embracing multiple ways of using and re-using packaging rather than the old linear model

of use and discard and harnessing innovation in substitution, reuse, refill, recovery of carbon content and energy recovery.

The challenge is that businesses have educated consumers that plastics are cheap and can be discarded at the end of the first use. We have lived this way for the past 60 years with the obvious global consequences.

Let’s deep dive into one of the biggest offenders – plastic packaging.

To date, packaging is still being designed with the primary purpose to engage with the consumer, protect the contents within and tell a strong brand story. Recycling features are woefully low on the list of priorities and in many cases, what recycling elements are included, are bolted on to satisfy regulations rather than clearly thought through.

Brand owners may feel unwilling to rock the boat when it comes to placing recycling firmly at the heart

of their design thinking, yet the risk to our planet far outweighs the risk of trying something different.

And, with careful thought, redesigning a pack or bottle to be as recyclable as possible should improve its quality and reduce its cost.

The fact is that were we to design a truly recyclable bottle or pack we should end up with a very close replica of a brand’s original product.

Only an expert would be able to notice the difference.

And it is not cost that is creating the road block, because a 360 degree recyclable pack should actually cost less to produce. I have detailed below why.

Using a PET bottle as an example, let’s start with ensuring all caps are tethered and produced of one polymer type in clear or white – rather than the current mix of polymers in various colours. This would mean a greater opportunity to recycle caps back into new caps that would reduce the need for new virgin resin.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Packaging

“Of the 1.1m tonnes of plastic packaging placed on the market in 2020 only 179,000 tonnes were recovered and products with recycled plastic content still remain dismally low, accounting for just 3 per cent of plastic packaging on the market.”

Shedding the colours of the actual bottle would reduce masterbatch costs and all the design cues would be focused on the label (with self-peeling or dissolvable glue) or shrink or stretch-sleeves. Adhesives and inks need to be an area of special focus since they need to be easier to remove from packaging as they create residues in recycled plastics. Packages that contain garage and garden chemicals can be pigmented very dark green or blue so that they can be easily identified and don’t accidently get into food packaging streams. Recycling yields would increase making high-quality recycled material more plentiful and less expensive. And the actual brand recycling story would be authentic.

These type of design details would contribute to the total recyclability of a pack and would only require

a change in mindset rather than a massive upheaval in terms of recycling technologies that would need to be applied to address difficult-to-recycle packages.

Challenging the status quo is a matter of adopting good design principles that embrace recyclability to the core. Ultimately this is not about creating a green image but rather about developing a deep green and lighter footprint that is sustainable.

Although recycled materials may not currently be cheaper than virgin fossil-fuel plastics, this is only because the cost of appropriate endof-life treatment has not so far been taken into account. Increasing the cost-competitiveness of recycled plastic will require the discipline and compulsion provided by legally binding treaties such as the recent UN’s Environment Assembly

(UNEA 5.2) that took place in early March.

With more plants like the Albury/ Wodonga facility, and as we change our dig-use-discard approach, it will eventually be cheaper to recover material with simple and advanced technologies and innovations in design.

Linking producer responsibility to products sold to consumers will also incentivise more environmentally sustainable packaging and boost demand for recycled content.

And the good news is that we now have the cutting-edge technology to identify, sort and decontaminate post-consumer waste – all we need is for brands to embrace the notion that what we currently deem ‘recyclable’ is not enough.

Finally, and lest we need reminding why we urgently need to cut our production of virgin plastic and boost our recycling capacities, we need only witness the surges of extraordinary weather events around the world to realise we are running out of time.

David Attenborough’s recent documentary, Breaking Boundaries

Professor Ed Kosier.

spells it out well.

We have already breached many of our planet’s boundaries and we can’t afford to be complacent about the actions we take to drastically reduce our CO2 emissions. iw Professor Ed Kosior is the founder of NEXTLOOPP, the 43 strong multiclient project aimed at closing the loop on food-grade PP.

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45

H

Recycling plastics //

HTL – how it works and why it’s making a splash

By Inside Waste SEVENTY per cent. That’s the target needed to be reached for plastic packaging to be recycled, as set out in the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan for the Australian Packaging Covenant.

We are at 16 per cent, with the 2025 target looking unlikely, according to Dr Len Humphreys from biotechnology company Licella.

What is needed are various strategies.

A number of companies – RePlas is one example – are trying to convert hard-todispose-of plastics into products such as bench seats and tables.

Another way of recycling plastics is to turn them back into their basic building blocks – oil. There are several ways this can be done, with pyrolysis and gasification being the two most common methods. There is a third – hydrothermal liquefaction, or HTL. The brainchild Humphreys, HTL is in its infancy in Australia, but Humphreys and his team are in the throes of ramping up its capabilities in Australia.

What exactly is HTL? It uses hot, pressurised water to recycle carbon from plastic, while using less energy than pyrolysis and gasification. It also moves hydrogen from the water into the newly created oil, making the oil easier to upgrade in a conventional refinery.

“When you introduce water into the

Five HTL plants are being built around the world.

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equation, it suspends the reaction to stop it going back to carbon. That means that more of the carbon in plastic gets to oil, so we can convert 75 per cent of the plastics back to oil,” said Humphreys. “We have about three times greater conversion compared to gasification, and probably about a 70 per cent increase in conversion compared to pyrolysis.

“We work at temperatures of around 400˚C, not 600˚C or 900˚C that are needed for gasification and pyrolysis.

It’s lower energy, higher conversion, and water controls the reactions to give you more oil and less wasted carbon. It happens at a low temperature because water is chemically contributing. It’s the modern manifestation of advanced recycling.”

What made Humphreys think of this technology to turn plastic back into oil?

“Those already in the industry were stuck in the tradition of what they do,” he said. ”I think like a chemist [Humphreys is an organic chemist with a PhD], not a plastic processor. I think in a different way. I’ve done pyrolysis and gasification before, so I stood on the shoulders of pyrolysis, and then jumped higher.”

One of the benefits of HTL is that costs are less due to the amount of oil that can be converted from plastic,

There is more oil and less wasted carbon using the HTL process.

compared to other methods. Another plus for HTL is that when it comes to feedstock it can convert more different types of plastics.

“With a method such as pyrolysis, you have to take out a lot of the layered plastics and films and even PET can be a problem,” said Humphreys, “because both plastics, films and PET can block up the pyroliser. We don’t care. We can take a larger range of more contaminated plastics. We can also take post-consumer biomass and tyres.”

Which is good news for those who hate the idea of plastics going to landfill. A study commissioned

by Licella and other third parties found that in Victoria alone, there is potentially 897,000 tonnes of gross plastics being produced by both commercial operations and other consumers.

“We look at the almost 900,000 tonnes and about 500,000 tonnes of it is being buried due to contamination and other reasons,” said Humphreys.

“The paper recyclers have to be choosy with what they take. However, because we’re using HTL, we don’t have to be picky, which means we can take a broader range of plastics and biomass.”

In 2021, Licella, supported by Amcor, Coles, iQ Renew, LyondellBasell and Nestlé, released a report highlighting the potential for establishing an advanced recycling facility using Licella’s Cat-HTR HTL platform.

The report highlighted economic and environmental benefits using advanced recycling with HTL to enable a local circular economy for plastic. It found that compared to imported conventional crude, the oil made using HTL delivers a 64 per cent reduction in CO2.

One of the systems is up and running on New South Wales’ Central Coast, while another five commercial plants are to be built around the world. The first commercial plant in Australia is planned for Altona in Victoria, under Licella’s subsidiary Advanced Recycling Victoria (ARV). The advanced recycling facility would be an Australian first and presents the opportunity to divert up to 120,000 tonnes, or 24 per cent, of the waste plastics sent to landfill every year in Victoria.

And what about maintenance?

“It’s all in a contained system. There is no smoke. It’s a hot, pressurised system – think of it like a pressure cooker,” said Humphreys. “We have spent 15 years reducing maintenance.

Every time we did a scale-up, we made it simpler. We only have one moving part in the whole system, which is the part that delivers the plastics or the biomass into the reactor. In the world of pressure and temperature, we’re working in quite a moderate range.

“At the end of the day, we’ve developed an advanced recycling technology that’s more applicable to a carbon constrained world.” iw

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Waste 2022 //

Waste 2022 Conference and Exhibition

The Advanced Recycling Panel on Day 2.

After two years of lockdown, the waste community finally managed to get some quality time together at Waste 2022 in Coffs Harbour. It was a great event put on by Greg Freeman and his team from Impact Environmental Consulting. The event has grown over the years since its inception in 1996. One of the biggest transformations Freeman’s seen over the years is how it has changed mainly from a male environment (“about 98 per cent male in the first year,” he reckons), to where the gender split is now “about 50/50”. Here is a collage of images from the threeday event, while the following four pages have a couple of feature stories that piqued Inside Waste’s interest.

LMS Energy’s ‘zookeepers’ at the

conference dinner.

WMRR CEO, Gayle Slo an, MC’ed several of the conference’s pan el discussions and talk s.

Garwood International had both an exhibition booth inside the conference centre, as well as a range of equipment on display as part of the outdoor exhibition.

