Inside Waste December 2021 by Prime Creative Media

www.insidewaste.com.au

ISSUE 105 | DEC/JAN 2022

INSIDE 28 Automotive recycling 34 Queensland waste policy 40 Residual waste

Consultants Review 2021 – And the winners are…

Is Australia ready for the tyre export ban? What are the implications for the industry? How will the ban work in a practical sense? Is the industry prepared? And what is going to happen with all the extra tyres? Inside Waste spoke with Tyre Stewardship Australia CEO, Lina Goodman, the Australian Tyre Recycling Association chair Jim Fairweather and the federal Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans. All three are happy with the ban, but with the odd caveat. Fairweather is bullish about most of the industry being ready to take on the challenge of adhering to the ban and he feels most are ready. There will be some that will struggle though, more due to their lack of preparedness as opposed to government bureaucracy. “It would be true to say there are

sectors of the industry, such as some in the baling industry who are the ones most affected by the ban, who haven’t transitioned,” he said. “They haven’t heeded the warnings, haven’t looked at the legislation, and haven’t prepared their businesses.” Fairweather reasons balers will suffer the most because many don’t have anything outside their business model other than throwing tyres into bales, putting them in containers and sending them overseas. It costs about $20,000 to get a secondhand baling machine, while the infrastructure to buy plant that has shredding and crumbing capacities – which is what is needed if you are to on-sell the tyres in a different form, or reuse them locally – can cost anywhere between $1.5 million to $12 million. (Continued on page 20)

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DECEMBER 1 is D-Day for the tyre industry as the tyre export ban comes into effect. No longer will Australian companies be able to export whole or baled tyres as a means of getting them out of the country. They must either find markets locally, or if they do want to export them, they have to meet a series of strict criteria set out by government. Due to the numbers produced, and how they are made, tyres have the potential to be a serious environmental hazard. In Third World countries, there are horror stories of exported tyres being unloaded and then burned because there is no other use for them. The ban is the latest implementation by the Australian government to stop exporting troublesome waste streams overseas, with mixed plastics and glass being banned earlier this year.

ANOTHER year has gone by, and despite difficulties in most industries around the country, the waste sector has come out smelling like roses. To be fair, the waste industry is one that is necessary, however that doesn’t negate the disruption COVID-19 has caused in Australia for the best part of two years. Through it all, waste consultants have been at the coal face offering advice, setting plans in motion and doing a lot of the dirty work (bin audits anyone?) to help industry as it navigates its way through legislation, export bans and making sure waste reduction targets are met. With different pieces of legislation coming into effect, such as the ban of single-use plastics and export ban on whole-baled tyres, consultants need to be on top of their game when it comes to knowing the law. These laws can be complicated and the industry relies on the knowledge, advice and strategies that consultancies offer so they can navigate the intricacies set out in legislation. Some companies have principals who know their specialty of the industry well but most rely on consultants who know the industry inside out for a broader picture. A lot of local government councils rely on consultants to keep them on track, whether it is auditing, advice on landfills, or to keep abreast of the latest technologies. (Continued on page 22)

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More deadlines approach for waste sector DEADLINES, deadlines, deadlines … it’s interesting to see they are not just the bane of working journos and editors everywhere, but an issue in the waste industry, too. Every month seems to bring a new cut-off date whether it be targets set for landfill diversion, or the end of single-use plastics. December is no different. This month the tyre export ban comes into play whereby Australian companies can no longer send their used tyres overseas unless they meet strict export rules. According to the Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) CEO Lina Goodman, this means that the 70,000 plus tonnes of tyres that were usually baled and sent to Third World countries for (often environmentally unsound) disposal will now have to be utilised in a different manner. Is the industry ready for the change? Depends on who you speak to. The Federal Government says, yes. The Australia Tyre Recycling Association chair Jim Fairweather says yes, with a couple of caveats, while Goodman has a few concerns Publisher Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

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that she believes need addressing. To find out what their thoughts are, check out our main cover story. Also, in this issue, we have the results of our Consultancy Survey. There were a few surprises in the mix, along with the usual suspects making their annual appearance as they consolidate their place in the waste landscape. Both big and small consultancies were represented well, and there were a lot of interesting turn-ups in terms of who won what. Almost all consultancies in the survey got votes, and it augers well that there is such great competition in this space. However, we’re looking to tweak next year’s edition to move it more in line with other, similar award presentations, organised by our parent company. Results will be based on a mixture of customer feedback, voting, and services the company has on offer. As for this year, you can read details in the second cover story in this magazine, and you can go to pages 22-26 to see the results. Have a great holiday period and I’ll see you all in the new year.

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

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Profile | Hi-Quality Group

When was the company founded and why?

Hi-Quality Group was founded in 1964 as a transport and quarry business. Since then, the business has expanded to provide holistic waste management, quarry and transport solutions across QLD, NSW, Victoria, and the ACT. Today, the company remains Australianowned. Headquartered in NSW, it has over 200 employees across the country including environmental scientists, engineers, planning experts, and specialists from a range of disciplines. What are its key products and/or services?

Hi-Quality Group specialises in full-service engineered waste management solutions for infrastructure projects, as well as federal, state and local governments, local businesses and civil contractors. Contaminated waste is one of the most pressing

issues in the sector today. HiQuality’s Waste Treatment Services division – based at its facility in Yatala, Queensland – provides innovative and sustainable solutions for integrated waste treatment, recycling, and environmental remediation for businesses, governments, and major projects. These treatment and remediation capabilities ensure waste is diverted from landfill wherever possible. When that isn’t possible, Hi-Quality’s engineered landfills in Victoria, NSW and the ACT ensure safe handling of a range of contaminated and noncontaminated categories of waste. The Group’s 261-hectare Sunbury Eco-Hub in Victoria uses innovative lining technologies in landfill sites that service the metropolitan Melbourne region, regional areas, and interstate projects. Across the country, Hi-Quality offers tailormade material production and rehabilitation services, with several active quarries, resource recovery and construction material sites that service local businesses and projects of state significance. Its transport fleet and end-to-end heavy haulage

services are deployed to support projects nationwide. What are some of the plans and ambitions over the next 12-18 months?

Offering innovative waste management solutions that meet the sector’s ever-evolving needs will continue to be at the forefront for Hi-Quality Group’s business.

As a contractor on several projects, Hi-Quality has a pipeline of works underway that expand and add complementary services to its portfolio, including waste treatment and material production. In addition, the Group will continue building on its waste treatment capabilities, and supporting its client base across the various states and territories in Australia. iw

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Boomerang Alliance not happy with inquiry into Tasmania CRS bill THE reasons the Tasmanian ALP have given for an Upper House inquiry into the Container Refund Scheme Bill don’t stack up, according to Jeff Angel, director of the Boomerang Alliance. ‘’Even worse, their twomonth inquiry plan will delay implementation of the CRS for up to two years with tens of millions of drink containers instead being littered or recycled. This political game could even derail the entire scheme as it could stop the much needed momentum for a CRS for which Tasmanians have been waiting for over 20 years,‘’ said Jeff Angel. “The decision process that led to the Bill has been one of the most extensive and transparent I have ever seen. Study after study of the

two CRS options; investigations into schemes in various states; new research into economic impacts and requirements for Tasmania; multiple stakeholder reference group meetings; public discussion papers; community surveys; stakeholder review of legislation – a process which has also been replicated in Victoria – all came to the same conclusion as Tasmania.’’ “It appears the ALP haven’t even asked for a briefing on the Bill or first examined the research – just jumped into bed with the TasRecycle lobby group, which was established and funded by Coke and Lion. “The ALP plan is a monumental waste of time and won’t add any extra value to the decision,’’ Angel said. iw

It is claimed by the Boomerang Alliance that the Tasmanian ALP inquiry into the state’s CRS could delay its implementation by up to two years.

Remondis to open new waste facility in Hunter Valley A multi-functional waste processing facility at Tomago will fill a recycling gap in the Hunter Valley and lift local recycling capabilities, according to a spokesperson from Remondis. The $22 million Tomago Resource Recovery Facility will see Remondis nearly double the amount of waste it handles in the Hunter, from about

55,000 tonnes to nearly 100,000 tonnes per year. Sitting within Tomago’s industrial precinct, the facility is unique given that it will have multiple sections across two warehouses receiving an array of waste for processing and recycling. This includes paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, metals, wood, concrete, out-of-

Scott Smith said the new facility will go a long way towards helping the region meet NSW waste reduction goals.

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

spec packaged food products, garden organics, electronic goods, MUDs, hydrocarbons and liquids such as waste oil and oily water. A centrepiece is a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facility, which processes waste into a solid fuel that can be used for energy-making in industrial settings, and as a cleaner alternative to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal. The waste will come from homes, businesses, construction and mining sites across the Hunter, Lake Macquarie and Central Coast, with up to 93 per cent of received matter to be processed for recycling. Operations are well removed from residential areas and enclosed to ensure there are no impacts on neighbouring properties or the environment. Remondis Hunter and Western Region NSW manager, Scott Smith, said the facility will ensure the Hunter takes big strides forward when it comes to recycling. “We’re talking about a whole lot of waste that will be captured, processed and recycled, as opposed to ending up in holes in the ground,” Smith said.

“The Hunter recycling rate sits at about 40 per cent, whereas the New South Wales has state-wide targets of 80 per cent and beyond. We’re confident this facility will narrow that gap. Our experience in the Hunter, nationally and globally, tells us that people want more recycling, and for that to happen you need facilities such as this.” Smith said the facility was a one-ofa-kind given that it could handle so many types of waste. “Some recycling sites tend to specialise, but the Tomago facility will be a one-stop hub that can deal with waste and recycling material from across the spectrum.” Remondis’ smaller existing waste handling site at Thornton will gradually be wound back, with all operations folded into the new Tomago site without disruption to services. The Tomago Hunter Valley site will employ 76 people, with eight new jobs to be created. Subject to final EPA approvals, Remondis will commence operations at the Tomago site by December and progress to full operations early next year. iw

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Veolia’s Kirkman: “more recycling” needed to prevent climate change VEOLIA has set out a road map to ecological transformation and says it fully endorses the NSW Government’s announcement to halve carbon emissions by 2030, calling the move necessary, progressive and achievable, if the right policy drivers and system changes are put in place to underpin the ambition, according to CEO Richard Kirkman. “We have the required water, waste and energy technology, and know the answers to industrial problems that are needed to protect the environment, preserve our way of life, and also present a business opportunity to Australia’s success. Veolia is ready to help industry meet its decarbonisation goals, prevent climate change, bring about a sustainable future, and business will back the policy drivers that support it,” said Kirkman. Kirkman said that there is an opportunity for the government to ensure the delivery of its target, by

using policy to encourage greater recycling, renewable loops of energy and to secure water supply, including: • Product Stewardship that includes the full cost of products (including their disposal) at the time of purchase – a system of consumer responsibility called Pay As You Buy, which would bring about product eco-design, recycled content, higher recyclability and better prevention and reuse. • Standardising recycling streams – making recycling easy for everyone. • Delivery of the FOGO – food and organics vision – to capture organics for use as fuels and fertilisers material. • Incentivising renewable energy generation – to encourage more local loops of energy production, storage and optimisation. • Normalising recycled water innovations – to secure water supply and preserve resources by

implementing a circular water economy. “The NSW government has once again set the gold standard, with a progressive stance on climate change that puts the future of our children and the planet at the forefront,” said Kirkman. “It recognises the fact that we cannot wait any longer to act on climate change, and I believe the targets that have been set are achievable, but only alongside environmental policies that incentivise businesses to respond. “Australia is at the edge of an

opportunity to prevent climate change, take-up the economic benefits of going green and build sustainable jobs for the future, but without policy we are limiting ourselves. “If we make it easier for people to focus on ecological transformation, by encouraging more recycling, incentivising renewable energy and normalising recycled water solutions, we prevent Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels, drastically reduce emissions and halt biodiversity collapse – the outcomes we all want.” iw

BSV Tyre Recycling Australia convicted of contravening two conditions of an environment protection licence by a person On 16 June 2021, BSV Tyre Recycling Australia Pty Ltd (BSV Tyre Recycling) was convicted by the Local Court of two offences against s 64(1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (the Act) for contravening two conditions of its environment protection licence. BSV Tyre Recycling holds an environment protection licence (EPL), which includes a condition that limits the amount of waste permitted on site at any one time to 150 tonnes (condition L2.2), and to store waste in accordance with an approved Site Plan (condition O4.2). The EPA conducted an inspection on 9 April 2020 and observed that approximately 769 tonnes of waste was being stored onsite and in a manner contrary to the Site Plan. The EPA prosecuted BSV Tyre Recycling and on 16 June 2021, the Local Court convicted BSV Tyre Recycling of two offences against s 64(1) of the Act and ordered it to: • Pay a fine of $9,000 for breaching condition L2.2; • Pay a fine of $5,000 for breaching condition O4.2; • Pay a 50% share of these fines to the EPA; • Pay the EPA’s legal costs; and

Kirkman said that product stewardship is one way to keep an eye on emissions in the waste sector.

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Recycled plastics find home in tram infrastructure RECYCLED plastics from kerbside waste will be used to create modular tram stops, making Melbourne’s tram network more sustainable, accessible for people with disabilities and less disruptive to maintain and develop. This project was recently awarded $300,000 by the Recycling Victoria Research and Development Fund – Materials and is delivered by Sustainability Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government, as part of Recycling Victoria. The project is a partnership between Monash University’s Institute of Railway Technology, Yarra Trams, Integrated Recycling and Advanced Circular Polymer. The Development of Next Generation Tram Stop Platforms Using Recycled Materials project will develop ways to turn recycled plastics into modular components that are ‘fit-for-purpose’

for the construction of future tram stop platforms across Melbourne. Melbourne’s tram network is the largest in the world consisting of 24 routes, stretching 250 kilometres with more than 1,750 tram stops. Futureproofing tram stop platforms with this modular design, which incorporates hollow drainage features, will not only promote environmental sustainability, but improve constructability with minimal disruption to traffic, less impact by severe flash flooding events and ensure greater accessibility for those living with a disability. Director of the Monash Institute of Railway Technology, Professor Ravi Ravitharan, said the project will identify how reinforced recycled plastics can be used effectively to construct a modular platform that can be rolled out on a large scale. “Our team of researchers will look

at a number of suitable options of recycled materials that can be manufactured into a prototype, which will then be trial assembled and load tested at the Institute of Railway Technology laboratories,” said Ravitharan. “The development will consider recycled rubber for damping components, as well as reinforcement options to achieve the intended design concept.” The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Monash University researchers from the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Arts, Monash University Accident Research Centre and Monash Art, Design and Architecture with Monash Institute of Railway Technology. Integrated Recycling, creators of the Duratrack railway sleeper, will manufacture and trial modular

Kerbside waste will be trialled as potential materials for tram platforms.

elements of tram stop platforms for testing and prototyping purposes. Advanced Circular Polymer, a company that specialises in plastics recycling technology, will supply the recycled plastic mix recovered from kerbside waste collections that will be used for the production of the base material in the tram stop platforms. iw

A PIONEER IN CARBON ABATEMENT DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY TRANSFORMATION ResourceCo is a global leader in waste recycling and a pioneer in delivering carbon abatement. We are committed to supporting Net Zero aspirations of organisations across Australia and continue to work with them on shared goals for greener supply chains by decarbonising through credible carbon transition plans. With over 30 years of experience and 60 million tonnes of materials repurposed, we are leading the sustainability transformation – progressing a circular economy.

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Profile | Steve Harrison that. The shared belief that we can do things better through recycling and direct re-use strategies was a key driver in moving into the waste industry with ResourceCo. I am proud that ResourceCo is a business dedicated to driving progress towards a circular economy by recycling and repurposing material that otherwise would end up in landfill. What made you get into the waste industry?

After 14 years in the Earthmoving and Civil Construction sector I was introduced to Simon Brown in 2013. I was really impressed with the company’s ethos around preserving the Earth’s natural resources and the focus on continually looking for better ways to recycle or re-use various waste streams. After a few meetings we saw the opportunity to do more with waste soils in the market and ResourceCo Material Solutions as a pillar in the ResourceCo group was born out of

What are some of the key issues facing the industry at the moment?

•W e are still seeing far too much waste moving between states to avoid levies, only to end up landfill. Taking a national view on waste management and harmonising levies will help drive an increase in recycling activities and improve investment in resource recovery initiatives. • I think working on segregation of some difficult-to-manage waste streams at the source, such as asbestos, is a key issue to be

solved. So much waste that could be recovered is sent to landfill because there is no real incentive to do the work at the source to separate these waste streams. • We talk a lot about creating market conditions that allow recycling and resource recovery rates to increase and to drive investment – this remains a key issue for policy makers – prioritise recycled products and incentivise industry to resource recovery over landfill and recycled products over virgin materials.

industry through developing market conditions that drive investment and incentivise broader industry to make decisions more heavily weighted towards sustainable solutions in managing our waste. Waste-toenergy initiatives are a key example of these developing markets and changes in policy are how we can drive awareness and education for the broader public. Going forward, where do you see the waste industry in 10 years’ time in terms of repurposing waste?

I see significant growth in the resource recovery industry in Australia over the next 10 year. This will result in significant increases to recycling and recovery rates, and a broader range of repurposed waste products as we move towards a more sustainable future and a truly circular economy. We look forward to playing a role in this development and to continue to challenge the status quo. iw

Do you think the public needs more education around waste-to-energy initiatives?

