INSIDE WASTE: February/March 2018

ISSUE 82 | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

www.insidewaste.com.au

INSIDE 17 National Sword cutting deep 30 Another notch in Wastech’s belt 46 The sweet spot

Is Australia ready to power up?

What does it take to clean up the Harbour Bridge in Sydney? A fleet of at least six street sweepers for one. More in our street sweepers section from page 46.

The National Sword crisis RECYCLING contracts in Australia are under threat and a crisis is looming after China implemented its National Sword policy on January 1, which restricts the import of 24 categories of solid waste and limits contamination of those materials to less than 0.5%.

The restrictions are already being felt in the sector, with stockpiling beginning and waste collectors across the country trying to find new markets to prevent a disruption of kerbside collection services. At least one recycler, Visy, has put a halt to the processing of materials from some councils in western Victoria.

China made it clear in July that it was implementing its National Sword policy this year and the industry hasn’t sat on its hands, warning governments

of the need to improve and enhance local processing.

Recycling contracts are at risk of defaulting or being cancelled and the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council has proposed preliminary solutions, including the renegotiation of contracts between local governments and recycling providers to improve risk sharing and lower contamination, increasing stockpiling allowances where environmentally safe, and making Commonwealth assistance available to open new export markets.

Meanwhile, Victorian Waste Management Association CEO Peter Anderson believes a taskforce needs to be formed to work out the initiatives that could bring innovation to the sector and create markets for

recyclables. Anderson says it’s not about getting a handout but simply providing financial support to drive investment in recycling innovation.

Charlotte Wesley, environmental consultant at Arcadis, warns that turning to alternate international markets is but a short-term solution and says national collaboration and potentially policy changes are required to prevent a loss of confidence in the sector. She says a processing capacity map and quantitative spatial data to identify the larger waste generating council areas could help link supply and demand between regions and facilitate the scale to maximise recycling in as cost- and carbon-effective a manner as possible.

More on page 17.

GOVERNMENT and segments of the battery industry in Australia have been working towards a national scheme for handheld batteries under 5kg since 2013, however a recycling program has yet to be realised. The result is a collection rate of about 3% in Australia, compared to 40%-70% in Europe.

Equilibrium’s director of communications, John Gertsakis, notes that there is light at the end of the tunnel if you cast your eye towards the chronology of events since late 2015, which demonstrates some very focused activity and decision-making by the Battery Implementation Working Group (BIWG).

For instance, in July 2017, the BIWG recommended to Environment Minsters a shared approach that was underpinned by ‘light’ regulation to prevent free-riding and ensure industry-wide participation while minimising cost to government. That same month, the meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) endorsed the work of the BIWG and agreed to consider approaches that involve regulatory options “to underpin a voluntary scheme … as states see fit.”

Environment Ministers are meeting again soon and Gertsakis says this meeting could be a turning point for battery recycling.

However, he warned that anything less than a firm decision by governments to regulate may result in industry walking away - leaving Australians with little option but to dispose of old batteries inappropriately, putting our environment and communities at risk.

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Editor’s Note // Official Publication of the

Senior Editor: Jacqueline Ong (jacqueline.ong@mayfam.net)

A tough start 2018 has had a painful start to say the least. Already, the sector has been under pressure for years and with the start of China’s National Sword policy on January 1, the industry is under more strain than ever, with the impacts of the policy being increasingly felt as days go by.

What’s the sector to do? A range of stories covers or makes references to the issue at hand and while some longterm strategies and policies need to be developed now to secure Australia’s circular economy future, in the interim, many are of the view that commercial renegotiations would be a good place to start. More on pages 16 and 17.

The year also kicked off with industry leaders coming together in Sydney to discuss next steps in dealing with the years-long issue of interstate transport of waste. Hosted by the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA) in January, those in attendance included representatives from major players in the sector, such as JJ Richards, Dial A Dump Industries, Remondis, and SUEZ. NSW Police was also represented and showed just how grave the situation on the roads has become.

Actions such as the licensing of waste transporters and banning levy rebates for exhumed landfill waste were discussed and the general consensus at the end of the meeting was that NSW has to take ownership of the problem and not wait for Queensland to introduce a levy. More on page 28.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

On page 36, we celebrate Cessnock City Council’s efforts to drive resource recovery in the region through its new transfer station.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Council turned to its peers for learnings and blended them to meet the community’s needs.

New fleets have also made or are about to make their maiden voyage in Brisbane and the Central Coast, after SUEZ and Cleanaway secured major waste collection contracts last year.

Inside Waste takes a look at the fleets and their new and innovative specs on page 40.

Over in Victoria, two brothers who started out as diesel mechanics in the sector have, over the last 25 years, built a $30 million company specialising in

custom engineered and manufactured solutions as well as the distribution of well-known brands across the country.

Wastech celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and on page 30, we take a walk down memory lane with director Neil Bone.

Inside Waste also speaks to 2017 Churchill Fellowship recipient Helen Miller who is about to embark on a trip around Europe and South East Asia in search of new resource recovery, reprocessing and product ideas that could help Australia shift to a more circular economy. More on page 44.

The year may seem fairly uncertain as we grapple with the changes in China and how they will impact the sector here. As the various industry associations including WMAA continue to engage with industry and governments to drive innovation and improvements, Inside Waste will continue to keep you updated on the changes, moves and trends. And we will continue to champion the sector in the good and the hard times. Let’s hope 2018 brings with it numerous opportunities and positive change.

Journalists: Jan Arreza (jan.arreza@mayfam.net) Patrick Lau (patrick@mayfam.net) Advertising: Alastair Bryers (alastair.bryers@mayfam.net or 0431 730 886) Marketing and Customer Support: Benjamin May (ben.may@mayfam.net) Creative Director, Patterntwo Creative Studio: Toni Middendorf Subscriptions: subscriptions@mayfam.net Published by Mayfam Media Phone: 0400 868 456 Web: www.insidewaste.com.au Publisher: Ross May (ross@mayfam.net) COPYRIGHT WARNING All editorial copy and some advertisements in this publication are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without the written authorisation of the managing editor.

Offenders will be prosecuted.

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Kwinana WtE: construction to commence soon PHOENIX Energy began preliminary groundworks on its Kwinana waste to energy facility, 38km south of Perth in January, with construction set to start at the end of March.

Speaking to Inside Waste about what will be Australia’s first WtE plant, Phoenix Energy managing director Peter Dyson said the construction timeline has been set for 36 months and he is confident that all will go smoothly.

“At this stage, the contractors do not have any concerns about orders as they have sorted out the main ticket items,” Dyson said.

The plant is expected to be completed in 2021 and Dyson noted that commissioning will begin six months ahead of that in 2020.

For now, Phoenix Energy is signing off on all relevant construction and financing contracts, which will have to be completed by the end of March.

“Post that, there’s nothing else required because the project

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

has already gone through all the environmental and community approvals and the waste contracts have been signed off,” Dyson said.

“Grid connections have been underway for quite some time and Western Power is completing their studies. We already have the preliminary assessments, costings etc so it’s just a case of completing the detail and design and getting the power line constructed. However, it’s only a 500m-long line so it won’t be a big event.”

The $400 million plant will process up to 400,000 tonnes of household waste a year, generating 40MW of power.

Phoenix Energy’s journey since its announcement of the project in 2011 has been fraught with ups and downs. Most recently in April 2016, the company announced that it had issued construction firm Posco E&C with a notice of termination.

The Rivers Regional Council then extended its May deadline to June

30 for Phoenix Energy to make a final investment decision and in July that year, the company said it had nominated BGC Contracting as the preferred engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Initially, Phoenix said that the technology would be supplied

by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environment and Chemical Co and Martin GmbH. However, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environment and Chemical Co has since ended its 40-odd-year relationship with Martin GmbH and has exited the Australian market, withdrawing from the Phoenix Energy project.

In January, it was reported that Phoenix Energy and project co-sponsor Macquarie Capital had entered into exclusive negotiations with a consortium comprising infrastructure and renewable energy firm Acciona and Veolia to design, construct, and operate the facility.

Dyson confirmed that Keppel

Seghers, a member of the Keppel Infrastructure Group and environmental technology arm of Keppel Corporation, will provide the technology.

“It’s a standard stoker grate and they’ve done a hundred of these worldwide so it’s all proven,” Dyson said.

Looking ahead, Dyson said he’ll have a few more announcements to make in the coming days but it’s all tracking nicely and the community is excited about the facility’s progress.

“If you look at community news in Kwinana, you’ll see that it’s all quite positive. The facility is in a part of Kwinana where a lot of tradespeople live and in WA, with the mining boom slow down, there are a lot of people who are highly skilled and looking for work and this matches their work experience so we’ve had a lot of enquiries from people wanting to take part,” Dyson said, adding “it’s been a long time coming.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

I’M PROUD

TO HAVE SUPPORTED AN AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURER.

“I’ve been using Iveco ACCOs for 15 years and I reckon they’re one of the best trucks you can get.

They do everything I ask of them and don’t cost much to run – they’re reliable, don’t give me grief and have never broken down. Another great thing about the ACCO is that it’s Australian-made.”

It’s a decision all of us here at KADS Hire are pretty proud of.”

Don Emtsis, Proprietor – KADS Plant Hire

THAT’S COMMITMENT. THAT’S AUSTRALIAN JOBS. THAT’S IVECO. www.iveco.com.au/manufacturing

News //

Profile | Jade Barnaby Tyre Stewardship Australia’s manager - accreditation and compliance, Jade Barnaby, was named WMAA’s 2017 Women in the Environment Award winner What was your first job in the sector and what attracted you to it?

My first job was with the City of Port Philip’s Environment and Sustainability team, where I was simply stoked to have an opportunity to work in sustainability for local government. It was great first taste of waste, in that I got to run an organics recovery pilot program at the South Melbourne Markets. I loved the opportunity to head down to the market to do bin audits, whilst sampling the food stalls.

My first unofficial job in the waste sector was being responsible for the nightly clean at a Recreational Centre, which often involved cleaning-up of human waste from change room stalls. Not a pretty experience, but a paid gig nonetheless.

What is the strangest thing you have had to do (or found)?

The strangest thing never found was a body at the Stawell tyre stockpile! Local legend claims there was body in the stockpile, thankfully, and kudos again to all those involved in its clean-up, a body was never found.

Has waste management changed in your time in the industry?

Heaps, as the materials in the products we consume change and become more complex over time the methods for recovery must also equal this sophistication. Not only the collection systems, but the equipment and infrastructure has to, and will continue to change to meet these demands. This is one of my favourite aspects of the industry - that it will have to continue to change, evolve and re-invent itself to ensure that the demand for waste and recovery services are met.

What are some of your achievements that you are most proud of?

I’m thankful for all the great opportunities and the passionate, and intelligent people I’ve had the privilege to work with. Hands down, however, my involvement in the development and establishment of Australia’s national, voluntary waste paint stewardship scheme, PaintBack, was a milestone.

Best advice ever given to you?

90% of life is showing up, preferably on time.

WRIQ welcomes Qld cabinet, ready to “get serious” WASTE, Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ) has welcomed the returning Palaszczuk government, telling Inside Waste the organisation was “very pleased - [but] disappointed that we lost the best [Environment] Minister that we’ve had in years in Stephen Miles.”

“But very pleased that we’ve picked up Leeanne Enoch who was Minister for Innovation and Minister for Small Business,” he said, adding, “we have a good, solid relationship with the government - a good, solid relationship with both parties - and we’ll continue to work with them and engage with them.”

Ralph also welcomed the Palaszczuk emphasis on a core team of economicfocused senior ministers (and the inclusion of a dedicated manufacturing portfolio), but pointed to a busy year for waste management in the state and for government.

“We now have to pick up the mantle and get serious,” said Ralph, nominating the Chinese National Sword policy and the Queensland container deposit scheme as examples of change in 2018.

NSW CDS outdoes critics’ expectations THE NSW CDS was rolled out on December 1 and to the surprise of many, the scheme designed and launched under a punishing schedule has so far managed to avoid major disasters.

Minister for the Environment Gabrielle Upton had faced hefty criticism over the scheme from industry sectors, environmental groups, media, state Opposition, local governments, and the public.

Fears of retail border wars; confusion over the economics of the levy and refunds; a seemingly-rushed rollout of collection depots; and arguments over the necessity or aims of the scheme were all raised at some point.

However, the CDS seems to be operating without serious hiccups to date, with joint venture operator TOMRA-Cleanaway overseeing a fairly smooth enterprise. Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) CEO Gayle Sloan told Inside Waste that 8

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

there might be a mismatch between the reality of the scheme and how it’s been portrayed.

“I think there’s been strength in the NSW scheme”, said Sloan, adding, “I appreciate that there’s an element of frustration at the moment with how it’s perceived to be rolled out. I don’t think it was well understood that the implementation was to be phased over coming months - there never going to be all sites available on day one.”

The scheme collected 100,000 containers in the first 24 hours; 500,000 over the first weekend; and more than two million by the end of the first week.

Although only a small fraction of drinks containers that go to litter, that’s still a massive logistical undertaking for a new venture. The containers are collected in TOMRA reverse vending machines located at Woolworths supermarkets, or over-the-counter at other small businesses.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// News

Profile | EcoCuir EcoCuir, a small business on the islands of Tahiti is working to reduce tons of fishing industry waste by transforming the material into organic leather.

Recently awarded the equivalent of A$52,000 by winning second prize in a government-funded agricultural innovation competition, the financial support will help grow the business so it can continue its mission to reduce waste on the island. Inside Waste spoke with Haumanava Tixier and Dudes Raihei, the creators of the EcoCuir project.

What motivated you to start this business?

We got the idea from a report written in 2014 about the process of tanning salmon skins in Finland’s Lapland region the practice is part of their ancestral traditions. We were looking for a stable job and after months of searching we decided to experiment because this project combines our passions of preserving the environment and the challenge of creating a business at 20 years of age. We endeavour to assist our customers to complete the 360° economy whilst meeting their environmental goals.

What is the process like?

The process starts by collecting the fish waste from fishermen and fishmongers. The skin is then selected for vegetable tanning where mango peel and bark from mimosa or badamier trees are often used. The full manufacturing process takes up to six weeks and the end product is soft, strong and beautiful leather.

How much waste is Ecocuir Tahiti helping to reduce?

By 2019, Ecocuir Tahiti intends to treat nearly three tons of fish waste from the 30 tons generated each month on Tahiti. Usually it would be wasted or used to feed sharks but there is too much of this and it has become a problem for the fishing industry. We also have minimal waste during production. Our dying process only produces waste from the tanning bath, which contains bark, and from the fish skin cleaning which releases fish fat and scales. Both waste products are compostable organic matter and can be used for gardening.

Contact: raidudes@gmail.com

Cleanaway makes significant acquisition TWO of Australia’s largest waste management companies will become one, with Cleanaway Waste Management acquiring Toxfree Solutions.

The acquisition will be made through a 100% cash offer of $3.425 per share, representing an equity value of $671 million and an enterprise value of $831 million. The acquisition will be funded by a fully underwritten $590 million one for 3.65 pro rata accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer or equity raising as well as debt drawn from a new multi-tranche facility.

Toxfree has a national footprint and operations across four core service lines: waste services, technical and environmental services, industrial services, and health services. Its network includes 29 licensed facilities and a fleet of 895 waste collection services.

Cleanaway said in a statement that it expects the Toxfree business to deliver approximately $35 million in annual synergies, realised over a two-year integration period. It expects total synergy benefits to be fully reflected in FY21.

It also expects partial benefits of new contracts to be had in the second half of FY18, with the company forecasting these contracts to deliver approximately $1 billion in additional revenue over 10 years at historical margins on top of organic growth. In order to support these new contracts, the company will need to invest approximately $90 million.

FY18 expenditure, excluding the lease funded investment of some $90 million, is expected to be in the $135 million to $140 million range. This is in line with guidance of 80% to 85% of depreciation and amortisation.

New owner for Alex Fraser C&D recycler Alex Fraser has been acquired by HeidelbergCement’s Australian subsidiary, Hanson Holdings for €135 million (A$207.93 million).

“The acquisition represents an important step for Hanson Australia and it further strengthens the market position in the urban centers of Melbourne and Brisbane,” said Dr. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement.

“In particular it will provide Hanson Australia with expertise in asphalt and construction materials recycling that complements the existing business and can be leveraged for entry into other markets. It is fully in-line with our strategy of value creating acquisitions, and we are expecting significant synergies.”

Alex Fraser is a provider of recycled construction materials and operates three facilities in Melbourne and two in Brisbane. It also produces asphalt out of two plants in Melbourne.

HeidelbergCement expects Alex Fraser to generate €20 million of EBITDA in 2018 (including synergies of approximately €3 million) and said Alex Fraser will retain its brand and continue to operate as a standalone business.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

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News //

URM trucks grounded TWO URM trucks were grounded following a NSW Police inspection in February that was driven by a fatal crash in Dee Why the week before where a URM waste truck hit and killed a Northern Beaches grandmother.

As part of the inspection, the Traffic Taskforce raided URM’s sites in Five Dock and Cromer.

During the operation, officers inspected 36 trucks across the two sites and issued a total of 23 mechanical defect notices for a range of issues including oil and hydraulic leaks, cracked chassis, and faulty lights.

