Waste Management Review April 2021

APRIL 2021

Boosting Brooklyn Cleanaway’s Karl David on accelerating Victoria’s resource recovery network FEATURES Hazardous waste management Adaptable analytics Fit for purpose funding Closing the consumer loop

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COVER STORY

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A TICKET TO PLAY

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A recent plant installation at Cleanaway’s Brooklyn Resource Recovery Centre is just one component of a high-level strategy to increase the company’s sustainable footprint.

A DE-RISKING LEGACY As Enviropacific celebrates its 20th anniversary, Waste Management Review sits down with key company figures to explore the businesses’ experience, expertise and capability in managing Australia’s growing hazardous waste management needs.

“WE’RE ALWAYS ASKING WHAT CAN WE DO NEXT? AND WITH THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT CREATING INCENTIVES, IT’S ENCOURAGING THE BUSINESS TO EVOLVE.” - Karl David, Cleanaway Regional Manager.

In this issue

Features

24 LIQUID INVESTMENT

Over the past few years Brandster Services have been carefully investing in plant and equipment in line with the needs of its growing customer base.

WITH THE 32 ADAPTABLE ANALYTICS 42 ROLLING MARKET

Tamworth Regional Council’s Morné Hattingh speaks with Waste Management Review about boosting process efficiency with Mandalay Technologies’ Facility Analytics and Reporting product.

ARKET 28 CREATIVE COMPLIANCE 36 MINTERVENTION

Air & Gas Industries speaks with Waste Management Review about its decades-long history developing technically advanced transport solutions for the dangerous goods industry.

ALVANISED TANKS 30 GAND POWER

STG Global’s Vacuum Excavation Trucks are designed to simplify liquid and hazardous waste management in Australia’s harsh conditions.

rom industrial fires, illegal F waste storage and contamination, a complicated regulatory environment and market failures pose the question of when and how landfill levies should be used.

OWERING WASTE 38 PWITH 5G

5G and Internet of Things networks are accelerating the capabilities of smart bins located in global cities.

With the export ban on waste tyres fast approaching, Eldan Recycling’s Carsten Nielsen speaks with Waste Management Review about a tyre processing system that can produce 99.9 per cent output purity.

LOSING THE 48 CCONSUMER LOOP

aste Management Review W explores the retail sector’s engagement with NSW’s Return and Earn CDS.

Regulars

50 P RODUCT SHOWCASE 61 LAST WORD

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 3

PUBLISHER

Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

MANAGING EDITOR

Melanie Stark melanie.stark@primecreative.com.au

EDITOR

From the Editor

Hazard mitigation

Holly Keys holly.keys@primecreative.com.au

JOURNALIST

Brittany Coles brittany.coles@primecreative.com.au

DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

ART DIRECTOR

Earlier this year, the Victorian Government announced that a new hazardous waste facility would be built in the state’s south-east.

The $9 million facility will have the capacity to process a third of the state’s solvent waste each year and will be the largest of its kind in Victoria.

The announcement comes after a 2020 audit commission by EPA Victoria in the wake of the largest illegal chemical waste dumping operation in the state’s history, and highlights progressive steps towards better managing the state’s hazardous waste.

Similar steps are being taken across the country, with a hazardous household waste facility recently opened in Western Australia, and Waste Recycling Industry Association Queensland joining forces with law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth to educate industry on the problem of PFAS. As highlighted by Enviropacific in this edition of Waste Management Review, at its core, hazardous waste management deals with chemicals and contaminants that are in the wrong place.

Associated challenges and risks impact environmental health, as well as the broader wellbeing of every member of the community.

While industry is leading the way in developing innovative technical and equipment solutions, a number of key issues must be addressed to ensure effective risk mitigation.

Better hazardous waste tracking should be introduced, alongside the development of jurisdictional inventories of PFAS waste.

The sector would also benefit from moves towards a national taxonomy of hazardous waste management methods that is consistent with the level of detail used in Victoria and Queensland – based on the Basel Convention’s D and R codes.

The management of hazardous waste and legacy environmental impacts affects every individual and segment of society, and with the right support, Australia’s waste industry is poised to tackle the challenge head on.

4 / WMR / April 2021

Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au

DESIGN

Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Chelsea Daniel-Young chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au p: +61 425 699 878

CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER

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ARTICLES

All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

Waste Management Review is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy.

All material in Waste Management Review is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Waste Management Review are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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News

Construction begins on Australia’s largest PET recycling plant Construction is now underway on a recycling facility in Albury-Wodonga that will see the equivalent of one billion PET plastic bottles recycled each year.

The facility is being delivered in a joint venture between Pact Group, Cleanaway and Asahi.

The $45 million plant is set to be fully operational by October, two months earlier than expected owing to Albury Council approving the project ahead of schedule.

Raw plastic material recycled by the plant each year will be equivalent to one billion 600 millilitre PET plastic bottles, and will be used to produce more than 20,000 tonnes of new recycled PET bottles and food packaging, making it the largest end-to-end rPet plant in Australia.

According to Pact Group Managing Director and CEO Sanjay Dayal, the plant will increase the amount of locally sourced and recycled PET produced in Australia by two thirds – from around 30,000 tonnes currently to over 50,000

tonnes per annum.

“This project would not have been possible without increased demand for locally-processed recycled content from forward-thinking Australian companies who are keen to meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets,” he said.

The plant will reduce Australia’s reliance on virgin plastic and the amount of recycled plastic Australia imports. Solar energy will power part of the facility.

“This new facility for PET plastic will recycle the containers collected through the NSW Return and Earn Scheme and Cleanaway’s Material Recovery Facilities, helping create a domestic circular economy,” Cleanaway CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal said.

VIC Govt invests $20M to support regional four stream recycling The Victorian Government is fasttracking the development of regional and rural recycling infrastructure, as it works to streamline kerbside recycling across the state.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced $20 million to support rural and regional councils as they work towards a four bin, or four service, recycling system that separates household waste into rubbish, recycling, glass and green waste.

“Councils will use the funding to upgrade recycling transfer stations

6 / WMR / April 2021

and drop-off points for separated glass and organics, as we set up the new four stream household waste recycling service across the state,” she said.

According to D’Ambrosio, the funding will stimulate local economies, while putting the needs of rural and regional communities at the forefront of statewide reforms to Victoria’s recycling system.

“We know every council works a bit differently and has a unique community. That’s why this funding recognises that there isn’t a one-size

fits all recycling solution for rural and regional councils across Victoria.”

D’Ambrosio added that a consistent statewide approach to the separation of waste in Victorian households will significantly increase the quality of recycled material and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

“In partnership with local councils, the state government will deliver a recycling system communities can rely on through better household recycling, improved infrastructure, and stronger industry regulation.”

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News

QLD Govt invests $1.3M in new Envorinex plastic recycling facility The Queensland Government has awarded a $1.3 million grant to Envorinex to build a new plastic recycling facility in Toowoomba.

The facility will process rigid plastics from the agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture and industrial industries into plastic pellets to then be remanufactured and recycled.

Envorinex Managing Director and Co-founder Jenny Brown said the new facility will process plastic waste and use the raw materials to manufacture products that can be used both locally

and within the state.

“Our main focus is to ensure that whatever products we manufacture can be returned and recycled again,” she said.

According to Queensland Treasurer and Investment Minister Cameron Dick, the project will bring 30 new jobs to Toowoomba and keep nearly 8000 tonnes of waste out of landfill each year.

“Envorinex will use this grant to build a $3.9 million facility in Toowoomba and establish a plastic waste recovery,

processing and remanufacturing operation in the region,” he said.

Dick added that Envorinex is one of 29 companies to share in $34 million under the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program.

“These 29 projects will see 362 new jobs created and attract more than $193 million in capital investment,” he said.

“They will also divert 1.3 million tonnes of waste from landfill, 11 per cent of the 11.04 million tonnes of waste generated in 2018-19.”

Coles to divert millions of pieces of soft plastic from landfill More than 6.5 million pieces of soft plastic will be recycled in the largestever commercial application of Polyrok, as part of a Coles supermarket development at Cobblebank in Melbourne’s west.

Coles is giving a new lease on life to millions of pieces of soft plastic thanks to new recycling technology researched and developed in partnership with RMIT University and recycling organisations RED Group and Replas.

The new Polyrock concrete technology is made from plastic bags and soft plastic packaging recovered from the REDcycle program, available in all Coles supermarkets, and acts as a sustainable alternative to aggregate minerals used in concrete.

The technology has the potential

8 / WMR / April 2021

to build a more circular economy and support future infrastructure projects, as only 10 per cent of the 3.5 million tonnes of soft plastic thrown out by Australians each year is recycled, according to Clean Up Australia.

Coles State Construction Manager Victoria Fiona Lloyd said Coles was looking at opportunities to use the new technology in future developments.

“We collect roughly 30 million pieces of plastic every month through our customer REDcycle program, so there’s a huge opportunity to use Polyrock in other Coles developments or other construction projects,” she said.