48

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

e one of th EPA were .

The NSW aste 2022 W f o rs nso major spo

There was gr eat audience participatio during the n conference sessions.

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Bayside Coun cil decided surf lifesavin theme of th g was their e night at th e conference dinner.

ds and new Catching up with old frien lockdown. after almost two years of

Source Separations Systems ’ stand was popular throughout the three-day event.

Keeping it pink - RecycleSmart were sure noticed at their bright pink exhibition booth.

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Wade Hammond from Waste Initiatives presented on equipment solutions for resource recovery and transport efficiency.

Eriez Magnetics on display at the indoor exhibition.

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

49

Asbestos //

James Vincent explaining the program at the Waste 2022 Expo and Conference.

Build it and they will come

By Inside Waste GETTING any type of community-based toxic substance recovery initiative underway can be a daunting task.

Throw in that the toxic substance is asbestos, and you create a narrative where nobody wants to deal with the problem due to the legislative restrictions and perceived costs associated with such a harmful material.

James Vincent coordinates the Southern Region regional illegal dumping program through the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO).

Asbestos was on ISJO’s agenda and,

with support and funding through the NSW EPA Clean Up and Prevention grant program, the challenge of collecting the dangerous substance was met head on.

Vincent was a speaker at the recent Coffs Harbour Waste 2022 Conference.

He outlined the strategies that were put in place, how the grant monies were administered, and the outcomes of the project.

The initiative involved three out of ISJO’s four member councils. Vincent said coordinating across three out of the four LGAs made the process easy to monitor while other advantages included a limitation on distances

Most people have a ‘what am I going to do now?’ moment after discovering asbestos on their property.

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having to be travelled and a resultant ability to engage a single contractor for the work.

Vincent’s motivation for initiating the project was not only to provide a mechanism for appropriate collection and disposal that was simple for residents, but also to educate people about how to safely dispose of asbestos that they have found.

“We identified that the problem starts when people find asbestos on their property that they didn’t know was there – and that’s a ‘What are we going to do now?’ moment for them,” he said. “They think it’s going to cost a lot to get rid of, and it all seems too hard. Far too often the response is to leave it where it is, to cover it up or, unfortunately, to try and deal with it by illegal means such as dumping or hiding it in general waste.

“That’s why we developed this project: to take the pain and risk out of the issue by giving the community a free, easy and legal way to get rid of small amounts of dormant asbestos.”

The program included parameters residents had to meet to qualify for the removal of the asbestos. For example, the asbestos had to be separate from buildings – that is, already lying around on the ground on the property. The collected material also couldn’t be the result of a recent renovation.

“We knew,” Vincent said, “that most people who buy a house from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s are aware

of the fact that they are going to come across asbestos if they carry out renovations. We had limited funding so we needed to focus on legacy (dormant) asbestos as our first priority.”

Vincent said that dormant asbestos is asbestos you find behind the chook shed or when the electrician does work under your house and informs you there is a sheet of asbestos lying there.

“These are the stories that people who have used the program told us,” Vincent explained. “They’d say things like ‘I was digging by the vegie garden, and I came across a couple of pieces of what I thought was fibro’. It was these residents that our project was targeting.”

After setting the ground rules, the next step was finding a contractor willing to collect the asbestos and dispose of it legally. This was quickly sorted, and a system was devised to enable assessment of applications to participate in the program via a QR code that directed residents to a prequalifying online survey.

However, once everything was in place and the program ready for promotion, the second COVID lockdown occurred. Vincent had a long conversation with the EPA to inform them of the changes that needed to be implemented to address issues such as the inability to now use local shopping centres and hardware outlets

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as communication hubs. The program switched gear and social media and word of mouth became the project’s principal messaging forums.

Once the program launched, Vincent banked on getting about 120 enquiries over the first three months. That was as many as could be handled due to the precautions that had to be taken when handling such a hazardous material. What actually happened was a huge surprise.

“In the first two weeks more than 150 people applied to participate in the project,” Vincent explained. “We had to put a big halt on our promotion straightaway. I had to literally pull all Facebook posts so that we could stem the flow of enquiries and concentrate on our first tranche of applicants.

We decided that we would do the first 80 and then put the rest on a waiting list.”

Over the next few weeks, the contractor collected and disposed of 5.9 tonnes of asbestos from the 84 properties at a cost to the program of $34,000 and at no cost to residents.

“Our contractor P & D Envirotech (Albion Park), said we averaged out at about $420 per property with an average of 75 kilograms being collected from each location,” Vincent said.

“To put this in perspective, the contractor told us that if that average 75 kilograms of asbestos had been illegally dumped in the bush the cost of collecting and disposing of it would have been $2,000. This cost would have been borne by the local council.

The overall saving to the community, therefore, was enormous.”

James Vincent and his team got a shock at the uptake of the program.

Outcomes Vincent said some of the outcomes made for interesting reading. For example, 29 of the original 130 people who met the criteria were sent an application form but didn’t fill it in. He doesn’t know why this was the case but finding an answer to that question will form part of the evaluation process.

Another interesting aspect was that not everyone has a computer or a printer. ISJO had tried making the process as internet and electronically

friendly as possible because that was perceived as the best and most efficient way to manage it.

“I thought it would be a simple process,” said Vincent. “I email out the forms, the resident emails back.

I get an email to the contractor; the contractor responds and away we go. I soon found out, however, that many older residents don’t have a computer. I then went back to the old fashioned but still efficient way of physically dropping off forms to some people’s letter boxes.”

Up to 75kgs of asbestos was collected from each location.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

There were also learnings about communication.

Vincent doesn’t know how popular the program might have been if COVID hadn’t occurred and they had been able to make full use of retail outlets as communication and contact points.

In the end, numbers crunched after the event showed that 22 per cent of applicants said they heard about the project via a public event. As these public events only happened over a two-day period it suggests that “meet and greet” and stands at shopping centres still work in terms of cut through to target audiences.

As a final point, Vincent talked about the intensity of the initiative as it rolled out.

“What else did we learn? It was a very crowded time, with phone calls to residents to determine location and amounts, as well as coordination of the contractor to collect at an appropriate time,” he said. “Administratively it was tough.

As soon as I got all the pre-qualifying surveys I followed up with a phone call to make sure that they the prequalifying survey questions were correct. I called 113 people in a very short period of time and many more over the course of the initiative.

This human point of contact was important though in informing residents about the program and ensuring that they were comfortable with arrangements.”

ISJO has seen the benefits of this program and investigations are underway to continue its delivery over a wider area over the coming year. iw JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

51

Landfills //

The unfilled role of unlicensed landfills in the circular economy Jason Scarborough outlined how unlicensed landfills could play a part in restoring health to farming soils.

By Inside Waste AT the recent Waste 2022 Conference in Coffs Harbour, unlicensed landfills were the topic of one of the talks. Given by Jason Scarborough, who is the principal consultant for JSRS, he made a case for how they could be used in relation to the circular economy.

While some within the industry might be surprised that there is such an entity as an unlicensed landfill, they do exist, exclusively outside the purview An unlicensed regional landfill.

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of metropolitan areas. They also have to operate within a narrow set of conditions.

Up until 2014, unlicensed landfills were in a state of regulatory limbo, according to Scarborough. There were major issues that needed resolving, but not a lot seemed to get done.

However, in 2014 a new grant program was rolled out by the NSW EPA that saw the closure of some of the more high-risk facilities. Those that remained open needed to had the opportunity

to implement improvements onsite to ensure that they were secure and that their pollution controls were up to date.

Yet, there are still issues with administering such facilities. When it comes to economies of scale and the tyranny of distance within Australia, running such an operation can be costly. As Scarborough said, these smaller landfills – especially the really small ones – “cost significantly more to operate on a per tonne basis than

larger facilities”. And with the current public scrutiny of landfills and their green-house gas emissions, some councils want to increase levies but also realise that such costs will have an impact on such small enterprises, especially those in low socioeconomic areas.

However, Scarborough has an inkling of an idea that could see such landfills play a larger role in the circular economy. Where to start?

“To properly address the idea I need to tell you a story about six protons, six neutrons and six electrons all arranged to make carbon,” he said. “We all know what the impact carbon has on our atmosphere, but we are only recently rediscovering the importance of it in our soils. I say rediscovering, because the first farmers 8,000 to 9,000 years ago, without understanding any of the science involved, clearly understood the importance of having organic carbon in their soil.

“When you look at some of the headline figures for soil carbon – particularly in NSW – it is quite

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

alarming. To start with – half the carbon that was here in pre-European soils is gone directly as a result of modern agricultural methods. That is 50 per cent. If you want to narrow that a bit and look between 2006 and 2020 that is 166.6 million tonnes.

That is 2200 times the amount of steel that went into building the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”

He also pointed out that there is an issue about the flow of carbon whereby during food production and food manufacturing, these processes basically draw carbon from broad agricultural areas and concentrates them predominantly in urban areas.

This includes landfill disposal that creates significant quantities of greenhouse gases. To be truly circular, that organic matter, or carbon, should be returned to the soils that were used to produce food and fibre to begin to with, he said.