I think the recent press around Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 is a step in the right direction but there is no doubt more needs to be done to raise awareness around waste-to-energy initiatives. Policy makers need to focus on supporting

SPV company created to deliver waste processing for household waste COUNCILS in Melbourne’s south east have joined together to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called South East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing, to deliver new infrastructure to process household waste. A SPV is a company with its own assets, liabilities and legal identity. The SPV will transition to become the procuring entity for the advanced waste processing facility, with support from Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG), and will award the contract for the procurement before managing the contract for the ongoing operation of the facility. Independent legal advice identified a SPV was the most viable way to facilitate the procurement of an advanced waste processing facility for councils. This tender is the largest ever undertaken in Melbourne for new 12

Three companies are in the running to help deliver on the new SPV’s remit.

infrastructure to process household waste and is expected to attract multi-million dollar investment and create temporary jobs during construction as well as permanent operating jobs. Following MWRGG’s call for

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

an expression of interest for an alternative to landfill for councils in Melbourne’s southeast, the procurement has progressed with three well-known companies being shortlisted for the upcoming role – Orbis Energy, Sacyr Environment

Australia and Veolia Environmental Services Australia. Councils will work with the respondents to ensure their social, environmental and economic objectives are met and a reliable solution is put forward during the solution development stage. This stage is currently in progress and is expected to be completed later this year. Advanced waste processing facilities use proven technologies to put household waste to more productive use and provide an alternative to sending waste to landfill. Advanced waste processing will help the Victorian Government deliver its circular economy policy and, waste and recycling action plan –Recycling Victoria: a new economy – to overhaul Victoria’s recycling sector and reduce waste going to landfill, including the target to reduce waste to landfill by 80 per cent. iw

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Remondis enterprise gets two key Queensland contracts REMONDIS Aqua has debuted in the Australian market, securing Queensland contracts with rail logistics giant Aurizon and Gladstone Regional Council. Based at Rocklea, the Queensland headquarters of Remondis Australia, the specialised Remondis Aqua business will service and maintain Aurizon’s sewage and pollution treatment plants at Toowoomba, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Bowen and Townsville. The company will also handle

day-to-day operation of Aurizon’s Queensland treatment plant systems, along with pumping stations and oily water separators. Other tasks include performing ongoing maintenance and water quality testing at the treatment plants and other locations and driving plant upgrade and expansion projects. Four additional regionally based plant operators have been engaged to carry out the services under the contract over the next five years, with additional expertise coming from the Remondis project management

Remondis has been contracted to operate and maintain two wastewater treatment plants.

team. Remondis has been a long-term partner of Aurizon, having provided total waste and recycling services to the company for more than 10 years across Australia. “Our customers take comfort from Remondis being able to provide both water management and recycling services, allowing us to apply our deep understanding of the Aurizon business to both service streams,” said Remondis Aqua Australia general manager Sebastian Weil. Meanwhile, Gladstone Regional Council has awarded the company a key $850,000 contract to operate and maintain two wastewater treatment plants for the next two years, with extension options for up to eight years. The contract includes the operation and maintenance of a Reverse Osmosis plant to produce recycled water for vehicle washing,

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under a process compliant with the Queensland Government’s biosecurity legislation and of a Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) to treat sewerage. The company sees the opportunity as a launching pad for it to expand water treatment applications across Australian regional communities, especially as far as drinking water is concerned. Remondis is already active in Gladstone, having recently expanded its partnership with a major resources company to provide full waste management collection services at the Boyne aluminium smelters. This builds on a longer-term contract to deliver specialised waste management services to a large LNG plant on Curtis Island. Weil said the Aurizon and Gladstone Regional Council contracts were significant commercial breakthroughs for Remondis Aqua. iw

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// News

Big W hits back at Boomerang Alliance accusation IN what environmental watchdog group the Boomerang Alliance has called a “shocking exercise of corporate irresponsibility”, BIG W has continued to sell what the Alliance alleges are banned single-use plastics in Queensland. Boomerang has accused the giant retailer of greenwashing “previous one-off items as ‘reusable’, when the clear intent of the law is to remove them from supermarket shelves – to be replaced with genuinely reusable items,” said Boomerang Alliance campaign manager Tony Hutcheon. ‘’The retailer has simply stuck a new label on these products – for example throw-away picnic plates – to rebrand as dishwasher-safe, in an effort to avoid the law. These products will be seen by most consumers as disposable items and end up as litter or waste in bins and landfills after a single use. This is precisely the outcome the Queensland law seeks to avoid,’’ said Hutcheon. ‘’At a time when the State Government is requiring all retailers, suppliers, food outlets and community organisations to stop providing these plastic items – and The party ware range is designed to be reused.

our research shows many are doing just that – BIG W is continuing to damage the environment from plastic pollution.’’ ‘’We call on BIG W to immediately withdraw these items from sale and donate any profits to community groups involved in litter clean ups.’’ ‘’The BIG W range of outdoor picnic ware includes plastic knives, forks and spoons, bowls and plates are all banned in Queensland unless they are certified compostable or are genuinely reusable. If they are allowed to get away with their behaviour, this will encourage other retailers to do the same.’’ However, talking to Inside Waste, a Big W spokesperson disagree with Hutcheon’s premise. “To help protect the environment and reduce waste, earlier this year we proactively removed all singleuse plastic cutlery, bowls and plates from our range nationally,” the spokesperson said. “All bowls, plates and cutlery in the BIG W range are compliant to the new legislation and have undergone rigorous and independent testing to ensure it can be used again and again. We’re committed to helping our customers live and shop more sustainably and will continue to make improvements across our range to reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling.” They stated that: • BIG W’s multi-use plastic tableware has been designed to last at least 95 cycles in the dishwasher. • This year, BIG W has removed all single-use plastic tableware products and 44 lines from its range, equivalent to over 500,000 less products sold across its stores each year. • The ban applies to single-use plastics. In line with the testing undertaken and the labelling across BIG W’s party ware range, all the thicker plastic cutlery, bowls and plates that remain are designed to be reused. iw

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News //

VicRecycle welcomes legislation for CDS VICRECYCLE has welcomed the introduction into Parliament of legislation that will establish the state’s container deposit scheme as a key component of the government’s circular economy policy. “Along with the establishment of Recycling Victoria, this is a positive next step in building a successful container deposit scheme for all Victorians,” said VicRecycle chair Paul Klymenko. “Victoria’s CDS will generate more than $500m every year once it is up and running, facilitating the return of hundreds of millions of containers, so it’s important we get this right. A critical part of successful CDS is producer responsibility, which is why VicRecycle and its members, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Lion, are working closely with the Government. “It’s positive that the bill

references multiple network operators, but we remain concerned that appointing a monopoly private operator to run the CDS network is still being considered. Klymenko said allowing competition will help drive up recycling rates and spread the benefits across the state, including more jobs in regional Victoria. He said the sale of returned containers to recyclers should be done transparently on an open market, with proceeds reinvested into the running of the scheme. These proceeds should not be gifted as profit to private waste companies. “Industry looks forward to working with the government to deliver a CDS that maximises recovery and recycling of beverage containers and benefits the entire Victorian community,” Klymenko said. iw

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// News

Western Australia saves 765 million containers from landfill WESTERN Australia has 765 million less containers in landfill due to the State’s container deposit scheme, according to premier Mark McGowan. Since Containers for Change launched on October 1 2020, it has become the most recognised recycling program in WA, injecting more than $122 million into the economy through refunds and handling fees for refund point operators. Approximately $2.5 million has been raised for community organisations and charities, with more than 800 WA schools using Containers for Change to raise funds for activities and resources. More than 730 jobs have been created through the State’s refund points and with 253 refund points across the State. The anniversary comes as Containers for Change continues to develop and grow partnerships with local

Up to 60 per cent of 10c containers are now being recycled.

governments, venues, events and organisations across WA in order to expand the collection network and change recycling behaviour. All 10c containers accepted at a Containers for Change refund point are recycled and turned into new

containers or other items. People can either keep their 10c per container refund, or donate it to a charity or community group of their choice. “Containers for Change has provided many benefits to Western Australia. It’s delivered for the environment, for

local jobs and for community groups and charities,” said McGowan. “More than 730 jobs have been created at refund points. This includes jobs for 76 people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and 227 people who were long-term unemployed or are living with a disability.” “When Containers for Change launched a year ago, an estimated 70 per cent of 10c containers were going to landfill, but now as many as 60 per cent of 10c containers are being recycled. This is a fantastic achievement,” said Acting Environment Minister Stephen Dawson. “By returning 765 million 10c containers to Containers for Change refund points, Western Australians have realised the potential of each container, ensuring they can be reused again.” iw

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news

From Fromthe theCEO’s CEO’sdesk desk – how buying Environment Ministershelps will meet forrecycling the second industry however the Queensland Government has embarked on the development Australian products time this year on 7 December, following the first 2018 Meetingwould of Environment (MEM) in HOW different our world be ifMinisters we asked ourselves, April, which was in part a response to the import “will the bin be the final destination” each time we restrictions driven by China’s National Sword made a purchase? This is the message that WMRR is Policy andas the thisRecycling policy has had across spreading part effects of National Week. theRecycling Australian and resource recovery (WARR) is awaste worthwhile and valuable endeavour, industry. Key decisions derived from the April and the message was loud and clear in 2018 that MEM include: the community values it as well. However, we can go

one step further from only “sorting” for recycling to •seeking Reducing waste generation, endorsing a target out and buying products made from Australian of 100% of Australian packaging being recyclable, recycled materials. And there is no time like the compostable or reusable 2025, how andfar developing present, especially when we by consider we’ve targets for recycled content income packaging. in thinking about sustainability, climate change, • Increasing Australia’s domestic capacity. andrecycling resource efficiency. • Increasing the demand for recycled products. On WMRR’s part, we believe there is a role for us as an industry to better • Exploring to advance waste-to-energy and waste-to-biofuels. articulate,opportunities promote, and educate the community and businesses we work with on the • Updating 2009 Waste Strategy by year end, which will from include circular far-reachingthe benefits, pathways, and opportunities to buy products Australian economy principles. recycled materials. It is timewhy to take stock and examine what has been achieved since these decisions The were announced. seven months may not like in a long time, however There are multipleNow, benefits to (7) keeping products and seem materials use for as long in as that time we have seen further markets close (Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam) possible, including reducing emissions, as well as economic incentives that and if you operator under continued financial stress, seven (7) could WMRRare hasanconsistently been highlighting, such as the opportunity to months develop new make or break you. domestic remanufacturing and industrial design industries that would boost local economies and provide jobs – three times as many - to the community. Following MEM, had three (3)may states step in with Perhapsthe the April missing piecewe herehave is that community not associate wastevarying as degrees of financial assistance for industry (councils and operators). This actually being a raw material that has value beyond its initial life and can be should beused expected considering all states (except Queensland and Tasmania) have (if designed well) asalmost a manufacturing input, which would reduce the need for access to significant waste levy income each year. On the eastern seaboard, Victoria extracting raw materials that comes with significant energy and emission impact. has $600 million in waste reserves in savings the Sustainability Fund Forapproximately example, recycled aluminium results inlevy energy and GHG of 95 per cent and NSW raises more than $700 million per annum from the waste levy. There is and 92 per cent respectively. certainly nochange lack of awareness funds thatand cana be reinvested into our essential industry. Climate desire for action is another area that must be weaponised and educated on; many may not realise the tremendous carbon Funding but with as we know, reuse, the money goes a much longer with benefits helps that come recycling, repair, and remanufacturing. The way European Government support and leadership, as well as appropriate policy levers. Commission has undertaken significant work in this space and has found that the CO2-e benefits of recycling one million tonnes of plastics is equivalent to taking VICTORIA one million cars off the road. Meanwhile, recycling glass saves 87 per cent CO2-e Victoria been most active and earnest in the industry and 82has perarguably cent energy. Thethe Ellen MacArthur Foundation, insupporting a World Economic Forum post-China, with two (2) relief packages announced to support the recycling report, estimated that global materials cost savings alone could exceed industry, valued at a total of $37 million. The Victorian Government has also gone US$1 trillion. above beyond all others states by announcing it would take a leadership At and home, KPMG has estimated a potential cumulative net economic benefit of role in $A210 creating market demand for recycled products. billion by 2050 from eight initiatives to increase circularity across the food, transport and built environment sectors, and PwC has estimated a direct economic SOUTH benefitAUSTRALIA of $A1.9 trillion over 20 years and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions Government announced $12.4 package comprising $2 million of of 165 megatonnes (Mt) aper yearmillion by 2040support from a range of initiatives. additional expenditure, $5 million additional funding for a loan scheme, These are compelling figures and ones that are easily understood by the together with targeted funding from the Green Industries SA budget. The Government has community, both from an environmental perspective and as an economic incentive. also offered grants for recycling infrastructure.

of a waste management strategy underpinned by a waste disposal levy to increase recycling andMore recovery and create jobs. The Energy savings? jobs? Lower carbonnew emissions? WhyState not? will re-introduce a $70/ tonne landfill levy in March 2019. There are also strong attempts to use policy levers (levy discounts and exemptions) to incentivise the use of recycled material The how and make withThe virgin has been done to This is whereititcost can competitive get challenging. mainmaterial. messageHowever, is that welittle are simply establish new markets and Government has not taken the lead in themust procurement consuming and throwing away too much and our first and foremost focus be of recycled material. There are grants available for resource recovery operations on avoidance. This would go a long way in driving down waste generation rates in Queensland no monies been allocated to assistand in waste 2018. This is (and take Australiaalthough off the podium when ithave comes to both consumption troublingbut as Queensland rolledtoout Container Refund Scheme 1 November, generation) there is also much beits done about the products we areon offered, which will likelythat impact the costcirculating and revenue models of the State’s MRFs – as we and the materials are currently in the economy. have seen most recently in NSW. In 2020, WMRR hosted its inaugural Buy Recycled expo as part of the WARRSA conference in Adelaide. It was an eye-opening experience for many attendees who WESTERN had some, butAUSTRALIA not extensive, knowledge of Australia’s own network of recycled The Australian Government set up a Wasteand Taskforce direct response to productWestern manufacturers. There are many remanufacturers users ofinrecycled the China National Sword. As part of this announcement, the State Government materials who have done a great job in promoting the use of Australian recycled urged for all local councils the utilisation of a three (3)-bin system - red for content, example, makerstoofbegin park benches and playground equipment. But more general yellow forrest recyclables and green organic wasteindustry - over the coming needs to bewaste, said about the of the recycling and for remanufacturing – we years to reduce contamination. While this taskforce is a step in the right direction, need to be shouting about our processes, technologies, skills, and products from are yet so to see tangiblecan results it or any for choices. industry.We In also October, thewerooftops thatany consumers makefrom informed and funding sustainable the WA Waste Authority released its draft Waste Strategy to 2030, which comprises need to call out the ongoing use of virgin material when there are genuine recycled a comprehensive and detailed roadmap towards the State’s shared vision of alternatives readily available. becoming a sustainable, circular economy. If consumers were to exertlow-waste, their purchasing power at the retail level by thinking about, and then sourcing and buying, products made from Australian recycled COMMONWEALTH material, we would stand a far better chance at influencing the design of products the are MEM in April, Australia now new Federal Environment Minister, soFollowing that not only they truly recyclable (and has not atechnically recyclable), but that Melissa Price, who in October reiterated to media MEM’s commitment to explore they are also made from recycled content. waste to energy as part of the solution to the impacts of China’s National Of course, there is a piece of work to be done to assist consumers because we Sword, which is have troubling (EfWconsistent is not a solution to recycling). The Commonwealth still do not clear and labelling about what is made from Australian has also backed the Australian Recycling Label and endorsed the NationalThe Packaging recycled material, let alone the amount of recyclable materials they contain. Targets developed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), federal government can play a clear role here with a simple, concise, and consistent which has to date, failed to incorporate industry feedback in the development labelling system, making it much easier for the consumer to buy Australian recycled of these To the hasand been materials andtargets. in so doing, driveCommonwealth’s market demand for credit, recycledthere products the significant coordination reviewing the National Policy, with thefor.Department of paradigm shift ininmaterial management that weWaste have been advocating Surely, Environment bringing together industry players and States during the review this is not a big ask? process. Global factors such as China’s National Sword policy and the resulting waste export bans have given Australia a much-needed push in finding domestic solutions now before Ministers on 7toDecember. The forThe ourupdated materials.Policy I am will proud thatgoour WARREnvironment industry has and continues invest Commonwealth can play a key role – one that goes beyond the development of the and grow both its technical capability as well as capacity to meet this demand. National Waste Policy. WMAA is supportive of the Federal Government maximising We know – and I have been banging on the drum for years – what the role of the levers itand has, including taxation to maintain governments manufacturers are and and whileimportation we advocatepowers, for change in those a strong, sustainable and resource industry. areas, it would waste serve us well to thinkrecovery about how we can help consumers use their purchasing power to move from the traditional take-make-dispose model to one that MEMwe 2 are constantly reminding ourselves that the bin is not the is AHEAD circular OF – where There may be movement across Australia, doing better than final destination so that over time, looking out forwith and some buyingstates Australian recycled others, but the consensus is, progress is still taking way too long. It is evident that products becomes second nature. there are funds available in almost all States to assist with developing secondary manufacturing however Gayle Sloan, Chiefinfrastructure, Executive Officer, WMRRthe only way that this will really happen is if there is government leadership around mandating recycled content in Australia now, not later.