“We’re really proud of the work we’ve put in with REDGroup, Replas and RMIT to invest and develop this important sustainable technology.”

The project will help repurpose more than 6.5 million pieces of soft plastic from landfill.

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News

Approval secured for Australia’s first solar panel recycling facility

The facility will recycle 70,000 solar panels each year.

Reclaim PV Recycling has secured development approval to establish Australia’s first national solar panel recycling facility in Lonsdale, Adelaide.

Reclaim PV has committed to a long-term lease, marking a significant milestone in the establishment of a solar panel recovery and recycling network, with further facilities to be established in other major metropolitan areas in the next one to two years.

Reclaim PV is simultaneously securing environmental licenses to conduct full scale recycling operations

at an initial rate of 70,000 panels per annum, and is putting the call out for end-of-life solar panels from anywhere in Australia.

According to Reclaim PV Director Clive Fleming, the company already has circa 70,000 panels partly processed at its Lonsdale site and leased warehouse in Brisbane.

“This is an exciting time for Reclaim PV and the PV industry, which is in need of a nation-wide approach to managing the replacement and recycling of faulty, non-performing and end-of-life solar panels,” he said.

Circular Threads textile waste initiative receives federal funding The Federal Government is setting its sights on the 800,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles discarded by Australians each year, with $350,000 allocated to support Circular Threads – a new group to be led by the Australasian Circular Textile Association (ACTA).

Circular Threads will, among a range of strategies, look towards new technologies that can separate and re-purpose polyester and cotton components and create remanufacturing opportunities.

According to Environment Minister Sussan Ley, Australians discard an average of 31 kilos of textiles per person annually, at a national

10 / WMR / April 2021

rate of 15 tonnes of textile waste every ten minutes.

“We all have to wear clothes but we are buying them at such a rate that we don’t know what to do with them when they are too old, too worn or simply out of fashion,” she said.

Ley added that ninety per cent of Australia’s textile waste currently ends up in landfill.

“According to ACTA, parents who have just been purchasing school uniforms and tradies getting ready for the year ahead will contribute 12,000 tonnes of branded uniforms alone to landfill in the next twelve months – the equivalent to dumping four million bricks or 7500

family sedans,” she said.

“For the most part we are importing these items from overseas and dumping them in landfill here at the end of their life.”

Under new Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, Ley said government departments will need to consider materials with recycled components, and take into account end-of-life disposal when determining contracts.

“With a workforce of around 7000 employees, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has thousands of uniformed staff across the country and we need to show leadership through our purchasing decisions,” she said.

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A ticket to play A RECENT PLANT INSTALLATION AT CLEANAWAY’S BROOKLYN RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRE IS JUST ONE COMPONENT OF A HIGH-LEVEL STRATEGY TO INCREASE THE COMPANY’S SUSTAINABLE FOOTPRINT. KARL DAVID, CLEANAWAY REGIONAL MANAGER, EXPLAINS.

V

ictoria’s waste and resource recovery system has faced significant challenges in recent years, from fires at material recovery facilities and illegal stockpiling, to uneven policy regulations and the collapse of major processor SKM Recycling in 2019.

The SKM collapse was particularly noteworthy, with the state’s infrastructure capacity called into question after 33 Victorian councils were forced to send recyclable material to landfill. That said, the sector is shifting, as it works to capitalise on a suite of state government-led initiatives to boost infrastructure capacity, support industry innovation and divert waste from landfill.

These include the progressive rollout of a state-wide four bin kerbside system, landfill levy increases and a $46 million joint funding agreement under the Federal Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund.

Over $8 million was allocated through Victoria’s first Recycling Modernisation Fund round in late January, including two $3 million grants for Cleanaway to a build a postconsumer plastics recovery facility and a glass recycling plant.

The facilities, which when operational will process 20,000 tonnes of plastic and 140,000 tonnes of glass respectively each year, highlight Cleanaway’s commitment to tackling Australia’s future waste demands.

The FOCUS Enviro-designed plant draws on two similar installations at Cleanaway facilities in Queensland.

12 / WMR / April 2021

Central to this commitment is Cleanaway’s Footprint 2025 strategy, which functions as a roadmap to ensuring Australia has the right infrastructure in place to support communities in managing their waste, while continuing to improve resource recovery.

According to Cleanaway Regional Manager Karl David, who joined the company 12 months ago after serving as Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s largest grower and distributor of all Plant Life, Bilotto Group, Cleanaway’s business model is centred around the future.

“Companies have to adapt and innovate or they’re going nowhere, and that’s critical to the way we work.

It’s all about trying new things and thinking outside the box. I’m dedicated to building an innovative and forwardthinking culture,” David explains.

He adds that as the market and government regulations change, so too do the expectations of customers, with growing demand for greater recovery and sustainable material outcomes.

“We’re always asking, what can we do next? And with the Victorian Government creating incentives, it’s encouraging the business to evolve,” he says.

BOOSTING BROOKLYN As the first step in a state-wide revamp of Cleanaway’s Victorian operations, David and his team recently invested in a FOCUS Enviro-designed recycling plant, with the goal of transforming the company’s Brooklyn Resource Recovery Centre into a resource recovery powerhouse.

“With landfill levies rising, we recognised the need to adapt to market requirements,” David says.

“We went through and identified that there was real potential to recover more from our transfer stations and

really invest in increasing our recovery of materials that would otherwise go into landfill. We’ve been through a journey to review that and identified sites such as Brooklyn, where we could start recycling significantly to avoid landfill and improve our business going forward.”

The plant, which was installed by FOCUS in late January, draws on two similar installations at Cleanaway’s New Chum Landfill in Ipswich and Willawong Recycling and Transfer Station in Brisbane.

“We were researching what the right equipment would be for our application and material profile, and our sites in Queensland had a pre-existing relationship with FOCUS,” David says.

“We leveraged that relationship to learn from them and understand how we could adapt the set-up to our local market conditions because we knew it worked. We took roughly 65 per cent of what they had and tailored it to our specific needs. FOCUS was a big part of that process.”

The plant features six pieces of highpowered equipment including an EDGE trommel screening machine, shredder

and picking station, which work in harmony to ensure effective processing at each downstream stage.

After initial pre-picking to remove visible items such as large slabs of concrete and metal, the material is pushed into the shredder. In addition to standard shredding, the machine features a heavy-duty magnet that removes metals for later recovery.

The material then moves through a trommel that separates soils and fines for classification and disposal.

The remaining material – anything larger than 20 millimetres – is sent to the picking station via a T-Series EDGE stacker conveyer system. At the picking station light materials such as plastics and cardboard are separated, with heavier materials including metal, concrete, brick and timbre dropped into under-side bins.

The entire system barring the picking station is tracked. This provides added flexibility, David says, allowing Cleanaway to adapt and adjust processes to meet changing needs and waste profiles.

He adds that the plant has been performing better than expected.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 13

COVER STORY

“We’re identifying a lot more recycling than we had anticipated and are recovering tiny pieces of metal that we never would have found in the past,” David says.

“It opens our eyes up to the opportunities – that’s what’s exciting.

I come up here and I’m excited, and more importantly, our operators are really excited to be a part of it.”

Recovered cardboard is sent to be baled and sold, with timber ground into wood chips for public space applications and concrete processed into road making materials. Recovered metals will be recycled though Cleanaway’s partnership with Sims Metal Management.

David adds that the lightweight materials separated at the picking station could be used as waste-to-energy feedstock in the future, an avenue that Cleanaway is actively pursuing.

POSITIONING PARTNERSHIPS To ensure the entire process runs efficiently, FOCUS developed a training program specifically for the Cleanaway team.

“Rather than simply showing operators how the machine runs, we explain the whole process – the what,

how and why,” Robbie McKernan, FOCUS enviro Director, says.

“We had the operators in for a number of sessions to provide a holistic overview of what’s happening.

“When you explain: here’s how much the landfill levy is and if you pick out a tonne of material you’re saving the company this amount of money, it highlights the importance of the process and the role each individual operator can play.”

FOCUS also ensures that it has a representative on site at least once a week, who works with Cleanaway’s operators to confirm effective processes and facilitate any required adjustments and machinery tweaks.

“What’s common across Cleanaway sites is the demand for recovery. And that culture allows us to impart our expertise and experience with this type of equipment, which we’ve been working with for over 13 years,” McKernan says.

Furthermore, he highlights that every site possesses unique market opportunities. FOCUS already has advanced technologies within its range, McKernan adds, meaning that once the Brooklyn site is ready to move past this initial processing line, FOCUS

Karl David says Cleanaway will continue to work collaboratively with FOCUS Enviro to develop accelerated recovery solutions for Victoria.

14 / WMR / April 2021

can facilitate the transition into more advanced processes.

“That comes from our experience in Europe and bringing technology into Australia. We saw what was happening over there in the early 2000s, and now Australia is catching up,” he says.