“The logical tool for that would be FOGO collection, processing and recycling, Unfortunately the story doesn’t get any better,” said Scarborough. “Only 43 out of 128 councils in NSW have an organic collections service. Out of those 43 the majority of them are garden organics only. There is only a smallish number that have food waste as well.

“We are looking at more than half of the content of our red bins being organic. That is excluding paper and cardboard. That is a slight improvement from 2011. It was 54 per cent. It is still and alarmingly high number.

“If you look at the picture overall including your commercial FOGO and the like, the number drops slightly to 49 per cent. That is still half that more or less goes off to disposal. Only 10 per cent goes back to agriculture while 70 per cent goes to urban amenity.

The remaining 20 per cent goes to EfW, rehabilitation and other uses.”

Scarborough said that the unlicensed landfills are ripe for the picking in terms of providing a place to store FOGO compost that could be used to restore carbon depleted agricultural lands. He said there is a large number of published, peer-reviewed reports that show the benefits of adding the right type of carbon soil, which also reduce greenhouse gases and improve agricultural soils.

Almost all the areas that need the soil are in rural/regional Australia.

There is already a rail and road network that can take the FOGO compost from metro areas to the country sites, and they can be stored at the unlicensed landfills.

“That storage would be essential,” said Scarborough. “The way that recycled organics is produced is a relatively constant stream of input

Scarborough pointed out that only 43 out of 128 councils in NSW had an organic collection.

materials and output products. It is not compatible with agricultural operations that usually have a narrow window to apply materials to soil between agricultural or crop rotations. Just in time delivery won’t work here. It needs a storage network.”

Which is where these landfills come into their own. According to Scarborough, a lot of these unlicensed landfills have had significant environmental and security upgrades.

Then there is the added bonus in that a stable, continuing entity, in the form of local government, control these sites.

At the end of the day, the councils that run the landfills are not going to disappear and will endure.

“Even if less than a third of the actual sites that are currently operating as unlicensed landfills could be used for this purpose, either through environmental constraints or reluctance of the operator to use it for that purpose, it still provides a significant network that can be used for this purpose,” he said.

“I don’t know the costs, but this is what I see – the potential for a 50-year circular economy program significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It increases the stability, resilience and reliability and productivity of agricultural soils. It provides employment opportunities, particularly in rural and regional areas that need it.”

Scarborough believes there needs to be an exit from the waste regulatory framework for these materials that can add value to the economy. There is a need to increase the FOGO collection across the entire state as there is currently no restriction on the disposal of organic waste to landfill.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

How can it happen? Scarborough believes political will, clarity and commitment.

“There’s this thing that has never been used in NSW. It is called a Protection of the Environment Policy,” he said. “This is a situation where it would be perfect to be implemented by setting a soil carbon restoration target. If that happens it will need at least one legislation tweak – the definition of waste was created when we were living in a very linear world.

We are going to drown in red tape if that definition prevails as we try and implement a circular economy.

It is definitely going to need some

commercial investment and government help. Government is going to have to have ongoing engagement and education.

“Is it worth it? Absolutely. It is going to fulfill the circular economy for carbon. Return carbon to soils that produce our food and fibre and restore soil health. It will result in resilient, sustainable, productive agricultural land, possibly reclaiming some lost areas, reduce and most likely negate greenhouse gas emissions from both the agricultural and waste sectors and increase economic opportunities across all of NSW especially in rural and regional areas.” iw

The depletion of high-grade soil is a serious issue in rural Australia.

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Capital expenditure //

GSWT has managed to find a couple of industries interested in taking the energy it will be creating with its WtE facility.

Care and time needed when building WtE plant

By Inside Waste GETTING a modular gasification wasteto-energy (WtE) plant up and running is no easy task. Designed to process residual municipal solid waste, as well as commercial and industrial waste, such a plant takes a lot of time to get up and running. Did we mention time?

Great Southern Waste Technologies has taken on such a project in Ordish Rd, Dandenong South situated in southeast Melbourne.

At the recent WMRR 2022 Energy from Waste National Conference, GSWT COO, Lukas McVey, took the audience through the process it has gone through so far to get the plant commissioned.

Part of the Gilbert Group, GSWT started to seriously look at technologies around the world and had a concept in mind whereby they would have a small – even boutiquetype – waste facility in a catchment space that would minimise the footprint of transport costs of moving 54

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rubbish around the metro area.

“Our sweet spot for processing at our facility was about 100,000 tonnes,” said McVey. “That scale of gasification has a proven track record.

Big projects haven’t.”

GSWT teamed up with Norwegian WtE specialist Energos, who has several plants operating throughout Europe. McVey’s company also entered a joint venture (subject to firm process and a couple of other contractual agreements) with SJ Capital, which is related to the investment arm of the Singapore Welfare Department. SJ Capital is assisting with the financial side of the project.

GSWT also secured a 30-year lease for a portion of land from Repurpose It in Cooper St in the suburb of Epping. It is working with Repurpose It in developing the 200,000-tonne per annum facility in that location and are about 70 per cent of the way through their approvals.

“We are hoping to submit an EPA

draft soon, but we’ll see how that goes,” said McVey. “That is all our risk.

We know that is how the approvals process works so it’ll go on until who knows when. Hopefully we’ll get it all assessed soon.

“With our Ordish Rd project we are really focussed on short, haul-type feedstock scenarios. Initially, long before the metro waste tender for the southeast, we thought it was a great idea to get something out of the local government. Unfortunately, that has been shut down, so we have had to look at alternative waste supplies.”

In order to get feedstock for the WtE plant, GSWT has entered into an MoU with a key waste organisation for 70,000 tonnes and it is also in the back end of a negotiation for another 25,000 tonnes.

“Our ideal scenario is to try and keep about 30 per cent of our waste needs on a spot-demand merchantable type scenario,” said McVey. “We think there is a big upside from that from the work we’ve done, but again not

too sure if our bankers like that.

We need to get those waste supply contracts solidified a bit further and some more uptake agreements before we can even walk in the door at some of these institutions in Australia.”

A bottleneck has been the ability for local government to provide long-term protected procurement arrangements for municipal solid waste (MSW) and the strangling of the local government.

“We found in the southeast, with the tender process, that while it is complementary it has stifled our ability to get into local government waste,” said McVey. “We have had to be creative and look at other places, which ended up being a great outcome because it has made us think outside the box.”

One of the key aspects for starting a WtE plant is finding consumers who are willing to take the energy part of the equation once the energy has been generated by the waste. In this case, GSWT is already one step ahead.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capital expenditure

“The technology we’re using has been used for over one million hours operation in Europe, which is a great reference,” said McVey. “I know it gave the EPA comfort when they were going through the approval process.

We thought we might produce about 11MW and thought that was a bit optimistic, but we are trying to maximise what we can get out of it.

We have another group of consultants working that out for us.”

WtE plants don’t come cheap. They are a complicated piece of kit, which is why it takes a while to get approvals.

Then there is the public perception of burning residual waste. In their mind’s eye the public see stacks of smoke swirling through the atmosphere putting tonnes of toxic fumes in the air. In decades gone by that might have been the case, but Northern Europe has some of the strictest emission standards in the world, and those restrictions apply to WtE plant.

“We are refining our costs constantly,” McVey said. “We are hoping by Q3 this year we will be in a position where we’re happy. It’s costing about $130 million to build our project. Currently the debt ratio is about 60/40. The gate fee is about

$240 a tonne and allows for increases of two per cent per annum. Running costs are going to be about less than five per cent and we have three cornerstone investors in addition to SJ Capital.

“We are very fortunate given the significant amount of our infrastructure being produced out of Norway, so we’ve made use of the Export Credit Norway facility. One of their conditions is if you need to have some due diligence done by onshore lending whether that be a bank or CFC.” Lessons have been learned from overseas experiences from other companies. It is these learnings that have made GSWT ensure it has its i’s dotted and t’s crossed. Especially when it comes to third-party contractors.

“We are looking at an alliancetype delivery model. We have a process around really well-defined packages for the project, with a huge chunk of it coming straight out of Norway, and then you have processes such as pre-treatment, which is a separate package,” he said. “The EPC (Engineering, Procurement Construction) exposes the project to a lot of risk.

“Issues that have happened with our technologies in the UK include an incident where they had an EPC contractor who tried to switch out the different technologies within the technology componentry; they cut corners, which led to too many mismatches. The is the advice out of Norway, and we’ve taken it for now, so we’ll see how it goes.

“On the upside, we have good expansion plans for the business and our project pipeline is well advanced. We have a project partner and relationships are formed and the project delivery structure is agreed upon.”

Although there are still aspects of the project that need finalising, McVey feels that, overall, the company is in a good space.

“We are going to be successful because we are consistent in terms of where policy is heading,” he said.

“Investment to secure the project development means we have been able to fund in house and we have a really clear plan to progress our project pipeline. We are almost there.

Securing that financial closure from a shore base is critical. We are doing everything we can to get there.” iw

Waste to Energy plants do not come cheap.