Following mechanical inspections, police conducted speed limiter downloads of 26 vehicles in the company’s fleet, with 25 found to be non-compliant.

Among those inspected were two vehicles that were issued red label defect notices and grounded.

“To find 23 mechanical defects and 25 out of 26 speed limiters non-compliant in one day at a single company is not good enough,” Traffic and Highway Patrol commander and assistant commissioner Michael Corboy said.

“The operation today should serve as a warning to all other companies that we will inspect your

entire fleet if one of your trucks is involved in a serious incident.

“Don’t wait until you or one of your drivers gets involved in a serious crash, get your fleet and processes in place now, so that it doesn’t happen at all.”

Officers from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit have also charged the 27-year-old driver of the garbage truck in February’s incident with dangerous driving occasioning death, and negligent driving occasioning death. He is due to face Manly Local Court on Wednesday, March 7.

New SKM plants to feature 3D laser tech SKM Recycling is building three facilities in Victoria, which will process more than 350,000 tonnes of kerbside collected material annually. And it’s turned to TOMRA Sorting Recycling for new kit to do just that.

At the end of last year, TOMRA announced a partnership with SKM where the former will supply the Laverton North-headquartered recycling company with 40 AUTOSORT units that comprise new 3D laser technology and improved features.

AUTOSORT combines detection of colour and enhanced material information, resulting in a multifunctional system that can be used across a broad range of applications.

The modular system also features a near-infrared (NIR) scan system that does not require an external light source as it utilises TOMRA’s patented Flying Beam technology, which is based on an innovative point scanning principle

The AUTOSORT.

that focuses only on the area of the conveyer belt that is being scanned.

According to TOMRA, this ensures stable and excellent performance at various temperatures due to the extended temperature range.

TOMRA added that its Flying Beam technology also leads to a wide range of online calibration possibilities that increases the sorting stability over time. The result is up to 70% reduced power consumption and lower

maintenance levels.

SKM’s three plants will primarily process paper, plastics, metals and glass, sorting them into high quality products, and are expected to be operational in the beginning of 2018.

WMAA YP wins top SA environmental award for women FOUNDER/CHAIR of the Waste Management Association of Australia SA Branch Young Professionals, Kat Heinrich, has won the annual Green Industries SA Women in Waste Award. The award includes $5000 to assist with travel, accommodation and conference costs, and mentoring from a senior woman executive in the sector.

Leveraging her international connections in Europe and the United States, Heinrich, who is a senior consultant at Rawtec, will investigate best-practice food waste initiatives that could drive a change to reduce food waste in South Australia and further the state’s reputation 10

for innovation in the recycling and resource recovery sector.

Heinrich has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide. At Rawtec, she has delivered a wide range of projects in the areas of resource efficiency, disaster waste management, state waste accounting and waste infrastructure planning.

The Green Industries SA Women in Waste Award was established in memory of Pam Keating, a noted environmentalist and waste management expert who passionately believed in the importance of reducing waste and its impact on the environment.

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Kat Heinrich.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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Equipment news //

Komptech rebrands ON January 1, Ditch Witch Australia & New Zealand, known to many of in the sector as Komptech, rebranded to ELB Equipment.

“We recognised that having a product brand name not associated with the waste industry at all presented a few challenges. Further, in recent years, our waste management product offering has increased significantly. We now provide an extensive range of the best waste management equipment the market has to offer. Our brands currently include,

Komptech, DiamondZ, Trackstack, Screenpod.” ELB said.

“ELB Group has been our parent company since 1997. The initials stand for Edward L. Bateman, who founded the company just under 100 years ago. We took advantage of a name that has a strong history and great values attached to it, while giving us that platform we were looking for. By rebranding under our parent company name, we will better reflect the needs of you, our clients.

“From our perspective, ELB Equipment is a generic canvas on which we can promote our various product brands without taking away any focus or having to share some of the spotlight.”

Apart from rebranding, nothing else is changing, ELB said, noting that ownership and the management team remains unchanged.

As part of the rebrand, ELB also launched its new website, www. elbquip.com, this site now showcases

ELB managing director Christopher Malan.

all the equipment ELB has available, along with downloadable brochures, news features and promotions.

More: www.elbquip.com or 1300 ELB EQU (352 378)

Screenmasters presents new screen

The Proflow DST 2D Screen.

THE Proflow DST 2D Screen arrived in Australia recently, ready to work, its sights set on challenging applications where a high degree of selectivity is required.

It is modelled on a classic three-way split recycling screen combining effective flip-flow screening with air density separation.

Traditionally difficult and cohesive product can be screened to fine fractions; and presented evenly to the density separator without blockages thanks to the robust and effective,

three-way split, independent drive, and the 15x6 flip-flow screen at the heart of the Proflow DST unit. This allows maximum profitability as it is able to process co-mingled materials for recovery of saleable product and/or process waste by separating using air, density, shape and size.

The tracked, diesel/electric driven unit saves the customer time and money in a variety of mixed waste applications such as trommel fines by removing the combustible element resulting in less

landfill/processing costs; MRF fines and glass recycling where it produces with extremely low wear rates when compared with alternative methods like zig-zag air separators; compost and street sweepings by pre-screening without blockages then producing in one process waiving the need for expensive and wear intensive static start screen set-ups; and various other applications tailored to suit specific materials and products.

More: Screenmasters Australia 1800 571 464 or www.screenmasters.com.au

Garwood hits the ground running IT’S been eight months since Schwarz Industries announced that Garwood International had been named the exclusive Schwarze and Bonne sweeper dealer for Australia and New Zealand. With units already rolling off the production line and demos booking up for both the Boschung and Schwarze products, Garwood has hit the ground running and has not looked back.

Since assuming the sales of the

Schwarz GS6 and Schwarze A4 Storm on June 14, 2017, Garwood said it has exceeded all expectations by doubling the orders placed and sold compared to the same time the previous year under the Schwarze management.

“To say this model change has been successful is an understatement,” Garwood said.

“Garwood has a clear focus on customer satisfaction and delivering units that exceed the minimum

The 2018 Garwood Sweeper Road Show.

requirements of just another street sweeper. With new units sold and orders already placed by municipalities, airports and the contracting sector, it is safe to say that Garwood is sweeping up the market.”

Garwood is currently out and about, traveling around the country to showcase its newly released Schwarze GS6 and Boschung S2 unit.

More: www.garwoodinternational.com.au or 02 9756 3756

Processing highly contaminated post-consumer plastic? No problem.

THE increasing complexity of materials is driving equipment manufacturers to innovate quickly and Lindner Recyclingtech is no different.

The Austrian company manufactures a range of machines, from stationary and

The Rafter.

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mobile shredders to complete systems for plastics recycling and the production of SRF/RDF fuels. In Australia, Lindner distributes its machinery through Koga Recyclingtech.

In December, Inside Waste caught up with Linder’s area sales manager, Alexander Zinn, who visited Australia to meet with current and potential clients.

Noting that today’s materials are becoming increasingly complex, Lindner has developed new equipment to meet changing demands.

In 2016, the manufacturer launched the Rafter, a pre-washing system for highly contaminated post-consumer plastics.

“Today, we have difficult materials

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

such as paper labels and films as well as the use of glue [on these labels].

We developed the pre-washing system to get rid of this specific problem labels,” Zinn said.

In essence, the Rafter cleans highly contaminated, pre-shredded plastic waste by removing extraneous material and pre-washing the charge in one single step.

That’s not all. Zinn revealed that Lindner is developing a mechanical dryer as well.

“In the past, especially in film recycling, you had a combination of mechanical and thermal drying and we’re working on a solution to only have mechanical because thermal drying is very energy intensive. Only

using mechanical drying would make it less expensive to run the line,” Zinn said.

These developments are also timely when you think about what’s happening in China with its National Sword policy which restricts the import of some recovered materials, including plastic. According to ABS’ 2011 estimates, Australia exports about 50% of recovered plastics with China being our main export market (88%).

Thus, while these new machines play a role in improving operational efficiencies and the recovery of complex materials, they could also drive the plastic recycling market here at a time when the world is impacted by China’s move.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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info@finlay.com.au

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news

Waste Management Association of Australia: Suite 4.08 | 10 Century Circuit | Baulkham Hills NSW 2135 | t: 02 8746 5000 | e: info@wmaa.asn.au | w: www.wmaa.asn.au

From the CEO’s desk WMAA is well aware that the recycling industry has been under significant strain for a number of years, due to many factors including lack of sustainable secondary markets in Australia, increasing regulation, unrealistic customer expectation, volatility of global commodity markets and increasingly confusing packaging and limited public education.

We have to act now and solve this issue once and for all, taking all necessary actions Australia wide, to structurally move from a linear approach for managing waste (take, make and dispose) to a circular approach to resource management.

Recycling is not optional it’s a vital part of our continued existence on a planet with an exploding population that has finite resources. This is not up for debate. We must recycle to keep the virgin material extracted at their highest and best use for as long as possible.

Everyone along the resource chain of responsibility from designer to producer to retailer to consumer to government to householder to recycler to remanufacturer, all have something to contribute and a role to play. It is no one person failing or fault.

The real question is how do we take full responsibility for recycling the resources we use in Australia?

WMAA has developed a list of priority actions that we believe are required to address this issue in the longer term to achieve the structural changes required to decouple the Australian recycling industry from global markets and achieve the jobs and investment required to make this industry sustainable into the future.

At all times we must ensure that we maintain confidence in Australia’s waste and resource recovery sector, and comply with the principles of the waste management hierarchy to which WMAA is committed.

Upcoming WMAA Events WMAA organises industry leading events and seminars and 2018 will be no different.

•QLD: 13 March, 2018 - Breakfast with the recently elected QLD Environment Minister •SA: 14 March, 2018 - Marine Litter Breakfast Seminar •VIC: 29 March, 2018 - Women of Waste Leadership Breakfast VIC •VIC: 13-14 June, 2018 - ENVIRO’18 Convention •SA: 14-15 November, 2018 - 2018 WasteSA Resource Recovery Conference WMAA Members receive a discount on all WMAA Events. Visit www.wmaa.asn.au for the most up-to-date calendar of events.

2018 WMAA MEMBERSHIP

Solutions: 1.

Policy actions required to remove all barriers to waste products being used as a recyclate (eg additional reporting requirements given it is a “waste” product and not virgin.

2.

Government action and leadership in developing the Circular Economy in Australia, by developing and mandating Green Public Procurement (like the EU), for example use of recycled plastic play equipment and benches in parks, recycled paper in offices, etc.

3.

Mandate sustainable packaging requirements for all products sold in Australia, requiring recycled content in all packaging (it is not enough that it is recyclable, must be made from recycled content, how else will we ever have enough demand for recyclate in Australia.

4.

Strengthen Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation to ensure no longer voluntary systems, requiring producers to both design to reduce waste and place emphasis on reuse and repair. The cost of end of life to also be met by producers.

5.

Funding provided by all Governments for increased research and development for identifying and building markets for recovered material in Australia, and new resource recovery technology. Consideration to be given to each state establishing a formalised and funded partnership between EPAs, manufacturers and the tertiary sector to invest in research to make all packaging circular and identify market uses.

WMAA is calling for immediate action to address these issues and for steps toward these solutions be set as urgent actions.

WMAA is very determined to work with government, the waste and resource recovery sector, manufacturers and the public to deliver the above actions, and create the Circular Economy, jobs and investment that we need in Australia.

Gayle Sloan Chief Executive Officer Waste Management Association of Australia

WMAA Submissions WMAA has been actively representing both Members and the wider industry by engaging with State and Federal Governments on several submissions over the past months. Several submission are currently active and are being drafted.

•Commonwealth - Consultation on the Regulation Impact Statement for national phase out of PFOs •NSW - NSW Draft Freight and Ports Plan •QLD - Waste codes •QLD - Moreton Bay Council - Incorporation of waste regulations into local laws •WA - Plastic bag ban WMAA Members are encouraged to provide feedback to their State branches via info@wmaa.asn.au

// Policy

China’s National Sword is cutting deep in the recycling sector Mike Ritchie.

By Mike Ritchie THE Australian economy has benefited immensely from the rise of China. Higher demand for our resources and lower costs for manufactured goods are well known.

One benefit that is poorly understood, particularly outside the waste and recycling industry, is how Chinese demand for resources has underpinned recycling schemes around the world.

Fully half of the world’s recycling was received by China, and received at a price that enabled MRF operators to offer very good rates to councils in Australia. In some cases, MRF operators were paying councils to receive their recyclables.

Councils and their ratepayers, along with industry generators, became accustomed to paying substantially less for their recycling than they did for general waste.

That has substantially changed with the Chinese National Sword policy.

Banning the import of some materials, slashing permissible contamination rates in import licences from 5% to 0.5%, and restricting the number of licences issued, has sliced a very large hole in markets for recovered materials.

It has cut, and it has cut deep.

With the exception of very clean input materials, MRFs are not designed to produce a product with 0.5% contamination. This rate represents a tenfold reduction in contamination from what is already being achieved. Some MRF operators suggest it is impossible to achieve with mixed recyclables.

The policy has reverberated through recycling supply chains not only in Australia, but also in the USA, Canada, Asia and Europe. Global prices for many recycled materials have tumbled as National Sword started to bite in September 2017 when the Chinese government reconfirmed National Sword to the World Trade Organisation.

The prices for mixed plastics and mixed paper have plummeted.

Mixed paper has dropped from its decade-long range of $200-250/tonne to between $0-80/tonne. Mixed plastic has dropped from $250-350/ tonne ($400-450 for sorted PET and

HDPE) to around $50/tonne. Even the price received for OCC (old corrugated cardboard), formerly a reliable earner for MRF operators, dropped by 17%.

National Sword has affected almost 1.5 million tonnes of waste plastic and plastic exported from Australia to China, earning over $160 million dollars for MRF operators.

As if to reinforce the pain for MRF operators from National Sword, the domestic market for glass has also collapsed across Australia. Whereas glass and glass fines were previously reused in local bottle making, it is now cheaper to import whole green bottles from Mexico than to make green bottles from recycled glass. The market demand for clear and amber glass has fallen so far that the main local bottle producer, OI, has mothballed a number of glass furnaces in Australia.

Glass that was once sold for local bottle-making is now being crushed into glass sand just to find a sufficiently large market. Glass for bottle making was sold for the last decade at a consistent price of $72/tonne. Glass sand is worth only $4-12/tonne as a sand replacement.

Taking into account sorting costs and transport, MRF operators are now losing $50-100 per input tonne of glass. And glass is a substantial part of the overall tonnes received.

The sharp falls in prices received for materials out of MRFs are significant for a MRF operator’s business model.

About 50-60% of all recycling tonnes from Australian households is paper and cardboard. 6% is plastic. Along with aluminium (1%), these are usually the highest revenue streams for a MRF operator. The remainder is glass at 30-40%. Now, all either earn significantly less, or lose large amounts of money.

The recycling industry faces a perfect storm. It is worse than the disruption of the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. It is not a mere downturn in the market that can be ridden out; rather the market demand for recyclables has been slashed through a permanent structural shift.

With supply remaining constant, prices will remain low for a long time.

A dramatic and long-term fall in sales

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

revenue at the back gate of the MRF leaves the operator needing to cover costs from elsewhere. The only place the missing revenue can be recouped is at the front gate. That is, gate fees charged to waste generators such as councils. These fees must go up if MRF operators are to survive.

We have already seen a number of commercial renegotiations taking place via Change in Law and Change in Waste contractual triggers. That the Change in Law happened in China is immaterial in contract law, the change is significant and pertinent to the contract’s operation.

One of the country’s large MRF operators has gone so far as to use a Force Majeure (Act of God) trigger to stop receiving kerbside recyclables from a group of 11 councils in Victoria.

The net effect is that, in the immediate term, councils can expect contract claims for gate fee increases, retention of container deposit scheme revenues where available and allowable, and contract terminations where the former are not possible. Many will be having these conversations now.

On our estimates, the MRF gate fee increases could be as high as $100/ tonne of input materials. A Victorian council estimates that the increase might be almost $200/tonne. That will exist until alternative markets for glass, plastic and paper/cardboard open up, either here in Australia or overseas.

Setting aside the necessary immediate increase in gate fees to ensure recyclers remain commercially viable, governments, councils and processors will need to resolve what action they should take in the short to medium term.

This is not a time to be making a case that we need to build more landfills or waste to energy facilities to handle the extra recyclables. That will be immensely counterproductive to the industry, as the public rightly expects that the materials they diligently sort at home will be recycled into new materials.

Instead, we see some of the options for reinforcing the industry as being: 1. Capital improvements to achieve the new 0.5% contamination specification.

This will be difficult and expensive, but necessary if we are to create a high value add material. Irrespective of where it ultimately goes.

2. Labour increases to achieve the same.

3. EPA allowance for stockpiling of recovered materials. We need to work together closely to ensure that any new stockpiles don’t burn.

4. EPA relaxation of landfill levies on MRF residuals. Levies must remain on collected recyclables, even continue to increase, as this will keep driving the business model for recycling, however we need a short-term relaxation of levies on MRF residuals.

5. Council adoption of two-bin recycling systems (paper and containers) to reduce contamination rates, especially in the paper bin.