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

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

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

Gayle Sloan Chief Executive Officer

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

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New laws for waste tyre exports On 1 December 2021 new regulations were introduced for waste tyre exports. This means: 1. Waste tyres must meet standards before export 2. You must hold an export licence 3. Each consignment must be declared Whole baled tyres can no longer be exported. To find out now what this means for you, scan the QR code Apply for a licence now: awe.gov.au/wastetyres/apply

Tyre Stewardship //

Is Australia ready for the tyre export ban? (Continued from front page) “THAT is why a lot of balers are not ready,” he said. “It is a very different proposition to run those two types of business. Some are transitioning but most will withdraw from the market. Our members can take baled tyres if those operators withdraw from the market, however they would prefer waste tyres in their raw form.” The TSA’s Goodman agrees the level of readiness is sporadic. “I think that the industry has many players, and the recycling and collector industry is not a homogenous industry,” she said. “Organisations are at various levels of readiness. Retailers are at various levels of readiness in terms of what they’ve been used to paying and what they are going to pay in the future, and what the consumer is willing to pay.” Like both Evans and Fairweather, Goodman has no problems with the ban itself and is pleased it is coming into effect. She does fear the ban could lead to increases in costs for those collecting the tyres from retailers. She is concerned that it might lead to a rogue element being involved in the industry, especially for some operators who are not transitioning and can’t afford to meet the costs. “One of my largest concerns is that as organisations start transitioning

their operations to increase the technology, and to create product to meet the ban requirement, that investment means cost, which increases the gate fee,” she said. “Unfortunately, at the same time, you are creating an environment where rogue operators have the opportunity to undercut the market. They collect tyres, make a buck, get a quick injection of money, store tyres in closed warehouses and abandon them, leaving them for somebody else – usually the landlord – to clean up. This leaves the landlord stuck with costs and other recyclers are needed to clean up old tyres and the supply chain gets impacted.” Goodman has heard of some recent activities where several warehouses have been abandoned with tyres in them. She said rogue operators arrive at a tyre retailer, mimic a genuine recycler, collect the tyres, and then ask to be paid in cash. She believes that sometimes retailers don’t realise these guys are not the real deal. “If somebody wants cash, there should be alarm bells,” she said. “We knew there were going to be rogue operators and opportunistic behaviour. What I’m saying to the market is, be vigilant because as we go into the ban, and certainly after that, there’s going to be activity where there is opportunistic

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

The market needs to be vigilant as the tyre ban takes effect, according to Goodman.

behaviour to take tyres cheaper than an operator would if they were accredited under the TSA. This is what lets the whole market down.” As for finding markets for the 70,000 tonnes of tyres that were previously exported as baled material, everybody is confident they can be repurposed within other industries.

Crumbed tyre is already being used in road construction. Then there is tyrederived fuel (TDF), which burns 30 per cent cleaner than coal. “It is a globally traded commodity that burns twice as hot and about a third cleaner than brown coal,” he said. “It is used as a carbon fuel replacement in a high energy

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Tyre Stewardship

production environment like cement kilns and power generation plants. It is not going into Third World environments, it is going into places like Japan and Korea; into really sophisticated facilities. It is important that people understand that if you burn a tyre in the open atmosphere, it’s a terrible environmental outcome because you are burning it at a low temperature, with no environmental controls on it. With TDF, you put it into a cement kiln, and it is burning at 1400˚C. It has natural scrubbing characteristics on the walls of the kiln. You are putting it into an environment that was born to take that.” According to Fairweather, there is a big opportunity for Australia in the domestic consumption of TDF. This can be achieved by getting paper plants and cement kilns to start consuming TDF. Evans agrees new uses need to be found. “We can’t utilise it all in road construction because there are not enough roads being built. We have worked hard to create new standards and guidelines for developers and local councils to get more recycled content into infrastructure projects – including getting crumbed tyre into road surfaces,” he said. “Very soon we will be releasing new standards and guidelines that will make sure the tyres that we are keeping in Australia are being recycled and going back into the circular economy, which is the expectation of the government.” How proactive has the government been? Evans points out that one of the reasons the government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund was developed was for instances like this. He believes that the fund will create

facilities that will handle the extra load. “These facilities cover all the materials in the waste export ban, but with respect to tyres, the projects that have been announced so far are adding 100,000 tonnes a year additional tyre recycling capacity in Australia,” he said. “There already was significant capacity in tyres in Australia for end-of-life tyres. What this extra capacity will do is top that up. We are happy with the progress of that funding and expansions and building of facilities.” Fairweather is a fan, too. He said that the government has come to the party and without its input, the road could have been a lot harder. “Has the government helped us prepare? Absolutely. The RMF grant – unheard of – is $190 million that will be matched by industry and state governments,” he said. “Some states are really slow and that has been disappointing, but we are starting to get some momentum going as the grants are starting to be placed. The federal government has shown amazing leadership and should be congratulated on doing a great job.” Goodman agrees that the RMF is a good idea, however she does have concerns about the bureaucracy surrounding the ban – will companies be up to scratch to manage the complexities associated with gaining an export licence “It’s fair to say that the government has had a lot on their plate. Tyres are unlike other commodity streams,” she said. “Tyres are not a plastic or glass container. They’re bigger and more cumbersome to move. My concerns have always been around the effectiveness of giving the industry

the information when they need it. I would have to say, that while we support this government policy, I would have liked information to the sector to have happened a lot faster.” Goodman is concerned that some in the sector don’t understand the ban is coming and may be left without commercial markets. “It scares me when we have companies that have to organise their containers for December, January and February, and so they are organising containers without really understanding the export licence process; the rules,” she said. “I am sitting on the edge of my chair hoping that information comes through to the sector really quickly.” These processes are important to understand because the government is going to be strict at enforcing them. First, organisations that are exporting the material need to meet the full set of rules. For example, shred has to be 150mm and under. Goodman believes there needs to be greater clarity around the rules associated with retread and seconds. This includes organisations that send their material to a verified facility to make sure that where they are sending the material is not causing environmental or social harm. Goodman said that engaging an audit and conducting that verification is not a fast process – it takes time. While the portal to apply for licences was opened in late October, Goodman reiterates it hasn’t been enough time for some companies to prepare. “And my concern is that the industry needs to be doing everything now in the lead-up to December 1. We need clarity on those rules,” said Goodman. “Particularly for the smaller

operators who are not perhaps used to doing these export licences. Do they meet the fit and proper person criteria? Things like that. They really need to get in there and give them enough time without the pressure of a looming deadline impeding on their ability to get a waste export licence.” Goodman wants leniency in order to give some in the industry time to catch up, and this includes helping organisations find export markets. This can be an issue because some tyre facilities have a tonnage limit on how many tyres they can store in their yard or warehouse at any one time. “We need to help them find their feet,” said Goodman. “If you’ve got material onsite and the reason you can’t process it is because your 40 containers that you have booked for the past 10 days have been cancelled because of the pandemic, these are things that we need to understand.” They all agree there will be teething problems, but none are upset about putting the ban in place. It makes good business, environmental and waste sense, they say. “Government is not making any apologies for putting an end to practices that have a high risk of terrible environmental outcomes for people,” said Evans. “We knew there was a real and horrible environmental and human health outcome where baled tyres went,” said Fairweather. “And that was to poorly run, poorly constructed and poorly maintained pyrolysis facilities in, at best, Second-World markets, but mainly Third-World markets. It represented an exportation of Australia’s intractable waste stream of scrap tyres.” iw

The export ban mean new markets will need to found for about 70,000 tonnes of tyres.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

2021 Consultants Review //

A consultant’s knowledge of new legislation is becoming more important as an array of new laws are enacted.

Consultants Review 2021 – And the winners are… By Inside Waste

The categories were:

Winners

THIS year’s Consultancy Survey, like those before, involved a lot of engagement with waste industry members who voted for their favourite consultancy in a range of categories. A longer voting period, compared to last year, resulted in more votes than ever, and we’re grateful for such strong engagement. As well as overall winners, there were 11 category winners in the two separate sections – Large Consultancy, and Small Consultancy.

• waste auditing; • – collection and transfer studies; • landfill – design and operations; • design and engineering of facilities; • technology/infrastructure reviews/ evaluations; • strategy, policy and planning; • economic evaluation and modelling; • education, training and communication consultation; • environmental compliance; • environmental approvals; and • procurement.

In the Large Consultancy section, GHD did well in the waste auditing, design and engineering, strategy and planning, environmental, and procurement categories. The likes of Golder, Arup and SLR also did well in several categories where their expertise is needed. In the Small Consultancy section we saw a diverse group of winners this time around. MRA took out five gongs as it did last year. It also finished in the top three in five other categories. A.Prince Consulting

INSIDEWASTE

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

fared well with a couple of wins and top three finishes, while others to feature prominently included InSitu Advisory and Talis Consultants.

The Survey As expected, local government was the single biggest representative body to reply to the survey, making up just over 40 per cent of respondents. State government made up 4 per cent. Private sector providers – mainly contractors and service companies – came in at 26 per cent, while 15 per

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// 2021 Consultant’s Review

Large Consultancy Winners Firm

Rank

GHD

1st

Golder

2nd

Arup

3rd

Small Consultancy Winners Firm

Rank

MRA Consulting Group

1st

A.Prince Consulting

2nd

Talis Consultants

3rd

cent of respondents were from the commercial field. The remaining 14 per cent came from consultancy firms themselves. And yes, we did make sure said companies didn’t vote for themselves.

Spending Looking at last year’s figures on how much government and private enterprise companies were expecting to spend on waste consultants, and how much they did spend, shows how accurate predictions can be. Most did their due diligence as their predictions more or less stacked up. That is, with the exceptions of those who thought their spend would increase by more than 10 per cent, and those who thought there would be no change. Although it is impossible to marry figures with actual companies, there was an overall increase in spend of six per cent compared to what had been budgeted for by the industry. Looking ahead, it seems that the majority of respondents are not planning to change their spend at all, with a similar result from the previous survey – 40 per cent said the purse strings will stay stagnant in 2022. Just over 12 per cent are looking to increase their spend by less than 10 per cent, while 29 per cent have earmarked an increase of more than 10 per cent.

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

Survey participants feedback Inside Waste was also keen to get some feedback from those who filled out the survey. The results provided an array of answers, some of which gave food for thought. Here is what they had to say: “You need to be marketing to larger consumer goods companies and others. It was really hard to find a waste consultant. Lots of companies want to do the right thing but don’t know how, where or who to contact to start. There is a huge untapped market available here,” said one respondent. Several companies were singled out for their services and approach to their work. “A.Prince Consulting were extremely professional to work with through our waste audits. They managed the logistics of four waste audits at four facilities in four states seamlessly. They were a pleasure to communicate with and made themselves available at short notice for project updates and were responsive to email queries. Their experience, expertise and knowledge gave us confidence that we were in good hands,” said one respondent. Another stated that they, “would like to take this time to commend Donald from EnviroCom. He has always provided outstanding service to our organisation. Donald has a great communication style, and he is

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

02 8541 6169

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2021 Consultants Review //

Expected Spend for 2021

Actual Spend for 2021

10%10%

12%12% 5% 5%

40%40%

11%

4% 4% 40%40%

33%33%

36%36% 10%10%

11%11%

• Decrease more than 10 per cent • Decrease less than 10 per cent • No change • Increase less than 10 per cent • Increase more than 10 per cent very personable and quick to respond to questions. Furthermore, his audits, reporting, and workshops are of a very high standard”. “I find MRA Consulting Group to be extremely professional and thorough in their approach to all the wasterelated projects we have worked on together. I can highly recommend them,” said yet another. And then there was praise for EnviroCom Australia; “EnviroCom Australia team has been instrumental in the facilitation and success of our waste education program, with schools and early learning centre waste reduction and recovery measurement and data collection plus regional waste audits, and so much more,” the participant said. Another handed out a brickbat of sorts when commenting on some of the charges set out by some firms. “It has sometimes been noticed that minor changes to design attract expensive variation claims from consultants. Phone consultations on minor works need to be factored in initial project costing in order to avoid such consultation charges once the project is commenced.” There was also a range of comments aimed at where those that use consultancy services think the providers lay in the waste landscape. “In a changing waste and recycling

12%

33%

INSIDEWASTE

• Decrease more than 10 per cent • Decrease less than 10 per cent • No change • Increase less than 10 per cent • Increase more than 10 per cent landscape, the importance of industry having the support of experienced and knowledgeable consultants is more important than ever. As we push towards a circular economy for recovered resources, a system-wide change to how we manage things like plastic is required, and consultants can help companies navigate this complex landscape. In the process of bringing emerging technology, like advanced recycling online, it is all hands on deck to bring the rapid and bold changes needed to reach our National Waste Targets (particularly an average 80 per cent resource recovery rate),” said one. Another thought, “consultants are an important player in the waste management industry both from an independent and specialist area of input perspective, not to mention their up-to-date legislative knowledge in their respective speciality area”.

Expected Spend for 2022

12% 41%

11%

29%

Change in criteria While the survey is popular and is a good gauge of not only which consultancies are doing well, but also how much spend is out there, things can always be done better. Next year we are tweaking the voting/criteria/ collation in line with other industries in how they decide awards. Changes will be announced in the new year. iw

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

• Decrease more than 10 per cent • Decrease less than 10 per cent • No change • Increase less than 10 per cent • Increase more than 10 per cent Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// 2021 Consultants Review

Small Firms Waste Auditing

Design

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

A.Prince Consulting

1st

SMEC Australia

1st

MRA Consulting Group

2nd

Talis Consultants

2nd

EC Sustainable

3rd

InSitu Advisory

3rd

Logistics

Technology

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

A.Prince Consulting

1st

MRA Consulting Group

1st

MRA Consulting Group

2nd

Arcadis Australia

2nd

Talis Consultants

3rd

A.Prince Consulting

3rd

Landfill

Strategy

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

MRA Consulting Group

1st

MRA Consulting Group

1st

Talis Consultants

2nd

A.Prince Consulting

2nd

InSitu Advisory

3rd

Jackson Environmental Planning

3rd

www.envirocom.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

INSIDEWASTE

2021 Consultants Review //

Modelling

Environmental Approvals

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

InSitu Advisory

1st

MRA Consulting Group

1st

MRA Consulting Group

2nd

InSitu Advisory

2nd

A.Prince Consulting

3rd

SMEC Australia

3rd

Education

Procurement

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

EnviroCom

1st

Impact Environmental Consulting

1st

MRA Consulting Group

2nd

A.Prince Consulting

2nd

A.Prince Consulting

3rd

MRA Consulting Group

3rd

Environmental Compliance Firm

Rank

MRA Consulting Group

1st

Talis Consultants

2nd

A.Prince Consulting

3rd

Large Firms Waste Auditing

Strategy & Planning Firm

Rank

GHD

1st

Arup

2nd

Aargus

3rd

Modelling

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

GHD

1st

Arup

1st

Terra Sana Consultants

2nd

GHD

2nd

Eunomia

3rd

SLR Consulting Australia

3rd

Logistics

Education

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

SLR Consulting Australia

1st

Golder

1st

Arup

2nd

Terra Sana Consultants

2nd

GHD

3rd

GHD

3rd

Landfill

Environmental Compliance

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

Golder

1st

GHD

1st

GHD

2nd

Golder

2nd

SLR Consulting Australia

3rd

SLR Consulting Australia

3rd

Environmental Approvals

Design & Engineering Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

GHD

1st

GHD

1st

Golder

2nd

Golder

2nd

Arup

3rd

Arup

3rd

Procurement

Technology

Firm

Rank

Firm

Rank

SLR Consulting Australia

1st

GHD

1st

Enviropacific Services

2nd

SLR Consulting Australia

2nd

Arup

3rd

Golder

3rd

INSIDEWASTE

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Automotive Waste //

The shifting paradigm of automotive recycling – an Australian perspective By Sarfraz Ali Kyani WITH more than 1.4 billion cars worldwide, car ownership over the past two decades has been increasing at a rate higher than the rate of population growth itself. A scrappage rate of 7 per cent a year proposes that 98 million end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are currently present in the world. Given its environmental impact, the waste produced by these ELVs is a global concern for governments, environmental protection agencies, and the public. In the mid-1990s, and under growing strain from national governments, the global automobile industry made voluntary agreements to enhance the recovery and recycling rates and take responsibility for ELV treatment. As part of the legislation, most countries made it mandatory to reuse, recover, and recycle ELVs. The European Union (EU) took the lead and introduced a directive on ELVs in 2000. As per the EU-Directive 2000/53/EC on ELV (2000), member

countries were told to create waste collection systems for ELVs. They had to strengthen the reuse of suitable vehicle components and prioritise recycling where environmentally viable. It also mandated that EU countries had to meet the targets of reuse and recovery and reuse and recycling, at least 95 per cent and 85 per cent respectively, by 2015 onwards. Along with setting targets, the directive encouraged vehicle manufacturers to: 1) minimise the use of hazardous substances in vehicles; 2) design vehicles that facilitate dismantling and recycling; and 3) increase the usage of recycled materials in manufacturing new vehicles (The Council of The European Union, 2000). In Japan, the recycling of an ELV is considered a priority area. To create a recycling system, the Ministry of Environment passed the ‘ELV Recycling Law’ in 2002. Under the law, recycling automotive shredder residue (ASR) targets were set at 70 per cent by 2015, matching an overall ELV recycling rate of 95

per cent by 2015 onwards. Similar directives were passed in China where the ELV recycling regulation enforced in 2001; and Korea where the Act for Resource Recycling for Electrical Equipment and Vehicles was put in place in 2008. It can be observed that a few vital external factors enabled these countries to recycle their ELVs efficiently and create a sustainable automotive industry. These factors were: 1) prioritising environmental sustainability, based on sustainable development goals SDGs (UN, 2015); 2) strict regulatory framework, such as the EU’s ELV Directive (2000); and 3) technical capabilities of autorecyclers to innovate and explore efficient recycling mechanisms. By contrast, the ELV management system in Australia is driven by economic market contemplations due to a lack of ELV regulation and inadequate recycling technology. According to the Australian Bureau

of Statistics (2021), there are 20.1 million registered motor vehicles in the country as of 31 January 2021. The ELV management is determined by economic mechanisms, with no prevailing national regulation linked to ELV disposal. Auto-recyclers collect ELVs for the worth of metal scrap, and they are liable for removing ELV waste at their own cost. The volume of waste ELVs bring about is substantial and costly. Even with the lack of ELV legislation in the country, the discarding of a few toxic substances is carried out under diverse and broadly defined voluntary product stewardship schemes bound by the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (2020). The stewardship schemes include parties voluntarily pursuing accreditation for their product stewardship plan from the government. This includes Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA Australia, 2016), the Product Stewardship (Oil) Act (2000), and the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative (2021). Hence, recycling some auto parts,

Approximately 28 per cent of end-of-life vehicle parts end up in landfills.