“It’s all about having local connections and connecting the dots between markets. We take that into consideration when suggesting equipment and developing cost feasibility analysis.

“We can put in any kind of plant, but at the end of the day we need to ensure that the market is there to support the next step.”

Looking forward, David says Cleanaway is motivated to continue working in collaboration with FOCUS to develop new recovery solutions.

“We’ll be looking at how we can learn from FOCUS’ experience overseas and what processes, equipment and capabilities we can bring into this market,” he says.

“There is a lot of momentum, and one of the advantages for us is that as such a broad business we can largely feed ourselves, but every site is different, so it’s about attracting the right customers to the right location.”

The Brooklyn facility is now a Green Star site, David adds, highlighting Cleanaway’s goal of contributing to market transformation and a sustainable economy.

“Cleanaway is innovative in terms of our investments and this equipment gives us the ability to demonstrate that we can recycle at an accelerated level. We’re going to keep innovating and changing, finding new products to recycle and new markets and mechanisms, which as a business we’re looking at on a regular basis,” David says.

“This equipment investment with FOCUS is a ticket to play. It isn’t the end for us, it’s the beginning.”

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UPFRONT

Reporting on waste management WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S LATEST NATIONAL WASTE REPORT AND PROGESS TOWARDS THE NATIONAL WASTE POLICY ACTION PLAN’S 2030 TARGETS.

A

ustralia’s recycling rate has risen to 60 per cent, up two per cent in the past two years, according to the latest national waste report.

Australia’s National Waste Report 2020 summarises Australia’s waste and recycling data for 2018-19 and measures trends since 2006.

While the data precedes the significant investments in waste and resource recovery the Federal Government has made since the 2019 election, it will be used as baseline data to measure Australia’s progress against the National Waste Policy Action Plan’s 2030 targets.

Trevor Evans, Assistant Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Minister, says the release of the National Waste Report 2020 – the leading report on waste management and recycling data in Australia – shows that Australians are reducing their waste and increasing their recycling.

“This is a great outcome. We can all be proud that our efforts are paying off, to take care of our own waste and to do the right thing by sorting our recycling and diverting more waste away from landfill,” he says.

The report shows that Australia generated an estimated 74.1 million tonnes of waste in 2018-19, including 22.9 million tonnes of masonry materials, 14.3 million tonnes of organics, 12.5 million tonnes of ash and

7.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste, mainly contaminated soils.

In 2018-19, there was roughly 61.5 million tonnes of core waste – wastes managed by the waste and resource recovery sector – generated, or 2.44 tonnes per capita.

Core waste comprised of 12.6 million tonnes of municipal solid waste, 21.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste and 27 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste.

“Our growing population means that the overall amount of waste Australia is generating continues to increase, up five million tonnes since 2016-17,” Evans says.

“We need to continue to work hard to reduce the amount of waste we create, and to recycle more of it, if we are to achieve Australia’s ambitious national target of recovering 80 per cent of our waste by 2030.”

Estimated recovery rates are highest for metals (90 per cent), followed by masonry materials (82 per cent), paper and cardboard (66 per cent), organics (60 per cent), glass (59 per cent), ash (47 per cent) and hazardous waste (30 per cent).

At just 15 per cent, plastics had the lowest recovery rate in 2018-19.

RECYCLING TRENDS The National Waste Report 2020 maps trends in recycling by source stream from 2014-15, with overall

recycling rising by roughly 50 per cent on a tonnage basis and by 23 per cent per capita.

“Construction and demolition waste recycling rose markedly from 2014-15, partly due to larger amounts of material generated but also better recovery,” the report reads.

“These materials tend to be homogenous, and their management is sensitive to landfill prices.

“Demolition waste recycling is a success story in most jurisdictions, providing an alternative source of materials for road base and construction aggregates.”

Commercial and industrial waste recycling levelled off and declined slightly over the 13-year period, with the report suggesting that “easiestto-recycle” materials are dealt with, and future gains in recovery may be harder to win.

Municipal solid waste recycling dropped sharply before rising again in the last two years.

“This trend is worth close examination as it is counter-intuitive and inconsistent with the trend shown in the National Waste Report 2018,” the report reads.

According to the report, examination of the data suggests this is caused by two phenomena: the falling weight of domestic recyclables due to lower sales of newsprint, declining quantities of glass and lighter weight packaging,

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 17

UPFRONT

Australia generated an estimated 74.1 million tonnes of waste in 2018-19.

and changes to NSW data.

The NSW Government reports that its new and more rigorous data system found lower quantities of organics and metals than previously reported.

“With organics, this was because the previous voluntary system doublecounted an unexpectedly large amount of material transfers between facilities,” the report reads.

“With metals, it was because the industry did not respond to the voluntary surveys, so the data was estimated.”

The report notes that NSW corrected recent historical data but not older data, which therefore may contain some double-counts.

“This is a cautionary tale for jurisdictions that still use voluntary surveys to collect recycling data.”

THE FUTURE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT Long-term trends suggest waste quantities are likely to continue increasing slowly, despite slight falls in the tonnes of waste per capita.

“As materials get lighter, we could see

18 / WMR / April 2021

higher volumes even as the weight of waste levels off,” the report reads.

“Major projects and programs could stymie these trends with large quantities of soils contaminated with asbestos, PFAS and other substances.”

The long-term trend towards increasing levels of recycling is also likely to continue, helped by government policies, targets and infrastructure investment.

“Each additional percentage of recycling can be expected to be harder than the last, but better design linked to circular economy policies may change that equation,” the report reads.

“Better recycling of food waste, e-waste and skip bin material is readily achievable.

“Use of waste as an energy source is likely to continue increasing, including through investment in large-scale thermal energy recovery infrastructure.”

According to Rose Read, National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO, the report, released every two years, is important because it enables government, industry, business and the community to benchmark

performance and track progress towards waste reduction targets.

“Australia is working towards an ambitious but important target of 80 per cent average resource recovery rate by 2030,” Read says.

“However, the National Waste Report 2020 shows that waste generated in 2018-19 was an estimated 74 million tonnes, an increase on the 69 million tonnes generated in 2016-17.”

Read adds that the resource recovery rate for 2018-19 was 63 per cent, up just one percent from 2017-18 at 62 per cent, and recycling rates increased by only one per cent between 2017-18 and 2018-19.

“If we continue on this current trajectory where waste generation is increasing and there are only minimal gains year-on-year in resource recovery, we will not reach the 80 per cent target set out in the National Waste Policy Action Plan,” Read says.

She explains that to hit this target, the National Waste Policy Action Plan says Australia needs to be recovering an additional 15 million tonnes of waste per annum, around 58 to 60 million tonnes every year.

“That is a 35 per cent increase on the current 43.5 million tonnes recovered in 2018-19. This is no small feat,” Read says.

“NWRIC considers that for the sector to have any chance of achieving the 80 per cent resource recovery target by 2030, governments must continue to fast track the construction of secondary material processing and energy recovery facilities.

“They must also give much more priority to government procurement of recycled materials and implement policy reforms that make secondary raw materials more cost effective than virgin materials, and implement more extended producer schemes that reward better designed, more durable and recyclable products and packaging.”

ISPOSAL OF D E F A S E H T FOR OBSOLETE R O D E T N A UNW ICALS AGVET CHEM

Agsafe’s ChemClear program helps farmers and agvet chemical users safely dispose of their unwanted or obsolete agvet chemicals.

Together, we’ve removed over 750,000 litres of chemicals from properties and businesses.

QLD Collection: Jul-Aug I NSW Collection: Oct-Nov

chemclear.org.au

UT RINSE THEM O UP ROUND THEM RUN THEM IN Agsafe’s drumMUSTER program provides Australian agricultural and veterinary chemical users with a recycling pathway for eligible empty agvet chemical containers. We’ve collected over 36 million containers for recycling.

drummuster.org.au

FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND LIQUID WASTE

A de-risking legacy AS ENVIROPACIFIC CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW SITS DOWN WITH KEY COMPANY FIGURES TO EXPLORE THE BUSINESSE’S EXPERIENCE, EXPERTISE AND CAPABILITY IN MANAGING AUSTRALIA’S GROWING HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT NEEDS.

The state government appointed Enviropacific to remediate Fitzroy Gasworks in 2018.

W

hile immediately recognisable to those familiar with hazardous waste and remediation, the sight of outsized white tents at the intersection of Smith Street and Queens Parade is a point of intrigue for residents in Melbourne’s inner north.

Impressive in scale, the tents were erected as part of a long-term remediation project at the former Fitzroy Gasworks. While remediation is the technical term, Jared Roberts, Enviropacific State Manager, characterises the project differently, highlighting the works as an opportunity to unlock land for future community, environmental and economic benefit.

Built in 1859, Fitzroy Gasworks was a key supplier of gas to the Melbourne area until production ceased in 1927, with the site remaining operational

20 / WMR / April 2021

as a workshop and gas storage facility until the 1970s.