It has three large organisations involved in the manufacturing and retail industries who have said they will take all the power being generated. McVey said it is really about how low they are willing to go in pricing.

“If we have to price below everyone else in order to secure that deal, then that will make it an interesting process,” he said.

“We have an external group of consultants and financial experts that are helping us out with that part of the project. We’ve also shortlisted our contractors for construction of the facility.”

The technology Gasification technology is a twostage process. It is a low oxygen environment whereby waste goes in, goes to a secondary chamber, air is then injected, combustion is created that causes heat, which in then turns water into steam.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Equipment News //

Getting weighing calibration right Weighing and automation specialist, Diversco, has a saying that echoes throughout everything it does within its measurement and service operations, and that is, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”.

Systems wear down over time so customers need reliable readings.

in the first place, but also that the quality of service that is occurring is actually going to enable the customer’s vehicle to operate at the highest calibre and efficiency until the next service.

Calibrating waste vehicles

Front loaders are typical in the waste collection industry.

By Inside Waste WHEN it comes to legal-for-trade and weight-based billing this is especially true. When profitability is determined by using an on-board weighing system to calculate the container weight, it is important to get it right the first time, every time, according to a company spokesperson.

It’s not altogether uncommon for weight-based-billing operations to be 3-5 per cent off with each measurement event.

At the end of the day, these systems do wear down over time as do the reliability of their readings, so this is a reasonable expectation to have, especially for high-volume and active vehicles.

In the instances of under-weighing the contents of a container, operators have a direct loss with the potential to legally charge customers. Over time, while appearing insignificant initially, it will have implications to the overall profitability potential.

On the other end, if each measurement event is resulting in weight readings above the actual 56

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weight of the contents of the container, then the company could be liable for compensating their customer for what the provider has overcharged them. Not just that, though. If operations can be proven to be negligent regarding these procedures, the operator can be held legally liable and face legal proceedings.

With what has been described above, the optimal way to ensure vehicles are correctly weighing and displaying a customer’s container contents is two-fold: 1. Have a weighing system that works for the operational aspects of the business. These options are commonly range from on-board systems to drive-on systems like weighbridges.

2. Have expert service technicians regularly service the weighing systems.

On the second point, engaging with a reputable and proven service provider is critical to ensuring that not only are best practices being followed by having the vehicles and weighing systems being calibrated

One of the primary examples of ensuring that customers are effectively measuring what they intend on managing is with waste vehicles. For customer-centric operations that collect waste from sites, the outline of effective weighing procedures isn’t more applicable than it is here.

A client of Diversco had its routine calibration scheduled and Diversco’s expert service team was there to certify its vehicles.

For this client, Diversco was certifying a range of their front-lift loader trucks, which is a common type of waste collection vehicle.

It consisted of utilising Diversco’s certified test masses to ensure the bin contents were being precisely measured and that the client could continue to operate in confidence, knowing they are charging their own customers correctly, while adhering to legislative requirements surrounding weight-based billing. iw

Precision is key when calibrating.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Equipment News

Hardox HiAce meets challenging environments

By Inside Waste THE Hardox wear plate product range of abrasion-resistant steel has a reputation for being both hard and tough, fighting wear in severe conditions. Hardox HiAce is the latest product in the range, targeted at applications in acidic and corrosive environments.

The recycling business poses particular challenges to steel.

Municipal solid waste, often referred to simply as garbage, is one example of a material that creates a low pH acidic environment that accelerates wear in garbage truck bodies and refuse containers. Other conditions that have the same effect are when transporting wood chips if chemicals such as sulphates and chlorides are present.

Hardox HiAce has been developed to withstand these conditions. At low

pH levels, the wear mechanism is different than in a more pH-neutral environment. The acidity oxidises the steel’s surface, making it more prone to wear even if the body or container is made with a hard material.

Hardox HiAce introduces new opportunities to fight acidity and corrosion.

Hardox HiAce slows down the oxidation process, allowing the full hardness of the material to counteract wear.

In a regular environment, Hardox HiAce will perform the same as a 450 HBW steel. But in conditions with lower pH levels, the equipment service life is up to three times longer compared to a 400 HBW steel.

Apart from the additional wear resistance in acidic environments, Hardox HiAce has the toughness it takes to perform as a structural

Hardox HiAce slows down the oxidation process, which counteracts wear.

material in garbage trucks, recycling containers, tipper and dump bodies and other heavy-duty equipment.

Hardox HiAce also works in freezing conditions, with a guaranteed impact energy of 27 J at -20 °C. It is available in thicknesses of 4-25.4 mm.

It has similar mechanical properties as Hardox 450. It can be processed by the same kind of machinery used for

Start-up helps tackle recycling dilemma

By Inside Waste

LET’S start with some statistics. Over 20 per cent of what goes into the red bin could have been recycled, and 75 per cent of waste that should be

Bags are picked up from a resident’s home and taken to recycling facilities.

recycled ends up in landfill. It’s no doubt that the time is now to make a serious change. That is exactly what Giorgio Baracchi and Marco Prayer Galletti set out to do when they launched RecycleSmart in 2019.

“We wanted to come up with a solution that used technology to unlock the value of existing resources: the gig economy, and local waste management infrastructure,” said CEO and co-founder Baracchi.

“Our mission has always been to help councils find a resident-centric way to divert as much waste as possible from landfill, by making recycling easy and convenient.”

The National Waste Policy Action Plan is targeting an 80 per cent average resource recovery rate from all waste streams by the year 2030.

To achieve this, regional recycling solutions are beginning to take higher priority on the national agenda, to address the gap in recycling infrastructure that has plagued regional areas.

Currently available in 12 metropolitan councils across Sydney,

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

RecycleSmart is set to announce its first regional council partnership launching soon, and is eager to demonstrate its ability to cater to more remote, geographically dispersed communities.

“We are excited to explore just how adaptable our service can be in supporting the unique needs of regional councils as they do their part to meet landfill reduction targets,” Baracchi said.

RecycleSmart’s proprietary platform enables residents in partnering councils to book an on-demand home collection of tricky-to-recycle items; items that don’t go into the recycling bin, but can still be recycled. These include categories like soft plastics, wearable clothes, e-waste, batteries and bulbs.

Residents can subscribe for a regular monthly collection service or book a one-off Power Pickup at their convenience and pack their recyclables into reusable or disposable shopping bags.

RecycleSmart supports local employment by contracting drivers

Hardi Hardox grades.

The increased wear resistance in garbage trucks and other equipment allows for the use of thinner plate without jeopardising the service life.

A thinner steel plate means more payload when fully loaded. And when traveling empty, a lower-weight truck saves on fuel and reduces CO2 emissions. iw

from the region, who come to the resident’s home on a nominated day and collect the bags from their doorstep, before sorting the items and disposing them via local recycling programs.

In an effort to tackle the confusion caused by inconsistent recycling rules from council to council, RecycleSmart also offers a free educational app, Recyclopedia, which acts as a comprehensive database of information on how to recycle in each council area in Australia.

In April 2022 , RecycleSmart celebrated the milestone of 100,000 bags diverted from landfill, which equates to roughly 180,000 kilograms of waste.

“We look forward to continuing to provide existing and new council partners with data-driven insights to help them guide their landfill reduction and resource recovery initiatives,” Baracchi said. “Working collaboratively to make waste management transparent, flexible and accessible will be key to solving Australia’s recycling dilemma.” iw JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Young Professional //

Lofty goals achievable for regional and city councils GROWING up north-west of Melbourne on a farm in the Macedon Ranges was idyllic for a young Raymond Trevorah, but not without its challenges. Having a learning difficulty didn’t stop Trevorah from realising his potential.

Being severely dyslexic might have been a roadblock to many careers in science-based industries, but Trevorah realised early on that while language wasn’t his strongest suit, science and maths were. So strong that he ended up with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering with Honours from RMIT University and then went on to earn a PhD. Was it environmental engineering that piqued his interest in the waste industry? Not quite.

“While [the course matter] didn’t initially focus on waste and resource recovery, I ended up meeting my PhD supervisor Dr Maazuza Othman who brought me in to work on a project as a research officer in my third year during the holidays,” he said. “We worked on investigating the treatment of forestry and timber waste for use in anaerobic digestion.

“My PhD was on the biorefining of lignocellulosic waste; basically, how we can process timber and forestry waste into renewable fuels and chemicals.”

Once completed, it was on to the workforce and a return to familiar surrounds.

“After my PhD, I went into local government,” he said. “I went and worked for the Macedon Ranges Regional Council where I did a lot of the planning and launched its kerbside glass service, as well as the introduction of the FOGO service and transition to fortnightly general waste. After doing that for a couple of years, I got picked up to run the waste facilities for Bathurst Regional Council.”

During his time at both councils, Trevorah was looking after the recycling of waste. He got a taste for the circular economy and found there was huge potential to progress circular waste management for regional Australia.

“We did the trials of the kerbside bin glass collection,” he said. “We provided 600 homes with kerbside glass collection, which was a six-month trial.

Following the trial’s success, the council introduced the kerbside glass waste bin to all households within the shire.