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Automotive Waste

Sarfraz Kyani is working with decision-makers to find better outcomes for car scrap.

like tyres, batteries, and fluids, is taken under these organisations. One of the key concerns arising from the voluntary-based waste policy is the competition among authorised and unauthorised recycling operators.

The unauthorised and illegitimate recycling operators do not observe the environmental standards and offer competitive prices in the ELV collection because of their low recycling costs. This has subsequently led to the discarding

of a significant amount of ELV waste to landfills without appropriate treatment. According to recent reports, about 28 per cent of the ELV as ASR goes to landfills. The car plastics going into Australian landfills each year weighs

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approximately 140,000 tonnes. This is about 6 per cent of the total plastic waste (2.5 million tonnes) generated in the country. In late 2019, MTA Queensland partnered with the Australian Research Council (ARC) on a fiveyear project, titled the ARC Training Centre for Multiscale 3D Imaging, Modelling and Manufacturing (M3D). I am the lead researcher from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) working on the subproject ‘recycling of automotive parts for additive manufacturing’. I am working closely with the government, MTAQ and other key decision-makers to shape policy development for the automotive industry. More importantly, the research project investigates ways to recycle auto-plastics, convert them into base materials for 3D printing, and further explore the second-hand plastic market in Australia. And in doing so, devise a sustainable business strategy for the Australian autorecycling industry. Sarfraz Ali Kyani is a researcher at the Queensland University of Technology. iw

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Container Deposit Schemes //

From linear to circular – the case for expanding Container Deposit Schemes

Victorian waste audits found each household generates a total of 18.6 eligible containers per fortnight.

By Anne Prince KERBSIDE recycling programs commenced in the late 1980s and early 1990s in response to increasing environmental awareness under the mantra ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’. The community was looking for a practical hands-on solution to stem the tide of a proliferation of packaging and wasted resources. From my recollection, Victoria was the first to introduce a dedicated container with a bag-based program. New South Wales followed with Recycle Sydney and Recycle NSW driving the revolution. By 1993, 89 per cent of all Sydney households had a black crate-based recycling service. As the volume and range of materials 30

continued to grow, the use of wheelie bins and automated vehicles led councils to embed recycling services into general waste collection contracts. An Australian Standard, AS 4123, was developed to standardise bin colours but many councils continued to go their own way, with choices based on corporate colour schemes or personal preference. In the absence of a Recycle NSW-type structure, programs were developed and implemented in an ad hoc and inconsistent manner, often driven by the desire of elected representatives to respond to constituent lobbying. Today, the range of products, especially plastics has expanded, bin colours vary across Australia’s 537 individual councils.

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

Communication and education strategies don’t always cut through at a council level, and to say there is confusion about what goes in the bin is an understatement. Spare a thought for the 100 plus material recovery facilities (MRFs) nationally, processing the contents of recycling bins with ever increasing levels of contamination at a time when quality has never been more important with export options closing. There was recognition of these issues at the national meeting of the state environment ministers in April 2021, with ministers agreeing to: “work collaboratively to improve the harmonisation of municipal waste collection, taking the first step within each state

through the implementation of standards within each jurisdiction for kerbside recycling, and a national implementation roadmap that considers costs and benefits”. A decade ago, NSW linked council performance payments, including the standardisation of bin colours. However, they never followed through with a mass media campaign leaving communication to councils – it was a missed opportunity. Now, the Victorian Government is set to invest more than $300 million to transform its recycling sector. A new four-bin recycling system for recyclables, glass, FOGO and general waste supported by a statewide education program will help transition to the new system. The latter is long

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Container Deposit Schemes

overdue, but I’m not convinced a new glass bin is what we need with a container deposit scheme (CDS) around the next corner. We know that glass is a challenge in kerbside collections, producing a low-quality, contaminated product. It is also one of the most popular containers redeemed in a CDS, producing a quality feedstock for infinite glass recycling and remanufacture. Our data from NSW kerbside pre- and post-CDS introduction reveals an average reduction of 60 per cent of eligible containers are diverted from kerbside recycling bins, by count. As glass weighs up to 10 times more than other containers, taking this out of kerbside bins impacts fortnightly recycling bin weights. To have a separate kerbside bin for glass only, and a CDS system in place, seems like overkill. A regional Victorian waste audit for a group of councils in 2021 found each household per fortnight generates a total of 18.6 eligible recycling containers of which 55 per cent of all glass containers were eligible under the proposed CDS. On

average, 3.3kg of glass containers are generated per household per fortnight. If the introduction of a CDS reduced the eligible glass containers by 50 per cent (in regional NSW the reduction of eligible glass containers was measured at 71 per cent), a monthly 120-litre glass bin would weigh 4.8kgs and the bin volume consumed would be about 24 litres, or 20 per cent. It could take five months (20 weeks) to fill the bin by volume with a weight of 24kgs. Based on this data, and the NSW lived experience of CDS, the introduction of a fourth bin is premature. There will still be glass in the kerbside recycling bins but it is questionable as to whether it will justify a dedicated glass bin. At the same Environment Ministers meeting in April, there was agreement in relation to CDS to “harmonise containers (size and products) across jurisdictions, refund amounts, standards for labelling, and community education by the end of 2025, ensuring consistent recycling collection strategies across all states”. The Northern Territory recently

conducted a review of its CDS program, which recommended expanding the project range to include alcohol, spirit and cordial packaged in glass. The South Australian (SA) government has released a discussion paper reviewing Australia’s oldest container scheme. Among many things considered is the product range. Its analysis found that used beverage containers account for 22 per cent of kerbside recycling bins. Of this amount, glass represents 89 per cent with three products, wine (43 per cent), spirits (7 per cent) and other non-alcoholic drinks (15 per cent) representing 65 per cent. A CDS is an example of extended producer responsibility with the beverage industry paying for the return, whereas kerbside collection is paid for by councils and in turn ratepayers. If all glass wine, spirit and cordial containers were deemed eligible, the SA modelling shows a saving of $58 million per annum to 68 councils representing 745,000 households. The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and CSIRO reports cited in the SA discussion paper support

this pathway to CDS. We know based on the SA report that 93 per cent of all glass cullet used in bottle making is sourced from the CDS scheme as it’s clean. Just 7 per cent comes from kerbside recycling bins. Only 11 per cent of all glass in kerbside recycling bins is processed into bottles with the remaining 85 per cent used in civil construction and 4 per cent lost to landfill. If we are now moving from linear to circular economy, why are we not considering putting all glass through CDS, irrespective of product, as this is not just a litter issue, it’s about greater resource recovery and product quality for reuse? Whatever the outcome of these considerations, it is my hope that once we land on an agreed national approach, with an agreed timeframe to transition to compliance, then the Commonwealth and all state governments will step up to fund a mass media campaign to Recycle Right. This is 30 years overdue. Anne Prince is the principal of A. Prince Consulting. iw

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Waste Emissions //

Creating a real carbon pump Diverting organics from landfill can stop the flow of CO2-e into the atmosphere.

By Mike Ritchie THE COP26 climate change summit was recently held in Glasgow. The reason we needed the summit was that we have been efficient at pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but singularly useless at getting it back out again. Australia releases more than 580MT per year of carbon dioxide equivalent into the global atmosphere. Up to 2.7 per cent of these greenhouse gas emissions are contributed by the waste sector. Guess how much we pull out of the atmosphere per year? Zero. Yes, 0 tonnes. Australia’s waste sector can play a key role towards reaching net zero. With maximum diversion to resource recovery, recycling and energy from waste (for the non-recyclable 32

stream), 50MT/year of CO2-e can be abated through four simple and relatively cheap measures: 1. Divert organics from landfill: 18MT CO2-e can be abated through diverting organics away from landfill including paper, cardboard, garden organics, food waste, wood and timber. 2. Capture landfill gas: 11MT CO2-e can be avoided through capturing landfill gas, which can be used for electricity generation or simply flared. 3. Increased recycling: 17MT CO2-e can be avoided through recycling of high embodied energy materials like metals, paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics (i.e. avoiding the emissions associated with the extraction and processing of raw resources).

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

4. Energy from Waste: 4MT CO2-e can be abated through the production of energy from solid waste-derived fuels. All of the focus of emissions policy is getting to net zero emissions by 2050. That is, reducing the 580MT of Australian emissions (and all global emissions) to net zero. Hence the push to run all energy consuming activities from electricity or hydrogen, and to produce these via renewable wind and solar. Put simply, put everything we do on the electricity grid or on the hydrogen gas grid (not yet in place) and then supply those two energy systems via renewable sources such as wind and solar. What a task. But the key point is that even net zero by 2050 is not enough to prevent global warming.

Globally, we have already put enough CO2 into the atmosphere to raise temperatures by 1.5˚C. In the time it takes us to get to net zero (and let’s be positive and assume that is 2050) we will have put another 660 GT into the global atmosphere. The IPCC estimates that emissions to 2050 will drive temperatures further to 1.7˚C. However, the task is even bigger than getting to net zero. To get temperature back down to pre-industrial levels we need to go even harder. We need to have negative emissions. That is, we need to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere. The bad news is that no one has yet built a machine to efficiently suck gaseous CO2 from the atmosphere. There are some pilot plants trying but they are just that, pilots. Small-

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste Emissions

“Globally, we have already put enough CO2 into the atmosphere to raise temperatures by 1.5˚C. In the time it takes us to get to net zero (and let’s be positive and assume that is 2050), we will have put another 660 GT into the global atmosphere. The IPCC estimates that emissions to 2050 will drive temperatures further to 1.7˚C. However, the task is even bigger than getting to net zero.” scale, expensive and preliminary. I hope they work. The coal and gas industry talk about capturing the CO2 emissions from their power stations and pumping those deep underground. But that just makes those power plants emission free (making the heroic assumption that they work). It is not negative emissions. To get to negative we need to either invent a new technology, or better use the one technology we know works. What do you think that is? What is the one process that takes gaseous CO2 out of the atmosphere and solidifies it in a form we can bury? Photosynthesis. Yes,the thing plants have been doing for billions of years. The reason we have a liveable planet in the first place is because plants have been doing this since they evolved more than 3 billion years ago. But to harness the power of plants, we cannot just grow more of them. There is not enough arable land available on Earth (without people on it) to grow enough trees to sequester enough CO2. The maths doesn’t add up. When trees grow they sequester carbon and store it in the lignocellulosic material (wood, trunks, branches, stems, leaves). But once a plant matures they are stable and release as much CO2 as they sequester each day. When the trees die, they decompose aerobically and release the stored carbon as CO2. Sequestration, therefore, is the sum of the increases in biomass. Put another way, if we convert a grassland into forest, we get the one-off sequestration of the biomass or the additional plant matter. But that is it. We could try to seed the oceans to grow more phytoplankton but when they die they will just release it back to the atmosphere, except for that proportion that falls into a deep ocean trench without oxygen. That will sequester a proportion, but the science is still preliminary. One answer which I keep banging on about is growing trees (to sequester the carbon in lignocellulosic material) and pyrolyse the wood (and the garden organics

from households, agricultural waste and commercial/council operations) to generate biochar. That biochar can then be crushed (value added with NPK) and ploughed into soil as a fertiliser. Given Australia has the oldest and most degraded soils on the planet, this is something we should be doing anyway. The biochar is sequestered in the soil for at least 20,000 years that we know of. But the key benefit of linking photosynthesis with pyrolysis is that it can be a continuous process. You can keep growing trees on the same parcel of land, year after year, cutting them down and pyrolysing the wood into char and using that as a fertiliser. It is a big, beautiful carbon pump. Sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere and converting it to fertiliser. What about the energy to do this, I hear you (rightly) ask? Well pyrolysis is an exothermic reaction. It generates more energy than it needs. The pyrolysis facility runs on the syngas generated during the char process. Not only that, but there is enough left-over syngas to drive electricity generators etc. So, why aren’t we doing this? All 10 of Australia’s pyrolysis plants are small and critically underfunded. Without government support, clarity of targets and something approaching a carbon price, they cannot get off the ground. Scientists know this. Engineers know this. Economists know this. But voters? Not really. What should you be doing about this? Letting all governments know that fixing global warming is a priority for you and your family. And that it will affect your votes. That is why I wrote this article. We have solutions but we need to deploy them urgently. We need to move quickly, or this planet will be a lot less hospitable in only a few more decades. Our kids will never forgive us.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Levies //

More government accountability and involvement is needed in Queensland’s waste sector.

What Queensland should do with its landfill levy monies IT’S a story that won’t go away and now Queensland is weighing in on the debate – waste levies – what they should be, who should benefit and how they are being distributed are contentious issues. In December 2020, the Waste Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ) undertook the task of studying how each state government collects and reports on levy money and who benefits from grants. The results highlight concerning inequities with how the levy scheme is being delivered, especially in the Sunshine State, and the need for a more strategic approach to improve the waste and resource recovery metrics for the state. WRIQ CEO, Mark Smith, is concerned about Queensland’s waste and resource recovery metrics. “Queensland won’t reach our waste and recycling targets on our current path,” he said. “Our recent investigation identifies inequities to how the waste levy is approached in Queensland, and this could be contributing to that scenario.” 34

With the state government due to commence a levy efficacy review, Smith said he was keen to make sure the WRIQ was putting ideas on the table in addition to identifying inadequacies in the current approach “I believe we’ve taken an honest and open approach to this piece of work and socialised aspects of this work with key stakeholders over the past few weeks,” he said. WRIQ’s investigation was originally looking into levies and grants nationally but with COVID-19 impacts playing out differently across the country, it decided to focus on Queensland. On the topic of waste levy and government intervention to support resource recovery, Smith identified who is leading the pack. “There are some states that are clearly leading the way,” he said. “South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are probably good examples, but Queensland is lagging. One of the reasons could relate to the annual payments to local councils, which I still struggle to process.” Smith was keen to point out that

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

the study is more about getting better outcomes as the state comes into a period discussing a review of levies. It is not about blaming government or councils not spending the money wisely, or as it was intended. He said there are several aspects to the study that have come to light in terms of how monies can be spent/allocated. Smith also pointed out that the review was not seeking to inform what future pricing of the levy should be. “It is not WRIQ’s place to advocate for a higher waste levy,” he said. “These are economic decisions which transcend our industry and will impact the economy and households. State governments should be making these decisions and also communicate these decisions to the public. That second part is often where there is room for improvement. We see our role in advocating for fairness in how the levy is applied, ensuring a level playing field and swift action on those seeking to undermine it.” Smith said there is a lot of research and reports out there already that advocate that state governments should seek to harmonise levies and

regulations to reduce illegal dumping and impacts affecting lower levy states. Decision makers need to read those reports, listen to the experts and make the right decisions, not take the easy way out. “It is WRIQ’s place to hold the government accountable to their current policy commitments; put forward new ideas or suggestions and call out things that undermine business and private sector confidence,” he said. “What business wants for Queensland is the same thing government wants; a thriving, successful sector that’s managing our waste and recycling needs safely, sustainability and equitably.”

Levy integrity and the regulatory framework WRIQ is advocating that more money needs to be put back into strengthening the regulator as well as investing in people and staff retention. Field officers carry out some of the most critical work in the sector but aren’t always supported. Recent work carried out by WRIQ shows that there is

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Levies

high staff turnover, inconsistent applications of regulations, and departments sometimes not resourced appropriately. “We are seeking a commitment to an ongoing percentage of the levy going back into monitoring compliance,” said Smith. “The review of government expenditure found that hazardous waste gets little support from the government, from grants or other market-sanctioned measures. “With recycling, we have these state and national targets, yet we don’t have anything like that with hazardous waste even though hazardous waste has the biggest environmental impacts and is a rapidly growing sector. It also costs the most to dispose of, which means it is also the most open to exploitation. Government doesn’t consistently monitor where all waste is going.” The association also thinks there should be greater transparency around annual reporting – ie, where the waste levy is being collected and where it is being sent. It also believes there should be a six-month window for levy pricing changes. “The previous levy change that business had to deal with, despite

repeated requests to government, saw us with a 28-day notice period,” said Smith. “It takes longer than 28 days for a business to notify its supply chain. When government creates these scenarios it highlights a lack of understanding of the commercial environment and can lead to activities we don’t want to see, like dangerous stockpiling. Forward pricing the levy out to five to 10 years would provide enormous benefit for attracting private investment, too.” According to Smith, a rethink must happen around illegal activity to give businesses a seat at the table. Highlighting the reluctance of the state government to invite industry to the table to tackle problems or issues that they’re dealing with, he also believes there is a role for industry bodies to start implementing industry standards. He believes this isn’t just about the government pulling up its socks, it’s about the industry taking responsibility, too.

Strategies to improve resource recovery WRIQ proposes that the state government should consider what role it plays in market development

and to broaden its definitions of investment. Smith advocates that grants may not necessarily be the best intervention; he would also like to see investment into the sector by state government, therefore developing the market conditions to aid with resource recovery. “We all know that ministers love the ribbon cutting element,” he said, “and that the media releases highlight the jobs, the dollars etc, but what we need is market development. A challenge here is that the departments rolling out the traditional grant programs aren’t equipped to create a market development strategy for the sector, which needs business and broader government support. Maybe grants are just easier to get out the door.” While Smith acknowledges there are a raft of programs to build more facilities, this is only part of the equation that needs addressing. He believes there should be more incentives for councils to adopt standard bin colours and sizes with the aim of improving messaging to the public. “There should be a boost in waste education programs to focus on how to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycling

campaigns and illegal dumping etc,” he said. “Adopt procurement programs that target the recycling content across government and councils. Each government department should develop its own internal waste and resource recovery plans. “There is an unforgotten segment of our sector. At the moment we’re announcing new grant programs every other week but many of these programs don’t target existing facilities or allocate support for older facilities to upgrade. If we’re going to achieve our recycling and landfill diversion targets, we need to bring the old stock up to date and not focus on what is going to be the best announcement.”