Historical gasworks activities resulted in soil and groundwater contamination, with EPA Victoria issuing a clean-up notice for the site in 2014. Enviropacific was appointed by the state government to remediate the site in 2018.

“Fitzroy Gasworks is a good example of a practice that at the time was cutting-edge technology,” Roberts says.

“Fast forward to now, however, and Fitzroy Gasworks is a site with legacy contamination that needs to be cleaned up to allow future use at the site.”

Remediation involves a range of onsite activities, with the aim of achieving a statement of environmental audit.

Once complete, these activities will achieve soil and groundwater quality suitable for development, mitigation and management of residual soil vapour, and

protection of the existing community and future residents.

“We’ve applied technology agnostic logic to manage what is a complex set of chemicals in soil and rock within an inner urban environment,” Roberts says.

Community protection is therefore critical, he adds, with the aforementioned white tents highlighting Enviropacific’s strategic approach to risk control.

“If we didn’t have those risk controls in place there would be a range of odour and other risks existing outside of the site, which would mean the works could not be undertaken,” Roberts explains.

“This project is a key example of Enviropacific’s approach to not only focusing on environmental outcomes, but also the human health and societal controls that need to be in place for us to do the technical work.”

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Fitzroy Gasworks is just one of over 3500 projects undertaken by Enviropacific in its 20-year history.

David Tucker, Enviropacific Managing Director, explains that the company’s central purpose is to prevent, stop and reverse environmental damage to create safer and healthier communities.

“Enviropacific was established in 2001 by two friends, Matt Fensom and Cameron McLean. In essence, two young men and a ute,” he says.

Enviropacific’s first contract was with Australia’s biggest apartment developer, Meriton, working on a site in Chiswick, in Sydney’s inner west. Since then, the business has expanded through growth and acquisitions, operating in all states with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, as well as Townsville and Newcastle.

“We’ve built Enviropacific into a remediation company that is unrivalled in the breadth of services we provide, as well as national reach,” Tucker says.

“We have the project delivery experience to de-risk projects using proven cost effective, innovative and value-based solutions, and we handle, treat and re-use more types of hazardous waste than any other provider in Australia.”

At its core, Enviropacific works with governments, industry and communities to clean up the brown footprint society leaves behind. Specialising in engineering and applied science solutions to prevent and remediate solid and liquid contamination, Enviropacific is committed to operating as a trusted provider to the private and public sectors.

“Engineering and applied science is at the heart of what we do. Whether it’s remediation, water treatment or hazardous waste management, we have the capabilities to develop bespoke technical solutions,” Tucker says.

As a company committed to

technological agnosticism, Enviropacific works with a range of international technology partners to achieve desired environmental outcomes.

“We don’t align ourselves with a particular technology and that’s a point of difference,” Tucker says.

“For any project, there are a range of techniques to either encapsulate or destroy contamination, so we work closely with our clients to develop tailored remediation plans.”

Roberts expresses similar sentiments, explaining that in simple terms Enviropacific’s purpose is to manage chemicals that are in the wrong place.

“For the past 20 years we’ve evolved our management approach to be agnostic with respect to technology and treatment process,” Roberts says.

“This gives us the ability to look at any form of chemical treatment and apply our processes to achieve sustainability and risk-based outcomes.”

Roberts adds that Enviropacific’s maturity is another point of difference, facilitating the capacity to apply 20 years of intellectual property to a range of chemical and hazardous waste challenges.

“We’ve evolved our project risk delivery systems to achieve a high level of engineering safety, regardless of what the material is or how we find it within a project. There’s nothing we won’t look at in terms of hazardous projects and risk,” Roberts says.

PARADIGM SHIFTS When managing hazardous materials in high-risk environments, the notion of applying circular economy principals generally falls to the wayside, Roberts explains. He adds that when fire, explosive or acute vapour risk is removed during planning and work delivery, it is considered a win.

“That’s often the standard, but because of our agnostic approach we’re able to consider broader project

Jared Roberts says Enviropacific apply technology agnostic logic to manage complex contaminants.

outcomes such as the circular economy within the framework of a strongly weighted de-risking strategy. We continually evolve our risk and reuse strategy, creating material re-use wherever practical,” Roberts says.

According to Tucker, growing awareness around legacy environmental impacts and resulting legislative changes such as Victoria’s forthcoming EP Act are shifting the conversation around chain of custody and hazardous waste management.

“With changing regulations and greater demand placed on public health and the environment, more onus is being positioned on who owns the problem. As a result, regulators want to see transparency and an assurance that the problem has been dealt with. And that’s what we’re able to provide to our customers: certainty,” Tucker says.

Tucker highlights Enviropacific’s SOLVE facility and its destruction certificates as a standout example of quality assurance. The certificates act as a guarantee that any material received at SOLVE is treated, and exits the treatment process compliant with

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 21

FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND TOXIC WASTE

decompose into something different.

Once it’s been oxidised it doesn’t revert.

It is a great way to reduce volume to landfill as well as reduce the risk inherent to these substances.”

Xxx Established in 2018, SOLVE is Australia’s largest hazardous waste facility.

regulations and free of contamination.

Amy Wells, SOLVE Manager, explains that SOLVE has a quality assurance process providing evidence of when every parcel of material comes in, where it was stored prior to treatment and where it is stored while awaiting verification of treatment.

“We test and validate that all the material has been effectively treated before it leaves the site and can provide customers with a proof of destruction certificate that says contamination no longer exists,” Wells says.

“These certificates are informed by testing completed by third party testing bodies. The QA of this process means they become a valuable instrument for our customers to demonstrate they have met their General Environmental Duties per the revised EP Act and the reporting requirements of priority wastes, as detailed in the Environment Protection Regulations.”

Established in 2018, SOLVE is Australia’s largest hazardous waste facility. Strategically located in Melbourne’s Altona industrial precinct, SOLVE has the capability to remediate Category A and B contaminant streams, including PFAS, PCBs, scheduled and other prescribed industrial waste.

“Since we started receiving material in 2018, we’ve been expanding the range

22 / WMR / April 2021

of contaminants that can be treated and continue to trial different contaminants and materials that can be used to help with the desorption process,” Wells says.

“What I like about our approach is that from zero to 100 per cent contamination, we’ve got the ability to combine different materials and different approaches across the whole range of contaminants and still provide a reliable treatment process.”

Enviropacific has been involved in thermal treatment for close to 10 years, Wells says, having operated thermal facilities at other sites in Sydney and Melbourne, including a defence site where the company delivered thermal treatment service.

SOLVE adopts strict controls, including screening prior to assessing treatment suitability and undertaking the thermal desorption process. The thermal desorption process sees the material heated to temperatures of around 500°C, with contaminants desorbed from the solid matrix and collected into the vapour stream.

“Thermal desorption takes contaminants, chemicals and materials and ensures they are converted into something that is stable and safe posttreatment,” Wells says.

“Be it water or carbon dioxide, those molecules are safe and aren’t going to

URBANISATION AND FISCAL SPEND Looking forward, Tucker believes a raft of opportunities to expand Enviropacific’s reach, range of technological capabilities and project portfolio exist.

“We can’t ignore the fact that we’re coming out of COVID and a recession, but things will continue to rebound.

Part of that is governments across all levels committing to significant expenditure,” he says.

“Whether it’s defence, public infrastructure or other forms of urbanisation, there’s always cross over with the brown footprint and dealing with contamination. It’s our duty to actively engage with industry and make sure we continue to provide supportive and sustainable solutions.”

Mining, oil and gas will be key growth areas, Tucker adds, with conversations around climate change, energy and renewables, water scarcity and drought resistance highlighting the importance of revised industrial approaches.

“They’re decommissioning certain oil and gas fields and mines are also changing. As such, there are large stockpiles of hazardous material that we need to find a pathway for,” he says.

Tucker also forecasts opportunities for Enviropacific to grow outside the Australian market.

“I think there’s an opportunity to develop our expertise and presence in regions such as South East Asia.

They have similar problems to us but it’s not as highly regulated. That said, I expect in the next five to 10 years that will change, so that’s an avenue to expand our business. I see plenty of opportunity.”

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FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND LIQUID WASTE

Investing in liquid waste management OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS BRANDSTER SERVICES HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY INVESTING IN PLANT AND EQUIPMENT IN LINE WITH THE NEEDS OF ITS GROWING CUSTOMER BASE. MANAGING DIRECTOR, JEFF BRANDSTATER EXPLAINS.

Brandster Services works with a broad range of customers to collect and treat hazardous waste.

T

he NSW Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) regulation 2014 mandates stringent tracking requirements for hazardous waste transport. This system is designed to prevent inappropriate disposal of waste, ensuring that it is taken to an appropriate facility for treatment to prevent illegal dumping or disposal leading to environmental damage.

Brandster Services are experts in the

24 / WMR / April 2021

transport and treatment of a variety of liquid wastes, ensuring responsible liquid waste management.