“The glass was processed locally within central Victoria, which saved on haulage and kept the local circular 58

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economy growing.”

It was during his time at Bathurst that Trevorah did a project on textile recycling.

He set up a community drop off point whereby he was working in tandem with Textile Recyclers Australia.

“Textiles are one of the least recyclable streams in Australia,” he said. “During COVID we had many charities overwhelmed with clothing from households cleaning out. There are 23kg of textiles per person going into landfill each year. We were able to get a successful textile recycling program up and running and got good buy-in from the local community.”

The council worked with local charities in the region to make sure the textiles were being recycled ethically. There was an issue in 2021 where there were a lot of materials getting baled instead of recycled.

An ABC Foreign Correspondent investigation showed that a lot of the clothes were being sent to Africa where they were being landfilled.

By working with companies like Textile Recyclers Australia, the council was able to ensure the ethical and sustainable management of those wastes.

Near the end of 2021, Trevorah decided for a change in scenery and left to work for SMEC. His current role is that of a senior environmental engineer, with a focus on developing SMEC’s circular economy and resource recovery capabilities.

“SMEC is growing its expertise in the circular economy and organic waste sectors. Part of my role is to help further grow SMEC’s capabilities to deliver on projects in these areas; to help grow that side of the business,” he said. “As a country, we have targeted 80 per cent diversion from landfill by the end of the decade.

As the nation begins this transition, I am working with local recyclers to help grow and adapt to help us reach these targets while adapting to the changing legislative landscape.”

And what differences does he see working for the private sector instead of local government? For a start, he likes the wider scope of projects offered by SMEC. “Working in council was really good to drive projects through to completion and be around the whole time,” he said.

“Unfortunately, you deal with a smaller

Good data drives good decisions, according to Raymond Trevorah.

scope. For example, I was able to help my local community go from 40 per cent diversion up to the high 60s during my time at Macedon.

“While in the new role, I am now helping the national team at SMEC to help drive national projects. It’s nice to help with change not just in my community but across Australia.”

While he loved working for councils – and the experiences those opportunities gave him – he still believes they can do better at selling the message that needs to be delivered.

“One thing that became clear to me – and I came from a very sciencefocused and engineering background into local government – is the need for investment and drive for education within the communities,” Trevorah said. “That has become incredibly clear now that it has been overlooked for far too long.”

It has also become increasingly clear that good engagement and education within communities has a significant role to play in councils achieving good outcomes.

“It would be great if there was more push for support for councils, especially in regional areas, to have an allocation of resources,” he said. “I know many metropolitan areas and some regional areas have put in significant resources but there are still some regions that are lagging. That just falls further when you look out at more regional Australia.

With councils now looking to either change their general waste service and introduce kerbside FOGO, they are often fearful of backlash, but if you

design and plan on the best evidence, engage in the community, you can have meaningful results, is what I would like to say.”

What about the future? What is his long-term goal?

“What I want to achieve in my career is help Australia transition through to a circular economy. But not just a city focus,” he said. “As a person who grew up in the country and worked in the regions I want to help – particularly regional community and areas – to develop a functional circular economy within their area. That is what my new role provides me the opportunity to do.”

His goal is to be a technical expert in the field. When he worked for the councils, he realised he couldn’t progress any further as a technical expert. The only way he could progress was in management.

“I see myself as a good technical resource that can help drive good data capture and analysis,” he said. “Good data drives good decisions and I want to work more in that space. I want to help drive Australia to develop strong regional circular economies.

“I want to help us reach those ambitious targets of 80 per cent diversion, especially in some of those regional communities where there are a lot of areas that need help. There are a lot of areas where you are looking at 20 per cent to 30 per cent of diversion because of lack of resources. I want to be involved in coming up with the novel and innovative solutions that will help Australia reach its recycling and resource recovery goals.” iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Capabilities Statements //

Komatsu Forest Company Overview: Komatsu Forest is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of forest machines. We are represented on six world continents by a network of dealers and our own sales companies.

Komatsu Forest’s head office is in Umeå, Sweden, and we have two manufacturing units, in Sweden and the USA. Our own sales companies are located in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, France, United Kingdom, Russia, USA, Australia and Brazil, and our network of dealers represent us on all other important forestry markets.

Our extensive service organisation takes care of the machines, ensuring that they perform their best throughout their service lives. We have workshops throughout the world, service vehicles for quick assistance, in-house machine and methodology instructors to help maximise productivity, and support functions for everything related to our machines and services.

Products and Services: We offer products and services that

increase productivity while simplifying the working day for you as a machine owner.

We combine all our services under our Customer Care concept. This is our promise that you will enjoy the benefits of Komatsu Forest’s investments in research, development, servicing, support, logistics and innovative services. These combined resources are at the very heart of Komatsu Forest’s offer.

Our goal is to make your working day as safe, problem-free and profitable as possible, no matter where in the world you operate. Let us show you that by choosing Komatsu, peace of mind and accessibility can become a natural part of your working day.

Brands • Komatsu • Peterson • TimberPro Core Capabilities: Our world-wide network of highly trained service professionals is ready for you.

We know how important it is to be

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

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

ResourceCo Contact Details:

Recent Projects/Installations:

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

ERSKINE PARK PLANT Operations commenced at Tyrecycle’s (RC’s tyre recycling division) new multi-million-dollar plant at Erskine Park in Sydney, producing in excess of 10,000 tonnes of rubber crumb for the construction industry, generating 40,000 tonnes of TDF, and providing a local circular economy solution to rubber waste.

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

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Products and Services:

Brands:

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

• • • • •

ResourceCo Pty Ltd Southern Waste ResourceCo Cleanaway-ResourceCo SUEZ-ResourceCo Tyrecycle Pty Ltd

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Ecocycle Company Overview: Ecocycle Industries has built a reputation of renown for the handling and processing of Mercury based waste in Australia.

With some 20 years of experience, we have the National network with facilities in each State to support and look after our valued clients.

We deal with most of the larger waste company’s, councils, and industry direct.

Mercury is seen in lighting waste, dental amalgam, button cell batteries, TV’s – computer monitors, and lap tops, and other waste catalyst, soils etc and we are able to handle and recycle all these various types of waste.

We have a range of specialised stillages, smaller bins, Hook Bins, cabinets, boxes and DG approved containers, with DG registered trucks and DG licenced drivers.

This unique processing ability with the National footprint has allowed us to move into Battery Recycling “EcoBatt” and E Waste recycling “Eco E Waste” and

links nicely into what we do with metal recycling at Recycal.

We have our foundries “Castings Tasmania” melting down our steel and making quality castings for industry in Australia and “ACL Metal Powders” using scrap copper, lead and tin to make Copper based powders for our export markets.

This vertical integration allows to use most of the recover metals in house and have the highest recycling rates while making green products from recycled metals and solar power.

You can be confident when using our group you will have your materials recycled safely and efficiently, with a first class service back up with quality equipment and containers that will give you the confidence and comfort needed.

Contact Details: Ecocycle Industries 5-11 Reo Crescent Campbellfield Melbourne Victoria 3061 Phone 613 93089415

Key Contacts: E Waste/Mercury Tyson Ord 0433205840 tyson.ord@ecocycle.com.au

Batteries Peter Cage 0428722144 peter.cage@ecobatt.net Metals Jarrod Munday 0431319087 jarrod.munday@recycal.net

Tricon Mining Company Overview: Tricon Mining Equipment Pty Ltd was founded in 2001. Years later; now recognised as one of Australia’s leading materials handling solutions suppliers within Australasia. Continually meeting client expectation and demand for supply, maintenance, servicing, inspection, training, and repair services has made Tricon Equipment what it is today, 20 years on.

Tricon Equipment is one of Australia’s leading suppliers of mobile crushing, screening, recycling, conveyor and associated equipment components since operations began.

Tricon has a well-established customer base and have dedicated ourselves to deliver on customer service, support and satisfaction.

In understanding the importance of the productivity and reliability of our products to your business, we appreciate the value of minimising downtime and place great emphasis on after sales support.

Our attention to the details that help your business on a practical level Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

flows into individualised after-sales programmes, and a commitment to customer care.

With Tricon, you get our knowhow and insider information over the long-term. Our trained service engineers have experience with a wide range of crushing, conveyor and screening equipment - and have access to a huge range of OEM & aftermarket spares.

Tricon is here to ensure our customers receive the right equipment, at the right price and delivered on time to meet project schedules.

Our products and services meet, and in most instances exceed Australian quality, safety, and environmental standards. Tricon works in alignment to AS/NZS ISO 9001-2016 and management systems comply with Commonwealth and State Legislation.

Our suppliers, fabricators, and designers work safely and efficiently all using industry best practices and Australia OHS & Workplace Practices.