Engagement and communication Where the WRIQ thinks government could be more proactive is by elevating these conversations outside of the environment portfolio and that a ministerial advisory council should be established where ministers are talking directly to senior business representatives. “There isn’t much two-way dialogue or an accord approach in terms of where we are going,” said Smith.

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// Levies

“That is what all of this is about – it is important that state governments establish frameworks that involve industry and local government. Sometimes we will get notification of nine days to contribute to policy and then months tick by and you don’t hear anything.”

Data and recording Another key element of communication is making sure that governments get their ducks in a row when it comes to getting information out in a timely manner. As Smith points out, sometimes bureaucracy can be the enemy of progress and only government can remedy those situations. Then there is the issue of keeping interested groups abreast of who is getting what in terms of grant monies. “I’m sure I am not alone when I say this. I’d probably prefer one less grant program and more attention to meeting your current legislative and public commitments. Releasing things in a timely manner is critical in building business confidence and why people participate in government processes,” he said. “For example, Queensland released its infrastructure report more than 600 days after it was handed to them. Effectively, the report is now out of date and has to be redone. This can feel like a waste of time and energy for stakeholders that took part and could reduce participation next time round.”

Environmental justice and social license Thinking laterally, WRIQ also thinks that those communities that take the brunt of hosting waste facilities – whether they be landfills, MRFs or other waste-related enterprises – should be eligible for grants that are community based. “Social licence to operate gets waved around by a lot of people, including elected officials,” Smith said. “Social licence tells us that there is a shared responsibility in building public trust and acceptance. A critical factor to building trust and acceptance includes ensuring that benefits are flowing back into communities. Things like a Landfill Community Development Fund (similar to a UK scheme) would utilise a modest 5 per cent of the levy and this would be available for communities living around landfills and could fund things important to those communities.” He said the state should also be using levy money to develop programs to cater for core communities and remote and indigenous communities, and maybe commissioning research to understand social licence and take all

the politics out of the issue. As for the companies that own or run facilities paying fees, taxes and levies, Smith isn’t sold on the idea, and believes it might be a little unfair to a lot of those businesses. “To a business that is running a landfill, it’s important to note it’s not their waste they are managing, it’s the community’s waste they are managing,” he said. “The other thing that is not acknowledged is that most waste businesses are already contributing back to their communities through rates and taxes. “For too long governments have said the social licence to operate is up to the business. If state governments and local councils have failed in planning decisions and planning for waste infrastructure, and the concentration of it impacting on the local communities, that is not a business’s fault, yet the business is expected to manage the fallout.”

Future focus and the workforce Training is also in WRIQ’s sights, which is something that the sector needs to address when talking about industry development. Smith said some of the levy money could be invested back into trainee partnerships and programs with industry, universities and TAFEs. It could also be used for workforce development programs including jobs in Queensland. He said it would also help if there was support for associations to develop and promote accreditation training and continuous improvement in the industry, such as the Portable Long Service Leave Scheme, which Queensland has in place with other sectors. “The idea of a regulator just catching people for non-compliance is not a sustainable process,” said Smith. “If businesses are doing the wrong thing then yes, they should be stopped, but we also need to be talking about the other end of this spectrum. How are we driving good performance? The department has now put out a new regulatory strategy and that is partially because some of the constant conversations we’ve been having with them about wanting higher standards. They are consulting on that at the moment.”

Hazardous waste gets little support from the government in terms of grants or other market-sanctioned measures.

Queensland released its infrastructure report more than 600 days after it was handed to them. Effectively, the report is now out of date and will have to be redone. shut. We saw this in Adelaide with the Visy facility and Rockhampton where a regional MRF burned down and impacted the recycling needs of six regional councils,” said Smith. “The state government played no role in co-ordinating those six councils. There are additional costs to move material. The state government should do some disaster or scenario planning with the private sector and local government so we can be prepared for it.”

Smith said there should also be conversations about tackling fire risk at the generator level. If government is serious about these issues it has to tackle what people are throwing into their bins, he said. “There can be a lot of benefits in the implementation programs to remove waste streams like chemical and recycling bins as emission sources further down the supply chain,” he said. “These kinds of things would go a long way to improve safety.” iw

Safety and sustainability Finally, one thing that needs addressing, which none of the state governments have in place – are low-risk communication plans – when there is a closure, or there is a disaster. “We saw this in Victoria every time SKM’s facility caught on fire or was

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Legal //

Navigating the legal ramifications of COVID-19 LIKE a lot of industries, waste companies had to navigate a lot of legal minefields as COVID-19 hit. Trying to sort out what management can do, can’t do, and how to keep their business going, plus understanding various health orders, has been challenging to a lot of firms. In late 2021, the Waste Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) held a webinar so that those within the industry could hear from legal experts on what was expected of them when it came to compliance with rules and regulations surrounding COVID-19. Lawyers Deanna McMaster and Rhian O’Sullivan – respectively partner 38

and special counsel from law firm MinterEllison’s Queensland office – went through some of the scenarios. One of the points McMaster made clear from the start was that, like a lot of businesses and workers, she felt that governments at both state and federal level could have been a lot clearer in their health orders. “We worked with a lot of organisations to sit down and work out what are our control methods for COVID, what is reasonable and what should we do,” said McMaster. “It is fair to say we have not had a lot of clear guidance from government at the moment.”

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While the Delta variant of COVID-19 is something that states such as New South Wales and Victoria have been intimately involved in managing, there remains a risk of ongoing outbreaks. Other strains are likely to emerge over the next few years, which means companies will have to put strategies in place in terms of dealing with the virus and how it will affect its business, staff and clients. McMaster believes assessing the risk of the virus as it pertains to a workplace is a good starting point. Some companies have mandated vaccination, which can be a tricky road to navigate when it comes to managing legal risk. She cites a

recent Fair Work Commission case involving a manufacturer in Melbourne. “They gave [staff] a six-week lead time to have their first vaccination,” she said. “The reason they were criticised was not because they mandated vaccination, but the failure to consult under the safety legislation before introducing it. “What we are seeing a lot at the moment is that a decision to mandate vaccination is more likely to be defensible if you have a robust risk assessment which supports vaccination as a control measure in the workplace. It is also useful to get a medical professional, preferably an infectious

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// Legal

There are safety laws that apply to rubbish truck drivers picking up waste from a client’s workplace.

disease specialist, to provide input into the risk assessment process that supports mandatory vaccination as being a required control measure. Then if you are following an in-depth consultation process with your staff, it’s difficult to see how you might trip up in the same way that some companies have.” McMaster also gives the example of a health order that related to the waste industry that was recently in place in NSW. “There was an order relating to waste resource recovery services including collection, treatment and disposal,” said McMaster. “The requirement there was to be vaccinated, which is one way to comply with the health order. There are also other ways to comply, such as with a medical exemption or with some COVID testing. Basically, the effect of that order is that you can’t leave your local government area if you’re a worker covered by the order without

complying with its requirements – vaccine, exemption or testing. Waste is now being recognised as a critical service to the public work.” What happens if there is noncompliance with some health orders? McMaster said that the government will give out penalties to those that are not obeying government requirements, but businesses also need to be aware that their reputation can be on the line. This is because the majority of the community have certain expectations of businesses during this time. “As I understand it, there have been penalties applied to some businesses already in relation to non-compliance,” said McMaster. “I think you have to assume that there will be penalties applied for non-compliance. The aspect is reputational. We are in a zone where community expectations are that organisations are doing everything they can to protect people from COVID-19. Certainly, some

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organisations that we have talked to have said, ‘that is a risk that we can’t tolerate. We take COVID-19 seriously’. Particularly anyone who is interacting with vulnerable communities.” Then there are the safety laws that apply to workers. That includes rubbish truck drivers who might be picking up waste from a client’s workplace. “It just doesn’t rely on the employer/employee relationship,” said McMaster. “You have to think very carefully about what your requirements are going to be. For example, we know of one company that requires all visitors to its factory to be vaccinated. That would include those picking up their products from their factory.” “There is the Fair Work Ombudsman website that has a lot of Q&A on COVID-19 issues and is a useful starting point for businesses,” said O’Sullivan. In conclusion, businesses need to take the following into consideration according to McMaster and O’Sullivan.

1) They should be signed up to the health directive advice and understand that advice and what is required within their businesses. 2) They need to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers and others, which includes undertaking a risk assessment to help manage the risk of COVID-19 so far as is reasonably practicable. Consideration should be given to the control measures appropriate to the particular workplace, which may include mandatory vaccination. It is vital that employers continue to consult with workers to manage the risks and identify appropriate control measures. 3) Also explore options around rapid testing. 4) Look at work from home arrangements as part of their control measures. 5) Basic measures such as social distancing and wearing a mask. iw

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Plastic Waste //

Biochar has been around for almost 2,000 years, according to Shah.

Turning residual plastic into fuel and nanomaterials NO matter how many times you try and recycle plastic, one day it will reach end of life. As a waste stream it is problematic – landfills don’t want it, while environmentalists believe burning it, no matter how ‘clean’ the technology, is unacceptable. Those who champion zero waste would rather researchers, and those that produce plastic, work on ways of making it more biodegradable, or give it properties that greatly reduce its endof-life impact on the environment. However, turning such a useful product – and it is useful in many ways – into something that is more environmentally friendly is not as easy as it sounds; not without heavy investment and costs that a lot of companies are not willing to spend. Researchers at RMIT University have claimed to come up with a cleaner, cost-effective way to upcycle used plastic, transforming it into 40

nanomaterials and high-quality fuel. Lead researcher, associate professor Kalpit Shah from the university’s School of Engineering, said that globally, about 20 per cent of waste plastics are recycled. He said boosting that figure remains a challenge as recycling plastic cleanly can be expensive and usually produces lower-value products, often making it financially unviable. He said the new method his department is working on produces high-value products from plastic – carbon nanotubes and clean liquid fuel – while simultaneously upcycling agricultural and organic waste. The team’s two-step process, revealed in the Journal of Environmental Management, converts organic waste into a carbon-rich and high-value form of charcoal, then uses this as a catalyst to upcycle the plastic.

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“Our method is clean, cost-effective and readily scalable,” Shah said. “It’s a smart solution for transforming both used plastic and organic waste – whether it’s tonnes of biomass from a farm, or food waste and garden clippings from household green bins. We hope this technology could be used in future by local councils and municipal governments to help turn this waste into genuine revenue streams. It’s vital that we explore sustainable and cost-efficient alternatives beyond recycling. Upcycling plastic with home-grown tech would enable us to draw the greatest possible value out of our limited resources and bring us closer towards a true circular economy.” The new plastic upcycling approach offers a sustainable alternative for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These hollow, cylindrical structures have electronic

and mechanical properties, with applications across a range of sectors including hydrogen storage, composite materials, electronics, fuel cells and biomedical technologies. Carbon nanotubes are in growing demand, particularly in aerospace and defence, where they can facilitate the design of lightweight parts. The global market for CNTs has been projected to reach $5.8 billion by 2027. The new method starts with converting agricultural or organic waste to biochar – a carbon-rich form of charcoal often used for improving soil health. The biochar is used to eliminate toxic contaminants – such as Poly-cyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, known as PAHs – as the waste plastic is broken down into its components of gas and oil. The process eliminates those contaminants and convert plastics into liquid fuel. At the same time,

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// Plastic Waste

the carbon in the plastic is converted into carbon nanotubes, which coat the biochar. These nanotubes can be exfoliated for use by various industries, or the nano-enhanced biochar can be used directly for environmental remediation and boosting agricultural soils. “We focused on polypropylene as this is widely used in the packaging industry,” Shah said. “While we need to do further research to test different plastics, as the quality of the fuel produced will vary, the method we’ve developed is generally suitable for upcycling any polymers – the base ingredients for all plastic.” The experimental study conducted at lab scale can also be replicated in a new type of hyper-efficient reactor that has been developed and patented by RMIT. The reactor is based on fluidised bed technology and offers improvement in heat and mass transfer, to reduce overall capital and operating costs. The next steps for the upcycling research will involve detailed computer modelling to optimise the methodology, followed by pilot trials in the reactor. However, some participants on social media disagree with the new technology, with one person posting

on Facebook, “There are independent researchers that strongly disagree with this industry perspective. Let’s not forget that pyrolysis technology was created by the coal industry. Biochar is unproven and turning plastic into fuel just exacerbates climate change. This petrochemical industry con is a false solution to the plastic waste crisis. As for nanomaterials, despite the significant health and environmental threat they pose, Australia has no regulatory framework in the industry”. Shah disagrees on both points. “Pyrolysis was not created by the coal industry,” he said. “It is a process of decomposing organic waste under oxygen free conditions. If the process is looking at producing only biochar (i.e., charcoal-type material) then it runs at much lower temperatures, unlike combustion, which operates at higher temperatures and has the potential to generate more pollutants. It is reported in the literature that production and consumption of biochar has been known to humans for more than 2,000 years. It was naturally formed, so biochar has a long history. Some people think it came from coal, but that is not correct. “When you compare pyrolysis to incineration or combustion or

What are you going to do with the difficult waste? Ultimately, you will have to break it down. If you put that waste in landfill this will cause land, water and air pollution. gasification-type processes, pyrolysis has much lower environmental emissions. I’m not saying pyrolysis will have no emissions. But you need to understand, what are you going to do with the difficult waste? Ultimately you will have to break it down. If you put that waste in landfill this will cause land, water and air pollution. If you do it the way we are proposing, there may still be some small negative effect in terms of emissions, but the benefits to the environment are significant.” Shah reiterates, when it comes to residual waste there is no perfect solution. He is looking at the reality of the situation as it stands. Even if a brand new, totally environmentally friendly plastic was to hit the market tomorrow, there would still be billions of tonnes of plastics, including that of the residual kind, needing to be dealt with over the next few decades. First and foremost, Shah is an environmentalist. He believes in the mantra of ‘first - reduce, reuse and

recycle and if that is not possible then go for resource recovery’. To him, there is wishful thinking in only looking sat reduce, reuse and recycle and not dealing with the reality of the situation. The reality being, how can this problematic waste by-product be disposed of with the least amount of impact on the environment if it can’t be reduced, reused or recycled? “People talk about burning as always a bad thing, but you really need to consider the context. If you put that plastic in landfill, it might end up in the ocean and cause marine life problems. What do you do with all this residual plastic? What I am targeting are plastics that can’t be recycled and need a different approach,” Shah said. “Overall, there is a great potential that problematic plastics, if processed through our approach, can have much reduced environmental impact. We have to look at what we can do best to damage the environment the least.” iw

Shah believes RMIT’s solution is a lot better than burning plastic in the open air.

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// Wastewater

CSIRO testing wastewater from long-haul flights Wastewater had its part to play in detecting COVID-19 on international flights.

AUSTRALIA’S national science agency, the CSIRO, has analysed wastewater samples from long haul flights of returning Aussies, which prove signals of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected even before passengers show symptoms. The research from CSIRO scientists, working with Qantas and The University of Queensland, demonstrates that wastewater surveillance can provide valuable data for public health agencies and help

improve confidence in Australia’s safe reopening to the world. Published in Environment International, the study analysed wastewater samples from lavatories of 37 Australian Government repatriation flights from COVID-hotspots including India, France, UK, South Africa, Canada and Germany landing at Darwin International Airport between December 2020 and March this year. The research found wastewater samples from 24 of the 37 repatriation

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flights (65 per cent) showed a positive signal for the virus that causes COVID-19 despite all passengers (except children under age five) testing negative to the virus 48 hours before boarding. Infected people shed the virus in their faeces about two to five days before showing symptoms. Traces of COVID can also be detected in wastewater from people who were previously infected, still shedding the virus, but are no longer infectious to others (although this is typically a weaker signal). During 14 days of mandatory quarantine after arriving in Australia, clinical tests identified only 112 cases of COVID-19 among the 6570 passengers (1.7 per cent). There was 87.5 per cent agreement between the positive detections by surveillance of the wastewater (i.e., detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA) and the

subsequent clinical detections made during the passengers to quarantine. This was the first official study of wastewater from Australian repatriation flights returning from hot spots and the first time researchers have matched the plane wastewater testing with the follow-up clinical data testing of passengers in quarantine. For the study, CSIRO undertook the wastewater analyses, and much of the data analysis with input on from University of Notre Dame, USA. Qantas designed the sampling trap with input from The University of Queensland and both organisations were involved in study design and wastewater sampling. According to the latest paper, surveillance of wastewater from aircraft and cruise ships offers a convenient and cost-effective means of monitoring infectious agents that could be globally scaled to detect and manage the importation of disease. iw

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Ocean Waste //

The role of business in reducing plastic pollution By Paul Cumming WITH an aim to reduce pollution and confront some of the world’s most challenging environmental problems, a circular economy uses a multitude of approaches. Whether through design, sharing, repair, recycling or behavioural change, a circular economy fully accounts for the products and materials we use. But underpinning the numerous aspects of how a circular economy

reduces waste is a single factor: accountability.

Accountability key to stopping plastic pollution Accountability is key in waste reduction, and especially key in the movement to stem the tide of plastic pollution choking our oceans and waterways. Plastic use in Australia is projected to double by 2040, with 130,000 tonnes already making its way into the marine environment.

And as we’re now finding, this is just the tip of the polystyrene iceberg. Last year, CSIRO suggested there

might be up to 14 million tonnes of microplastics (plastic of 5mm diameter or less) in the deep ocean – an amount that as it decays, will spread even further. Yet despite its globally significant and ever-growing impact, plastic production and use has been normalised to the point of being almost unconscious. With inconsistent legislation state-to-state around single-use plastic in Australia, there is a growing consensus that businesses

There needs to be an individual behavioural shift if plastic waste in the ocean is going to be reduced.