6. Council contract renegotiations to provide for greater responsiveness to changes in markets, and especially the Chinese market.

7. Development of domestic reprocessing capacity for paper and plastic. There are local reprocessors for all of these materials, and their capacity can be increased with targeted government investment. It will cost more than re-processing in China, but needs support if we are to have a resilient recycling system.

8. Purchasing policies by all levels of government to increase domestic demand for recyclables across the board. Where export markets have been lost, we should seek to replace them with local procurement.

National Sword will hurt in the shortand mid-term. But in the longer term it may generate another jobs boon in the recycling and re-processing sector.

To get there, we need coordination.

And so, I call on the federal and state Environment Ministers to set up a Recycling Coordination Council with industry and local councils.

Urgently and without delay.

Mike Ritchie is the director of MRA Consulting Group. Contact: mike@mraconsulting.com.au iw or 0408 663 942

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

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FOGO // Central Goldfields Shire’s screening plant - part of its FABCOM tunnel system.

All roads lead to...

By Jacqueline Ong UNLESS you’ve been living under a rock, you would be privy to the numerous FOGO (food organics and garden organics) three-bin collection discussions and strategies that have come up over the last few years, which in part have been supported by the benefits that come with managing food wastage and organic waste disposal in general.

When you consider that organics usually makes up more than 60% of the red/residual bin, of which the bulk comprises food waste, introducing a FOGO collection service should make sense because if this isn’t a low hanging fruit, what is? Of course, there are some important and potentially significant operational considerations to keep in mind if and when considering the switch.

Numerous local councils have trialled, are trialling, or have implemented three-bin systems to tackle organic waste with varying success but for those that haven’t, would you go down the voluntary route or the mandatory path?

Fields of gold Over in regional Victoria, the Central Goldfields Shire has had a voluntary green waste kerbside collection system since 2008, transitioning this service into a full-fledged voluntary FOGO offering, i.e. introducing food waste into the program, in 2012.

The drivers that led to the introduction of the FOGO service were straightforward. Central Goldfields Shire was a member of the Highlands 18

Regional Waste Management Group at the time (the group has since merged with the Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group), comprising the municipalities of Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool, and Pyrenees and collectively, these councils wanted to improve their resource recovery rates.

Since Central Goldfields Shire Council already had a green waste system in place, introducing food organics was the next logical and “easy” step to meet the group’s landfill diversion aims.

“The idea was to treat organics locally on a small scale and not cart the materials to a bigger facility. Our council was the best situated out of all the others in the regional group at the time as we were the only ones with a green waste system, albeit a voluntary one,” Ron Potter, Central Goldfields Shire Council’s manager engineering operations said.

Today, growth and success of the service is driving Council to consider moving to a mandatory system - more below - but in the early days, the main reason for going down the voluntary route was because community surveys showed there was limited interest in the program. As it turned out, going voluntary came with numerous benefits too.

“Being voluntary, all our customers are fairly good when it comes to contamination. That’s one of the advantages of a voluntary service - all your participating constituents want to do the right thing because they want the service and pay for it. They’ve got the right attitude and like seeing the

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

end product - each customer gets four bags of free compost a month. Whereas if you went compulsory, you may have larger contamination to deal with,” Potter said.

The day-to-day In moving to FOGO, Council had to increase the frequency of collections from the usual monthly green waste collection to twice a month. To meet its aim of completing the service cycle locally, from FOGO generation to collection, to processing, and finally supplying the compost end product, Council came up with the idea of developing an in-vessel composting facility.

Through a $142,000 grant from Sustainability Victoria, Council was able to build a $350,000 facility in Carisbrook, selecting a FABCOM tunnel plant, an Australian-invented organic waste technology developed by Dr Harrie Hofstede and commercialised by Spartel, to supply its internationally patented tunnel system with advanced odour control.

“Our FOGO waste goes onto a concrete slab where staff will first inspect it, removing any contamination which can be done easily and manually because we do not deal with big volumes. A tub grinder then chips the material and it moves into the FABCOM in-vessel composter,” Potter said.

All up, the first stage which occurs in the aerobic cells takes about four weeks to complete, resulting in “fresh compost”. This is then taken out of the cells and placed on an integrated aerated curing bay, where it cures for a minimum of two weeks. The aerated

curing area is designed to also act as a biofilter.

Potter acknowledged that in the early days, Council was concerned about potential odour emissions but said their worries were unfounded.

One reason is the low volumes that are processed by the Council. When Council started its FOGO program, it was processing some 200 tonnes of material a year, which then grew to 300 tonnes a year in 2015 and today, it collects 400 tonnes per annum.

But low processing volumes are not the sole reason for the absence of odour from the facility. The technology has played a big part as well.

“The tunnels are virtually odourfree and the only odour risk is when the waste is being unloaded from the trucks. Once the material is shredded and contained within the cells, there is absolutely no odour. The FABCOM tunnel system uses an innovative odour control system providing a further benefit of only requiring low buffer distances between the facility and the nearest sensitive receptors,” Spartel managing director Dr Harrie Hofstede said.

“The tunnel system also has a very low energy input requirement, as it’s been designed to take maximum advantage of natural airflow and utilisation of process air temperatures. Through the automated air recycling system, a proportion of spent air is reused in the process to pre-condition the fresh air humidity levels and pre-warm the air, particularly in winter. The curing bay is also aerated by the spent air from the aerobic cells, contributing to an energy efficient and effective process.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// FOGO

The Shire’s set-up comprises a chipper, screening plant, and baggers (pictured).

At the moment, the Shire has about 1150 voluntary scheme participants out of a potential group of 5300 participants - an increase from when it first started in 2008 with 400-odd participants and representing a steady growth of 100 additional participants a year. Recovery rates have also improved, with green waste recovery growing from 7.4% in 2015-16 to 9.9% in 2016-17. This has boosted the Council’s total recycling rate from 32% to 41.9% - all from only a fifth of the community.

When the FOGO service was launched, Council subsidised the service by about $20 per participating household meaning participants only had to pay $70 a year and Potter said 10 years on, the system is starting to pay for itself.

Voluntary then?

When you consider the benefits that the Shire has experienced by going voluntary - low contamination rates, lack of odour due in part to lower volumes of material, which also means not invoking requirements in the EPA guidelines, and the ease with which smaller regional townships can close the loop locally, there are compelling reasons to go voluntary. But is it all it seems?

“One of the problems with going voluntary is you will not know what your full cost is going to be. If you increase the numbers, your cost of collection will also increase. Now, we are almost breaking even and almost at the same cost as taking the waste to landfill. But in the first five years, we were behind. And that’s where there is an advantage in a compulsory system

- you will be able to better plan your costs out to cover it from a financial point of view. Additionally, if everyone is on board, you can divide the cost and possibly provide a more efficient, though not necessarily effective, service,” Potter said.

“The other thing is markets. Our voluntary system works well for our small-scale composting facility.

However, if you were to invest in a windrow-type composting system, you would need bigger volumes as they are larger scale. Ultimately, you will still need the same amount of base plant - a chipper, screening plant, baggers - so it may be more economic to get everyone involved. That said, you also need to consider the risk that a lot of people may not want to be part of the service.”

Potter also acknowledged that grant funding allowed Council to do this voluntarily because if it had to go it alone, the capital cost would not have only been $50,000 and a mandatory service would have been more viable.

Council is currently developing its waste management plan which will be aligned with the Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery’s strategy. As part of that, a mandatory service is being considered and will be put forward to the community.

“Going to a compulsory service is the natural progression. There’s still a percentage of waste that we can recover and it’s our best opportunity to improve our recovery statistics there are another 4000 customers we can get more organic waste from and there’s a real opportunity to get a big percentage of organic waste from the

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

remaining 80% of the population. If you multiply our current green waste rate of 7.4%, we could get this up to about 30%,” Potter said.

Going all out Over in WA, where the state government has a $20 million Better Bins Kerbside Collection program, Bunbury-Harvey Regional Council has had a mandatory FOGO service since 2013 and Tony Battersby, CEO of the Council, said they’ve “never looked back and thought, oh, we wish we had gone with a voluntary system.”

Bunbury-Harvey receives FOGO waste from four other councils, including the City of Bunbury, Shire of Collie, Shire of Capel and the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup.

“With food waste, collections have to be weekly and we didn’t want to double up on collections by going voluntary - having trucks running around one week for half the waste and another truck going around for other materials. Food waste needed to be picked up weekly and to make that work, everyone had to come on-board,” Battersby said.

Since then, the Shire of Collie has also made the FOGO service mandatory for all households that have an existing bin service, while the two remaining councils have only made it mandatory in their towns but not in their “lifestyle” or farmland areas.

Battersby told Inside Waste that he is firmly of the view that a mandatory service is the way to go.

“About 10 years ago, there were fires in the Armadale area and the findings showed that local governments needed

to introduce at least a green waste solution, if not a three-bin system to remove the fuel load that builds up over the summer months and cannot be burnt due to fire restrictions,” Battersby said.

“Then, there’s the reduction in production of natural gas and methane at landfills. Our councils are always keen to achieve waste minimisation and positive environmental outcomes.

Despite Bunbury-Harvey Regional Council also running a landfill, our number one goal is reducing waste to landfill and extending the life of our site. We are pleased to see the City of Bunbury making reductions of more than 6000 tonnes a year in organic waste and sitting at about 65% kerbside diversion now.

“We have researched other systems, including dirty MRFs but they were unsustainable, lasting a little while before having to be shut down,” Battersby added.

When asked about contamination with the assumption that this would be sky high, Battersby surprised us with the numbers. Bunbury-Harvey’s contamination rate ranges from less than 1% to 4% - well below Council’s anticipated 5% rate.

“We did investigate a lot of other programs when we were at the design stage of introducing the service and had seen other councils having 11-12% of contamination. Being mindful of that, we put in a major education program as part of the whole roll-out package and education continues, even after all these years, which is essential for a FOGO system to be successful,” Battersby said.

Driving processing The four councils utilising BunburyHarvey’s Compost Facility compose of about 65,000 residents. It receives around 15,000 tonnes of FOGO a year and processes this into 8000 tonnes of compost and mulch products using three FABCOM Piccolo systems.

The Piccolo is a mobile, open air aeration system with variable speed drive-powered motors controlled by wireless temperatures. It can hold 1400m3 of FOGO and every four weeks, waste is turned over to an adjacent FABCOM Piccolo system until its second turn, making it a minimum three-month process.

After three months, FOGO compost is screened over a 50mm screen to remove more than 95% of contaminants as well as any oversized organic compounds. This is windrowed for storage and prior to dispatch, screened over a 10mm screen. The resulting fraction is less than 10mm and is both clean and organically certified.

Meanwhile, the overburden is used as landfill rehabilitation.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

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FOGO //

“We produce different grades at the facility, comprising roughly 3000 tonnes of A-grade material. We also make mulches of different styles,” Battersby said.

Because the FABCOM Piccolo process takes longer than the FABCOM tunnel system, Dr Hofstede highlighted that councils thinking of taking on a similar project would need to have the appropriate amount of land.

“For example, for the same volume of waste processed through a FABCOM tunnel system, you would need double the land footprint for a Piccolo system.

It should also be noted that a Piccolo system is best located in a more remote location,” he said.

Like the Central Goldfields Shire, Bunbury-Harvey received $500,000 in grant funding through the Waste Authority to initially set up the compost facility.

With the City of Bunbury being the first Council to roll out the FOGO service, Battersby said everything fell into place and residents have only had to pay for the CPI increase.

“The City of Bunbury were lucky to have waste minimisation reserves in place for the purchase of the bins and the extra truck that was needed to put

Bunbury Harvey Regional Council has opted for the FABCOM Piccolo, a mobile, open air aeration system

into the fleet. There were also a few changes in collection and processing contracts where significant savings were achieved. It was the perfect storm of all these things coming together which allowed no extra charge on the ratepayer,” Battersby said.

Council is currently discussing the

relocation of its compost facility to its landfill site on Stanley Road as managing both operations at the one location could offer cost savings.

“We’re still at the design stage of the process and we are looking at another tunnel system that is aerated but fully enclosed - we want to take the

technology up to the next level of best practice,” Battersby said.

“We’ve learnt a lot over the last four to five years of operation. Even though contamination is low, there is still an element of contamination that goes into the end products, even when it’s screened down to 10mm. As part of the

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

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// FOGO

The Bunbury-Harvey’s Compost Facility receives around 15,000 tonnes of FOGO a year and processes this into 8000 tonnes of compost and mulch products.

new facility, we will look at putting in a pre-sort to remove that contamination.”

Community first In speaking to Dr Hofstede, Battersby, and Potter, it became clear that whichever path councils decide to take, education and communication are vital.

“From a strategic point of view, you really have to communicate and educate the community on where the opportunities are, whether it’s the potential savings or protecting the environment. As we develop our strategy moving forward, we will do a fair bit of community engagement to find out

what their preferences are. We will be guided by both the community and our regional strategies,” Potter said.

While Councils are often keen to propagate the environmental benefits and householders can often be swayed by the environmental argument understandable because people generally

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want to do the right thing - Dr Hofstede urged local governments not to avoid being transparent about the potential economic benefits, which he said would “certainly help people get behind it.”

“It is a very attractive proposition for councils financially if you think about the cost of landfilling and the potential to extend the life of landfills by moving to FOGO. The economic argument is usually very clear and would certainly help in getting support from people,” he said.

“It’s also about closing the loop with participating households by bringing them into the loop, such as providing them with free bag of compost. Their buy-in is what will close the emotional loop and get the level of commitment you need from the community.”

Ultimately, Battersby kept it simple, telling councils that are contemplating a FOGO service to “get on with it”.

“It makes common sense and it’s a no-brainer. Remove organics from landfill and get on with it. Look at your options in terms of what facilities you have to process FOGO and if you cannot find a suitable plant, do not be afraid to take it on yourself. With a bit of research and training, it can be done. It’s not rocket iw science,” Battersby concluded.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

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FOGO // A drone shot of JR Richards’ Molong ORF.

Inside a tunnel composting facility

By Jan Arreza THERE is a lot to be proud of when we look at the Australian waste and resource recovery sector. Sure, there are rogue elements and challenges but there is much to applaud as well. Just cast your eye on NSW, where JR Richards’ two organics recycling facilities (ORFs) have been operating for several years, successfully producing high quality mulch and compost products that meet the AS4454 standard.

The beauty of being in the sector here in Australia is that often time, while innovation is encouraged, we also do not need to reinvent the wheel.

Instead, we can look within and beyond our shores for proven technologies and lessons. And as councils begin to drive FOGO, they may find a reliable partner in JR Richards. Here’s why.

JR Richards’ Rich Earth compost business which launched in 2012, grew out of the development of the Grafton ORF on the NSW mid-north coast, established as part of Clarence Valley Council’s kerbside organics collection service contract. This was followed by the establishment of the Molong ORF, near Orange in central west NSW, as part of Orange City Council’s organics processing contract.

The state-of-the-art in-tunnel composting facilities process kerbside organic waste (garden and food waste) collected from households and businesses in these areas along with other organic waste residents transport to their local transfer stations or landfills. Combined, they have the 22

capacity to produce more than 30,000 tonnes of high quality Rich Earth compost per annum.

The rite of passage Over in Clarence Valley, the plant receives FOGO from JR Richards’ collection fleet daily, along with self-hauled garden organics. These materials are teased apart to remove contamination, and then shredded and loaded directly into the tunnel.

“With multiple tunnels we always stagger our loads to ensure at least one is available to accept material at all times. This allows us to control the storage area and all material is sealed in at night, which negates odour and access by animals. This process continues on a daily basis until the tunnel is full,” said Rob Marlow, chief operating officer at JR Richards & Sons.

“All tunnels are computer-controlled via an automated SCADA system with our staff being able to monitor and adjust if required either onsite or remotely. This system controls air pressure, temperature and moisture to ensure no escaping odour along with optimum conditions for the composting process.

“When the process is completed, the tunnels are unsealed and the raw compost is relocated to windrows. The product stays in windrows for several weeks, breaking down before being passed through a screen with a wind sifter attachment.”

Inside the tunnels Both ORFs are tunnel-composting facilities built under contract with

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Mission accomplished - Andreas Pichler smiling after successfully commissioning the Grafton plant.

the councils. Each tunnel module is a fully enclosed concrete built structure, which is offered in various sizes ranging from 20-35m lengths and 5-8m widths. The tunnels are arranged sideby-side and the shredded feedstock material is loaded through a door by means of a front-end loader. Each tunnel is equipped with its own air ventilation, leachate collection, and recycling system.

The key objectives of the technology are to contain all emissions from this intense composting phase; provide an optimal and consistent environment inside the tunnel for aerobic biological activity as far as temperature, oxygen, and moisture levels are concerned; and to deliver a product that is guaranteed pasteurised and odour stable for outdoor maturation.

Tunnel composting technology provider AP Business and Technology Consultancy (APBTC) owner Andreas Pichler said in order to achieve those objectives, the company employs high aeration rates to maintain an even temperature profile across the entire tunnel.

“The process further auto controls the mixing ratio of recycled and fresh air into the tunnel to minimise odorous air which needs treatment in the bio-filter and on the other hand, to keep humidity and oxygen levels high,” Pichler said.