• Recycling Trommel’s • TeleStackers • Mobile Conveyors

• • • • • • •

Impact Crushers Cone Crushers Conveyor Pulleys Dewatering Plants Blending Plants Conveyor Components Spare Parts

Contact Details: Tricon Mining Equipment 11 Lucca Road, Wyong NSW2259 1300 859 885 sales@ticoneequipment.com.au triconeequipment.com.au JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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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, Project Development, EPC, O&M, Asset Management Recent Projects/Installations: GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FACILITY AT BUCHS EFW FACILITY SWITZERLAND - 2023 HZI in a joint venture with the Swiss Aarau-Lenzburg Regional Waste Disposal Association (GEKAL) will start construction of its first Waste to Hydrogen (WtH2) small scale commercial plant in June 2022. HZI will take care of all planning and construction work for the facility at the

GEKAL site, and will also be the owner and operator in the first few years.

The hydrogen produced will be used as technical gas for industry and for early mobility applications, for example as green fuel for local public transport and private vehicles.

HZI will produce hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis using electricity from the Buchs EfW plant. The oxygen will be released into the atmosphere, while the hydrogen will be compressed and stored in special tanks. The facility will produce around 200 tons of hydrogen per year, equivalent to approximately 10-15 gigawatt hours of electricity. This is enough to keep a hydrogen-powered vehicle running for around 20 million kilometres, or to fuel up to 1,000 fuel cell cars per year.

The use of the energy produced by the Buchs EfW plant will be

significantly improved by the hydrogen plant. This will contribute to reducing the plant’s CO2 balance by offsetting the production of fossil fuels.

Visit: https://www.hz-inova.com/ hitachi-zosen-inova-starts-greenhydrogen-production-facility/

Melbourne 109 Merola Way Campbellfield, VIC 3061 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Perth 230-232 Welshpool Rd Welshpool, WA 6106 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

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

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

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

Key Contacts:

Contact Details: 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

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 62

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• Rowan • Komptech Core Capabilities: With a specialised product portfolio that includes over thirty different types of machines covering all key processes in modern waste handling, a consultative guiding approach to solution development for customers, and full service 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 50 Skyline Crescent Horningsea Park, NSW 2171 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

Craig Cosgrove Product Manager 0417 320 082 c.cosgrove@cea.net.au Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Eriez Magnetics Company Overview:

Core Capabilities:

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

Eriez designs and manufactures equipment to successfully recover and beneficiate ferrous and nonferrous metals. Identify and remove unwanted metal contaminates to minimise product rejection and maximise product purity. We can help you achieve greater recovery at a higher-grade product delivered at a lower cost per ton.

Recover valuable resources from: • MRF, MSW, C & I and C & D, • E-waste, • Tyre recycling and Scrap metal yards, • Energy from waste feed and bottom & fly ash, • Green waste processing, composting and road sweepings

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

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

Brands:

Contact Details:

• • • •

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

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

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Company Overview: Davis is an industry leader in mobile waste processing in NSW. The company has a range of over 100 pieces of Plant & Equipment on offer for hire or contract in our privately owned fleet. All equipment is modern, portable and efficient.

We offer services in Green Waste Recycling, Glass & Concrete Recycling, C&D Shredding, Crushing, Screening, Land Clearing, Mulching, Haulage, Recycled Products & Landscape Supplies.

Established in 1975, we are proudly Australian, family-owned and operated, contracting state-wide in NSW. Davis has a reliable reputation and extensive experience gained over 45 years. We are regular contractors for Councils in NSW and have completed tens of thousands of government, civil and commercial projects.

For decades we have been delivering high rates of resource recovery. We process, supply and deliver quality materials using innovative and environmentally responsible solutions. We process over a quarter of a million tonnes of material per annum. CEO Eric Davis has in-depth knowledge and experience in

sustainable recycling. The company’s focus is recycling and repurposing materials that would otherwise end up in landfill using our high-powered equipment.

Our aim is to transform the way the world views and values waste, striving forward towards a circular economy.

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

Green Waste Recycling Low Speed, High Speed, C&D Shredding Crushing & Concrete Recycling Glass Recycling Screening Forest Mulching, Timber & Stump Grinding Land Clearing, Road Widening & Forestry Quality Recycled Landscaping Supplies Plant & Equipment Hire Bulk & Heavy Haulage

Brands: For hire • Low Speed Shredders; Komptech, Pronar • Horizontal Grinders; Diamond Z, Peterson

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

• Mobile Crushers; Rubblemaster, Metso, Kleemann • Soil & Trommel Screens; Pronar, Metso • Picking Stations; Kiverco • Forestry Mulchers; FAE • Excavators 1.8 to 46 tonne; CAT, Komatsu • Dozers • Rollers, Compactors & Drotts • Wheel & Track Loaders; CAT Posi-Track Core Capabilities: Davis offers high-powered, mobile waste processing equipment for hire or contract in NSW. Our Low Speed Shredders process bulky C&D, logs, palms, carpet, tyres & mattresses with ease. Our Horizontal Grinders process green waste, C&D, timber, stumps & logs. Our mobile Crushers recycle concrete, brick, rock and glass.

Mobile and Trommel Screens process

soil, timber & green waste. We have equipment available for forestry mulching, subdivisions, road constructions, grubbing, firebreaks. We operate our own service centre for scheduled maintenance and field repairs, this guarantees safety, quality and maximum efficiency for our machinery with minimum down time for our customers. We are dedicated to maximising productivity and efficiently recovering environmentally sustainable and quality recycled products for beneficial reuse.

Contact Details: 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 JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Capabilities Statements //

Spartel Pty Ltd

Garwood International Core Capabilities:

Company Overview: Garwood International a 100% Australian owned & family operated business. All equipment purchased from Garwood International is supported via our comprehensive aftermarket services. With our head office located in Sydney, we also have Service and Sales in Melbourne and Brisbane. We can partner with any of your existing service providers Australia wide.

Products and Services: GARWOOD Garbage COMPACTORS Rear, Side, Dualpact & Front Loaders.

• Footpath Sweepers • Tow Behind Trailer Brooms • Bin Weighing Systems • Enviroweigh, LoadWeigh and VOPS™ 2 bin weighing equipment

Garwood International has grown to become a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of specialised waste and recycling collection and compaction equipment. The company’s reputation for high quality, innovative products, together with its enviable record of outstanding customer service and after-sales support, has delivered strong and consistent growth over the past three decades both in Australia and Internationally.

Clients: Our Clients range from City Councils, National and International Airports, Department of Defence to Local Government Sectors and Private Contractors.

Contact Details: Garwood International Ph: 02 9756 3756 3 Hexham Place, Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164, Australia Website: www.garwoodinternational.com.au

FABCOM® Organics Under Control© www.FAB-COM.com.au

Contact Details:

Company Overview: 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.

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• Truck wheel washes for EPA and road safety compliance.

• Automated waste sortation systems: comprehensive and completely automated robotic sortation systems for MRFs. 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.

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

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

Diverseco

aspects organic waste processing from waste generation to soil beneficiation products, technology, process data processing and control, odour prevention and control

• 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

Applied Machinery Brands: • • • •

Contact Details: 55-61 Nissan Drive Dandenong VIC 3175 Phone: 03 9706 8066 Email: sales@appliedmachinery.com.au Web: www.appliedmachinery.com.au Company Overview: Applied Machinery is one of Australia’s largest suppliers of quality recycling machinery. Over 30 years industry experience enables us to deliver turnkey solutions for all manner of recycling applications across Australia.

Products and Services: • Shredders and granulators • Plastic washing, tyre, and e-waste recycling plants • Repelletising systems/screen changers • Polystyrene recycling machines

Genox Polystar Fimic Greenmax

Core Capabilities: Applied Machinery has the capability to service the smallest single machine requirement, through to the largest of multi-site, staged installations and complete recycling line, turn-key projects. We supply some of Australia’s largest recycling organisations.

A wide range of shredders and granulators are always in stock for quick delivery.

Recent Projects/Installations: PORT PLASTICS Port Macquarie Polystar Repelletising system and Genox large format shredder to drive recycling operations in the Port Macquarie region and reduce the need for transport of recyclables to metropolitan centres.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Australasian Specialty Coatings

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

Products and Services:

Company Overview: Australasian Specialty Coatings – ASC – is an experienced coatings company located in Blacktown. We work in Construction and Maintenance and provide a range of Protective Coatings and Treatments for Concrete & Steel.

We have been established since 2003 and we have a strong track record in achieving outstanding results for our customers. ASC successfully works with a wide variety of customers including Sydney Water, Ericsson, Veolia Environmental and Water Services, Suez Water and Waste Services, Unilever, Coca Cola Australia, General Mills, Bega Foodservice, George Weston Foods, Diageo, etc.

ASC is an experienced organisation with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 Certified Management Systems as well as the NSW Government 5th Edition.

We are also members of the Master Builders Association.

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

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

CAPS Australia Company Overview:

the complete end-to-end solution.

CAPS Australia is a privately owned and proud Australian company intent on remaining at the forefront of compressed air, critical power generation solutions.

CAPS offers capital sales, rental equipment, engineering & manufacturing, service and parts.

CAPS has over 40 years of experience in the Australian market with nine branches across Australia and over 170 employees, including 60 service technicians covering the full national footprint with a 24/7 service offering.

CAPS is an independent company with the flexibility to search globally for the best products and technologies that best serve the Australian market’s needs and unique conditions.