“We assure our clients that their service requirements are met and that their responsibilities are maintained end-to-end by transporting, treating and disposing of contaminated liquid waste in a lawfully compliant and environmentally responsible manner,” Jeff Brandstater, Brandster Services Managing Director explains.

Over the past 50 years Brandster Services have worked with a broad range of customers in Sydney and its surrounding regions, collecting, treating and disposing of liquid and hazardous waste.

Brandstater took the reins of a threetruck family business from his cousin Don 25 years ago, and has worked with his team based at St Mary’s to grow the business to a fleet of more than 20 specialist collection vehicles and a fully licenced and approved Liquid Waste Treatment plant.

“Our customers come from commercial, industrial, community and residential sectors and we collect mainly septic and sullage waste streams, as well as groundwater and liquid from clean-ups and spills from time to time,” Brandstater says.

“My years of experience have taught me many important lessons, but perhaps the most important is to listen to the needs of your customers and constantly strive to not only meet expectations, but to exceed and adapt to them as they change and as technology advances.”

The Brandster team at St Mary’s constantly focus on customer service.

“We are here to provide the highest level of service to our customers and that means that our people and customers are safe and our

fleet over the past few years,” Brandstater says.

Earlier this year, Brandster took delivery of a Cappellotto 8×4 Cap Combi 3200 CL Industrial, on a Scania cab chassis.

Cappellotto is Europe’s largest manufacturer of drain and sewer cleaning units and Industrial Vacuum trucks, and have been in business for over 65 years. The unit is state of the art in terms of features and capabilities, Brandstater says. He adds that the quality of the product will ensure reliability and manageable operating costs over the life of the machine.

“Our capability, responsiveness and flexibility in works such as factory and equipment cleaning, tank maintenance and spill and flood management are just some of the

Accurate bin weights mean accurate invoices

The Brandster team at St Mary’s constantly focus on customer service.

gains that this equipment brings and that are in high demand from our customers,” Brandstater says.

“I am very pleased with this latest addition to Brandsters’ fleet, this will see our customers receiving an enhanced range of benefits and value from Brandster Services and shows our commitment to supporting their success, 100 per cent.”

© 2021, Trimble Inc. All rights reserved. (02/21)

activities are compliant, as well as being efficient, on time and agile,” Brandstater says.

Recently, Brandster have completed highly commended and successful project works on infrastructure and development projects close to their depot in St Mary’s.

“We have worked very successfully with some big companies on major projects and been able to meet their demands and needs, as well as at times, exceed expectations,” Brandstater says.

Over the past few years Brandster have been carefully investing in plant and equipment in line with meeting the needs of its growing customer base.

“We looked at the major development projects in Sydney as well as the needs of our loyal customer base, and have invested in our treatment facility and collections

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FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND LIQUID WASTE

Clearing the herd AGSAFE’S PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS, DRUMMUSTER AND CHEMCLEAR, ARE PROVIDING FARMERS WITH A SAFE WAY TO DISPOSE OF THEIR AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY CHEMICAL CONTAINERS.

ChemClear has collected and disposed of more than 750,000 litres of obsolete, inherited and unknown AgVet chemicals.

A

ustralian farmers are set for a more resilient future following a remarkable recovery from drought that has them on target to hit record agriculture production this year.

Official government forecaster ABARES is tipping agricultural production to hit $65.9 billion, an eight per cent jump on last year, on the back of decent weather conditions and a huge grain harvest.

Demand for stock is booming, but farmers still face a challenging problem – managing their agriculture leftovers.

The agricultural and veterinary (AgVet) chemical classification applies to

26 / WMR / April 2021

a range of products developed to protect crops, livestock and domestic animals.

According to the Federal Agriculture Department, AgVet chemicals have produced long-term benefits for Australian agriculture by reducing the effects of weeds, pests and diseases on agricultural and forest production.

Disposal challenges come from AgVet chemicals given their composition, ingredients and flammability.

Taking growing hazardous waste rates into account, specialised product stewardship schemes for AgVet products have become critical to managing the agricultural industry sustainably.

According to General Manager Dominique Doyle, AgSafe works with rural businesses to promote workplace health and safety practices for AgVet products.

“We achieve this through AgSafe chemical and drum collection product stewardship schemes drumMUSTER and ChemClear,” she says.

Doyle highlights that farmers’ committed engagement in the ChemClear program always impresses, but never surprises.

“Farmers understand that they are the custodians of the land, and they are always mindful of sustainable farm

practices. ChemClear enables farmers to safely dispose of chemicals off farms and out of rural communities.”

ChemClear’s goal is to reduce the quantity of unused AgVet chemicals stored on properties and in businesses across Australia, thereby reducing negative impacts on the environment, people and trade in the future. By removing these unwanted chemicals from farms and businesses, a potentially hazardous situation can be eliminated in the event of a fire or flood.

ChemClear and its partners have made significant progress since 2003 when the program commenced. In under 20 years, the program has collected and disposed of more than 750,000 litres of obsolete, inherited and unknown AgVet chemicals.

“Using ChemClear also ensures that AgVet farmers and chemical users will meet their responsibilities and obligations under any Quality Assurance, Farm or Environmental Management program,” Doyle says.

The program collects registered chemicals produced by 126 manufacturers supporting the Industry Stewardship Scheme. Chemicals classified as Group 1 are collected free of charge. As an additional service, ChemClear collects what is classified

AgSafe works with rural businesses to promote workplace health and safety practices for AgVet products.

as Group 2 chemicals. This category covers deregistered, out-of-date, mixed, unlabelled or unknown AgVet chemicals produced by a manufacturer not signed to the drumMUSTER program.

“We do this to minimise risk for our processors, their employees and the entire supply chain,” Doyle says.

98 per cent of chemicals collected by ChemClear are used as an alternative fuel source in the manufacturing of cement. AgSafe encourages businesses who have unused or obsolete AgVet chemicals that need to be safely disposed of to register them online at chemclear. org.au and they will be picked up when a collection is scheduled in their area.

On average, collections are conducted

in each state every two years.

“Our contractor has a biochemist on hand, and they receive and appropriately store the chemicals after eligibility has been confirmed.”

Doyle highlights the important support from farming organisations, as well as local community groups for spearheading the program.

“They are champions of their work.

We work hard to engage farmers to use the program, and in every state and territory have regional consultants that attend field days and engage with communities and councils to ensure maximum return back into the drumMUSTER and ChemClear programs.”

pure transforming hazardous waste

FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND LIQUID WASTE

Creative compliance STEVE GRAHAM, AIR & GAS INDUSTRIES GENERAL MANAGER, OUTLINES THE COMPANY’S DECADES-LONG HISTORY DEVELOPING TECHNICALLY ADVANCED TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS FOR THE DANGEROUS GOODS INDUSTRY.

A

s highlighted by extended delays on Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project, contaminated soil is a key challenge facing Australia’s booming infrastructure pipeline.

That said, industry is stepping up to the challenge, with a range of innovative companies bringing hazardous waste treatment and transport solutions to market. Air & Gas Industries (AGI) is one such company, recently developing a unique vacuum tanker capable of onboard contaminated soil treatment.

Steve Graham, AGI General Manager, explains that the tanker was conceptualised after a client came to the company seeking a tanker to remediate contaminated soils from old service stations. AGI’s engineering team quickly got to work, developing a tailor-made vacuum tanker that can excavate material from the site and treat it through carbon filtration prior to going into the spoil tanks.

“Because the soil is being screened through an activated carbon filter process to remove contaminates onboard, the material can be delivered to dumping sites as clean, uncontaminated soil,” Graham says.

The project is just one of many innovations from AGI, which for almost 50 years has been delivering technical services to the gas and waste industries.

AGI was founded by Bill and Faye Jenkins in 1974 after the pair noticed growing market opportunity within Queensland’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry.

“Bill was a professional metallurgist,

28 / WMR / April 2021

Air & Gas Industries’ have developed a tanker capable of on-board contaminated soil treatment.

and LPG was just getting started in Queensland, so he and Faye recognised an opportunity to come into that industry and provide engineering and technical services for the transport of gas and other hazardous chemicals.”

The first contract secured was for the Gas Supply Company – now Origin Energy – and involved doing changeovers for two LPG trucks.

The trucks were moved to the first premises in Seventeen Mile Rocks and were left for the weekend.

Unfortunately, that weekend marked the beginning of the 1974 Brisbane floods. It was another two weeks until Bill and Faye were able to gain access into their Seventeen Mile Rocks property, only to find the trucks floating in water. Bill and Faye then spent the following weeks drying all the electrical boards with hair dryers and towels.

“For a new start-up they certainly faced what may have seemed like insurmountable challenges in their first year of operation, but here we are now celebrating 47 years of operation.”

In its early years, AGI’s primary focus was transport solutions for the gas industry, however, as its capabilities and experience grew, the company began to diversify into other sectors such as waste management and environmental remediation.