“Temperature and moisture are our

primary control parameters; running the process on oxygen levels alone would not be sufficient to keep the temperature in the desired range between 55 and 65 degrees.

“We know that above 65°C biological activity slows down and more nitrogen is driven out as ammonia. Our process integrates a watering regime, which the operator sets up in order to maintain moisture levels above 50%. This removes the need for watering during subsequent maturation. The process control system (SCADA) takes control of each tunnel batch, once the tunnel is loaded and locked and the operator has selected the desired recipe for the batch to start the process.

“The recipe basically allows the operator to select the residence time in the tunnel, the temperature progression over the time, watering regime, etc.

The SCADA has remote log-in capability and monitors and controls all process parameters, fans, pumps and alike so that full supervisory control is achieved.”

A “run” report is also produced, recording all key performance data such as pasteurisation temperature, water/power consumption etc.

A range of applications The composting industry is certainly the main area of application, with typical feedstock being FOGO, biosolids, commercial food wastes

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// FOGO and other high moisture and odorous wastes from agricultural, industrial and commercial sources.

However, the technology is also a good fit for MSW-derived organic fraction, which either biologically stabilises the material for low key applications such as mine rehabilitation, or produces a fluff type of fuel for waste to energy applications.

“JR Richards approached us back in 2010 because they were convinced that the organic processing aspect will become more and more relevant in the industry as a consequence of the gradual introduction of FOGO kerbside collection systems,” Pichler said.

“They didn’t have a robust solution for this themselves. Tenders were about to be called in Grafton and Orange; at the time, JR Richards was operating its MRF at Cairncross in Hastings Council where Remondis was operating the tunnel composting plant for years and apparently that led to us.”

Marlow told Inside Waste JR Richards and the participating councils are “very pleased” with the outcomes of the facilities to date, saying the company looked at a range of alternative systems and while they met the contract requirements, many fell short when it came to the EPA’s stringent

odour and noise requirements... Until they met Pichler.

If it ain’t broke “All has gone well with this system and we have since replicated it at Euchareena for Orange City Council and some of the NetWaste councils. We also have a third facility under construction near Dubbo to service Dubbo City, Mid Western and Narromine Councils from July 1,” Marlow said.

“Our Dubbo facility is progressing well and will be a very similar plant to both Grafton and Euchareena, with the only changes being a few very minor improvements.”

Marlow advised councils that are considering new and different systems such as FOGO collection and processing to do their research and ensure the tender specifications address all aspects of the solutions they are after.

“This has been the case with the councils we have supplied the tunnel composting systems for but we have also seen other documents issued where there has not been an understanding of various aspects of the works required,” Marlow said.

“JR Richards, like many other companies in the waste industry, is happy to share our experience and

Pictured is a similar APBTC tunnel composting plant in Christchurch, NZ, which is processing up to 90,000tpa, including FOGO.

knowledge with councils to assist in providing a better understanding of what is required and the solutions that do work.”

Pichler added that there needs to be a long-term vision, commitment and collaboration, all of which will be very much driven by how a council approaches the service introduction, the consultation with, and the perception of the community of this service. They would also need to look at the true life of these plants, which is 15-20 years as far as the investment is concerned.

“From a rational point of view, a voluntary collection system will cost more in dollars per tonne than a

compulsory system in most cases,” Pichler posited.

“Also, council has less planning security, the diversion rate is lower and council has to provide more management to oversee and monitor the service. It is also not evident that the contamination levels are significantly lower where a voluntary service is provided.

“If council wishes to move from a weekly garbage collection to fortnightly, which would save ratepayer significant collection costs, the best complementary service for the household organics would be a weekly and compulsory FOGO kerbside iw collection service,” he added.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

23

Policy //

Is the NSW waste disposal levy too high?

By Gregor Riese LAST year was a tumultuous one for the NSW EPA with its regulation of the waste sector coming under the Four Corners microscope and the integrity of its senior waste officers being questioned on commercial radio.

The Four Corners program painted a very negative picture of much of the waste industry as it explored: • illegal dumping of waste and interstate waste transfers; • stockpiling and/or dumping of recyclable product; and • possible corrupt practices of public officials.

While the program missed the opportunity to examine the underlying drivers for waste management practices in NSW, the subsequent submissions to the federal Senate inquiry into the waste and recycling industry in Australia have thrown a spotlight on waste levies. This inquiry had specific terms of reference examining the application and appropriateness of waste levies across Australia.

Several submissions to the federal inquiry were critical of the current very high NSW metropolitan region levy of approximately $138 per tonne of waste disposed relative to levies imposed in other states/territories. These submissions blame the high NSW waste levy for: • driving waste and potentially recyclable product out of the state via interstate transport or unprocessed to export markets; • penalising existing recyclers and driving waste investment to other jurisdictions with more favourable regulatory environments; • acting as a disincentive for recycling of C&D waste, with recovery rates broadly flatlining or appearing to go into reverse (NSW recovery rates peaked during the mid-2000s when levy rates were around $50 per tonne); and • an increase in illegal dumping (NSW and local government spending on illegal dumping has increased $10 million to over $20 million per annum over the past five years).

The unintended outcomes attributed to the NSW waste levy are consistent 24

with many of the observations made in the Four Corners report. However, there appears to be no consensus within the waste industry as to what constitutes an appropriate waste levy beyond the maintenance of the current status quo. It is striking that so few in the waste sector (including the NSW EPA) are willing to engage in a debate on the appropriateness of the current waste levy arrangements in the face of increasing evidence that it is bad policy and not working.

The NSW waste levy collected over $700 million last financial year towards consolidated revenue, with approximately $100 million per annum being reinjected into the waste sector via EPA-administered grant programs.

Given the importance of the levy to consolidated revenue, it is not surprising that the NSW EPA does not encourage discussion of broad-scale levy adjustments or examination of whether it is having its desired effect on waste management and recycling.

Despite the best intentions of senior officers working for the NSW EPA, it’s difficult to imagine the agency being able to lead an open debate on the waste levy without one eye on the impact on consolidated revenue.

NSW needs an open and honest discussion on the waste levy in terms of who should pay the levy, who should be exempt, and how much should be paid per tonne. A quick look at the history of the waste levy from a regulatory development/ public consultation perspective shows there is virtually no economic or public-good justification for its current level. The early objectives of the waste levy to capture externality costs and encourage recycling have been overrun in the drive for more consolidated revenue. While a success in revenue collection, the waste levy is increasingly being seen as a policy failure in terms of encouraging recycling and discouraging waste disposal. The transfers of waste to Queensland is perhaps the most evident feature of this public policy failure, with illegal dumping on parklands and reserves a possible close second.

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

The NSW waste levy may have been a well-intended policy but it’s showing signs of having overshot its mark by a long way, says Gregor Riese.

Paradoxically, lowering the NSW levy rate may actually increase levy revenue.

The Australian Sustainable Business Group (ASBG) representing many large industrial businesses active in NSW has recently reported that reducing the waste levy by some $50 per tonne would largely eliminate the economic benefit associated with transporting the waste to Queensland. The ASBG found that net levy income revenue may actually increase from its current $700 million per annum due to the Queensland tonnes being diverted back to NSW licensed facilities. They estimate that current tonnes diverted to Queensland are in excess of 1.2 million tonnes per annum. Unfortunately, accurate statistics on these interstate waste transfers are difficult to obtain.

The NSW EPA has been fully cleared of alleged corrupt practices suggested in the Four Corners program and subsequent media reports. However, its role in developing an effective waste policy for NSW should be questioned while it remains responsible for the collection of such a significant portion of consolidated revenue through the administration of the waste levy. In the meantime, evidence from other jurisdictions suggests that NSW may be falling behind in terms of deployment

of new waste technologies and overall rates of recycling. The state has not seen the step-change in adoption of new waste technologies expected from the imposition of the high waste levy while the down-side aspects of the policy are now evident to all.

As the NSW EPA’s waste policy levers are becoming increasingly ineffective in managing the down-side impacts of the high waste levy (further illegal dumping initiatives, application of the proximity principle to restrain long-distance transport, micromanaging the C&D waste sector), the NSW government should look to review the current application of the waste levy and its continued administration by the NSW EPA. The NSW waste levy shows all the signs of a well-intended policy initiative that’s overshot its mark by a long way and is now damaging the industry and community it was originally designed to support.

Gregor Riese is the principal consultant of GCS Consulting with over 20 years of experience in the waste & recycling sectors, including three years with the NSW EPA’s waste policy division.

Contact: gregor@giantcorp.com.au iw or 0400 457 926

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Legal

Understanding your Development Consent conditions

By Kim Glassborow THE process of applying for and obtaining a Development Consent for a project can be complex and time consuming.

However, successfully securing a Development Consent is not the final step. It is important to carefully review, understand, and observe the conditions of the Development Consent to ensure that you can lawfully benefit from it.

Failure to observe the conditions of a Development Consent, including the preconditions for obtaining an occupation certificate, may result in your development not being carried out “lawfully” and possible regulatory action being taken against you by the relevant consent authority.

What the legislation says Under Section 109C of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act), an Occupation Certificate is a certificate that authorises the occupation and use of a new building, or a change of building use for an existing building. The phrase ‘new building’ includes an altered portion of, or an extension to, an existing building.

An Occupation Certificate verifies that the principal certifying authority (council or a private certifier) is satisfied that the building is suitable to occupy or use and satisfies the requirements of the Building Code of Australia and relevant Development Consent.

An Occupation Certificate cannot be issued unless any preconditions to the issue of the certificate that are specified in a development consent that, by its terms, are required to be complied with before such a certificate is issued, have been met. Such conditions could include the installation of toilets, undertaking of drainage works and landscaping requirements.

The Land and Environment Court (the Court) considers any such preconditions to be mandatory, and if an occupation certificate is issued by the principal certifying authority despite the preconditions not having been met, the Court has the power to make a declaration that the Occupation Certificate is invalid and of no effect.

The EP&A Act prohibits the use of or the change of building use for the whole or any part of a new building unless an occupation certificate has been issued.

Consequences of failing to comply with preconditions If you do not comply with the conditions of the relevant Development Consent or fail to obtain an Occupation Certificate prior to commencing the use, orders under Section 121B may be issued by council against you and/or you may be found guilty of an offence against the EP&A Act. The consent authority may also seek urgent interlocutory orders preventing the occupation of the property until relevant conditions have been complied with if the contravention is serious and the balance of convenience favours the grant of interlocutory relief to preserve the status quo.

For example, in the recent case of Strathfield Municipal Council v C & C Investments Trading Pty Ltd [2017] NSWLEC 155, Strathfield Council commenced proceedings against the developer for allegedly breaching the EP&A Act in failing to carry out the development consent in accordance with the conditions.

In the case where an Occupation Certificate has been granted, but preconditions of the Development Consent required prior to the issue of an occupation certificate have not been met, the Court may find that a breach of the EP&A Act has occurred and that the occupation certificate is invalid and of no effect.

This was the case in Cessnock City Council v Laila Investments Pty Ltd [2012] NSWLEC 206, in relation to a development consent which required that prior to the issue of an occupation certificate, the applicant must: • obtain concurrence from the Roads and Traffic Authority to the proposed road works and opening; • construct a 6m wide vehicular access to the property; • comply with all conditions of the consent; • provide identification of visitor parking spaces; and

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

G&B Lawyers’ Kim Glassborow.

• construct a specific intersection at the access to the development.

The applicant’s failure to undertake these conditions resulted in the Occupation Certificate being held to be invalid. The practical consequence of this is that the development cannot be used for its specified purpose until the preconditions are complied with and a valid occupation certificate is obtained.

The best way to prevent the above issues arising is by seeking advice at an early stage on how to ensure compliance with the conditions of the Development Consent.

You must carefully review and understand the preconditions required

before an Occupation Certificate may be issued.

Choosing a reputable Private Certifier or applying for an Occupation Certificate from council itself is a good way of avoiding the risk that a deficient Occupation Certificate is issued for the property, which might be put into question later and potentially invalidated by the Court.

Kim Glassborow is a partner at G&B Lawyers specialising in planning and environmental law with a particular interest in waste management issues.Contact: kglassborow@gandblawyers.com.au iw

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25

Market report good news for processors outlook for the industry, given a significant mass loss through organics processing was expected.

As the NSW Environment Protection Authority rolls out its next round of Waste Less, Recycle More Organics Market Development grants, it has released findings of a new report exploring the status of the organics market in NSW. The EPA commissioned Marsden Jacob and Associates, together with Jackson Environmental Planning and Blue Environment, to crunch the numbers from all known data sources of organics supply and demand.

9% 4% 5%

2% 9% Extensive agriculture

6% 65%

“For the demand side, it looked at market size, barriers and product value in different markets.”

“It found urban amenity remains by the far the biggest market at 65%, but agriculture is growing and now up to 15%. The great news is that the demand for organics is growing and meeting increased supply.”

The study also looked at barriers to the realisation of demand side markets, finding consistency with previous Urban amenity studies around distance to markets, low levels of awareness of compost as product, competition from substitutes and regulatory requirements and risks.

NSW organics market breakdown The collaboration also conducted targeted interviews to provide the most comprehensive point in time snapshot of organics supply and demand in NSW ever undertaken.

Using the EPA’s Waste and Resources Reporting Portal (WARRP) data, council kerbside audit data and industry surveys, the findings show a best estimate of total supply of organics in 2015/16 at 1.78 million tonnes and total demand at 1.32 million tonnes.

Marsden Jacob’s Rod Carr said the findings point to a healthy balance of supply and demand and a positive

“The study included supply from kerbside garden and food and garden collections, commercial and industrial food and green waste and mixed waste organic outputs.

We’re increasing supply through funding for new kerbside collections, we’re supporting the industry to increase capacity to process that additional supply and we’re supporting initiatives that will improve product quality.”

“It seems that quality is increasingly emerging as the key.”

“We’re looking to support better quality product by funding equipment through our infrastructure grants; industry training, with the new online Compost Facility Management Training coming out shortly; and these latest rounds of market development grants.”

“They aim to support projects that will increase customer awareness, support improvements in product quality and stimulate new and niche markets.”

Applications are open for grants of up to $300,000 until 28 March 2018. Full details, Guildines and Application forms, as well as the Market Development Analysis fact sheet, are available on the EPA website at www.epa.nsw.gov.a/organics

This, says Amanda Kane, NSW EPA Organics Manager, is where the new Organics Market Development grants come in.

“We’re now offering the second tranche of funding to support market development for source-separated recycled organics in NSW, building on a highly successful first round that has taught us a lot.”

“We know, supported by this research, that there is no shortage of market for the recycled product, provided it is good quality and tailored to meet market need.”

“It’s very pleasing because it shows what we’re doing here in NSW is working.

Waste Less, Recycle More

NSW organics supply by region

Go to epa.nsw.gov.au/organics for more info

Organics

Grant projects open new markets for compost

AgEnviro’s sports field project demonstrated turf’s resilience over the playing season using a tailored mixture of soil and AS4454 quality compost for field reconstruction and maintenance to replace 80:20 (sand to soil ratio) top dress.

Greater Sydney Local Land Services horticulture project explored the potential of specified compost blends to improve root size and structure, boost crop yields and reduce input costs through on-farm demonstration sites.

The Hills Bark Blower compost blanket project used specified compost blankets as an effective roadside rehabilitation tool. It used a finer grade compost with some particles from 20 millimetres to very fine and less.

ASM’s pasture project showed improvements in production and soil fertility. The success was due to quality, customblended A4454 compost created for each property’s soil and compost analysis as well as a pasture management program.

MRA’s on-farm project promoted the use of compost in grazing and cropping through workshops. On the host farms the compost used was tailor-made for the particular farm, its soils and enterprise, to boost production.

ASM’s African Lovegrass project saw the invasive weed suppressed and preferred species flourish with standard compost blended with nutrients that are shown to be lacking from soil testing and analysis.

Equipment grants reduce contamination, boost quality As part of its support for the industry to produce high quality product in NSW, the Environment Protection Authority introduced a new stream under its Organics Infrastructure grants last year covering up to 50 per cent of the costs of equipment to improve product quality.

Grants of up to $500,000 were available for decontaminators, screeners, shredders and other equipment that would improve the quality and consistency of organics outputs to reach new markets.

Seven projects secured $1.8 million, including two to ANL totaling $960,000 for one-pass decontamination equipment at Kimbriki and Cooranbong; $56,626 to JR Richards for Airvac systems at Grafton and Molong; and $92,136 to Remondis for a windshifter for light plastics decontamination at Port Macquarie.

ANL managing director Patrick Soars said the new equipment would revolutionise the company’s organics processing operations.

NSW has set a target to divert 75 per cent of all waste from landfill by 2021. To achieve it, effective food and garden waste recycling is critical because organics make up the largest single waste stream going to landfill.

“Unlike traditional density separation equipment, ANL has designed and developed, with its international manufacturing partner, a multistage liberation, separation and extraction technology unique to our industry and specific to our organics operations,” he said.

“At the core of our business is market leadership and the delivery of quality products for specific markets and this was a fundamental driver for our grant submission. “

The NSW Environment Protection Authority is investing $100 million through the waste-levy funded Waste Less, Recycle More for organics collections and processing, as well as grants to develop new markets for the final compost product.