CAPS has world-renowned partner brands such as Ingersoll-Rand, KOHLER/ SDMO, AIRMAN, Sauer, Pedro Gil and many more.

CAPS has in-house engineering capabilities, able to customer engineer any equipment to your needs and specifications. Back this with our Australian ISO 9001 accredited manufacturing facilities, CAPS can provide

Products & Services: • • • • • • • •

Power Generators Air Compressors Dryers Blowers Spare Parts 24/7 Servicing Engineering services Rental / Hire

Products & Services: • • • • • • •

KOHLER/SDMO AIRMAN INGERSOLL-RAND TEKSAN SAUER BEKO DEEPSEA

Core Capabilities: CAPS Diesel Generators; together with KOHLER are tailored designed to meet onsite limited real estate; featuring superior transient performance; maximum reliability; low specific fuel consumption

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

& market leader with high power density for various segments.

Our portfolio covers high speed diesel generators up to 4600kVA (50 Hz); available with different voltage configurations; packaged either in a purpose-built acoustic enclosure or plant room install.

Standby Diesel Generators guarantee energy security for waste to energy facilities; to prevent critical process sudden shutdowns; which are termed detrimental to both equipment & revenue generation.

The CAPS Diesel Generators are engineered; tailored built to deliver superior performance but also meet stringent requirements related to real estate; load acceptance & noise

performance; together with in-house engineering & local partners.

Contact Details: CAPS Australia 185 Planet Street Welshpool WA 6106 Phone: 1800 800 878 Email: info@caps.com.au Website: www.caps.com.au Key Contacts: Nestor DeNiese National Sales Manager – Power Generation Number: +61 8 6250 9871 Email: nestor.deniese@caps.com.au

JUNE/JULY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

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Product Profiles Shredders, Crushers and Grinders //

Models: 2710D Horizontal Grinder Engine: CAT C18 Engine Power: 570kW Weight: 30,900kg Length: 1,612cm Feed Opening 153x81cm Production(Greenwaste): 229m3/hr Contact Name: Brenton Yon Office Number: 02 9647 3600 Mobile: 0418 867477 Webpage: www.komatsuforest.com.au Email: info.au@komatsuforest.com

Models: Drum Chipper Unit: Remote Control / Self-Propelled Range: 4310B Engine: CAT C18 Engine Power: 570kW Weight: 26,535kg Length: 928cm Feed Opening 103x61cm Production(Greenwaste): 59-109m3/hr Finished product size: 6-32mm Contact Name: Brenton Yon Office Number: 02 9647 3600 Mobile: 0418 867477 Webpage: www.komatsuforest.com.au Email: info.au@komatsuforest.com

KOMATSU FOREST PTY LTD

ASTEC Peterson 4310B

KOMATSU FOREST PTY LTD

ASTEC Peterson 2710D

Models: Horizontal Grinder Unit: Remote Control / Self-Propelled Range: 5710D Engine: CAT C32 Engine Power: 722kW Weight: 42,184kg Length: 1,800cm Feed Opening 152x102cm Production(Greenwaste): 383m3/hr Contact Name: Brenton Yon Office Number: 02 9647 3600 Mobile: 0418 867477 Webpage: www.komatsuforest.com.au Email: info.au@komatsuforest.com

Models: Horizontal Grinder Unit: Remote Control / Self-Propelled Range: 6710D Engine: CAT C32 Engine Power: 839kW Weight: 48,987kg Length: 1,860cm Feed Opening 168x127cm Production(Greenwaste): 446m3/hr Contact Name: Brenton Yon Office Number: 02 9647 3600 Mobile: 0418 867477 Webpage: www.komatsuforest.com.au Email: info.au@komatsuforest.com

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KOMATSU FOREST PTY LTD

ASTEC Peterson 6710D

KOMATSU FOREST PTY LTD

ASTEC Peterson 5710D

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Product Profiles Shredders, Crushers and Grinders

Binweigh

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd FOR HIRE

Diveresco

BinWeigh - the original first trade-approved system for the Australian Waste Industry. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is truer today than it’s ever been, and if you’re operating a waste collection business then you know that first-hand. The reliable and accurate weight of each loaded bin is crucial information to maximising your profitability – and when it comes to maximising your charge-by-weight operations with accurate weight data, there is no better solution than Diverseco’s range of BinWeigh systems. Our range of legal for trade systems include frontlift, rear-lift, and side-lift loaders that provide high- and low-resolution load ranges from 0-200kg to 0 to 4000kg. Your drivers will receive an automatic weighing process with no delay to the tipping cycle, an RFID interface, and data logging to third party data management systems comes standard. Best suited for waste tankers, hook, and skip trucks, BinWeigh LFT underbody loadcell systems completes our range of charge-by-weight solutions. Diverseco has service centres around the country and specialising in a full range of onboard and vehicle weighing systems.

Email: onboardsolutions@diverseco.com.au Phone: 1300 069 970; Website: diverseco.com.au

DIAMOND Z DZH 6000TKT HORIZONTAL GRINDER FOR HIRE Application: Mobile Timber Grinding, Land Clearing, Green Waste Mulching, Landfill Management Suitable material: For processing trees, palms, logs, stumps, vegetation, green waste, C&D waste, brush, land clearing debris, mixed woody feedstocks, asphalt shingles, municipal waste Features: Track mounted, remote control, quick screen change, reversing fan Unit Dimensions: Screen Area 3 square metres Weight: 52 tonne Drive Type: Fluid Coupling Drive Motor: CAT C27 Speed: High speed 1,050 HP Throughput: Up to 131 tonnes per hour Finished product size: superior particle size control, fine products, mulch Price: FOR HIRE OR CONTRACT. Rates available.

Contact for more information: Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Phone: 02 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: www.davisem.com.au

Unit Dimensions: L=15000, W=5400 mm Weight: 14000 kg Suitable material: All types of dry cable up to Ø100 mm with up to 2 mm steel reinforcement, also in coils or bundles.

Capacity (in weight): Up to 925 kg/hour No. of units in range: N/A Finished product size: Copper or aluminium granulate from approx. 0,2 to 5 mm depending on cable input, minimum 99,5 % pure.

Options/Extras: Is available as a Turbo version with a larger and more powerful granulator for a capacity up to 950 kg/hour. Additional equipment for recovery of metal fines from the plastic is available on request.

Price: available upon request More: A modular cable recycling plant with both shredder and granulator, separation and filter, made for tough conditions. Excellent price/ performance ratio with low investment costs at an overall low cost of ownership.

Name: Carsten Nielsen Phone Number: +45 21 49 19 67 Webpage: https://eldan-recycling.com/redoma Email: cn@eldan-recycling.com

Unit Dimensions: Customer dependant Capacity (in weight): As much as required.

No. of units in range: Custom Australian made to order.

Options/Extras: Driver Control Stations, Weighbridge Software, Weighin-motion, Calibration & Service Agreements, Customised Solutions.

Price: Upon quotation Name: Gregor MacNamara Phone Number: 0457 488 933 Webpage: https://diverseco.com.au/weighing/weighbridges/ Email: gregor.macnamara@diverseco.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Diverseco

Accuweigh Weighbridges

ELDAN Recycling A/S

REDOMA Powerkat B Cable Recycling Plant

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Product Profiles Shredders, Crushers and Grinders //

68

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd FOR HIRE

Application: Mobile Concrete Crushing, Rock Crushing, Glass Recycling, Landfill Management Suitable material: For processing glass, concrete, brick, tile, asphalt and rock.

Features: Track mounted, remote control, closed material circuit, mesh screen with integrated refeeding belt, 3 rotor speeds Unit Dimensions: Screen Area 5,5 m² Weight: 35 tonne Motor: John Deere Throughput: Up to 350 tonnes per hour Finished product size: Graded high quality final aggregate in a single pass Price: FOR HIRE OR CONTRACT. Rates available.

Contact for more information: Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Phone: 02 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: www.davisem.com.au

KOMPTECH TERMINATOR 6000S LOW SPEED SHREDDER FOR HIRE Applications: Mobile shredding for C&D, mattresses, tyres, carpet, bulky goods, greenwaste Features: On tracks, remote control, over-band magnet 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 Throughput: Up to 100 tonne per hour Price: FOR 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: www.davisem.com.au

PETERSON 5710C HORIZONTAL GRINDER FOR HIRE

PRONAR MRW 2.85G TWIN SHAFT LOW SPEED SHREDDER FOR HIRE

Application: Timber Grinding, Land Clearing, Green Waste Mulching, Landfill Management Suitable material: For processing trees, palms, logs, stumps, vegetation, green waste, brush, land clearing debris, mixed woody feedstocks Features: Track mounted, remote control, high lift feed roll, magnetic head pulley Unit Dimensions: Feed opening 152 x 102 cm Weight: 43 tonne Drive Type: PT Clutch Motor: CAT C27 Speed: High speed 1,050 HP Finished product size: Superior particle size control, fine products, mulch Price: FOR HIRE OR CONTRACT. Rates available.