“As environmental protection laws changed and the waste industry became more regulated, AGI began to partner with leading organisations in the early 90s to develop, manufacture and maintain liquid waste road tankers that were then, and remain today, at the leading edge of safety and reliability,” Graham says.

AGI has since worked with major waste and industrial remediation players such as Cleanaway, Remondis and Veolia, as well as a range of energy and infrastructure companies. To support its growth trajectory, AGI recently split the company into three core business units: AGI Manufacturing, AGI Technical and AGI Asset Reliability.

The manufacturing arm focuses on delivering Australian-made high-quality,

custom engineered solutions including fixed and mobile process plants and specialised transportation equipment.

“Our dedicated team of engineers and skilled trade technicians take a first-time-right approach to deliver equipment that ensures strict statutory compliance, reliable and trouble-free operation for our customers,” Graham says.

He adds that AGI Asset Reliability provides asset management services to the energy sector and environmental waste management providers.

The final unit, AGI Technical, provides professional engineering services with a strong focus on helping customers achieve code and regulatory compliance with the energy and environmental sectors.

Ensuring strict compliance with applicable Australian standards is

critical, Graham says, given the heavily regulated nature of the sector and its associated risk.

“With any road tank vehicle that’s designed to transport dangerous goods, there’s a requirement to comply with the ADG code, and in accordance with that legislation there’s a requirement that each road vehicle be design approved for its application. Our engineers are able to provide a customised solution to our customer’s problems and transport requirements and ensure we have strict compliance with the code,” he says.

All AGI products are manufactured in Australia, Graham adds, further supporting AGI’s commitment to safety and ongoing regulatory compliance.

“Our products are all designed and engineered at our manufacturing facility in Wacol, Queensland, and come with nationally acknowledged

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Air & Gas Industries was founded

by Bill and Faye Jenkins in 1974.

design approval in-line with Australian standards,” he says.

“Given the ongoing challenge of imports coming into the Australian market without that compliance, we’re committed to keeping all of our products Australian-made and working with industry to help them fully understand their responsibilities under dangerous goods legislation.”

FEATURED TOPIC – HAZARDOUS AND LIQUID WASTE

Galvanised tanks and sucking power STG GLOBAL’S VACUUM EXCAVATION TRUCKS ARE DESIGNED TO SIMPLIFY LIQUID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA’S HARSH CONDITIONS. MANAGING DIRECTOR, ROSS YENDLE EXPLAINS.

A

ustralian industry generated over two gigalitres of hazardous liquid waste in 2018-19, according to the Federal Government’s latest National Waste Report.

This primarily consisted of oil-based waste at 31 per cent, followed by acids, alkalis, solvents and organic and inorganic chemicals. Liquid hazardous waste is generally treated to reduce or neutralise hazard levels and volumes, with residues discharged to sewers, landfilled or recycled.

Before it reaches that stage, however, the liquids must be transported – a practice that is heavily regulated due to the potentially dangerous nature of the material. To safely and efficiently transport hazardous liquids, private All STG Vacuum Excavation Trucks run on a strong Caterpillar axillary motor.

30 / WMR / April 2021

waste management companies therefore rely on reliable vacuum excavation trucks, such as those designed and manufactured by STG Global.

According to Ross Yendle, STG Global Managing Director, STG’s vacuum trucks feature state-of-the-art vacuum technology that helps to load and unload liquid slurry rapidly.

He adds that their compact, heavyduty vacuum system design makes them highly coveted across industry.

“Our vacuum trucks are used extensively throughout the waste industry. We’ve sold these trucks to Veolia, one of the biggest waste management companies in Australia, as well as a number of other operators,” Yendle says.

The Vacuum Excavation Trucks are built for non-destructive digging (NDD), drilling mud recovery, pipeline locating and removing and recovering wet or dry materials including fine powders, silt, solids, liquids, slurries and thick sludge.

STG’s vacuum trucks are easy to operate, Yendle says, while requiring minimum maintenance, boasting longer life cycles and consuming less power.

While suited to liquid waste transport across all material streams, Yendle highlights the truck’s aptness for NDD applications.

NDD as a practice has expanded in recent years, alongside Australia’s booming infrastructure pipeline.

Despite its benefits over traditional excavation, NDD presents a new set of challenges in dealing with waste that arises in liquid and slurry form.

The mitigate those challenges, STG’s vacuum trucks are designed to be NDD compatible, with water on board.

“When you’re dealing with water and hazardous and toxic liquid waste, there’s a tendency for the tanks for corrode, so we’ve designed ours with fully hot dipped galvanised water tanks that provide longevity to our customers,” Yendle says.

In addition to NDD, STG’s vacuum trucks can be used for drain cleaning, sucking out sediment ponds that contain hazardous waste and managing tailings from mine sites.

“We’ve designed our trucks to be as versatile as possible,” Yendle says.

STG’s vacuum range features six unique models ranging from 3000 to 16,000 litres, all of which are designed to operate in tough conditions across Australia.

“The market has historically been dominated by imports from Europe and America, but what we’ve done is build a machine for Australian conditions,” Yendle says.

“Where STG puts its power is talking to our customers and operators to understand their pain points and design something that is user friendly and easy to operate.”

A lot of the European and American models are technical and hard to use, Yendle says. In contrast, STG has designed its units simply, facilitating the ability to get parts off the

shelf anywhere in Australia.

“If a truck that relies on computerised technology breaks down in the middle of Australia, it’s unlikely you’ll get a service technician with a laptop out there very quickly,” Yendle says.

He adds that STG’s largest unit, the 16,000 Vacuum Semi Trailer, features its own axillary motor, making the vehicle entirely self-sufficient and reliable in harsh conditions.

“A lot of other vacuum trucks in the industry have a hydraulic drive that runs off the engine of the truck, but with our axillary motors, you don’t need the power of the actual truck to perform any of the vacuum functions.

“Combining this with the STG promise of no rust, 1000 hours free servicing, finance options and customised company branding, makes the 16,000 vac semi-trailer a standout

from its competitors.”

All STG vacuum trucks run on a Caterpillar axillary motor, Yendle adds, which is world renowned for its strong, reliable and tough performance, backed up by extensive customer support.

The trucks also feature Italian made Robuschi blowers, which according to Yendle are globally unrivalled in sucking power.

In addition to the quality of the trucks, Yendle highlights STG’s commitment to after-sales service and customer support.

“We’re very focused on customer support and providing a turn-key solution. If they want to buy a vacuum, we pair it up with the truck – whichever manufacture they desire to use,” Yendle says.

“The day they pick up the truck they can turn the key and put it work.”

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SOFTWARE

Tamworth Regional Council recently commissioned Mandalay to automate transactions at its Forest Road landfill.

Adaptable analytics TAMWORTH REGIONAL COUNCIL’S MORNÉ HATTINGH SPEAKS WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW ABOUT BOOSTING PROCESS EFFICIENCY WITH MANDALAY TECHNOLOGIES’ FACILITY ANALYTICS AND REPORTING PRODUCT.

L

ocated almost halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, Tamworth, NSW is commonly known as the First Town of Lights, being the first place in Australia to use electric streetlights in 1888.

The region is also internationally recognised for its annual Tamworth Country Music Festival – the secondbiggest country music festival in the world, after Nashville’s CMA Fest.

While it perhaps inspires less ‘mainstream’ interest, Tamworth is also a centre of waste management and resource recovery innovation, with Tamworth Regional Council committed to a range of sustainability initiatives including organics recycling and the Waste No More program.

As a partnership between council

32 / WMR / April 2021

and Challenge Community Services, Waste No More aims to increase resource recovery while boosting employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the Tamworth Region.

Servicing a population of over 42,000 people, Tamworth Regional Council Waste and Resource Recovery Manager Morné Hattingh and his team manage four landfills and seven waste transfer stations.

To support these operations, council use a range of products from Mandalay Technologies, including the Facility Core Product, which includes ticketing and data administrations, and EFTPOS integration.

More recently, council introduced Mandalay’s Facility Analytics

and Reporting into its portfolio, and are also looking to include automatic licence plate recognition in the near future.

“Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency.

It’s a very efficient product to use. It works easy, staff like it, which is good, and so far, it has been extremely positive for us,” Hattingh says.

Hattingh himself has been using Mandalay products for over seven years, even prior to his time at Tamworth Regional Council.

He highlights the software’s ability to adapt to different regulations in each state, as well as the training and back-up support offered

by Mandalay.

“To ensure consistency in the data,

you need to perform training and that’s where I think Mandalay stands out,” he says.

“At the drop of a hat, you can have a team at your office to provide really detailed face-to-face training.”

When extending its product portfolio to include Mandalay’s Facility Analytics and Reporting, Tamworth’s primary focus was ensuring staff didn’t have to spend too much time producing reports and spreadsheets.

Hattingh explains that council wanted the ability to pull out the data they needed in a matter of seconds.