Waste transportation // In October, NSW Police responded to a roll over event where it appeared exhumed waste was being transported interstate. (Source: WCRA)

Get a move on, NSW

By Jacqueline Ong THE interstate transport of waste, particularly from NSW to Queensland, has been going on for years. Some say about a million tonnes of material travel across state borders every year but the truth is, those figures are largely anecdotal and to date, no one knows exactly how much is being transported annually.

The issue has been discussed and debated by stakeholders of the industry and has even received mainstream media attention. And over the years, the result - on top of a loss of $110 million to $140 million a year in unpaid

28

levies for the NSW government - is the creation of a two-tier market of those who want to do the right thing and those who have been doing the right thing but may not be able to hold out much longer for financial reasons.

Then, there are the safety risks.

At a Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA) forum in February, NSW Police chief inspector Phil Brooks revealed just how devastating the impacts of interstate waste transportation are and have been.

Attendees were shown clip after clip of accidents involving heavy vehicles, including trucks carrying waste materials from NSW to Queensland. He

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

said that in order for drivers to get to their destination quickly, many were engaged in speed tampering. This is on top of the risks associated with driver fatigue and the general poor management of fleets. He pointed to numerous incidents where drivers were pulled over because they had not secured their loads properly, were on their mobile phones, had fuel leaking from their vehicles, were overloading, and when tested, were shown to have ingested illegal substances.

While there is a need to stamp out the root cause of these incidents - i.e. fix the interstate transportation issue - Brooks urged operators in the room

to think about and implement better processes pertaining to driver training, drug testing, fleet maintenance and time management.

Chain of responsibility Paul Endycott, Zenergy’s principal chain of responsibility consultant also offered some pretty sombre figures, including an 85% increase in deaths due heavy vehicle accidents in NSW over the last 12 months.

However, changes to the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws will likely play a large role in improving the situation, what with every part of the waste supply chain being held

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste transportation

HIS YAWEI LASER IS YAWEI LASER IS ESIGNED TO CUT GNED TO CUT BOVE THE REST. VE THE REST. OW THAT’S APPLIED W THAT’S APPLIED HINKING. KING. That same month (October), a truck loaded with demolition waste and headed for Sunnybank in Queensland, met a similar unfortunate fate. (Source: WCRA)

responsible for heavy vehicle safety and maximum penalties rising to $3 million for corporations, and $300,000 and up to five years in prison for individuals.

Endycott also noted that the authorities, including the police, will be given more power to take action and will no longer have to wait for a problem or trigger before conducting an investigation - they will be able to act on a suspicion.

He advised operators to undertake an in-depth gap analysis sooner rather than later, to plug the chain of responsibility gaps ahead of the changes being implemented from mid-2018.

The call for a harmonisation of levies was once again brought up, as well as the marriage of two actions - because as WCRA executive director Tony Khoury pointed out, simply fixing the levy will not work - Queensland imposing a levy and NSW rolling out regulations including laws that prevent landfills from receiving levy refunds on exhumed waste and/or acting as de factor transfer stations unless they have DA consent.

Spedding noted however that in Victoria where the levy is lower than NSW, it is “easier” to recycle because the state’s regulations are not as prescriptive.

Taking ownership

The one thing that attendees agreed on was that NSW needs to take ownership The levy or lack of levy in Queensland’s of the issue and not wait for Queensland case, was of course discussed, given it to take action; it is up to NSW to put an is the reason why waste is even being end to the problem. But how? transported across state boundaries.

The NWRIC has suggested making It is understood that the landfill levies portable across state Queensland Treasury is modelling levy borders, meaning levies are applicable extreme accuracy, speedWaste andand consistency of cut, combined options but as National where the waste is generated, not with very low operating Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) where it is landfilled.

While seemingly he new Yawei laser is the perfect way to take your low business to the next level. ccuracy, speedHLF andfiber consistency of difficult cut, combined with very operating convenor Max Spedding pointed out on the surface, Spedding wei HLFat fiber laser is the perfect to take to the next level. the forum, it will take at least till way previously said your all thatbusiness is needed is an or dollar, the new HLF is in a league of its own, opening up possibilities for companies July 2019 to make the legislative agreement between the states and the ss the laser cutting sector; from start-ups through to full production, 3-shift changesis required to apply changes follow will be for companies e new HLF in a league of aitslevy. own,legislative opening up that possibilities Additionally, even if Queensland were “relatively minor”. ments. r cutting sector; from start-ups through to full production, 3-shift to introduce a levy, would it be as high While that is one possible solution, as NSW’s $138.20/tonne? Probably Dial A Dump CEO Ian Malouf proposed quality German Precitec head, IPG laser source, Siemens not. And if built it is nowhere close,auto-focus why another cutting at the event - implementing controller and a fabricated, stress-relieved fullyLevy. annealed frame it really is a cut above would operators stop transporting a Safe Disposal Only minor man built Precitec auto-focus cutting head, IPG laser source, Siemens waste interstate? regulatory changes would need to be .and a fabricated, stress-relieved frame it really Spedding believes that as a start, the fully made,annealed said Malouf, and it would pretty is a cut above NSW government should make progress much be “business as usual”. with construction and demolition The change would refocus the minimum standards proposed in 2016 primary and legal liability for the levy because the suite of changes include payment onto the waste generator. e information: making it an offence to exhume and In turn, this liability is passed along 9706 8066 n: transport waste from landfills. the chain of responsibility in a similar les@appliedmachinery.com.au Some attendees questioned if the fashion to the GST. The levy collection w.appliedmachinery.com.au machinery.com.au NSW government should perhaps lower point would continue to be the landfill the levy and questioned if the levy is facility and if waste isConnect transported with us socially chinery.com.au doing its job. It seems attendees were interstate for disposal or illegally Connect us socially divided though it was pointed out dumped, it is thewith generator who will during the discussion that the levy is be held liable. d 1 22/12/16 doing its job in some sectors and it Malouf said it is a viable solution is not necessarily a straightforward or for a number of reasons. For one, it 22/12/16 9:27 am positive solution to simply reduce the is constitutionally sound, he said. levy. For one, the investments in the Precedents for the mechanism also exist sector made possible by the levy may in the Protection of the Environment iw be jeopardised.

Operations Act.

The levy

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

9:27 am

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

29

Anniversary //

Another notch in Wastech’s belt

By Jacqueline Ong IN 1993, two brothers, both diesel mechanics, had a simple desire - and don’t all successful businesses start with a simple goal? Having worked in the waste and resource recovery industry for many years, they were struck by the gap in service and repair services and thought, “we’d like to solve our customers’ problems.”

25 years on, Paul and Neil Bone have built a $30 million company specialising in custom engineered and manufactured solutions, complemented by a number of high quality brands, distributing waste and recycling equipment across Australia and New Zealand. The number of employees has also risen from five - the two Bones and three factory staff at the start to almost 100 today. Growth brings with it change but one thing remains - solving its customers’ problems is still Wastech’s number one goal.

The company helps its customers manage a variety of waste and recyclables - cardboard, plastic, and e-waste, to name a few - through a range of products such as its balers, compactors, crushers, chutes, transfer stations and trailers. It also offers turnkey solutions for sorting systems and material recovery facilities. The latest edition to its offering is the supply of waste collection vehicles; the German-built, Faun refuse trucks.

Hitting the 25-year mark is a milestone and Wastech’s performance as a small to medium enterprise has been recognised over the years, with

the company winning a multitude of awards. But Bone acknowledged that the journey wasn’t always smooth sailing, particularly in the first few years of operation.

“As with all start-up businesses, cash flow was our biggest problem.

The early days were tough, working long days and most weekends to keep costs down. My first company car was a beaten-up Holden HQ ute that I had to attend breakdowns in as well.

Trouble is, it broke down more than my customers’ vehicles did so I had to move that on pretty quickly,” Wastech director Neil Bone recounted.

“Even though the early days were tough, we had a lot of fun with customers and staff alike. The ‘honesty beer fridge’ in the smoko room got a fair hammering on Friday afternoons with many cars being picked up Saturday mornings or dropped off Monday mornings back to customers.

Watching our young employees grow, get married and have kids has always been a highlight and something we are proud of. What is also very rewarding is when employees leave to expand their horizons and then call me up months or even years later asking to return to Wastech as their experience here was much more rewarding and supportive.”

Then, the GFC hit in 2009 - not a fun time for anyone in the world, including Wastech. While the brothers lead “conservative private lives” and always reinvest the profits back into the business, which allow them to run with low gearing and surplus cash that

Brothers Neil and Paul set up Wastech in 1993 with the aim of solving their customers’ problems.

30

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Wastech director, Neil Bone.

On lessons learnt over the last 25 years, Bone said: “Lead from the front and never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do.

This brings an enormous amount of respect from your team and they will follow you through the good times and the bad.” proved useful during down times, the company wasn’t spared from the GFC, dropping 10% in turnover in a matter of weeks.

“We didn’t sit around. We plunged into developing a new product line and launched our own front lift truck within six months. Our business model is to be small enough to remain nimble and adaptable but large enough to be able to be financially stable. We have a diverse range of products that allows us to weather most economic hiccups as when one product group is quiet the others can usually support it.”

Erring on the side of quality We’ve all heard the stories of globalisation and cheap imports destroying the country’s manufacturing sector. To compete, many Australian manufacturers, including Wastech, perform a delicate balancing act between cost cutting and offering quality products. The challenge is exacerbated because customers face their own budget pressures as well, which drive them to seek long lasting but cheaper equipment, which as Bone rightly pointed out, “most often, don’t go hand in hand”.

When it comes down to it, the company has and will always err on the side of quality because “cheap price is long forgotten after the machine has broken down or worn out prematurely.”

“Cheap products don’t last very long and so we see it as cyclic. Companies may choose the cheap option for a few years but after they see their repair and

maintenance rise at the back end, we regularly see them come back around,” Bone said.

While Wastech’s focus on quality has paid off, its efforts may be magnified now more than ever.

“China tightening its control on recyclable contamination will affect the recycling market and companies that don’t focus on quality sorting will feel the pressure as their commodity prices drop or bales get rejected,” Bone noted.

“Luckily for us, our partner in recycling sorting equipment, CP Manufacturing, has high accuracy optical sorting and disc screens that can help recyclers achieve the low contamination rates that China requires. We are also looking at plastics grinding and cleaning equipment to allow recyclers to produce the clean virgin plastic material ready for resale directly to the manufacturer rather than via China.”

A 25th anniversary is one to be proud of and Wastech has much to celebrate. And it appears that Australia can expect much more from Bone and his team in the future. The company recently delivered the first of its Faun Rotopress, a rotating barrel type rear loader that it said is “changing the rear loader market”, and will soon unveil products to reduce the cost of waste handling in shopping centres though Bone “can’t talk about these yet.”

Wherever the road takes them, Wastech will always stick to the goal that got them started: “solving our iw customers’ problems”.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

There has to be a better way!

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Landfill // After the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, the Hanson landfill in Wollert (pictured) took in a significant quantity of asbestos-contaminated waste.

The resilient landfill

By Patrick Lau ON January 8 this year, the City of Penrith was the hottest place on the planet.

At 47.3°C, a bit of slip, slop, slap was more than warranted. But Penrith didn’t sizzle alone. Wilcannia and Richmond, both in NSW, also flirted with 47°C that same day. Queensland had its equal second-warmest January ever. And the mean maximum temperature across Victoria was 3.17°C above average.

This year is already shaping up to be hotter than 2017, which was our third-warmest - and that’s despite

32

the onset of a La Niña pattern at the start of summer. By this point, however, we should all be accustomed to the new normal of constant record-breaking heat.

While some outliers will always exist (Western Australia had a relatively cool January), the trend is towards more extreme heat, more unpredictable rainfall patterns, and more frequent and consequential weather-related disasters like bushfires, floods, and droughts.

To better understand landfill management practices in difficult weather conditions, Inside Waste

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

turned to Hanson Construction Materials divisional manager, Daniel Fyfe, who manages the Hanson landfill site at Wollert, near Melbourne. Fyfe is also an Australian Landfill Owners Association (ALOA) director.

“In terms of climatic conditions: hot weather doesn’t necessarily cause a problem,” Fyfe said.

“In terms of high-wind events: if you end up with litter spread from here to eternity, you can go and pick it up. It’s not the end of the world.”

Hot or cold weather are “uncomfortable for the operators and the drivers of the

garbage trucks, but other than that... An operator of a landfill in Arizona’s got the easiest job in the world. Because what’s going to happen?”

“When I explain it to new staff and compliance officers and people who are newer to landfill, I say ‘management of the waste itself is essentially the easiest activity’. Where you have operational problems are when you have high rainfall,” he said.

According to Fyfe, managing loose litter flying around or a prolonged heatwave “are not particularly difficult compared to wet weather and flood

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Landfill

events. Managing landfills in tropical zones or high-rainfall zones poses particular problems. The management of leachate is really the biggest issue.”

But surely thousands of tonnes of municipal solid waste baking away through an Australian summer are bound to cause some kind of odour problem, let alone a fire risk?

“Cold, snow, dry or hot doesn’t even really change your fire profile. The waste mass is generally around about 40°-45° degrees below the surface anyway. It’s only when you’re pushing much higher temperatures, or you get an ignition source, that you get a subsurface fire. But you’re not going to get that from an extreme weather event,” Fyfe said.

“Managing odour is directly correlated to low pressure zones. When you have a high [pressure system] going over a landfill, you’re very unlikely to have an odour profile unless you don’t have a good extraction system.

“You’ll see higher odour complaints in still conditions when you have a low pressure coming over. The gases will seep out of the landfill and collect in concentration. You can profile and predict when you’re likely to have odour complaints.

“We install [landfill gas collection systems] in horizontal in operating cells, and in vertical in filled cells and capped cells. But you still have a fair face that’s basically venting gas into the environment.”

Tackling that gas can be a major aspect of landfill management, according to Fyfe.

“There’s a whole range of different measures you can take. From masking the odours, using odour sprays; there’s equipment to disperse odourcides and masking agents to cover the smell of gas,” he said.

“The better option is to stop it getting out in the first place. One of the things that we’ve been doing in Australia for the best part of a decade, in sites which are very close to sensitive receptors, is the use of HDPE or LLBPE [membranes] on intermediate slopes.”

Those membranes, which function as leachate barriers, can also cut down on the amount of gas leakage from operational cells, or even those with partial caps. But there are further benefits.

“If you apply temporary membranes to your intermediates, you can suck harder for your gas extraction,” Fyfe said.

“If you draw oxygen into the cell,

you can start a fire. And the landfill gas people don’t want oxygen in, because it stuffs up their energy production. But if you put a plastic barrier on it, you can suck as hard as you want, and it means that you get greater gas capture because the barrier stops air intrusion as much as it stops gas getting out.

“My prediction is that within the next decade, EPAs around Australia will require intermediate slopes to have a membrane on them if they’re going to be exposed for a period of greater than 12 or 18 months.”

Our discussion turns to the concept of resilience. Fyfe pointed to the 2013 Bundaberg floods, and landfill use and rehabilitation in New York after 2001, as case studies for anyone looking into waste management in disaster scenarios.

But Fyfe has personal experience too - his Wollert site took in a significant quantity of asbestos-contaminated waste after Black Saturday, assigning a separate cell and sealed-cabin dozers to speed up the process.

“I’ve built enough airspace at Wollert, so that if there’s a disaster in Melbourne - not that I want one, but if there was one - we’ve got the airspace for it. Even if there were a problem at the other three landfills that take

Melbourne waste, whether a fire or a landslide or whatever the incident, I’ve also got the capacity to cover for them,” he said.

“One of the questions that needs to be posed to the regulators is, where’s their management plan for catastrophes, or emergency management plan for excess volume?”

As Fyfe noted (and Inside Waste has covered), stockpiling and landfilling are likely to experience at least shortterm booms in the wake of new Chinese import policies.

“And the EPAs around the country are putting limits on storage because they don’t want a repeat of fires like Coolaroo. So, whilst it’s an option of last resort, landfills are very resilient,” Fyfe said.

“It’s a matter for regulators, whether that be local councils as well as the EPA and state governments. The steady-state license conditions are fine 99% of the time.

“But in those events, such as major bushfires or storms or floods, there needs to be some understanding and the ability, at officer level, to be able to adopt emergency practices which wouldn’t necessarily be permitted iw during normal operations.”

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Landfill // Scott Prior, Gladstone Regional Council’s former coordinator of waste, works with AWMS to deliver tailor-made landfill training modules.

Mind the gap

By Jacqueline Ong KARTIK Venkatraman knows local government. After all, the managing director of consulting firm Acacia Waste Management Solutions (AWMS) has spent much of his career working for councils in Queensland and Victoria.

When he eventually left his last role at East Gippsland Shire in December 2016, Venkatraman, who considers human capital to be the most important asset of any organisation, was keen to use AWMS as a vehicle to drive training and development of operational staff,

specifically those who worked on landfills.

He told Inside Waste that having been in the thick of the action, he could see where the gaps were in local government waste management operations and practices, and that the biggest one was the lack of training for on-the-ground operational staff.