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// Ocean Waste

need to start leading the way. Plastic Oceans Australasia (POA) has been prioritising industry collaboration to educate and drive change. As well as partnerships with organisations such as workplace recycling company Ecobin, during the past year, POA has been both host and guest on a variety of digital media, including podcasts and webinars. These have featured not just research and advocacy experts, but businesses that are changing the current plastic-use paradigm, such as The Great Wrap, makers of the Australianmade compostable cling wrap, and Replas, an Australian business that transforms soft plastics into a range of products, from play equipment to playground equipment. However, the solution doesn’t just lie with businesses that have plastic reduction baked into their business model. The solution lies with the way we all do business. Work is where a large portion of our time is spent as adults. The behaviours and ideas that are cultivated in the workplace are normalised and carried into everyday life. This idea is central to some of the work POA has been doing in a range of different businesses,

instituting plastic reduction and recycling programs and inviting employees at all levels to examine how their organisation can reduce their plastic footprint.

An EPIC solution POA’s work with Australian businesses to reduce the plastic pollution in their value chains is called the Engagement for Plastic-free Innovation and Change – or EPIC – Program. The EPIC program has brought plastic consumption into full-focus in the workplace this year, with 1,870 staff in a variety of organisations undertaking the campaign. These are not small wins. Targeting workplaces not only creates tangible organisational change but increases awareness around singleuse plastic that will continue to drive change into the future. POA’s EPIC program is solutionsbased – looking at the full lifecycle of plastic within an organisation, from procurement to use, as well as reflecting on the effectiveness of measures implemented during the life of the EPIC program. Through plastic habit surveys, workshops, audits and guides to identifying barriers

Picnics Unwrapped campaign. Launched on World Picnic Day on June 18 this year and continuing to November 15, Picnics Unwrapped spreads awareness about single-use plastic by encouraging people to host their own plastic-free picnic. With campaign ambassadors ranging from artists and chief executives to marine scientists, Picnics Unwrapped was a fun, positive way to spread the word about plastic use, and highlight the need for more accountability in how we consume. The growing popularity of the circular economic model is proof that both businesses and individuals are beginning to account for, and address, their respective attitudes towards consumption. And with plastic pollution causing what the UN has called “severe environmental consequences”– in addition to single-use plastic still being on the rise – there is no better time to be a part of the move towards a cleaner, healthier, plastic-free future.

to behaviour change, EPIC doesn’t dwell on the simple identification of the problem. Instead, it focuses on empowering individual decisionmaking and eliminating barriers to change.

A wave of change Of course, accountability can’t rest with business alone. With half of the global population living within 100 kilometres of a coastline, our individual choices around plastic make a difference. The Port Phillip Eco Centre’s Baykeeper report cites fragments of hard plastic, often crushed or decayed plastic bottles, as the main pollutant found in both major rivers feeding into Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, with the remainder led by other recognisable consumer items – polystyrene and soft plastics. The data clearly links this with our activity choices: the data peaking in summer and spiking close to key recreation events, such as the Flemington Racecourse during spring racing. This need for an individual behavioural shift has been instructive in the delivery of education programs to more than 17,500 students during 2020-21, as well as the landmark

Plastic Oceans Australasia is a Not-for-profit organisation addressing the root cause of single-use plastic consumption. iw

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Pandja s of waste ion of a desire for change.” sia ling t the Senate g into the Bill cities, right a indicat the in our Indone tryin e suppor an inquiry it 2018 and of with “In thing by is treated was g -19, recycling t ic Forum, analy resource sed onthe nity to deal see the level of the intrin had also exposed sorting our as a Despite a senate Greens and Labor, and diver a per capit with data which can is not withou World Econom some coastlines, Australian commum. sic weak ting more ts by the away from a basis as be recycled remanufac However, Sloan to move forward. ays and our as on state some of would and attemp waste well wasteand landf tured into and our waterw the syste nesses within on how that the to the Bill that packaging proble Findings the territory levels. of toxic plastic ms. valuable new produ Evans highl ill.” suggestions disappointing “Circular support the amendments bans coming and cover waste cts. accumulation “While it is economie pollution and on a single sourcesstrea created 3.3 ighted that Austr generation “With the export our food system models of meet He said that s fell through pass. address plastic alia , is harming per cent the need to food provi and other growing amendment this prote . fates ms, material categ sector did not in 2018-19 less wast peopleand environme in shortly, and WMRR is urging all including ning to see sioning cts the ories , toget n the recycling e ry, the compared health of our nt, creat , her with indust community d in concer vote, it is hearte need to do more to measured es jobs and 07, the found to 2006trends ng fishing waste out how we can national targets agricultur we This has resulte back under “Our boomi is ry that the keeps of landfill. to 2006. ation year e and coop supported to think about consensus that ing that we consume the world, and WARR indust national governments all comi of the “Our billio eratives, -largest in Whileofthe the limited within the packag to the data data the with second marine ng tment set. n-dol are ing prece to tackle commi the fore, levels lar inves recycling “In effec ficant inves t of des the risingsigni tackle packag “China is been given. ” she said. tment in of. government’s pollution t, we each infrastruct threat from that we’ve a leader tments in the amoun e is strong new and dispose m of plastic 2025, that weig ure Byand produced the face in these resou seen to-dat recycling time to voluntary tools along with massive proble assurances hed oceans of the waste is changing areas waste plastic debris. Gove intorce es that it’s ourrecov “What we have for action. Real recycling ery despite its kegs of beer the same as 40 body leakingrnment “WMRR propos industries and developm waste and – if the Federal support remains fragile of the first National full has made plastic waste elect in Australia,” recycling ely independent olders ent of smar 0 tonnes packaging community the since the equivalent and we each sent e to 800,00 ion, its revise set up a genuin for ecom “We are also Evans said. stakeh taken to tackle and organisation Canberra, prior to 2019 the weight of could increas (first” he said. merce. How t technologies ntative of all action to be the first 2016-17 t in lia. to be recyc 24 full kegs the world taken, published io, dthe truly represe ng but not with cons country in we conn data set jobs in Austra Plastic Summi led,” he to no action is ect umers and chain, includi and create Sloan said. said. Natio gloomy scenar in the ry, to unprocesse ban the export of “However, in the supply the supp users ensu e is clear,” COVID-19. y which nal Waste around the Despite this its d waste plast ly chain packaging indust can “The messag res frustration ped a strateg approach is means that our growing popu s to addre and tyres limited to the insecurity ic, paper, ic Much of the y has develo ss-as-usual in which we lation has been ss food the overs Econom countr busine ways lians ment glass and overa tive “The World eas amend thanks to ll amount national find produc ted at the around wast also manage anymore. Austra of ely close the failure of the reliance on our new of recycling was presen Davos last issues er to genuin not acceptable legislation the continual l Meeting in a continuation lia by using work togeth is an impo e are addressed, at gulate. (Continued Annua than ’s focused on look Austra self-re .” in more to e first Forum a ing which rtant piece ry-led on page deserv industry world took 22) loop on packag d products. economy of the circu packaging indust any, efforts to the packaging year. Here the mode if a radical target a voluntary, lar industry’s best d plan, with Australian recycle are serious about (Continued l.” has made little, Despite this Waste covere by 70 per Indonesia’s if we scheme that on page issue (Inside plastic debris “This is key being 24) address this Packaging’s to cut marine years. progress while progress.” Institute of on the next five making real of regulation d the Australian APCO cent within by the lack ence and the t understan added. on page 24) hamstrung Virtual Confer 2020), the Senate didn’ (Continued industry,” she opportunities depth during the packaging d to the “real initiatives in plastic waste said on page 22) Sloan pointe decrease of tically”. 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Waste Reform //

South Australia’s CDS reform needs direction By Robert Kelman AT 77 per cent recycling, South Australia’s container deposit scheme (CDS) is in the bottom third in terms of global performance. Most European (and a couple of US) schemes recover well over 90 per cent and Germany sits at 98 per cent. Assuming return rates are the arbiter of a scheme’s success, the recent SA draft CDS reform paper is welcome, providing a comprehensive assessment of the state’s CDS. However, notably absent from the paper is exactly what the overall goal of the Government’s reform agenda is. Setting a direction, say a return rate target of 95 per cent by 2025, would 46

be useful for stakeholders and the industry. I believe the SA Government needs to then lock in the changes required to reach it. What we do know is that the SA Government is seeking to build on the state’s circular economy (CE) agenda by achieving higher rates of recycling from the state’s CDS. The government recently released a reform paper that outlines what could be done and includes: • shifting some portion of eligible containers out of the kerbside system; • adding to the scope of eligible CDS containers; and • increasing consumer engagement in the scheme. It’s progressive thinking to posit

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

shifting material out of the kerbside bin. This mass of variable materials has been a problematic repository and a way for beverage producers to avoid the costs of recovery and recycling. For instance, most of the glass isn’t worth much except to be used as road base, and markets are generally wanting cleaner streams of material. Adding wine and spirits to the list of eligible containers, as floated in the SA paper, would serve to remove decent quantities of this material out of the kerbside bin (and landfill), into the cleaner and more valuable CDS system for bottle-to-bottle CE outcomes. Similarly, SA is looking to increase

the volume thresholds for products such as alternate and flavoured milks (e.g. soy and almond milks etc). At present, the scheme effectively only covers 600ml LPB containers as the criteria is up to 1litre – so one litre and above is exempt, which accounts for the majority of this material. The existing SA collection network is well utilised and important, and it needs augmenting if SA is to achieve its policy objectives of growing the success of its CDS. The 130 or so depots across the state have served the scheme well and the CDS helps underpin the economics of many of these sites that also collect other household recyclables such as

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste Reform

The existing SA collection network needs augmenting if the state is to achieve its policy objectives.

computers, gas bottles, batteries etc. Ensuring the viability of this network is important, and giving disengaged consumers access to some additional collection points to capture an extra possible 15-20 per cent of containers would lift SA into the world rankings of scheme performance. There are two principal features of successful CDSs around the world; ease of consumer access or convenience of the collection network, and the value of the refund. Both of these consumer engagement mechanisms need improving in SA and elsewhere in the country. The SA paper outlines there is just one collection point per 13,400 people. Across Europe this ratio ranges around one collection point per 1,000 people. SA and all other Australian states and territories need much higher numbers of these facilities. But it’s not just a numbers game. Convenience means collection points that are open when and where people naturally spend time rather

than special trips to remote corners of a city. The paper outlines that SA consumers tend to sit on their containers for long periods – returning on average 210 containers every 2-3 months. Redeeming containers is therefore a periodic and specific task rather than a week-to-week activity incorporated into existing shopping habits. It should be made easier. Beverage industry control of Australia’s CDSs is now at the core of the policy debates across all states and the SA paper begins examining mechanisms to loosen this grip on their scheme. As a reminder: For every 10 per cent less recycling in Victoria’s CDS, drink producers would have saved around $50 million per annum through avoided refunds and recycling fees. This is big-coin, and significant enough motivator for producers to try and control a state’s CDS to keep return rates suppressed. By only allowing a relatively inconvenient network of collection points to be established or

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maintained, and/or advocating to keep the refund value low, big beverage producers achieve lower rates of consumer engagement and therefore return rates than would otherwise be the case. NSW, the ACT and soon Victoria and Tasmania have dealt with this obvious conflict of interest by directly contracting the recycling industry for collection networks inherently motivated to maximise return rates, as they get paid per container collected. The paper goes into some detail on possible governance changes to the SA CDS. As an example of producer control over SA’s CDS, it’s the beverage-owned ‘super collectors’ that decide who gets a ‘waste management agreement’ (WMA). These allow a collection point operator to get paid for their containers. Super collectors have then used control of these WMAs to block new entrants to the collection network in SA. Perhaps the EPA should licence and approve these WMAs instead and allow for the growth in size and

convenience of SA’s collection network? Finally, Australia’s 10 cent refund on CDS containers is losing its ‘value’ by the day and must be raised if we are to expect return rates above 80 per cent in any state. While we have a similar GDP per capita to Germany and much of northern Europe, our refund value is three to four times lower. SA’s leadership nationally on this issue is about pushing this value up. With a clear forward schedule of refund value increasing over the coming years to deal with inflation, this would be valuable. Reforming SA’s CDS is overdue, though timely. This agenda offers SA an opportunity to build on its heritage, offer consumers better scheme access and engagement, an opportunity to implement its CE agenda, and also help guide other states in getting all Australian schemes up and out of the lower rankings. iw Robert Kelman is the director Asia Pacific, Reloop Platform

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Recycling //

Paving the way with toner waste By Inside Waste COMPANIES who want to know how they can help with the circular economy in terms of reusing, repurposing, recycling and reducing their waste footprint, should look to the collaboration between Close the Loop, Downer and CPB Contractors. The trio has come together to turn plastic powder from toner cartridges and waste soft plastics into a valued commodity. It hasn’t been an easy road. The final product – TonerPlas, which is used in road construction – took Downer and Close the Loop (CtL) the best part of 10 years to realise. But it’s been worth it. Toner cartridges and its residue powder had been destined for landfill as there didn’t seem to be any way they could be recycled into anything useful. However, when Downer and CtL joined forces they discovered by adding soft plastics to asphalt, you get a product that ticks several boxes on the road construction front, and thus TonerPlas was born. “It’s great at increasing stiffness and increasing the service life of an asphalt road,” said CtL’s founder Steve Morriss. “We started years ago

by surveying some roads that had been laid that included toner powder as an additive in Texas in the US. “That project was abandoned because of safety and health issues, but I had three different sections of that road surveyed and realised that it was adding significant value to reduce cracking and rutting in asphalt. “Fast forward a few years and we had partnered with Downer by this stage. We started to think ‘how could we make the asphalt additive more elastic?’ That is when we moved to the mixed soft plastics and the REDcycle program. “We are now the largest user of this particular waste stream from all Coles and Woolworths stores throughout Australia.” At its most basic, TonerPlas is a polymer. Graham Henderson, who is the manager of precontracts and development at Downer, said the journey to getting the new material in asphalt started a while ago with another CtL product, which was used with an additive that Downer had developed. “CtL first created a product called TonerPave, which was predominantly a toner-based additive that had some performance-enhancing

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“The DOT is really strict with their pavement designs. They own the pavement design, which is pretty robust, and they want it to last for a number of years for future increased traffic loadings.” characteristics about it,” said Henderson. “Through the journey with them we started talking about ‘what’s next in asphalt?’ and looked for something new that would help solve the problems around waste. “It was the same for all of our customers when it came to waste plastics that generally didn’t have any recycling avenues. “CtL went off and did some research. We had input on what an additive needed to be working with our asphalt plant, and what sort of form the additive would need to be to get into our mixes. After a collaborative journey of a couple of years, we developed the product.” So where is TonerPlas being used? Raphael Touzel is a project director for CPB Contractors, a company that specialises in infrastructure projects including roads. It too was looking for sustainable products to be used as an additive to asphalt on some of its projects, including an upgrade on the M80 Ring Road in Melbourne,

Victoria. The company works closely with Victoria’s Department of Transportation (DOT), a state government entity that has stringent rules on what it allows in its roading aggregate. “The DOT is really strict with their pavement designs,” said Touzel. “They own the pavement design, which is pretty robust, and they want it to last for a number of years for future increased traffic loadings. Once you build a new pavement, and you’ve got traffic running on it – especially a freeway – you don’t want to be going back to improve it. They’ve got a design that is fairly conservative and that is what we had to work with.” What are some of the properties of TonerPlas that make it suitable for roading? According to Morriss it has improved resistance to rutting, and improved fatigue life, making it longer lasting with a lower carbon footprint. This has been independently tested by the Australian Road Research Board

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// Recycling

(ARRB), which is how the company got it approved for use by the Victorian DOT on the M80 Ring Road. Tests carried out by the ARRB show that under the wheel tracking test – the Victorian DOT standard for this particular mix design has to be less than 11mm – the TonerPlas version came in at 2mm and the baseline standard asphalt was 9mm. “We’re talking significant improvements [in fatigue life],” said Morriss. “What that means is it increases the longevity of the asset. That correlates to about 15 per cent improvement of the life of the road, which in turn correlates to about a 15 per cent improvement in whole of life cost of the asset. It is a lowcarbon option. “If you spread the carbon footprint over 23 years instead of 20 years, you have a significant improvement in the impact of that road.” The sorting of the waste is key to making sure it meets the specifications to be used. “We do a manual sort/ decontamination,” said Morriss. “We shred the mixed soft plastics then put it through automated cleaning systems, such as rare earth magnets, eddy current separators, and air density separators. They then go into a series of sophisticated mixing machines. These mixers are compounding the plastics and homogenising these plastics into a dough.