“There are various types of data sets available with different product categories and it’s all just a click away. The data itself and having it at our fingertips is extremely important for us,” he says.

“Council also wanted something that does not need to live on a local government server, because if it does, you add a whole layer of IT and local government regulation.”

Hattingh adds that the system needed to be adaptable, scalable and accurate, while ensuring everyone across multiple council divisions could interpret the data with ease.

When compared to other data sets, Hattingh says this is where Mandalay really stands out.

“Multi-reporting functions are essential, because what a councillor wants to see, what finance wants to see and what environmental officers want to see is different – you need three separate reports,” he says.

DRIVEN BY DATA Hattingh and his team are required to present data and analytics on key areas of the organisation to internal and external stakeholders, and like everything in the waste industry, the request for data is often extremely reactive.

If council were in a situation where they were running a waste division that didn’t have access to analytics and everything was in spreadsheets, the reporting could only be done once per month.

That would be the only time they could afford to have staff spend two days working on compiling the reports, which would involve populating nine to 15 production reports. And because that report is only produced once per month, the data would get old very quickly.

This challenge, Hattingh says, has been overcome with Mandalay’s Facility Analytics and Reporting.

If, for example, a councillor or regulator has a particular question or requires specific information, the waste team can quickly produce that data with no issue, and it will be current, with data measured right up to the day prior to the report being produced.

“Having staff spend two days on the production of reports is a long time, but with access to analytics, last time I checked the time spent on reports was only 42 seconds,” Hattingh says.

Data and analytics also lead to better transparency and better business processes.

Hattingh’s role involves running a division, and in doing that he needs to tell people what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.

Analytics provides that platform with ease.

Additionally, as Hattingh has been working with Mandalay’s software for so long, he has built his processes and procedures for working with teams and customers around the Mandalay model.

“For me it’s all about analytics,” Hattingh says.

“Analytics is the backbone of what I need to be able to do what we do.”

Mandalay’s products also provide benefits from a financial perspective.

If a finance department sends through the latest finance information and customers have 60 or 90 days outstanding, it’s possible to quickly change those customers to cash only.

Additionally, having EFTPOS Integration for weighbridge attendants saves a lot of time and is a function that Hattingh and his team strongly recommend for others to consider as an addition to Mandalay’s Facility Core Product.

The data coming out of Mandalay’s software is most often used by Tamworth Regional Council to measure and track cancelled tickets and daily transactions.

This information is particularly useful for council when it comes to performing maintenance on the weighbridge and trying to understand when the weighbridge is going to be the busiest and when it’s not.

Hattingh says that when running a landfill, there’s not a lot of time to run maintenance within the facility, especially when running multiple sites.

As such, having that data helps council make the best use of their time.

In addition to incorporating Mandalay’s Facility Analytics and Reporting, Hattingh explains that council recently commissioned Mandalay to automate transactions at its Forest Road landfill.

“We’re hoping to finish this project in July. Automation is certainly a big-ticket item that Mandalay is now responsible for,” he says.

“Mandalay provides us with good knowledge, one of the best I’ve seen in this space.

“Technology is becoming more intertwined with the waste sector, and Mandalay supports this service extremely well.”

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – WASTE HANDLING

Decades of waste-handling JCB CEA’S WASTEMASTER RANGE – ONE OF THE WIDEST OF ITS KIND IN THE MARKET – IS DESIGNED WITH A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES FACING THE SECTOR.

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he sheer size and capacity of wheel loaders makes them an essential asset for councils and waste management facilities. This is a fact well understood by equipment manufacturer JCB, which has been designing wheel loaders for a range of industrial sectors for over 50 years.

The first JCB-designed wheel loader entered the market in 1971, with the launch of the company’s 413 and 418 models.

These shovels featured a cab mounted on the front section of the articulating chassis, providing the operator with an improved view of the working area.

They were also equipped with an oscillating centre pivot to ensure that all four wheels remained in contact with the ground to deliver maximum traction. In 1973 the 423 and 428 models were launched, taking JCB into heavier wheeled loader territory.

By the early 1980s the division had expanded again, with the introduction of the 428-landfill compactor. The 2000s saw JCB’s wheeled loader line continue to grow, with both larger and smaller models. The largest loader, the 467, launched in 2012, while the company’s smallest model, the 403, arrived in 2017.

According to Deon Cope, JCB CEA National Wheeled Loader Product Manager, JCB recognised

34 / WMR / April 2021

JCB wheel loaders are built to cope with extremely demanding environments.

early on that different industry sectors required individual machine specifications, a focus that has remained to this day, with JCB building specific models for waste handling, construction, quarrying and agriculture.

JCB CEA’s Wastemaster range – one of the widest of its kind in the market – is designed with a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the sector.

While the range is expansive, Cope highlights the 426 and 436 models as standout machines for heavy-duty waste handling environments.

To boost power and performance, the 426 and 436 feature smart

hydraulic systems that maximise efficiency and drive down fuel costs, while automatic transmission ensures the machine is always in the right gear.

“The 426 and 436 deliver efficient hydraulic oil flow on demand thanks to a load sensing circuit. This minimises fuel consumption, directs power where it is needed most and allows for accurate and efficient load placements,” Cope says.

“Performance-wise, it’s all about big power, big torque, high powerto-weight ratio, powerful breakout forces and excellent traction.”

Central to JCB’s well-thoughtout design is the person who

will be controlling it, Cope says. He adds that with operators working for up to 12 hours a day, they need to be constantly alert and comfortable so they can be productive.

“The 426 and 436’s cab combines a stylish interior with highly practical features,” Cope explains.

“With a wide door, steps inclined to 10 degrees, nonslip surfaces and well-positioned handles, access is easy and safe – helping to minimise accidents on site.”

The cab is also fully sealed in order to reduce dust and dirt entering the cabin, thereby ensuring a healthy working environment.

“The 360 degree tinted glass cab allows the operator not only to spot almost all potential hazards, but also to view the load throughout its full lift range,” Cope says.

He adds that the 426 and 436 are built to cope with extremely demanding environments, but can also be customised to meet the specific requirements of individual applications.

For waste applications, for example, a series of additional guards are available, including brake line guards, extra belly guards, lift ram guards and cab screen guards, coupled with high lift and super high lift loader arm options to accommodate high load over height applications.

For load and carry operations, Smooth Ride Systems can be fitted, turning the arms into a form of suspension which allows them to float.

“The machine can then travel more quickly over the ground because shock loadings are not passed through the machine making it unstable, plus shock is not passed to loads through all the structures and systems,” Cope says.

With the recent passing of Australia’s first ever national waste legislation late last year, and the export ban subsequently becoming law, recycling operators across the country are gearing up for an influx of material. As such, Cope highlights the importance of quality back-up and local support to minimise downtime.

“While many councils and waste facilities have their own workshops, an appropriate level of support from equipment partners is essential,” he says.

JCB CEA works to streamline the acquisition and serving process, with more than 90 dealer outlets allowing the company to provide sales, parts and service through a network of Australia-wide branches and dealers.

“As a key supplier for waste and resource recovery companies across Australia, we’ve developed a deep understanding of the industry, and are always available for after-sales support and servicing,” Cope says.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – RULES AND REGULATION

Changing the direction of government funding FROM INDUSTRIAL FIRES, ILLEGAL WASTE STORAGE AND CONTAMINATION, A COMPLICATED REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET FAILURES POSE THE QUESTION OF WHEN AND HOW LANDFILL LEVIES SHOULD BE USED.

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hile government funding can assist industry in purchasing technology to improve the quantity and quality of secondary materials, the most effective way governments can grow markets is through regulation and preferential procurement of secondary resources,” Rose Read, National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) CEO, says.

It’s no secret that grants and landfill levies are highly beneficial for state governments. Mark Smith, Waste Recycling Industry Association Queensland (WRIQ) CEO, says there is plenty of discussion in the policy space that argues the benefit of government funding.

“Since 2018 there has been a dramatic increase in government intervention in the sector in particular issuing grants,” Smith says.

“But are grants what we need? We’re seeing a shifting discussion in the public about the role of waste management and recycling, but I’d argue that grants aren’t always what we need to address the challenges we are facing.”

Smith notes that opportunities could exist with state and federal governments such as tax rebates, streamlined licensing

36 / WMR / April 2021

fees, low interest loans and market development through subsides for end products and procurement.

Read highlights the Product Stewardship for Oil Scheme, which has made recovered oils more market competitive through a funded rebate system.

“As a result, industry quickly invested in building oil processing facilities when the regulated scheme was introduced in 2000,” she says.

Smith agrees that state government grants and levies have an important place in sector development.

“The levy is critical. Grants have an important role in the sector and we want it working the best it possibly can,” he says.

Similarly, state governments introducing container deposit schemes have not only cleaned up the environment, but are enabling better sorting at the source. In turn, better quality secondary materials are being produced to meet growing market demand and investment in secondary processing facilities for glass and plastics. Read adds that state government plastic bag bans have reduced contamination in the recycling chain as well as reduced plastic litter.