Contact for more information: Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Phone: 02 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: www.davisem.com.au

Application: C&D Shredding, Timber Grinding, Land Clearing, Green Waste Mulching, Landfill Management Suitable material: Mattresses, C&D, tyres, carpet, green waste, municipal industrial waste, bulky materials, pallets, tree stumps, light scrap Features: Track mounted, remote control Weight: 26 tonne Drive Type: Hydraulic Motor: CAT C9.3B Price: FOR HIRE OR CONTRACT. Rates available Contact for more information: Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Phone: 02 9450 2288 Email: davisem@davisem.com.au Web: www.davisem.com.au

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Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd FOR HIRE

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd FOR HIRE

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd FOR HIRE

RUBBLEMASTER IMPACT CRUSHER RM120GO! FOR HIRE

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Product Profiles Shredders, Crushers and Grinders

MAGNETIC DRUM AND DRUM IN-HOUSING SEPARATORS

SUSPENDED PERMANENT MAGNETS Application: Proven to be the most effective for removal of unwanted iron from heavy burdens of material being conveyed on fast moving belts.

Ideal for separation applications on wet or dry, fine or coarse materials in large or small tonnages.

Features: The uniquely designed magnetic circuit is long and flat, providing a greater area of magnetic coverage with a maximum depth of field and with less head room required than with an electromagnet.

Always operates at peak efficiency - no heat is generated. Safe tramp iron removal protecting downstream equipment and assures the purity of the product.

Options/Extras: Direct drive motors available in both hydraulic and electric drive suitable for mobile and fixed plant applications. CP Model: For general tramp iron removal from a range of materials. Utilises a single pole design for cost effective but reliable performance. TP Model: provides higher strength, twin dual pole magnet design to offer improved separation of smaller tramp iron. A horizontal lift orientation also reduces belt wear. CP models can be directly upgraded to TP design without changing magnet support infrastructure.

More: Contact Jonathan Schulberg Phone: 03 8401 7400 Webpage: www.eriez.com.au Email: sales.au@eriez.com

Eriez

Eriez

Application: Removes large and small pieces of iron contaminants from material processing lines. Powerful permanent magnets enable more efficient separation performance for a broad range of applications including plastic, wood, rocks etc. Provides years of trouble–free automatic removal of tramp iron from heavy flows of bulk materials, including large and highly abrasive materials.

Features: Drum diameter range 305 to 915mm, widths from 305 to 1525mm. With variable speed direct drive motor, the Drum In Housing can process volumes up to 725 cubic meters per hour. Position adjustable magnetic circuit and adjustable material splitter to fine tune separation performance.

Options/Extras: 5 magnetic circuit options available. Ceramic AgitatorType, Super Strength, Double super strength, S-rex rare earth and salient pole. Magnetic circuit options are selected based on separation requirements and application demand. All drums are self-cleaning by design and are available in heavy-duty construction options across the entire range.

Extras: Equipment can be designed in both standard and heavy-duty design determined by application requirements.

More: Contact Jonathan Schulberg Phone: 03 8401 7400 Webpage: www.eriez.com.au Email: sales.au@eriez.com

TYRANNOSAURUS T7703 waste shredder

TYRANNOSAURUS T9900 series waste shredders

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Intelligent shredding technology for maximising production capacity, operation reliability and product quality.

Drive system: hydraulic Capacity: up to 50 tonnes per hour Particle size: < 90 mm in one pass Features: processes any solid waste without pre-sorting requirement; robust structure enables high capacity and availability; fully automated solution for improved safety; low annual per tonne operation cost; on-line adjustability; ZeroGap® cutting knives technology; MIPS® protection for unshreddable items; sophisticated pusher control ensuring maximum capacity; Installed power: 365 kW, 525 kW, 685 kW Contact: Minna Vilkuna, agent for BMH Technology in Australia & NZ, mobile +61(0)437135788, email: rarevoyage@bigpond.com www.bmh.fi Watch TYRANNOSAURUS® waste processing video

BMH Techology

BMH Techology

Intelligent shredding technology for maximising production capacity, operation reliability and product quality Drive system: electric with frequency converters Capacity: up to 15 tonnes per hour Particle size: < 80 mm in one pass Features: processes any solid waste without pre-sorting requirement; fully automatic for improved safety; heavy-duty construction; fast loadcontrolled synchronized ram cylinders; ZeroGap® cutting knives; MIPS® protection for unshreddable items; intelligent drive system including high torque starting from zero revolutions, synchronous motor with higher efficiency, peak torque up to +250%, no mechanical couplings or belt drives, no water cooling.

Installed power: 2 x 134 kW Contact: Minna Vilkuna, agent for BMH Technology in Australia & NZ, mobile +61(0)437135788, email: rarevoyage@bigpond.com www.bmh.fi Watch TYRANNOSAURUS® waste processing video

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Wasted Space //

Infrastructure lag an issue

EVENING SIR, They’re going all soft down here at the moment, sir. No, not talking about those underarm cricketers or the bring-back-the-biff braggards making a noise from that ‘other’ ovalshaped game of football. I’m talking soft plastics. Seems all the rage down here. Where it comes from. How to dispose of it. How to make it more compostable.

Nobody likes it but it’s not going anywhere either. Bit like Boris, bless him. So what to do, oh what to do.

One thing I like about our antipodean friends is that they like nothing but a good problem to solve. Think of them like Q, but on steroids.

However, there are more organisations than there are blowhards at an Elvis impersonation conference when it comes to those 70

INSIDEWASTE JUNE/JULY 2022

wanting to have a say on how these troublesome plastics should be disposed of, recycled or reused.

You can turn them back into almost their original form – oil.

You can reprocess them and turn them into road bollards, or bench seats, or even planks to redo your decking. However, like M in front of the Minister of Finance talking budgets, it’s all about the money. And infrastructure.

Having been sent to Coventry assigned here for a couple of years now, I note that the many layers of government are rarely on the same page. As you know, not only is their Federal Government bicameral, but so are their state governments. It is somewhat amazing that during the odd visit to my local council’s ‘debating’ chamber they too don’t

have two houses of legislature.

What this means, obviously, is a lot of red tape. Screeds of it. I have a little chuckle to myself that the metaphorical description of what is holding them back is also literally what they are trying to get rid of.

As one champion of the cause explained to me at the recent 2022 Waste soiree in Coffs Harbour, there has been an infrastructure lag. It tickles my funny bone that the word used to describe the lack of infrastructure is the colloquial term used by the less fortunate classes in our green and pleasant land when they are serving at Her Majesty’s Pleasure. Locked up or locked out, the end result is the same – nothing getting done.

I’m unsure whether it is due to an election year, but, ahem, or by pure

coincidence, the Federal Government of the Commonwealth of Australia is coughing up hundreds of millions of dollars to deal with the country’s infrastructure needs, including those in the waste industry. There has yet to be a mad dash for moolah like you’d see at a sweet scramble at a children’s birthday party, but it might not be enough. For example, a wasteto-energy project – which can dispose of the residual waste from soft plastics – will require an injection of funds from state and federal governments and can easily soak up 10s if not 100s of millions of dollars.

I won’t even go into the approvals process. I will be watching with interest to see how it all pans out.

Until then, sir, I bid you farewell.

Regards JB

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

HZI_Anz

London, Oslo and Dublin Rely on Our Energy-from-Waste Technology.

London, United Kingdom

Oslo, Norway

Dublin, Ireland

So Does Perth.

Rockingham, Australia

Our solutions are based on efficient and environmentally sound in-house technology, and cover the entire life cycle of an Energy-from-Waste facility. Our proven technologies have been part of more than 700 plants worldwide. As a global leader in energy from waste we are proud to be able to say: We deliver. Check our references.

Waste is our Energy www.hz-inova.com

HZI_Anzeige_Image_Australien_Anlage_240x330_EN.indd 1

14.07.20 09:51

DELIVERING A GREENER FUTURE Komptech CEA is a leading supplier of machinery and systems for the treatment of solid waste through mechanical and mechanical biological treatments, as well as the treatment of biomass as a renewable energy source. Komptech CEA is proud to provide innovative solutions for handling waste and biomass.

Komptech CEA’s extensive range of products cover all key processing steps in modern waste handling. At Komptech CEA the focus is always on innovative technology and solutions ensuring maximum benefit to the customer. Like to know more? why not speak to one of our team today?

SHREDDERS

TROMMEL SCREENS

TERMINATOR Where Function Meets Technology A slow-running, single-shaft shredder suited to all types of waste.

CRAMBO Less Fuel, More Power

1300 788 757

komptechcea.com.au

STAR SCREENS

WINDROW TURNERS

MULTI STAR Screening with a Star Makes waste wood and biomass processing highly efficient.

NEMUS Robust and Reliable

Ideal for shredding all types of wood and green cuttings.

Combining the practice-proven virtues of its predecessors with new solutions for even greater performance.

TOPTURN X

AXTOR

The Ideal Combination of Performance and Design

Shredding and Chipping Made Easy

With a sturdy frame, powerful hydraulics and large drum, the Topturn X is ready to handle any work situation.

One of the most versatile machines around for processing wood and green cuttings.