“This is where we add the toner powder. Out comes the product, which are small pellets. They end up in bulk bags and can be added as a dry mix additive at an asphalt plant.” “We’ve done a lot of testing on it in terms of its wear capabilities,” said Henderson. “We had to in order for it to get acceptance from road authorities around the country. We’ve done a lot of performance testing. Our philosophy is that the product has to perform at least as well, and ultimately better, than the standard product.” As well as meeting the standards of the Victorian DOT, it had to meet the standards set out by the state’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA). This was because there could have been issues with microplastics being put into the atmosphere as the road wears. “We knew the way that we developed it, and how we incorporated it into the mix that we wouldn’t have a microplastics problem in our end asphalt product,” said Henderson. “It was very pleasing to have gone through rigorous testing with designing it, in conjunction with the NSW EPA, because they had the most stringent requirements to get it through. That was a process of almost 18 months; sending samples over to Europe. It was a great thing to go through and get the validation at the time. It proved we didn’t have a microplastic issue compared to

“Through the journey with Close the Loop, we started talking about what the possibilities were of, ‘what’s next in asphalt?’ and looked for something new that would help solve the problems around waste. It was the same for all of our customers when it comes to waste plastics that generally didn’t have any recycling avenues.” any other standard asphalt in the market.” For Touzel, the M80 project has always been about using recycled pavement materials. “When you demolish buildings, bridges, pavements or other concrete structures, it gets crushed up and turned into a road base instead of going into a landfill,” he said. “All our pavements we have built are built out of recycled products – brick, concrete, old road base, recycled glass. “It used to be that virgin aggregates would be needed, which would come out of different quarries to meet specification. Now it’s all recycled and blended mixes which can still meet the requirements.” Then there is the asphalt layer, which is where TonerPlas comes into play. “Downer’s tech expertise mixed with Steve’s knowledge got this across the line on our project,” said Touzel. “It also helps to have a client who has a recycle-first policy. We believe in a recycle-first narrative, so we brought all that stuff together and

thought ‘let’s give it a go’.” However, is there enough toner powder and cartridges to continue making TonerPlas to do the job? With a lot of companies going paperless, or at least vastly reducing their printing needs, will there be enough product available in the future? Morriss is confident there will be. Even if there isn’t, he’s not panicking about finding another source. “There is scope to increase the amount we can produce,” he said. “We are never going to run out of toner powder. “If we ever did in Australia, then we can call on the toner powder from our US or European business as a resource. “It is a polymer. There are many sources of waste polymer that meet our spec.” iw

Recycled toner cartridges and powder are being repurposed to be used as an additive in asphalt.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

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

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

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

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

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 50

• Rowan • Komptech Core Capabilities: With a specialized product portfolio that includes over thirty different types of machines covering all key processes in modern waste handling, a consultative guiding approach to solution development for customers, and full service aftersales support and parts, Komptech CEA has become a leading supplier to the recycling and waste processing industry. Providing customer value is our focus as we strive to be the industry’s technological leader through continual innovation. Komptech CEA is dedicated to working with you to help you solve your waste problems and identify opportunities with comprehensive, detailed solutions driven by world-class technology. Contact Details: Sydney 6 Skyline Crescent Horningsea Park, NSW 2171 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

Melbourne 109 Merola Way Campbellfield, VIC 3061 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au Brisbane 11 Kiln St, Darra 4076 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au Adelaide 260 Cormack Rd Wingfield, SA 5013 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au Perth 230-232 Welshpool Rd Welshpool, WA 6106

1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au Auckland 96 Gavin Street Mt Wellington 1060 1300 788 757 www.komptechcea.com.au Key Contacts: Craig Cosgrove Product Manager 0417 320 082 c.cosgrove@cea.net.au Simon Humphris Product Manager 0478 196 263 s.humphris@cea.net.au

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// Capabilities Statements

Davis Earthmoving & Quarrying Pty Ltd Davis is a leader in mobile waste processing in NSW. Established in 1975, we are proudly Australian, family-owned and operated, contracting state-wide in NSW. We offer services in Green Waste Recycling, Glass & Concrete Recycling, C&D Shredding, Land Clearing, Mulching, Trommel Screening, Haulage, Recycled Products & Landscape Supplies. We process over a quarter of a million tonnes of material per annum. For over 45 years, Davis has successfully completed tens of thousands of government, civil and commercial projects, and are regular contractors for Councils in NSW. We have a diverse range of 100 pieces of Plant & Equipment in our privately owned fleet for hire or contract, all equipment is available in-house. We operate our own service centre for scheduled maintenance and field repairs, this guarantees safety, quality and maximum efficiency. For many years we have been proudly delivering high rates of resource recovery. We process, supply and deliver quality materials to the community, using innovative and environmentally responsible solutions. CEO Eric Davis has

in-depth knowledge and experience in sustainable recycling. If we all manage the worlds resources better and recover materials from waste to be repurposed, we can conserve our world’s natural resources, and do our bit to transform the way the world values waste. Products and Services: • Green Waste Recycling • Forest Mulching, Timber & Stump Grinding • Land Clearing, Road Widening & Forestry • Crushing & Concrete Recycling • Screening • Low Speed, High Speed, C&D Shredding • Glass Recycling • Quality Recycled Landscaping Supplies • Plant & Equipment Hire • Bulk & Heavy Haulage For hire: • Low Speed Shredders; Komptech • Horizontal Grinders; Diamond Z, Peterson • Mobile Crushers; Rubblemaster, Metso

• • • •

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 Core Capabilities: Davis Earthmoving offers reliable, high-powered, mobile waste processing equipment for hire or contract in NSW. We deliver high-volume production to meet client’s varied needs and specifications. Our Low Speed Shredder processes heavy C&D, logs, palms, carpet, tyres, mattresses. We have equipment available

for forestry mulching, subdivisions, road constructions, grubbing, firebreaks. Horizontal Grinders process green waste, C&D, timber, stumps, logs. Mobile and Trommel Screens process soil, timber, green waste. Our Crushers recycle concrete, brick, rock and glass. Our aim is to efficiently recover environmentally sustainable and quality recycled products for beneficial reuse in a circular economy. 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

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.

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:

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

DUBAI ENERGY FROM WASTE (EFW) – START OF OPERATIONS IN 2024 Warsan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates The world’s largest EfW processing up to 1,89 mill tpy of non-recyclable municipal solid waste from the Dubai area and producing 171MW of electricity. To be designed, built and commissioned by a JV partnership between HZI and BESIX Group with a

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minimum of 30 years’ operation and inclusive of minority ownership. Visit https://www.hz-inova.com/projects/ dubai-uae/

site. Visit https://www.hz-inova.com/ kompogas-for-the-future/

Contact Details: ZUFFENHAUSEN ANAEROBIC DIGESTION PLANT – START OF OPERATIONS IN 2023 Baden-Württemberg, Germany A dry anaerobic digestion plant using HZI’s Kompogas® technology to process 35,000 tpy of source-separated organic waste from the Stuttgart urban area into biogas, high-grade liquid fertilizer and compost. The bulk of the biogas will be used at the manufacturing plant of a well-known automaker to produce electricity and heat for direct use on

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

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Capabilities Statements //

Merlo Group Company Overview: Merlo is an Italian-based industrial group that designs, manufactures and markets its products under the Merlo and Treemme brands, both synonymous with quality the world over, with a commitment to respecting the environment. All the products in the Merlo range have the largest cabin and operator space available to the Australian market, which is characterised by innovation, technology and reliability. They are distinctive characteristics of the Merlo Group that have earned the trust of the world telehandler markets. Since its origins, the Merlo Group has always had an international approach in terms of product and business; this global vision of the market today generates the export of more than 90% of production. Today the Merlo Group’s worldwide presence is guaranteed by a direct organisation of six branches (France, Germany, England, Spain, Poland and Australia), by a distribution network of over 50 importers and 800 dealers, offering widespread coverage in terms

AUSTRALIA

of sales, service and spare parts. The Merlo Group’s international approach continues to increase its global presence, guaranteeing proximity to customers and opening up new markets by introducing hightech products with superior safety standards. The Merlo Group’s products are created from the deep experience gained in over 50 years of history; they satisfy every market and customer need. Products & Services: The Merlo brand has always been synonymous with cuttingedge technology in the field of telehandlers, operating machines and telescopic boom tractors. Core Capabilities: Merlo’s advanced technology has become the driving force behind a development that has made it possible to look beyond daily business. Safety, comfort, performance are the key words. As a result, every machine

rises the bar and sets a new standard in terms of design, power, care for man and the environment. This winning attitude translates into high integration into production processes, modern construction systems, process automation, revolutionary integrated electronic systems, in robotised processes and much more. Our commitment to maintaining an ever-closer relationship with our customers is reflected in our ongoing training and updating of programmes, our technical support services, and the trusted relationship with our extended dealer network. The results of all this

are compact machines, with ease of operation, that ensures the unrivalled operating features of, comfort, efficiency and above all, unparalleled safety. This is the strength of the Merlo product. Merlo Group Australia - TRUSTED Contact Details: Merlo Group Australia Pty Ltd 120-124 Toongabbie Rd, Girraween NSW 2145 Phone: 1300 657 325 Email: sales@merloaustralia.com.au Web: https://www.merlo.com

STEINERT Company Overview: STEINERT is a manufacturer of superior magnetic separation and state-ofthe-art sensor sorting equipment. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany with subsidiaries in Australia, USA, Brazil, STEINERT supplies the waste, metal recycling and mining industry globally. With over 130 years of history STEINERT is at the forefront of technology and innovation with a focus on quality, reliability and continuous research. STEINERT’s presence in Australia encompasses a manufacturing facility in Melbourne, Victoria where the Australian designed and made magnets originate. STEINERT’s Test Facility in Perth, Western Australia provides customers with the opportunity to test small and large samples under conditions that very closely match real life scenarios. Customers beneﬁt from the very latest ﬁndings and technological advancements in a tried and tested environment, utilising the latest STEINERT sensor-based combination sorting solutions. STEINERT’s Service Technicians are based on both the east coast and 52

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

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• STEINERT MTE electric drum • STEINERT EddyC eddy current separator • STEINERT ISS induction sensor sorting system • STEINERT KSS combination sensor sorting system • UniSort PR EVO 5.0 NIR sensor sorting system

enables us to hold critical spare parts for our equipment and perform full repairs and refurbishments in local response times. Together with our team of service technicians we are able to provide a high standard of after-care for our equipment. Contact Details:

Core Capabilities: We support customers from the project design stage with application knowledge, material testing in our test facilities, process consultation, supply of equipment, on-site commissioning to continuous service support, maintenance and repairs from our Australian team. Our manufacturing facility in Melbourne

STEINERT Australia Pty Ltd 14 Longstaff Road, Bayswater VIC 3153 P: +61 3 8720 0800 E: sales@steinert.com.au W: www.steinert.com.au Key Contacts: Johann Hefner Resource Recovery P: +61 499500801

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Capabilities Statements

Applied Machinery

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

Brands: • • • •

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

Genox Polystar Fimic Greenmax

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

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

Diverseco

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.

• 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

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• • • • • • • • • • • •

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

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

Contact Details:

Products and Services:

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

aspects organic waste processing from waste generation to soil beneficiation products, technology, process data processing and control, odour prevention and control

• 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

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Capabilities Statements //

ResourceCo

Contact Details: ResourceCo Head Office Level 1, 162 Fullarton Road Rose Park, SA 5067 Phone: (08) 8406 0300 Email: enquiries@resourceco.com.au Web: www.resourceco.com.au 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. Recent Projects/Installations: ESKINE 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. Products and Services: • C&D & C&I Recycling • Disposal, Treatment & Management of Contaminated Soils • Renewable Energy & Alternative Fuels • Tyre & Waste Rubber Recycling • Recycled Construction Material Brands: • • • • •

ResourceCo Pty Ltd Southern Waste ResourceCo Cleanaway-ResourceCo SUEZ-ResourceCo Tyrecycle Pty Ltd

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

Products and Services:

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

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

Company Overview:

Core Capabilities:

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

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

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 54

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

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close to service and maintenance when help is needed. Therefore, we have a market-wide network of highly trained service professionals that knows your Komatsu, Peterson & Timberpro machine in every detail. They are, in turn, in constant contact with the Komatsu Forest head office so your voice or needs are never more than a call away from our collective expertise. Furthermore, we are constantly developing new services that will help you in your everyday work. We offer: • Workshops and field services throughout Australia & New Zealand • Well qualified personnel with expert knowledge of Komatsu & affiliated machines • Field Service that enables us to remain close to you and your

machine • Support and maintenance throughout your machine’s service life • Maintenance agreements with fixed maintenance prices and other benefits Contact Details: AUSTRALIA Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd 4/11 Ave of Americas Newington, NSW 2127 T : +61 2 9647 3600 E : info.au@komatsuforest.com NEW ZEALAND Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd 15C Hyland Cres Rotorua, New Zealand M: John Kosar + 64 274 865 844 M: Paul Roche + 64 21 350 747

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Equipment News //

How Macpresse MAC112 extends landfill life

A landfill’s life can be extended using the Macpresse MAC112.

By Inside Waste EVERY solid waste entity deals with the same problems; litter control, vermin, rising operational expenses and ever diminishing space in landfills. Not every facility meets those challenges in the same way and the solid waste division of St Lucie County, Florida, was determined to find a long-term costeffective solution. The fundamental answer to many of the problems it faced was baling of solid waste, a trend that is gaining significant traction within the industry. Leo Cordeiro, solid waste manager at St Lucie Solid Waste Authority, investigated whether to consider baling garbage, and it didn’t take very long to come up with just the opposite question “why aren’t people doing it?”. “When you look at the benefits, it was so obvious that what we’re doing is just so defunct, there’s no comparison, no reason not to do it,” he said. “We have 1100 pounds of garbage in every cubic yard of air space (656 kg to every 1 m3). “And when we look at baling it, we can do close to double the volume and reduce cover, litter and leaching. You’ve got to ask yourself why am I not doing it?” A new Solid Waste Facility was designed with separate unloading and baling areas, establishing an effective and controllable workflow. The power behind the St Lucie facility, were dual Macpresse MAC 112 balers. The MAC 112 has been calculated to increase productivity, reduce operation costs with much lower kilowatts per 56

hour, yet producing up to 70 tonnes of baled material per hour depending upon moisture content as well as the infeed density. How are these production numbers achieved? The difference is in the design. The overall layout is the product of 50 years of Macpresse experience. The efficient material flow path and the horizontal baler orientation increase production speed and make bale sizing easy to change. Solid waste is delivered by the staged conveyor belt system. The conveyor in the pit transports the material to the inclined conveyor, which travels at a slightly higher speed. This delivery technique spreads out the material more evenly, thereby increasing system production. Supplied in Australia by Cemec Techonologies, the 112 incorporates a single ram continuous feed design, bringing efficiency and producing high hourly production rates. Powering the strong compaction ram is a high-pressure hydraulic system designed around Rexroth variable flow piston pumps and high efficiency electric motors, allowing one or both motors to operate independently. Delivering the hydraulic energy to the baler is the patented hydraulic manifold block, which reduces hydraulic shock and is designed to keep oil temperatures consistently low to enhance the hydraulic functions. Hydraulic and mechanical forces applied to the material in the chamber produce dense square bales. During compression, leachate is gathered by conveyor systems, dust is mediated by the filtration system, and both are reintroduced into the

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waste stream. Once sized, the bales are cut with the two-stage serrated shear. This design eliminates shear shock and the need for a pre-press flap apparatus. The compressed material is then tied by the five-wire mechanism, which positively feeds each wire into the twister assembly preventing missed wires and wire ties. All five wires are tied simultaneously to reduce tying time. This entire system is controlled from an electrical control panel. All functions of the MAC 112 are easily executed using Programmable Logic Control (PLC) technology which also offers an optional Supervisor system that provides real time diagnostic functions with data exported into excel for cost analysis. Maintenance considerations are an integral part of the design of the MAC 112, with motor and pump areas that can be exposed, and panels opening wide for maintenance issues. Safety was not sacrificed in the interest of speed or flexibility. Has the Macpresse total solution design been effective? In 1989 it was predicted that in the year 2002 the St Lucie landfill would be full. Through good management and the implementation of baling, the landfill

now has life expectancy to 2050 and capacity of 13,886,728 cubic yards. “Here at St Lucie County the baling process is going to save us over ¼ million dollars a year in operation costs by eliminating compactors scheduled every three years, operator salary, and diesel fuel at 60 gallons per day (273 ltrs),” said plant superintendent Ron Roberts. “The biggest saving is in daily cover material. “Operators from the waste companies are in the landfill 80 per cent less time, residents don’t see numerous birds or blowing litter – all that has been solved with baling.” “In the research we did, there were two balers to choose from,” said Cordeiro. “After we looked at Macpresse they told us, ‘we’ll deliver the machine, it’s not your machine until we have it running, and we will guarantee density’. As well as being $250,000 cheaper – you’ve got to be foolish not to look at it.” “Through the whole design process and construction of our facility, Macpresse were there 100 per cent of the way, working with us not against us. “Giving us the best, we were looking for and trying to achieve the best design in the US of a baling facility,” said Roberts. iw

The baler has been designed to increase productivity and reduce operational costs.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Equipment News

Specialist doors for Energy from Waste plants

Wind can be an issue when unloading and loading waste in MRFs.