Yes, the various conferences and events around the country, from the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo to the Coffs Conference may boast big numbers but most of the time, councils would only send their waste coordinators or managers to these events.

“Budget is obviously a constraint within local government which may be why most councils only encourage coordinators and managers to attend conferences and training sessions. This is fine as long as the knowledge gained at these conferences/training sessions are passed on to staff involved in landfill operations,” Venkatraman said.

“Additionally, managers need to have a sound understanding of waste operations and technicalities; including plant and machinery. Unless you are hands-on with the operations, you won’t understand the issues, including

but not limited to compliance; the daily problems of compaction; what sort of equipment is required, etc.

That creates another gap because in most instances, managers make the purchasing decisions and the operators are expected to compact the waste using that machinery, whether it’s the suitable gear or not. Thus, there’s a big gap in making strategic decisions in terms of capital, fleet or operations and actual operations.”

Venkatraman also noted that not all staff working at the tip face have a thorough understanding or knowledge

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Parts and Service

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Landfill of waste, landfill management, operating plant in a landfill environment and legislation.

“Understanding the importance of their role and their contribution to the council, its ratepayers, and compliance is vital. Staff need to know the importance of compaction and managing the tip face to minimise adverse environmental impacts,” he said.

When Venkatraman was working for the Central Queensland Local Government Association, which included five councils, there was a push for the training of operators and on-ground staff. It was then that he engaged Scott Prior, who was working for Gladstone Regional Council as its coordinator of waste at the time.

“He was the only person in the mix who had the in-depth knowledge required to run the course. This course became very popular in the region,” Venkatraman said.

“Scott continued to enhance the module and down the track, he joined Resource Recovery. His training continued to gain popularity and I have always been a strong advocate of the course, even when I moved from Logan to East Gippsland - I got all my staff trained. It’s a course that’s unique to the nation. So, when Scott left Resource Recovery, I immediately

tapped onto him and the course.”

Today, Prior works with AWMS to deliver the tailor-made training module - Landfill and Plant Operations Training - that is developed to suit a council’s operational needs, waste quantities, and compliance requirements across five main areas of focus: 1. Compaction: maintaining consistent compaction rates utilising a defined compaction patter to maximise air space.

2. Pre-stripping: maintaining compaction by pre-stripping cover from areas to be filled each day and reusing the cover; and recovering airspace.

3. Working slopes and batters: working the face at a suitable grade and keeping batters at safe angles.

4. Face size and structure: having a face as small as possible to minimise exposure and leachate generation during wet weather.

5. Fill plan incorporating surface water drainage and access.

“Landfill operations - that’s the heart of waste management. Unless you get compaction and landfill management right, you are going to be spending a lot of money and resources on waste management as a whole,” Venkatraman said.

“Councils should review their operations and the way they do things

depending on the volume of waste coming through and if they are being fully compliant, whether it’s storm water or leachate management or placing day cover... Not many operators have the capacity or skill to strip maximum day cover back again the next day and if they’re not able to do that, they’re wasting a lot of soil and airspace.

Those are the sort of skills being delivered and demonstrated in this course, which also includes machinery maintenance and ways to optimise fuel

consumption through better practice and maintenance of plant.

“The importance of compaction and maximising airspace will only grow considering mandates, such as the one in Victoria, to not build any more landfills.

In the regional and rural areas, landfills will have a role for a long time because it will take a while for these areas to venture into other technologies unless they do so as a group. Thus, councils, being the landfill manager, should try to iw enhance landfill operations.”

The Gladstone experience GLADSTONE Regional Council is just one council that has put its operational staff at the Benaraby Landfill through the module and it said that employees mastered the use of time and space in only eight hours.

The module, designed to incorporate Council’s site-based management plan for the Benaraby waste facility, addressed best practice for maximising landfill capacity, minimising waste to landfill, leachate management, and managing the active cell face to ensure staff met compliance requirements and Council’s expectations.

Council’s acting waste services manager, Shane Coleman, said the training has proved beneficial to the management of the site’s operations.

“The training has ensured that all operators on both shifts are working towards the same goal and that we complete our daily operations in a uniform manner, helping to achieve overall consistency,” Coleman said.

“The training has made everyone more conscious about reducing our costs by maximising our air space, increasing our landfill gas outputs, and minimising our cover material operating costs to ensure our daily operations reduce costs and give better value to our ratepayers.”

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Transfer station // Council used the contours of the site to create maximum opportunities for resource recovery.

Driving resource recovery in Cessnock

By Jacqueline Ong A little over 56,000 people call Cessnock City, located in the NSW Hunter Valley, home. And in January, the community was given an extra push towards landfill diversion through a new transfer station.

According to Cessnock City Council, the region generates some 45,000 tonnes of waste a year, equating to 810kg per person and to date, about 29% is recovered with the remainder sent to landfill. Those figures, coupled with growing costs and the landfill levy Council’s current landfill levy contribution sits at $6.8 million a year - made the decision to redevelop the Cessnock Waste Management Centre an easy one.

“The state waste strategy and our own strategy were also a key factor as each of these placed a focus on diversion from landfill and recognised the value of recycling and resource recovery. We were also keen to improve the overall safety of the site for our residents. It was less than ideal to have customers come to the site and be in close proximity of the landfill face and heavy plant operation,” Cessnock City Council environment and waste manager Michael Alexander told Inside Waste.

Build it and they will come?

When Council started developing its 2014-19 waste management strategy, it went out to the community to seek

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feedback and found that there was strong support and desire for more recycling opportunities. However, when it came time to build the transfer station, Council found that its biggest hurdle was getting buy-in from the customer.

“The facility has resulted in the actual visit taking a little longer than when it was just a drop-off at the tip face and this has resulted in some customers displaying frustration,” Alexander explained.

“Some customers also hold the view that separating their material is not their responsibility.”

But Council was unfazed, viewing the challenge as an opportunity to develop its education strategies to highlight the advantages of separating and

exporting for recycling, reprocessing or reuse.

“We will continue to communicate openly and actively with our community to provide them with the information they need to understand their responsibility and ours. Overall, we aim to give our residents a better understanding of the cost of waste to our local government area,” Alexander said.

But as a start, Council determined to build a facility that would encourage its community to divert as much waste as possible and used the contours of the site to do that. Doing so also came with added benefits, such as improved safety and a convenient environment for the unloading of materials.

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// Transfer station “The facility adopts a continuous forward direction of travel and introduces maximum resource recovery opportunities through designated dropoff areas as the customer makes their way through the facility. The Community Recycling Centre (CRC) is also an additional drop-off point allowing for the disposal of household problem waste, ahead of the waste disposal push pit area,” Alexander detailed.

“To complement this, we introduced a third internal weighbridge within the transfer station that is connected to the existing dual weighbridge system allowing us to accurately record gross and tare weights, and differentiate between materials dropped for recovery and those destined for landfill. The internal weighbridge interacts with the original transaction via information captured at the start of transaction, such as number plate and waste category, and records the detail on a unique, reusable identification tag that follows the customer, recording resource recovery drop-offs, problem waste and ultimately the landfill component.

This system is designed to accurately account for the resource recovery drop off and reward the behaviour with a significant price reduction.

“The remaining load destined

for landfill is accounted for at the completion of the transaction and attracts full price. I am unaware of any other site using our approach that rewards customers. This is all about encouraging and educating the customer on the value of resource recovery.”

Alexander said “a lot of thought and preparation” went into making the site both functional and visually attractive, with Council using Colourbond metal finishes, rock gabion features, turfed areas, recycled glass in a feature wall, solar panels, and roof water capture into rainwater tanks. To minimise maintenance work on a site that operates 362 days a year, hard wearing concrete surfaces in high traffic areas were used.

Lessons learnt While Council’s reward system and design that follows the contours of the site are fairly unique, Alexander said instead of reinventing the wheel, Council established a focused project control group early in the process.

This group took learnings from other operators and blended them to meet the Cessnock City community’s needs.

Looking back, Alexander recounted the lessons the team has learnt in the process that he said are critical to success: • Community engagement is vital.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

The operational staff are vital to the success and operation of the facility.

Nobody likes a fee or charge but if community understands why and can see some tangible evidence of what’s being done, there would be some degree of acceptance.

• Keep Council informed of the drivers for change and take the time to ensure they understand as they speak to community all the time.

• Identify why there is a need to act, the cost options, and ramifications of taking action versus no action.

• Keep the operational staff informed and involved as they are vital to the success and operation of the facility.

• Early establishment of a multi-disciplined project control group

with regular meetings to keep track of progress, hurdles and obstacles.

• Look for contractors who share the same values, have experience in the field and have a track record of delivery.

• Keep good records of the development. Council introduced time-lapse photography and drone fly overs to record the build which has proved valuable both in terms of prosperity and communication to both community and industry.

• Look at what others have done, identify the good points, and talk to the operators. And involve the operational staff in these visits and discussions. iw

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

37

Problem waste //

A mission to reshape the world Terracycle’s Tom Szaky.

By Patrick Lau IF you haven’t heard the legend before, it goes like this: a couple of brash young kids with big ideas drop out of a prestigious US college after their dormroom startup takes off.

With a disruptive model, their company pivots a couple of times over its first decade-and-a-half, maintaining an obscene growth rate. Along the way, it becomes known for pushing a youthful mindset into a legacy industry.

The office features graffiti parties, Nerf guns, and more hipster millenials than a Gambino concert at the vape shop.

They get their own reality television show. Then they get another one.

Now, just when industry giants are adjusting to the upstart in their midst by throwing money at it, the company makes a public stock offering to everyday investors. The future, it seems, is crowdfunded. Next stop: world domination.

It sounds a bit similar to Facebook, or any number of dotcoms. But TerraCycle isn’t in software or media; TerraCycle’s in the worm poop game.

And business is good.

These days, of course, the innovative recycling multinational has expanded from vermicompost (its first product) to upcycling post-consumer packaging items (fashion, jewellery, stationery) and further to resource recovery and processing.

In the process, it’s managed to finagle itself into a bizarre (and bizarrely lucrative) love triangle with consumers and problem waste. TerraCycle has more than 14,000 collection points 38

in Australia, with local partners including Bausch + Lomb, L’Oreal, Aldi, Australia Post, Lipton and Officeworks (as well as casinos and local councils).

“What we are publicly known for are consumer-facing programs”, says TerraCycle co-founder and CEO Tom Szaky. He’s talking about the company’s famous collect-at-home schemes for branded packaging, or perhaps their attention-grabbing deposit point problem waste solutions.

“Programs that are funded by, typically, brands; sometimes retailers; sometimes small business,” Szaky continues. “But the participants are always consumers. That’s what we’re very much known for.

“But to be fair... A little less than a half, but over a third, [of TerraCycle’s business] is B2B. Things like industrial waste, facility waste, universal and hazardous waste. You wouldn’t read about those, per se, because they’re not as media-worthy. They just don’t get the same press as things like cigarette butts or ocean plastic, which are very important waste streams to consumers.”

And, with the arrival of an approval notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 17, those consumers are now able to own a piece of the company.

“This type of financing is a new type of financing. It’s effectively crowdfunding for equity,” Szaky says.

“It’s similar to the more classic IPOs. They call them OPOs - Online Public Offerings - and it’s the right time for it. People are getting comfortable with that kind of approach.”

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

The structure of the offering allows investors to put up a relatively small amount of capital - from US$700 (A$882.26) directly, making it much more accessible to ‘mom and pop’ types than traditional public investment. It’s also open to international investors, despite relating to TerraCycle USA. The offering has only just opened, but those interested won’t want to dally.

“We’ll close the financing either when we hit $25 million, or when 12 months expires. Right now, we’re on track to close in about four months. That would be my educated guess based on data so far,” says Szaky.

Perversely, TerraCycle’s image as a Main Street vendor might be why some industry types are still unfamiliar with the company, even four years after their Australian launch (they’ve since churned through over 20 million units of problem waste).

But waste management should be keeping an eye on the OPO too.

TerraCycle aims to put some of the capital injection into acquisitions that will help them grow their offerings. “[TerraCycle’s] first business unit, about 75% of our turnover, is all about collecting waste that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated,” says Szaky.

“In B2B we recently acquired a company called AirCycle [a universal waste specialist], and we’re looking to do more M&A in that category. Not just in the US but abroad.”

“We’re very interested in small, five- to 25-million-dollar waste

management companies that focus on hard-to-recycle material that really fits our model nicely... Really just looking at waste differently. Because waste, for its scale, is relatively un-innovative.

“What we’ve done really well with AirCycle, and what we think we can do with others, is infuse insight with innovation. By bringing them in, we can really get the gas on and accelerate their growth.”

That insight that Szaky talks about comes from years of hard-won firsthand experience taking new technology and practices to market. Multiple pivots have improved the company’s business model, product offerings and environmental case.

“I’ve seen a lot of other innovative waste management companies come and go. I could rattle off a dozen of them over the past 15 years,” says Szaky.

“And what they all have in common: their innovations were really quite fantastic, but they never really evolved.

“We’re still small - not tiny, but $30 million is still small business.

We’re only about 200 employees. But we figure that pivoting, that ability to be flexible, is what has allowed us to, every year, with no exception, always grow.

“Last year we grew 15%. And this year I think we’re going to do another healthy double-digit percentage growth.”

To be fair, that’s a modest target sales grew from $77,000 in 2004 to $1.6 million in 2006, and were projected to hit over $20 million in 2017.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Problem waste

Innovation and other buzzwords of its ilk are easy to toss around.

At one point in our conversation, Szaky catches himself talking about disruption. “I hate that word,” he muses, “it’s so overused.”

But it’s inevitable to talk about change when you’re talking about TerraCycle. A sincere mission to reshape the world has underpinned the company’s evolution (the slogan remains “Eliminating the Idea of Waste”). Szaky points out, as an example, a business unit under development with the potential to threaten the rest of the company.

“We’re launching it at the World Economic Forum a year from now. We’re focusing on moving really some the world’s most famous brands and products away from disposable packaging altogether, into re-usable packaging systems; where the packaging never becomes waste and instead is cycled, collected, cleaned and so on.

“And that’s something that we think would be pretty exciting, to get out of this whole disposable mentality.”

That’s a mindset that futureproofs the company while, in theory, collapsing its raison d’etre [and that of the waste industry itself].

“I think the winners in the long run will be the ones that potentially disrupt themselves,” agrees Szaky, “instead of just preserving business models that are inoptimal.”

“It’s about how do you make something recyclable first, then how do you make sure that thing is made from recyclable material,” he continues, “and then how do you move away from even needing to recycle and more into a reuse paradigm. Which is a bit more circular.”

Of course, the major disruption to the industry globally this year will be dealing with the fallout of China’s new waste import policies.

Szaky thinks TerraCycle is relatively insulated, although worries about the wider effects.

“It’s bad for the world,” says Szaky, “because the biggest market for recycled materials effectively shut down.”

“Classic recyclers, it’s a horrendous effect. Really bad. I think it’s going to send major ripples across all markets, including Australia, and damage classic recycling businesses. We don’t rely on the end markets, so that’s why it’s not a deathblow, as it could be if we were a classic recycling company.

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

“We say, ‘well let’s not focus on what everyone else is focusing on; paper, aluminum and those sorts of things. Instead let’s focus on the ones that don’t have the economic capability to be recycled. And let’s find stakeholders who are willing to fund, effectively, the difference between cost of logistics plus processing minus the value.’”

Of course, one oft-mooted effect is that waste streams which were previously financially viable to recycle will become problem wastes.

“As things become less recyclable, we get more business opportunity,” Szaky notes.

“But I preface by saying that’s not a good thing. The best thing for the world is if TerraCycle would have no business opportunity.

“Recycling is more a band aid, or a solution to the symptom of garbage.

But to solve the issue we have to solve it foundationally, which means we need to get away from the idea of having waste to begin with. And the best way to do that is to really focus on how do you end the need for disposability.

“So how do you bring durability and reusability in that doesn’t sacrifice ‘cheap and convenient’. That’s exactly

the model we’re developing and launching next year. But if that goes big, theoretically it makes our other models less relevant, which I think frankly would be a good thing.”

The Australian market, meanwhile, might be poised to take advantage of the impending paradigm shift in waste processing. Says Szaky: “One major positive is that people care tremendously [in Australia].

“There’s a better-than-global-average care for the environment. So, the human element - that’s the positive.

And the positive is more important than the negative.

“What Australia struggles with at the moment is lack of infrastructure.

Landfilling and those sorts of things are very affordable to do. Relative to countries with the same wealth, there’s a need for more recycling facilities to be built, a need for more capacity.

“Now with China effectively shutting down as an end market, I think there’s going to be some pretty exciting development locally. In the short-term it’ll suck, but in the long run I think it could be pretty interesting.”

With TerraCycle in the mix, there’s no iw doubt it will be.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

39

Waste transportation //

New year, new fleets

By Jacqueline Ong TWO major waste collection contracts were signed in NSW and Queensland last year, with operators Cleanaway and SUEZ rolling out or set to roll out new collection vehicles with all the bells and whistles. Inside Waste takes a look at the machines on the roads.

Safety first Over in Brisbane, SUEZ announced in June last year that it was extending its 33-year presence with a 16-year waste collection contract to service the city’s 1.2 million residents.