By Inside Waste THE Energy from Waste (EfW) industry is growing in Australia, as are waste recycling plants and FOGO processing. These plants are becoming more sophisticated with the processing, and the containment of noise and air pollution is important. With large doorways for ingress of trucks and other vehicles, pollutants can be a challenge to contain. DMF International supplies specialist high-speed doors that are designed for high frequency of use and are efficient in sealing the doorway against dust, noise and odours. An additional challenge for these plants can be the need for big opening doorways, and exposure to wind forces, and/or to corrosive contaminants. There are a number of elements that need to be incorporated when choosing the right door. Designers and operators need to consider the following attributes: • What are the key features to be controlled, such as traffic flow, dust, noise, odour, draft etc? • What type of traffic uses the doorway and therefore what are the appropriate forms of activation for the doors? • How many times per day is the door opened and closed, and what is the desired door speed? • Is the door exposed to corrosive substances? • What is the anticipated wind loading on the door? • Is the doorway size suitable for the applicable traffic types and does the

building structure accommodate the installation of a specialist door? • Does the door need to provide a level of security? • How serviceable are the doors, and can the supplier react quickly to service and repair requirements? DMF can provide custommanufactured doors to suit a variety of applications. Over the past few years, it has installed doors into a variety of heavy industrial applications, including waste and recycling plants. “There are a number of door types that we can supply, depending on

the application,” said DMF director Stephen Fell. “We carefully consider all aspects of the application, and may not present the cheapest solution, but one that we know will work well for a long time.” All DMF doors are custom made to size and specification, either in the Sydney factory, or from one of its long-term partners in Europe, including Efaflex Gmbh, a Germanbased company that specialises in the design and manufacture of high-speed doors. The door blades can be made from durable reinforced flexible

PVC in single or dual skin design, through to 100mm-thick, insulated sections provide a high level of noise insulation. Door speeds can range from 0.5m/ sec up to 2m/sec, depending on the model and door size. Wind speed capacity is also critical for large doorways, and some door models can accommodate more than 150km/h wind force, while retaining full operation. These doors are designed to perform hundreds of cycles per day, and there are many forms of activation sensors that can be offered, depending on the traffic types and flow. From magnetic induction floor loops to infra-red motion sensors, or manual control from a plant room or traffic management system, the doors need to be well automated to open and close to maximise the effectiveness of sealing the doorway. The safety features of these doors are paramount. All doors come with the required safety sensors to ensure that not only operators are kept safe, but that the door, being critical to the plant’s operation, is well protected. Various forms of other safety sensors may include photo-electric lights beams, full light beam curtains, infrared or laser sensing, all which prevent the door from closing on an object. iw

The size of a doorway is important when unloading waste inside a facility.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Equipment News //

Circularity – Integra’s progressive approach to recycled waste bins By Inside Waste THE Lune Split and Paxa waste removal systems combine the principles of a circular economy – a cradle-to-cradle philosophy where all elements of a product are reused, recycled, or redeployed – to create sustainable recycle waste bins. These systems are designed by Lune, a subsidiary of Dutch manufacturer Brink Industrial, and manufactured by award-winning Australian advanced manufacturer and industrial designer Integra Systems under a digital licensing arrangement. The bins help facilitate the separation of waste by doing more than just the standard three-type waste removal system commonly seen in Australia. With Split and Paxa, waste can be further separated into the categories of general waste,

recycling, paper, cups, and organic waste. This ensures less waste goes to landfill and, consequently, more materials can be repurposed. The Split range comes in four options – the Split 2, Split 3, Split 4 and Split 5 – depending on the number of waste streams required by any given organisation. All bin options are made from high-quality, powder-coated steel. They also feature gas springs in the lid for ergonomic, hygienic cleaning and emptying, and a modular, future-proof design to accommodate interchangeable waste stream inserts. The Paxa range comes in a small option (23-litre capacity) and a large option (65-litre capacity). The lid types include sustainable sourced bamboo or 100 per cent recycled materials, and there is the option for a

loose or dampened lid. Individual bins come linked by magnets, which means the bins can be easily rearranged or clustered as desired. Every aspect of this partnership between Integra Systems and Lune, established late 2020, encompasses the principles of circularity. This means following a closed-loop system where materials are used and reused as efficiently as possible, and then recovered and regenerated into new products at their end-of-life. It also means manufacturing products in Australia for the Australian market to remove carbon emissions produced via international transport. Circularity is reflected in the manufacturing of the Split and Paxa range through the use of sustainable and recycled materials, and the modular, future-proof design of the

If a part needs replacing a new one is sent, while the old part is then recycled.

bins. This means that parts can be replaced or changed as needed, such as swapping out the inserts as the requirements of the organisation develop. The bins can be refurbished if parts get damaged or have an issue. A new part is sent out to replace the old one, and the old one is then recycled and incorporated back into the making of a new product. This cradle-to-cradle cycle, as opposed to cradle-to-grave, eliminates the need for parts to go into landfill, allowing constant rejuvenation of old parts into new products. iw

Failure not an option for Energy from Waste sector By Inside Waste THE main purpose for an emergency back-up system is to restore power during a grid failure. The Energy from Waste industry (EfW) demands reliable back-up energy solutions such as a diesel generator. 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 58

custom Australian built system. The KOHLER brand, with 100 years’ experience in the power generation segment, delivers product where reliability together with performance and quality is a suitable solution for industries such as EfW. The KD series, combined with local expertise and in-house engineering, and with the selection of innovative smart technologies exhibited in ancillary selection, such as patent air cooler design, CAPS Australia can deliver a solution for an upcoming facility where real estate versus scope requirement is a challenge. Rapid start-ups with load acceptances in seconds involves a specialised locally built control system to manage the Engine Control Unit (ECU), together with a high pressurised fuel system that results in a smooth energy transition against a G3 performance class. System reliability is further improved via the incorporation of

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

redundant, dedicated battery systems to support starting and control logic. These are some of features locally engineered as an additional assurance to the segment. A topic sometimes of less focus, due the diesel generator being termed as a back-up, is noise and flue emissions, which are also important for the EfW segment. Where efficient cooling, together with acoustic design and elevated performance limits, the KD series delivers a compact system that meets acceptable industry levels. Offering customised, competitive premium solution is important for CAPS Australia with product availability nearing 4600kVA. This is the highest in the market. It also has sustainable energy such as battery storage, which is renewable or hybrid. CAPS’ trained technician’s knowledge is continually updated, and they have the model-by-model knowledge to

service or fix equipment. Whether a customer has one generator or a complex system, the CAPS’ technicians will give the advice needed to ensure that there is continuous operation. CAPS Australia also has a national network of more than 60 service technicians covering Australia who are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. iw

The KD series is a system that offers efficiencies when it comes to cooling.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Young Professional

Two worlds collide for positive outcome “I was very interested in the geological time scale and how we have entered ‘Anthropocene’, which is a new epoch shaped by the negative impacts on the planet caused by human activity which is thought to have started during the industrial revolution. That is a very big concern for me. That is why I am in the line of work I am in now, which is resource management.” Priya Murthy knows what she wants in life and being involved in the waste sector ticks quite a few boxes – not in terms of working just to make a living, but also how it fits into her own philosophy in life. Murthy has been with waste specialist Cleanaway for just over twoand-a-half years and during that time has been a resource recovery officer in the company’s solid waste services division. Graduating with a double degree – a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geophysics, and a Bachelor of Arts Philosophy – Murthy has found that both degrees are intertwined and complement one another in her chosen field. Something that is not obvious at first glance. “People can be perplexed when I tell them I have two degrees that don’t seem that related,” she said. “They usually don’t see an immediate connection between the arts and the sciences. Notable ancient Greek philosophers were also prominent figures in the sciences such as mathematics and physics. I think philosophy is extremely important and the evolution of philosophical thought and theories over time have endowed us with a foundation of theories for modern day and futuristic thinking. I believe it should be implemented at any workplace and school, and at any level as idea generating and broadening perspectives will pave the way to open-mindedness and creativity.” As for Murthy’s everyday work, it is varied and interesting. As a resource recovery officer, she is responsible for consulting with SMEs and helping them with their best practice waste management plans, which is designed to help them increase diversion of waste from landfill. Murthy says the goals don’t have to be overly ambitious, initially, but it doesn’t take clients long to realise that recycling

can help keep their general waste costs down if done correctly. As well as conducting site assessments, Murthy has been involved in several tasks, such as the EPA’s Bin Trim program. She has also been a project manager for several clients including one who is setting resource recovery goals. She has also worked with government on circular economy

“There is a lack of knowledge in the general public, which is the fundamental baseline that we need to get right first,” she said. “And when it comes to these large infrastructure projects that can help boost the circular economy, the challenges are that we need more sponsorship and engagement, which also ties in with awareness and education. I think it

Murthy has a particular interest in CAT-HTR processing facilities.

projects and is currently working on a contamination management strategy project for another client. Since beginning in the role, one issue that has become clear – and is ongoing and been mentioned by most sectors of the industry – is the lack of public knowledge about recycling and reuse of products. Murthy said this lack of knowledge can be anything from what is supposed to go in each bin at the kerbside, through to what a MRF is supposed to do and why contamination is such an issue at those refuse stations.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

is an intertwined relationship. People don’t understand why contamination is a big issue in both the C&I and municipal sectors. It is a major issue and Cleanaway provides a lot of transparency in that regard.” Where her interest in geology and geophysics has really come into play is her openness to use new technologies. Especially when it comes to end-of-life residual plastic waste. “One of the things that stands out for me is the CAT-HTR processing facilities,” she said. “These convert end-of-life plastic back into the crude

oil it was created from. This is of particular interest to me because of my background in the geosciences. This technology allows us to promote a closed-loop process for problematic plastics and minimises the requirement of extracting finite resources from underground. “These kinds of facilities are a great option for plastics that have reached their end of life. I would love to see more infrastructure like this being built to be tied in with more product stewardship programs. Overall, the goal would be to get to the point where we could transition into using the term ‘resource’ instead of ‘waste’ and that comes from a successful circular economy model. “Ambitious and all-encompassing sustainability goals are great to have, and are something to be worked towards, but they can’t be achieved without maintaining socio-ecological resilience. For that, we need to raise awareness about the technology out there and to also educate the general public.” When it comes to working at Cleanaway, Murthy sees a bright future. She is interested in the commercial and industrial side of the company, mainly because she likes the challenge of working with multiple stakeholders. She finds this type of work challenging and rewarding. “It is rewarding for me to help the customer – and all the stakeholders involved – implement solutions which will benefit the environment in their operations. That is what led me to this particular role.” Murthy started her career at Cleanaway’s NSW Centre for Sustainability, which ticked all her boxes in terms of being a nurturing environment for graduates keen to learn and that independence of getting out in the field to site assessments on their own. It helps graduates become confident in project management and development, said Murthy. Cleanaway has helped Murthy grow her skill-set in the industry, which has furthered her passion, and this is why she is starting a master’s in environmental engineering in 2022. “Cleanaway’s an innovative and progressive company and aligns with a lot of the values and ideas of where I want our country and our planet to head in the future,” she said. iw

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Product Profiles Waste Bins //

SULO 2-Wheeled Mobile Garbage Bins Overview: Made from up to 80% recycled content, SULO Mobile Garbage bins are manufactured in Australia in accordance with AS4123 & EN840 standards and can be customised to suit local government requirements. Weight(kg): 6.19 – 17 Capacity (Litres): 60 / 80 / 120 / 240 / 360 Options/Extras: Available in multiple colour and lid combinations and custom hot-foil printing and branding available. Price: Contact for Quote

Pact Group

Phone Number: 1300 364 388 Webpage: sulo.com.au Email: sulosales@pactgroup.com

SULO 4-Wheeled Garbage Bins

Overview: With ergonomic easy-grip handles to optimise manoeuvrability our 4-wheeled bins have been engineered with safety in mind, allowing for easy handling and increased safety. Unit Dimensions(mm): 1070 x 1240 x 1330 (LxWxH) Weight(kg): 65 Capacity (Litres): 1100 Options/Extras: Available in multiple colour and lid combinations and custom hot-foil printing and branding available. Price: Contact for Quote

Pact Group

Phone Number: 1300 364 388 Webpage: sulo.com.au Email: sulosales@pactgroup.com

Source Separation Systems

Kitchen Caddy

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

Unit Dimensions: Height 235mm Width 225mm Depth 225mm Weight: Approx 1 kg Capacity (in weight): Designed to hold approx. 7 Litres of Organic waste No. of units in range: Designed with a full colour Educational Inmould Label, this Kitchen Caddy is customised for each FO+GO Program. Several in stock standard educational graphics are also available. Finished product size: NA Options/Extras: Available with Australian Certified Compost-A-Pak compostable liners, and a range of external household collection bins. Price: Prices vary based on selections and quantities. More: Units are made in Australia from up to 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Content commonly collected from Roadside Council Bins. Name: Melanie Barstow Phone Number: 02 49 537 644 Webpage: https://www.sourceseparationsystems.com.au/product/ kitchen-caddy Email: info@sourceseparationsystems.com.au

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Paxa Waste Removal Systems

Split Waste Removal Systems

Unit Dimensions: Small (24 x 24 x 45cm) or Large (30 x 30 x 72cm) Capacity: Small (23L) or Large (65L) Weight: Small (6kg) or Large (10kg) No. of units in range: Two - Small or Large Finished product size: Small (25 x 25 x 46cm) or Large (31 x 31 x 73cm)

Unit Dimensions: Split 2 (71 x 30 x 71 cm), Split 3 (98 x 30 x 71cm), Split 4 (120 x 30 x 71cm) or Split 5 (150 x 30 x 71cm) Capacity: Split 2 (2 x 30L = 60L), Split 3 (3 x 30L = 90L), Split 4 (4 x 30L = 120L) or Split 5 (5 x 30L = 150L) Weight: Split 2 (20kg), Split 3 (30kg), Split 4 (38kg) or Split 5 (48kg) No. of units in range: Four units - Split 2, Split 3, Split 4 and Split 5 Finished product size: Split 2: 72 x 31 x 72cm; Split 3: 100 x 31 x 72cm; Split 4: 121 x 31 x 72cm; Split 5: 150 x 31 x 72cm Options/Extras: Waste options: general waste, recycling, paper, cups and organic waste Price: RRP ex. GST - Split 2: $980; Split 3: $1325; Split 4: $1620; Split 5: $2290

Options/Extras: • Waste compartment options: general waste, recycling, paper, cups and organic waste • Lid type: made from durable bamboo or 100% recycled plastics • Lid options: loose lid, dampened lid or front door Price: RRP ex. GST - Small: $245 or Large: $325 More: • Waste bins linked by magnets: can be rearranged, clustered or placed as single units • Designed and manufactured with the priciples of circular economy • Designed in the Netherlands, made in Australia Name: Andrew Steed Phone Number: +61 3 9359 3133 Webpage: www.integratransform.com.au Email: integratransform@integrasystems.com.au

Lune by Integra Systems

// Product Profiles Waste Bins

More: • Made from high-quality powder coated steel • Can be upgraded, refurbished & repaired • Soft close lid for ergonomic cleaning and ease of emptying • Modular design with interchangeable waste stream inserts • Designed and manufactured with the priciples of circular economy • Designed in the Netherlands, made in Australia Name: Andrew Steed Phone Number: +61 3 9359 3133 Webpage: www.integratransform.com.au Email: integratransform@integrasystems.com.au

MGB’s 80-1100 Litre Capacity

Trident Australia

Product/model name: MGB’s 80 litre to 1100 litre as well as Kitchen caddy’s Unit Dimensions: Various subject to applicable bin size Weight: Various subject to applicable bin size Capacity (in weight): 80, 120, 140, 240, 660 and 1100 litre. No. of units in range: 6 Finished product size: Various subject to applicable bin size Options/Extras: Bins can be customised to suit application Price: Various subject to applicable bin size More: Trident are the only company in Australia that have had the above bin capacities certified to AS 4123. This is the only way to ensure you receive a quality bin. Name: Gary Silby Phone Number: 0413 031 165 Webpage: www.tridentaustralia.com Email: gary.silby@tridentaustralia.com

Source Separation Systems

MultiSort Recycling Bins

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Unit Dimensions: Popular 60 Litre option. Height 654mm Width 290mm Depth 606mm. Weight: Approx 3 kg Capacity (in weight): Range of options from 40 Litres to 90 Litres per stream. No. of units in range: Extensive range mirroring popular waste streams, including Landfill, Organics, Recycling, Soft Plastics, Glass Only and 10c Refundables. Finished product size: Capacity can be customised depending on waste streams selected. Options/Extras: Available with Australian Compost-A-Pak compostable liners, an internal bag holder and trolley options. Price: Prices vary based on sizes and streams selected. More: 60 Litre Base is made in Australia from up to 100 per cent post-consumer recycled content commonly collected from Roadside Council Bins. Name: Melanie Barstow Phone Number: 02 49 537 644 Webpage: https://www.sourceseparationsystems.com.au/product/multisort Email: info@sourceseparationsystems.com.au

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 INSIDEWASTE

Wasted Space //

Burning rubber and all that MORNING Sir, GREETINGS from the burning rubber capital of Oceania – and no, I’m not talking about doing doughnuts in the Aston Martin around the MCG after a few glasses of champers or martinis. No, I’m talking stockpiles of tyres – those oil-derived must-haves that keep the wheels of cars, industry, just about everything, turning. Antipodean governments take this kind of thing very seriously. Back in the day when Britannia ruled the waves it was a case of sending off the used rubber to the nearest third-world country willing to take it in. Didn’t really matter where it ended up, as long as it wasn’t in our backyard. Anyway, along came social

responsibility and now those plans have been blown to smithereens. I don’t blame those countries for not wanting our rubbish anymore. Not only are they sick of us kicking the can (or tyre) down the road, but I think the guilt was building up for your average Ocker, too. What does this mean for those in the industry, you ask? What indeed. Tyres can be a messy business at the best of times. They’re an ugly commodity, with an ugly history. Those running the show down here – Tyre Stewardship Australia, the Australian Tyre Recycling Association and the federal government, championed by the popular and effervescent Trevor Evans – all seem to be on the same page. But like Whitechapel back in

INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022

the day there is an undercurrent of scallywags and scoundrels who want to make a dollar or two on the sly – sort of like sly grogging, but instead of dodgy 90 proof gin that’d blow the socks off a welloiled booze-hound, they’re looking at literally burning rubber and damn the torpedoes, or most correctly, the environment. Already discovered a plot by ne’er-do-wells scamming retailers out of their used spares, sticking them in a warehouse and then scarpering. How is this possible in the digital age, you ask, sir? In a time of CCTV cameras on what seems like every street corner, every citizen with a mini video recorder in their back pocket, and track and trace software, you think it would be easy to find

out who these scoundrels are. Well, they’re smart. They use shell companies and cash. Yes, cash – something I haven’t used in a long time. Last time I visited my bank in the Cayman Islands they had a fit of laughter when I asked for 10 $100 bills. Wanted to hand them out to those in need on Barefoot Beach. Made me reminisce for the good old days when Oddjob and I had a run in at Fort Knox – good solid, hard, moolah. Mind you we are talking gold back then. I certainly look forward to seeing how the industry will handle the new normal. Yours JB

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Inside Waste December 2021

Articles inside

Residual waste

Automotive recycling

Queensland waste policy