Under the renewed $900 million contract, SUEZ has committed to investing some $50 million on new equipment, of which 88% will be directed to the new fleet.

SUEZ has turned to Iveco for the new ACCO models, which will comprise 104 6x4 units fitted with Superior Pak side loaders for kerbside collection.

The ACCO fleet will likely be put

in service for about eight years, covering between 400,000 to 500,000 kilometres in that time.

SUEZ told Inside Waste Council’s specifications for the new trucks were “relatively open” and it trusted the sector to select the most efficient and safest vehicles possible.

“The Council required all vehicles to have NHVAS accreditation and comply with noise and emission tests with a rigid audit regime. The vehicles are also required to have a detailed maintenance process that is subject to our contract maintenance contracts with the suppliers of the vehicles and bodies,” SUEZ said, adding that all vehicles will have: • Fully integrated camera/DVR systems, in some cases up to eight cameras on the vehicles. All cameras will be recording and maintained on a 20-day cycle.

• Real-time vehicle and service tracking as part of SUEZ CORE. • Integration of the on-board computer systems to the operational parameters

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

of the truck through the CANBUS (SUEZ CORE).

• Reverse and forward braking systems - these L-R: Peter Hudson, SUEZ state general manager systems automatically recycling & recovery Queensland, Mark Venhoek, CEO SUEZ Australia & New Zealand, and Lord Mayor of detect obstructions behind Brisbane, Cr Graham Quirk. and in front of vehicles, and automatically apply the brakes.

“Safety is first and foremost for SUEZ and the Brisbane City Council and these features will contribute towards the safety of the residents during the collection process. The new features will give us, alongside BCC, much greater To service the Central Coast, Cleanaway has implemented visibility in real-time of a new fleet of purpose-built collection vehicles. day-to-day occurrences. They will also mean more efficient The green waste units will also feature service and continued service rates for Superior Pak’s new hopper design (more Council,” SUEZ said. in the October 2017 issue).

The full fleet will be completed by the “Superior Pak has demonstrated end of April to allow time for testing, over several municipal contracts their refinement and set-up prior to the July capability to meet the required delivery 1 commencement of the contract. schedules while maintaining a high As part of the contract, SUEZ will also degree of quality and consistency. This be rolling out 8x4s, featuring Bucher was especially important considering Municipal front loaders, which will form the short contract implementation part of the multi-unit dwellings fleet. timeframe of five and a half months,” A purpose-built solution Cleanaway regional manager - Sydney Just two months later in August municipal, Michael Sankey said.

2017, Cleanaway announced that it had “Furthermore, they continue to won the Central Coast tender to provide demonstrate their ability to provide a domestic waste collection services to high level of in-field support, resulting the region’s 331,000 residents. The in a high level of equipment availability contract commenced in February. for Cleanaway.”

To meet its end of the bargain The new fleet is fully equipped with three-bin collections, six bulk waste Cleanaway’s Cleanaview system, providing collections per annum, public parks, near real-time service information. litter and recycling services as well as “Cleanaview gives councils a level of a beach collection service - Cleanaway insight into waste and resource recovery has implemented a fleet of 72 new collection services that was previously purpose-built collection vehicles, which unavailable within the Australian the company said has been fitted with municipal market,” Sankey said. the latest technology.

“It provides Council with the To do that, Cleanaway partnered ability to view real-time collection with Superior Pak to deliver 68 data, manage requests and provide units comprising: feedback to residents improving both • five 12m3 4x2 rear loaders service and customer service within (Hino chassis); the community. It allows Council to • two 18m3 4x2 side loaders view key performance indicators and (Iveco chassis); track the performance of Cleanaway • two 24m3 6x4 rear loaders for general providing greater transparency waste collection (Dennis Eagle chassis); of service.

• 13 24m3 rear loaders for hard waste “It also comes with value added collection (6x4 Isuzu chassis); features including the ability • 25 24m3 side loaders for refuse for the drivers to upload in near collection (Dennis Eagle chassis); real-time photos for things such as • nine 24m3 side loaders for green waste bin contamination, bin damage or collection (6x4 Iveco chassis); and replacement requirements, road damage • 12 33m3 side loaders for recycling and pot holes and other things such as iw services (6x4 Iveco chassis). fallen trees or powerlines.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

By Jan Arreza REMONDIS has added a new machine to its fleet and while the waste truck in question is not a new concept, it hasn’t yet made a big mark in the Australian market.

The FAUN Rotopress body rear lift MAN TGM 26.290 6x4 truck is commonplace in Europe and Inside Waste has, in the past, covered the equipment. In Australia, Wastech, which distributes the German-built truck, is confident that it will change the rear loader market (more on page 30) and it isn’t alone - Remondis is confident that it will be able to drive its popularity here too and is currently doing additional testing to prove its benefits locally.

“From our understanding, this technology and design was developed back in 1928 and over the years, it has achieved success in the European market,” Daniel Allen – national fleet procurement manager at Remondis, said.

“From our perspective, and given that our parent company based in Germany is familiar with this product we thought we would see how this concept would fare in the Australian market.”

The Rotopress comes with a unique rotating drum principle, which allows for easy and residue-free discharge, a low-maintenance screw press, and design features to prevent fluid loss.

It also boasts excellent axle load distribution in any loading stage as waste is always transferred to

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Waste transportation

the front of the barrel first. There is minimal residue and odours left in the body after emptying due to the self-cleaning action of the body as it empties in reverse rotation, resulting in less smell and fewer corrosion issues.

“Given that the drum is continually spinning and the refuse is being pushed towards the back, a self-cleaning and abrasive process takes place. Given the clean lines of the rotating drum design, there are little opportunities for body corrosion and the potential for fluid loss.” Allen explained.

The Rotopress works on a simple rotary compaction process with minimal moving parts, meaning less maintenance and fewer repairs will be needed.

The Rotopress is equipped to empty all containers from 120 litres to 1100 litres. Subject to the cabchassis and body build combination, there is a potential 800kg tare weight difference, making the truck lighter than equivalent sized blade-type rearloaders. Meanwhile, the truck boasts high manoeuvrability due to short rear overhang, and is said to be very quiet during operation due to the constant rotation of the barrel, rather than the mechanised sound of steel compaction blades.

“The truck has essentially fewer moving parts than a conventional rear lift truck and this feature provides a tangible benefit of reducing the vehicles tare weight - allowing for greater waste volumes” Allen said.

“This feature is appealing to anyone in the transport and logistics industry – more waste being collected, less down times, less time spent running to and from waste transfer stations – all of that time associated with dead running is reduced.

“Also, in terms of maintenance, there will be less activity in that space and less associated wear and tear as the years go on. We envision the whole-of-life costs associated with repair and maintenance activities will be noticeably less.”

The self-sealing rear door and constant mixing of waste and residue makes this compactor ideal for domestic and commercial waste applications.

And the final plus that should be a hit in the industry is that organic waste collected immediately commences to compost in the rotating drum. How, you ask?

First, the organic materials are loosely blended and therefore already excellently homogenised during collection. Fluid is immediately mixed again and the constant rotation aerates the waste and reduces the formation of potential odours.

The waste is continuously rotated

and in the process crushed and conveyed forwards by two screw channels.

Finally, the material is compacted in the screw press channel as it narrows.

The Rotopress container is designed so that water (when dealing with organic waste), dust and ash cannot escape.

The optional wastewater tank at the rear collects the stagnant seepage water.

The rotary barrel design of the Rotopress has been perfected over time – it has In January, Remondis took delivery of its FAUN Rotopress body rear lift MAN TGM 26.290 6x4 truck, after all, been which it is now testing to determine its suitability to local conditions. around since the 20s - integrating the latest technology to develop what is said to DESIGNED FOR THE TOUGHEST JOBS be one of the most economical refuse AUSTRALIAN MADE vehicle for the collection of household 3 SIZES FROM 10-32m waste and equivalent commercial waste in European markets.

PVC & MESH WIND OUT TARPS “There are definitely some efficiencies built into the system as it has a continuous compaction process - there’s no compactor blade at the back of the truck so you can continue to keep tipping into the back hopper,” Allen said.

Remondis took hold of the vehicle in January and will now evaluate its suitability to local conditions.

“We’ll be looking to evaluate over time whether those increases in waste volumes and reductions in dead running will actually translate to process efficiencies, which we believe they will. And given the benefits around the reliability and maintainability, we perceive that there will be some positive results” Allen said.

HOOK LIFT BINS - COMPACTORS - TRANSFER TRAILERS “It’s still early days but we expect that over the first quarter of this year, we will have some initial data back to support our operations moving forward.

“As a business, we are very excited to see this type of equipment come in and we are looking forward to seeing the results from our tests.

“We believe that it will bring a number of enhanced safety impacts and effective work practices to bear in Australia as INNOVATIVE WASTE SOLUTIONSS iw experienced in Europe.”

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

43

Recycling //

On a mission to increase plastic reprocessing

By Jan Arreza 2017 Churchill Fellowship recipient, principal of One Planet Consulting and part-time Vinyl Council of Australia recycling manager Helen Millicer will be travelling around Europe and South East Asia from April 20 to May 30.

She will be searching for new resource recovery, reprocessing and product ideas and innovations for plastics, as well as investigate practical strategic steps to shift Australia to a more circular economy.

The project timing will coincide with European conferences on plastic recycling and the release of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Strategy for plastics, making it an ideal time to engage with leaders on all things related to the push for a more sustainable and circular economy.

“The key purpose of my travels is to work out what we can do to have a more circular economy within Australia.

The focus on plastics will ensure conversations are practical, and the principles, policies, strategies, levies

Helen Millicer with plastic packaging and end product samples from Replas.

The key purpose of my travels is to work out what we can do to have a more circular economy within Australia. The focus on plastics will ensure conversations are practical, and the principles, policies, strategies, levies and programs can be applied to other material streams as well. and programs can be applied to other material streams as well,” Millicer said.

“I am meeting with a range of organisations - those that are involved with product stewardship, collection systems, sorting facilities like MRFs, reprocessors, product designers, government policy specialists, consultants who are leaders in the field

of circular economy, and also advocacy groups that have a view towards a more sustainable future.

“I am also planning to organise appointments with some economists and marketing people who are involved in the calculation and construction of the business case for a shift to a more circular economy.”

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Recycling

Helen Millicer with the Victorian governor, Linda Dessau, during the Churchill Scholarship award presentation ceremony at Government House Victoria.

Like the Europeans and Chinese, it is absolutely essential that we get smart and have a fundamental rethink about our reliance on scarce virgin materials and shift our systems toward a more circular and productive economy.

Since 2011, Australia has relied heavily on the export of plastic waste to Asia, sending more than 50% of the country’s recyclables to the region.

However, in mid-2017 China announced it would impose import restrictions on 24 categories of solid waste from January 1, 2018, a move that has undoubtedly impacted the sector with

reports of waste being stockpiled and at least one company putting a halt to sorting/processing.

Over the last decade - well before China’s National Sword policy announcement - the quantity of plastics reprocessed for manufacturing in Australia had been falling in real terms. After all, plastics had a

home beyond our shores so there was little need to think about domestic processing.

“We have been lulled into a great sense of low cost security thinking that we could continue to co-mingle materials, bail them up and send them off to China. That has been a singular and high-risk strategy, and we’ve done that to the detriment of retaining the value of the material and also re-using it locally,” Millicer said.

“By that approach, we have over time whittled down the capacity of our own industry to absorb and reuse that material and forgotten that there’s no point in collecting materials if there is no market for it to go. We have jeopardised our own Australian market while being focused on low cost, mixed export co-mingled recycling.”

For example, strategies and programs to address durable plastics in Australia are almost non-existent, whereas there is a plethora of work, resources and focus on packaging and comingled collections. Likewise, most of our strategies, reports, data, contracts, pricing, systems, and programs have prioritised efficiency and volume over quality and value for end products.

According to Millicer, we need to change the way we support and enable industry within Australia.

“It is time we change our grant programs, our policy platforms, our training, and our conversations around the industry,” Millicer said.

“Understandably, our focus has come from a position of being concerned about the hygienic removal of materials, and now in the 21st century, we must focus on the retention of the value and putting material back into product.

“The Australian reprocessing of plastics was overtaken by our exports of plastics in 2011 and I’ve been an advocate for us to change our policy and programs for some time. It is not just China’s ban on imports that is the issue here. The other issue is we have gigafactories producing virgin materials at record low prices, which have cut the margins on reprocessing - it’s become extremely difficult for reprocessors to survive in the current climate.

“Like the Europeans and Chinese, it is absolutely essential that we get smart and have a fundamental rethink about our reliance on scarce virgin materials and shift our systems toward a more circular and productive economy,” iw Millicer concluded.

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Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

45

Street sweepers //

The sweet spot

By Jacqueline Ong IN the street sweeping sector, Specialised Pavement Services (SPS) can be considered a bit of an anomaly. The company has a very different approach when it comes to fleet management and its philosophy has paid off, both for SPS and for its clients.

Up until last year, SPS founder Wayne Jupp was also the managing director of SRS Roads, a road construction, pavement maintenance services provider, and it was in 1996 that Jupp purchased his first suction broom, driven by the lack of adequate sweeping contractors at the time. The next logical move was to set up SPS to contract street sweeping services back to SRS Roads (later acquired by COLAS).

“I couldn’t get the service out of the existing contracting industry.

Bituminous road sealing [one of SRS Roads’ services] is a high-risk operation - loose stones on the roads could cause cars to skid - and we had a number of near misses with the travelling public.

In fact, some of our competitors had incidents and we determined at the time that it was necessary to take control of the ability to sweep up after jobs,” Jupp told Inside Waste.

Since then, SPS has become a force to be reckoned with. Servicing the east coast, from Far North Queensland to Western Victoria, SPS has a fleet of 69 street sweepers and will purchase its 70th in April. The company also boasts the youngest fleet in the country, 46

with Jupp noting that SPS replaces its machinery at an age where its competitors purchase them.

“Our competitors buy used equipment that are seven, eight or nine years old.

SPS replaces our equipment when they get to that age,” he explained.

“We tend to buy eight machines a year to keep our current status and to maintain our fleet age between three and five years.”

This can be a cost prohibitive exercise when you consider the spend - a machine costs about $360,000. But it’s not just the initial outlay that SPS has to consider. According to Jupp, sweepers also depreciate between $60,000 and $75,000 a year and generally, the resale value goes down by about 20% over four to five years.

Then, there’s the maintenance cost, which Jupp said costs the company “literally millions of dollars per annum”.

“A street sweeper is very complicated with lots of moving parts. So, for SPS, when our depreciation reduces, maintenance costs increase and when these two costs cross over that is the trigger for the sale of the equipment. A dollar spent in repairs is a dollar lost so where it becomes more expensive to maintain old equipment than to buy a new one, we would then change the machine,” Jupp said.

How can SPS do that sustainably?

Jupp said it comes down to their street sweeper manufacturer - Bucher Municipal - being the “benchmark in the industry” with reliable and durable street sweepers that have high resale value.

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Getting it right Thus, it comes as no surprise that SPS and Bucher Municipal have had a longstanding partnership that dates back to the early years.

Today, SPS’ fleet comprises 90% Bucher Municipal equipment including the RT655, a regenerative air suction sweeper, the VT605 and VT 651 - a range of vacuum twin engine machines - a smaller two-seater sweeper - the CN201, the compact CN101, and the largest of the lot, the BEAM A12000.

While each serve different purposes and environments, SPS’ sweeper of choice is the VT651 (more in fact box).

While Jupp acknowledged that there is no one machine that can do every single task to perfection, the VT651 comes close in being that universal sweeper that SPS was looking for to meet the needs of its local government, bituminous and construction clients.

Getting the mix right was quite the

task in the early years. In the early 2000s, SPS purchased its first VT605 (the VT651’s predecessor), and worked closely with Bucher Municipal to create the universal sweeper it was after.

“The specifications of SPS’ machines evolved in the first three to four years.

The company started off with pretty moderate specifications but realised they needed to add value in areas so that the machine could multi-function.

Eventually, they hit the sweet spot and for the last four to five years, they’ve been running with the same specifications,” Bucher Municipal senior account manager Wayne Hogan said.

“Some of the features SPS has gone with include VariGap, which allows them to adjust the nozzle’s suction.

With a standard machine, you can only either open or close the nozzle.

With VariGap, SPS can set it to suit the application. Their sweepers also have power booms off the roof, suction

The VT651 SPS’ VT651s tend to sweep about 9km/hour though this varies from user to user and of course, depends on the application. Generally, this machine can clean between 2km/hour and 15km/hour.

Other key features include: • Hopper capacity: 6.5m3 • Fuel tank: 190L • Water tank: 1572L • Hydraulic system: 75L • Engine: JCB Dieselmax 444 Stage 3A; four cylinders • Max. sweeper width: 3600mm

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Street sweepers

Cleaning up the Harbour Bridge For the first time in 80 years, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed in 2012 for maintenance work, which led to the bridge being stripped back to its original concrete deck to undergo a complete resurfacing.

New waterproofing membranes and asphalt surfaces were applied to ensure a smoother and quieter ride for motorists, while also reducing maintenance requirements for the bridge.

SPS was invited to play a key role in the RMS project, deploying six Bucher Municipal VT605 street sweepers to assist in the cleanup and preparation for the resurfacing operation.

“The work was done over two weekends in January, closing the bridge from Friday to early Monday morning in a time critical operation. One of the things we learned was that reliability of machines is important. It is critical for SPS to supply reliable machines that are going to be there and do the job - to give the client the best possible equipment and the best trained operators,” Jupp said.

SPS deployed six VT605s to complete the Harbour Bridge clean-up in 2012.

hoses that are hydraulically controlled and can pull materials from road sides, and RMS-approved lighting. They’ve also stuck to one type of cab chassis - the Hino FG - which is the bigger offering of sweeper cab chassis. At 15.5t, this chassis gives SPS the ability to carry a bigger payload.

“VariGap is able to assist in the spray sealing work without damaging the pavement. We also determined that a twin engine machine with a belly broom was the way to go. Now, these things are standard and I’d like to think that we were a part of that process,” Jupp added.

While it’s happy days for Bucher Municipal and SPS, Hogan acknowledged that there was a fair bit of work to get to this sweet spot.

“It came down to spending a bit of time with them and understanding their operations and what they were trying to achieve. We also went out with their drivers to understand their processes and figure out which features would provide increased productivity,” Hogan said.

A local government solution SPS may do a fair bit of work in the construction space as well as state government projects such as the 2012 clean-up of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney (more in fact box) but it also services local government areas, including the Northern Beaches.

There is a common misconception among councils that they have little

choice but to purchase, maintain, and operate their own street sweeping division. Street sweeping is, after all, a high-profile and visible service. If the streets are dirty, the council cops it. It didn’t help that back in the 90s, like SRS Roads, councils also found it challenging to find a reliable sweeping service provider.

Things have changed since and as the sweeping industry continues to evolve, Jupp has noticed more councils turning to providers such as SPS. “There’s been a real shift from owning their own machines to contracting because street sweepers are an inherently difficult piece of equipment to own. Because of the many moving parts, they do break down and it’s easier to own 70 machines than it is to own one.

For us, we can just swap it out with another one in our fleet but of course, councils do not have that luxury,” Jupp said.

“It is also difficult for councils to keep skilled operators in that role.

The equipment is only one part of the equation. When you expect drivers to sweep between 30km and 35km a day, you need them to be highly skilled because it’s a complicated job; driving 50mm from the kerb while being aware of your surroundings and equipment. Without skilled operators, productivity goes down.

“We have the newest machines but we also have the best operators

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

SPS says it has the best operators.

who are remunerated properly and provide the best service... Though not necessarily at the lowest price.”

Even so, Jupp said with SPS’ winning combination of people and equipment, the company can help councils save at least 30% on real costs through increased productivity.

Customers are given a full view of the machines servicing their contracts and invoices councils based on lump sum service or per swept kilometre.

“On our website, we provide a portal with a GPS tracking login for our clients. All of our equipment is tracked across the country and clients can see where the machine’s been,

what it’s done, broom performance, etc. You are able to see the point where it starts to broom and where it finishes,” Jupp said.

Moving forward, SPS may have found the sweet spot but that doesn’t mean it will stop making improvements to its fleet. The company has started installing selfbraking radars on their machines and hopes to have every sweeper fitted with the technology within two years. SPS and Bucher Municipal are also eagerly awaiting the launch of Hino’s new dual control cab chassis for street sweepers, expected to be iw ready at the end of the year.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 INSIDEWASTE

47

Schwarze GS6 Tempest

Dimensions: (LxWxH) 4300 x 1150 x 1990mm Gross weight: 3500kg Hopper capacity: 2m³ /1200kg Water tank: 340L (190L fresh, 150L recycling) Fuel tank: 60L Turning circle: 6650 wall-to-wall Max sweeper width: 2300mm (2600mm with third broom) Max speed travel & clean: 45km/hr, 18km/hr Key users: ideal for streetscape, busy pedestrian areas, kerb and gutter, underground car parks and laneways.

Dimensions: 7320mm x 3400mm x 3000mm *Typical measurements listed.

Exact measurements depending on options & truck manufacture Gross weight: 14t - 15.5t Hopper capacity: 6m³ Water tank: 946L dust suppression system Fuel tank: 200L Turning circle: 990mm Max sweeper width: 2032mm Key users: the biggest seller in the Schwarze range, the Schwarze GS6 Tempest has been specifically designed to meet the needs of

Base price: P.O.A More: https://sweepex.com.au/ boschung-s2-urban-sweeper.html or Steve Byrne - 0409 732 403

Garwood International

Boschung S2 Urban-Sweeper

urban councils and sweeping contractors.

Base price: P.O.A More: www.garwoodinternational.com.au or 02 9756 3756

Faun Viajet 6

Boschung S2 Urban-Sweeper

Dimensions: (WxHxL) 2.355m x 2.9m x 6.3m (depending on type of chassis) Gross weight: 9125kg (depending on type of chassis) Hopper capacity: 6.4m³ Water tank: 1900L Fuel tank: 200L Turning circle: 14m (depending on type of chassis) Max sweeper width: 3.3m dual sweeping Max speed travel & clean: up to 20km/h Key users: unique air-recirculation

Dimensions: (LxWxH) 4300 x 1150 x 1990mm Gross weight: 3500kg Hopper capacity: 2m³/1200kg Water tank: 340L (150L recycling, 190L fresh,) Fuel tank: 60L Turning circle: 6, 650mm Max sweeper width: 2,300mm (2600mm with third broom) Max speed travel & clean: working speed 0-18 km/h, transit speed 0-40 km/h Key users: the Urban-Sweeper S2 has been specifically developed for inner-city environments - including

sweeper perfect for customers which want to comply with stringent low working noise, excellent water usage and reduced wear.

Base price: P.O.A More: www.wastech.com.au or info@wastech.com.au or 03 8787 1600

Garwood International

Wastech Engineering

Karcher Australia

Product profile: street sweepers //

S30 Mid Sized Ride on Sweeper

Eriez Magnetic Sweepers Tennant Australia

Incredible efficiency for a clean sweep

Eriez’ electromagnetic and permanent magnetic Road and Floor Sweepers are fast, reliable and the most practical way to rid large surface areas of dangerous pieces of ferrous contamination such as wire, nails and other sharp objects. In one quick sweep, costly tire and equipment damage can be prevented.

laneways, pedestrian malls and other areas with limited access.

Base price: P.O.A More: www.garwoodinternational.com.au or 02 9756 3756

Dimensions: 2360mm L x 1590mm W x 1475mm H (without overhead guard) Gross weight: 1620kg Hopper capacity: 18% Fuel tank: Petrol, LPG or Diesel Turning circle: 3870mm Max sweeper width: 2032mm Max speed travel & clean: 24km/h Key users: industrial, warehouses, large manufacturers Base price: P.O.A More: 1800 226 843 or contactus@tennantco.com http://assets.tennantco.com/globalassets/webassets/sweeper%20 riders/tanz_s30_lr.pdf http://au.tennantco.com/apac-en/equipment/sweepers-ride_on/midsized-ride-on-sweeper/s30#OverviewTab

800 Industrial Ride-on Sweeper

Keep your environment hazard free.

For the removal of tramp iron from airports, highways, parking lots, warehouses, machine shops, factory aisles and recreational areas such as parks and sports grounds. Eriez has the right magnetic tools for the job!

Tennant Australia

• Simple operation • Exceptional performance • Choose from a wide selection of models and sizes

Dimensions: 3050mm L, 1780mm W, 2100mm H (with overhead guard) Gross weight: 2948kg Hopper capacity: 850L Fuel tank: petrol, LPG or diesel Turning circle: 3430mm Max sweeper width: 1680mm Max speed travel & clean: 16km/h Key users: industrial, warehouses, large manufacturers Base price: P.O.A More: 1800 226 843 or contactus@tennantco.com http://assets.tennantco.com/globalassets/webassets/sweeper%20 riders/tanz_800_lr.pdf http://au.tennantco.com/apac-en/equipment/Sweepers-Ride_on/ Industrial-Ride-on-Sweeper/800#OverviewTab

Call 61 3 8401 7400 or email sales.au@eriez.com

48

INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

Introducing the new Johnston RT655 MK III Sweeper

Providing an ideal solution for municipal applications, airports and construction areas • Large diameter fan providing high suction performance which reduces the amount of blockages from sticks and branches • Large hopper capacity enabling your driver to stay on the road longer, which means less trips to the transfer station • Reliable John Deere engine, locally supported with on-board diagnostics

Customer Support Centre 65-73 Nantilla Road, Clayton North, Vic. 3168 Australia Phone +61 3 9271 6400 Fax +61 3 9271 6480

Customer Service Centre Southern Region (VIC/TAS) Unit 6, 80-84 Fairbank Road, Clayton South, Vic. 3169 Australia Phone +61 3 8558 3600 Fax +61 3 8558 3640

Customer Service Centre Central Region (NSW) Unit 2, 9 Enterprise Place, Wetherill Park, NSW 2164 Australia Phone +61 2 8787 9600 Fax +61 2 8787 9696

Customer Service Centre Western Region (WA,SA,NT) 76 Grey Street, Bassendean, WA 6054 Australia Phone +61 8 9370 7900 Fax +61 8 9370 7998

• Stainless steel hopper – designed to work in tough environments, increasing durability • Robust sweep gear using oversized pins and bushes to increase longevity of parts • Economy mode – reducing fuel consumption Bucher Municipal – Simply Great Machines!

1800 BUCHER 1800 282 437

Customer Service Centre Northern Region (QLD) 50 Buchanan Road, Banyo, QLD 4014 Australia Phone +61 7 3363 6400 Fax +61 7 3363 6499

Customer Service Centre Western Victoria 35 Spencer Street, Sunshine, Vic. 3020 Australia Phone +61 3 9314 8928 Fax +61 3 9318 0938

Customer Service Centre Central Region (NSW) (Compactors) 35 Walker Street, South Windsor, NSW 2756 Australia Phone +61 2 4577 3099 Fax +61 2 4577 3022

Customer Service Centre South Australia 4 Newcastle Crescent, Cavan, SA 5094 Australia Phone +61 8 8168 2222 Fax +61 8 8168 2240

refuse@buchermunicipal.com.au www.buchermunicipal.com.au Quality ISO 9001

Strap //

Dimensions: dimensions vary with model. Maximum road clearance of 76mm for permanent magnet sweeper at 8kph operating speed, to +115 mm at ≤16kph for an electromagnet sweeper.

Gross weight: varies according to model, accessories and magnet type but generally magnet only standard models: - Permanent magnet trailer type: 160kg to 266kg - Permanent magnet suspended type: 150kg to 256kg - Electromagnetic trailer type: 380kg to 1000kg Fuel tank: electromagnetic sweeper - fuel tank size depends on sweeper size, genset OEM supplier and customer requirements but approximately large enough to carry fuel for a shift.

Turning circle: can turn on its width Max sweeper width: permanent magnet standard widths: - Electromagnetic sweeper: 914mm – 2440mm - Special widths are made to order Max speed travel & clean: permanent magnet sweeper can travel at

25kph and cleans at 8kph.

Electromagnet sweeper can travel at 60kph and cleans at 17kph.

Key users: diversified examples are: - Standard Models: Australian Diversified Engineering (Qld); Rio Tinto (Pilbara Iron) - Special non-standard: Department of Defence (RAAF) Base price: depending on model, size, standard or non-standard and options, the price varies from $3700 to $110,000 each ex-works More: www.eriez.com or sales.au@eriez.com or 03 8401 7400

Johnston CX401

Johnston RT655

Dimensions: 1.8m x 2.5m x 5.5m (WxHxL) Tare weight: 5500kg Hopper capacity: 4.1m3 Water tank: 825L Fuel tank: 100L Turning circle: 2950mm kerb to kerb Max sweeping width: 3430mm Max speed travel & clean: 80km/h – sweeping 0-16km/h Key users: ideal for urban areas where a large hopper capacity and compact agility are equally important.

Base price: P.O.A More: www.buchermunicipal.com.au or 03 9271 6400

Dimensions: 2.35m x 2.76m x 6.36m (WxHxL) chassis dependant Gross weight: 9524kg chassis dependent Hopper capacity: 6.5m3 Water tank: 900L Fuel tank: 220L (includes 15 litres reserve) Turning circle: chassis dependent Max sweeper width: 3500mm working Max speed clean: 2-15kph Key users: the RT655 provides an ideal solution to long low cambered

Bucher Municipal

Bucher Municipal

Eriez Magnetics Pty Ltd

Eriez Magnetic Sweepers

roads and urban environments. In addition, the RT655 is perfectlysuited for airport applications and is utilised world-wide in this capacity.

Base price: P.O.A More: www.buchermunicipal.com.au or 03 9271 6400

NEW IN 2018: S D AWAR

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INSIDEWASTE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

// Wasted Space

Back to the dark ages we go ON January 1, China implemented import restrictions on 24 categories of solid waste, a move that shook and shocked Australia. The restrictions certainly came as a surprise because when China first announced its plans in July 2017 and then incrementally applied its National Sword policy over six months last year, no one took them seriously. Chinese hoax and all. Plus, Operation Green Fence in 2013... we don’t even remember what we ate for breakfast, much less what happened five years ago. Come on! And China’s ramp-up of domestic manufacturing over the years has been a big, secret operation. No one could see from a mile away what was happening.

In Victoria, Visy will no longer process yellow bin recyclables from some western Victorian councils, Shepparton City Council included, invoking the force majeure clause in their contracts with collection provider Wheelie Waste.

What is force majeure? It is simply the unforeseeable circumstance that prevents one party from fulfilling a contract. No one could see China’s import restrictions coming that’s for sure. Definitely an unforeseeable event.

The industry is panicking, and rightly so. Where will the recyclables go? Australian recycling needs rescuing ASAP but it’s unlikely that our knight in shining armour will be federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg.

Not my problem, he says. Let the states deal with it. Not a federal issue. Time

to retire your buck to the yellow bin, buddy. Oh wait, there might not be a yellow bin anymore.

There are heaps of suggestions that will help in the long-term that industry has at one point or another, in the last, oh I don’t know how many years, argued for. We’ve reasoned and discussed with governments, we’ve criticised them, we’ve hired consultants to do the research... But at the time, there was simply no need to listen to the sector; there was no risk at all of anything changing in the global markets because they don’t change. There was no need to think about processing locally - why?

We had overseas markets! There were no whispers, rumours, or announcements of China’s recycling move. If it ain’t (too) broke...

What can be done in the interim?

Throwing money at a problem usually helps. But it’s not like any state has extra levy funds just sitting there propping up budgets. So, scrap that idea.

Maybe governments should take the lead and immediately implement sustainable procurement practices, i.e. use recycled products in projects. But change is tough and that might not work either. Plus, it’s way cheaper to use virgin products. Anyway, it’s not like we have an abundance of projects that could use a quality supply of recycled materials, right? States are not building more roads that could soak up stockpiled glass, are they? There are no local markets it seems.

Here’s are two sure-fire ways to solve the crisis in the short-term. Snap elections in every state and territory!

Election promises, whether viable or not, always turn into reality sooner rather than later. Or, the various states and territories should book in an interstate government meeting in the next few weeks, discuss the viability

of setting up a working group, set the working group up in a few months, come up with strategies, put the strategies out for consultation for about eight weeks, discuss the submissions, put out second drafts... in the meantime, we can always just stockpile, landfill or as a start, can recycling, no big deal.

The dark ages aren’t all that bad.

DIARY May 3-5 IE Expo China Shanghai New International Expo Centre As Asia’s leading environmental show, IE expo China 2018 offers an effective business and networking platform for Chinese and international professionals in the environmental sector and is accompanied by a first-class technical-scientific conference program. It is the ideal platform for the professionals in the environmental industry to develop business, exchange idea and do networking. www.ie-expo.com/ May 8-10 Waste 2018 Coffs Harbour, NSW First established back in 1996, the Coffs Harbour Waste Management Conference is now well regarded as the industry’s leading waste management conference. It provides a quality program focused on the latest developments in the industry, high profile presenters that are leaders in their field, and an exhibition by leading edge companies and professionals from across Australia and overseas. www.coffswasteconference.com.au Daily news updates at www.insidewaste.com.au

May 14-18 IFAT Munich, Germany More than 3000 exhibitors attend the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies to showcase their pioneering technologies, innovations, and strategies and solutions tailored to meet the requirements of the market in question. www.ifat.de June 13-14 ENVIRO 2018 Melbourne Cricket Ground Hosted by the Waste Management Association of Australia, ENVIRO’18 will provide an opportunity to not only hear about the principles of the circular economy but learn from successful local and international early adaptors, as well as view innovation and new technologies. www.wmaa.asn.au

August 29-30 Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour The Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo brings together the industry to discover the latest trends, showcase innovation, attend high quality practical seminars and workshops, and network with key waste and recycling decision makers from industry and government. www.awre.com.au October 3-4 Waste Expo Australia 2018 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Waste Expo Australia is part of Ausstralian Sustainability Week and will run alongside All-Energy Australia. In addition to Waste Summit, a free-to-attend conference, Waste Expo will also include Waste Evolution, which showcases new technologies and products set to change the future of waste management and resource recovery in Australia. www.wasteexpoaustralia.com.au

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