Funding usually has a focus on specific development, which is why many of NWRIC and its state affiliate members undergo tedious application processes that the government reviews at their discretion. This can be a challenging process, and with limited successful applicants, industry is calling for greater investment.

Read says there are three areas where greater investment is required.

First, cleaning up what is being collected in kerbside bins by either disincentivising or banning the use of virgin materials that cannot be easily recycled or composted such as EPS and PVC in packaging.

Incentivising the use of secondary materials in packaging, products and construction through rebates and mandated recycled content targets.

And supporting the development of secondary materials specifications and educating and training engineers, designers, and farmers on how to design in and use secondary materials.

Read also highlights that while Australia needs to increase its recycling capacity and deliver greater volumes of quality secondary materials, the ability to do this is constrained by the quality of material that is received by

WRIQ is seeking industry feedback on whether state government recycling grant programs are fit for purpose.

the resource recovery industry and the lack of demand from the manufacturing, building and construction and agriculture sectors to use secondary materials. Read recommends that setting up a loan process similar to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation that

provides loans or equity into small scale projects, less than $1 million, would be highly beneficial for the sector.

Peter Olah, National Executive Officer of Australian Organics Recycling Association, agrees that some programs are better than others and a review is necessary to re-evaluate successful waste reduction and recycling outcomes.

“Generally, distribution of state government grants are disconnected from higher level strategic objectives.

They are often seen as rewarding the capacity to write strong grant applications, rather than the highest and best outcome,” Olah says.

He notes that grants can create market anomalies by supporting noncommercial activities at the expense of profitability in others, and believes there is little demonstrable link to furthering the growth of waste reduction and

recycling in totality.

“State government grants are sometimes not linked to end user needs and demand, the industry sees them as political,” Olah says.

He adds that the state government’s role in market intervention should support the growth of organics recycling towards national and state objectives for waste reduction, recycling and carbon, where market options are not viable.

“Ultimately, I think market intervention should support the provision of organics recycled products to end user markets in agriculture where the greatest benefit is possible, but the user may not be able to pay the market price.”

WRIQ is currently carrying out a national study on levy collection and grant spend. Contact: mark.smith@ wriq.com.au for more information.

ShowHello!

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SMART WASTE

5G waste power T

5G AND IOT NETWORKS ARE ACCELERATING THE CAPABILITIES OF SMART BINS LOCATED IN GLOBAL CITIES. LEON HAYES, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SMARTSENSOR TECHNOLOGIES, EXPLAINS HOW AUSTRALIA’S 5G NETWORK IS LEADING THE WAY.

he Internet of Things (IoT) movement is well and truly amongst us.

“Today, it’s about awakening this technology and ensuring it is applied to our cities to make them smarter,” Leon Hayes, Managing Director of Smartsensor Technologies says.

What is 5G all about? Technically speaking, it is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks.

Phone companies began deploying the technology worldwide in 2019, but now it’s a planned successor to enable new opportunities for people, businesses and society.

“The world’s connectivity needs are changing. For waste management, smart cities and IoT technologies must be at the forefront to provide immediate actionable insights and outcomes for Smartsensor Technologies’ sensors have been deployed at over 100 sites across Australia.

38 / WMR / April 2021

councils, constituents, private enterprise, and the wider community,” Hayes says.

In the age of analytics, data quality has never been more important. Hayes says that we are in a society that demands data as a service at every hour or every day.

“Information is available at our fingertips and this translates to what it required of the waste sector as well.”

Smartsensor Technologies SmartBIN sensor is the world’s leading smart waste bin sensor.

Sensors attached to bins can now detect when they’re full and can notify the council when they require a service, preventing overflows, reducing collections of near empty bins and reducing the number of rubbish trucks on the road.

Hayes says that the sensors are installed with just four screws or

adhesive mounts, with installation taking as little as five minutes.

Most importantly, with 5G networks, the sensors and platform work straight out of the box. Every Smartsensor sensor comes preconfigured and ready to optimise waste management immediately.

“This technology is vital for key decision making. The sensor is battery powered and can provide data where and when you need it. You can rely on the technology operating in the field for over four years, it’s a very small footprint inside a location that captures data in real time, working around the clock to deliver, insights that are just not possible from humans” Hayes says.

Hayes believes Australia is leading the way with connectivity and enabling smarter cities through technology.

“Australia has one of the most reputable 5G networks in the world, and it’s not just Australia that is benefiting. We have seen expansion to Singapore, Canada and New Zealand, who all have the great networks for connectivity,” he says.

Five years ago, 3G was at the forefront of technology for service providers. Now, with Australia’s NBN network, connectivity management is more streamlined through the proven infrastructure. Across the pond, New Zealand pioneered the roll-out last year across its capital city, Auckland.

New Zealand’s largest telecoms and digital services company, Spark, and Auckland Transport installed IoTenabled infrastructure at Auckland’s

vertical shredders.

Built tough for the most demanding of shredding applications.

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Every SmartBin sensor comes pre-configured and ready to optimise waste management immediately.

Wynyard Quarter, which includes 5G connected lighting, smart benches with charging capability and smart bins to tackle waste challenges The IoT applications powered by 5G, including the Smartsensor technologies SmartBIN sensor, have been used to collect valuable data to address urban, economic and sustainability challenges while also detecting incidents and improving the health and safety of locals.

“Certain data is only able to be captured through reliable smart technology that is powered by 5G. This is enabling us to bring our technology to competitive markets and make smarter cities a reality,” Hayes says.

Smartsensor Technologies SmartBIN sensors have been deployed to Albury Wodonga, City of Canada Bay, Townsville City Council, Hobart Airport and over 100 deployments in Australia, providing waste collection insights around these bustling cities.

“The sensors and the related platforms are set to power decision making in these use cases. It’s the future of waste management moving forward in this fast-paced and technology fuelled society.”

Hayes says deploying smart waste networks in cities allows them to take advantage of dynamic routing, planned collections and most impactfully, predictive collection optimisation.

“Just this month the NSW and Federal Governments released nearly 50 million dollars in grant funding combined, directly related to 5G and smart technology implementation,” Hayes says.

“Its already upon us and those that do not act are going to be left on the rubbish pile. Now is really the time to awaken technological capabilities within our cities and waste management teams and really advance the way waste is moved and collected.”

• Aggressive size reduction and densification of preshredded materials • Clean, high bulk density output for easy sorting and transportation • C&D waste, scrap metal and other heavy duty applications • Available with up to 440kW of power • Industry-proven and built tough for Australian conditions

Phone: 03 9706 8066 Email: sales@appliedmachinery.com.au

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – TYRE RECYCLING

Kariyarra Tyrecycle’s facility has received a $6.9 million grant through the Recycling Modernisation Fund.

Progressive solutions in the Pilbara A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN TYRECYCLE AND KARIYARRA ABORIGINAL CORPORATION WILL SPECIALISE IN THE PROCESSING OF END-OF-LIFE MINE-SITE TYRES.

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ackling a pressing environmental issue in the Pilbara Region with positive social and economic outcomes, Kariyarra Tyrecycle has secured a multi-million-dollar grant to build a secure waste tyre processing facility at Port Hedland, Western Australia.

The joint venture between Australia’s largest tyre recycler Tyrecycle and Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation will specialise in the processing of end-of-life mine-site tyres and conveyor belts.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with government to drive innovative solutions for progressing Australia’s transition to a circular economy,” Jim Fairweather, Tyrecycle CEO, says.

The new facility will be able to efficiently and sustainably process

40 / WMR / April 2021

passenger and truck tyres, off-theroad mining tyres and conveyor belts, ultimately resulting in their repurposing.

“This project will transform the management of both legacy and ongoing rubber mining waste in Western Australia,” Fairweather says.

“It’s a big step towards making real progress in delivering strong environmental outcomes, while also providing an economic and jobs boost.”

One hundred per cent of the Kariyarra Tyrecycle workforce will be comprised of people from the Kariyarra community.

The project has attracted the attention of policy makers, keen to support progressive solutions to long standing waste management issues,

ahead of the waste bans being rolled out progressively across the country.

That includes a ban on the export of whole-baled waste tyres, which is due to come into effect in December this year.

Recently, the Western Australian and Federal Governments approved a $6.9 million grant for the project, as part of the first tranche of the rollout of the Recycling Modernisation Fund.

Fairweather says it is a vote of confidence in the innovation of the resource recovery sector and its commitment to driving sustainable solutions to long-established waste management issues.

“This project represents a win-win,” Fairweather adds.

“It will provide stable local employment opportunities, a new

revenue stream for the community, and importantly, sustainable environmental outcomes.”

According to Stephen Stewart, Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation CEO, caring for the environment is important to all Traditional Custodians in the Pilbara region.

“The responsible reclamation and processing of waste that would otherwise be disposed in-situ will help care for the land in a way that preserves it for future generations.”

The new facility will have the capacity to process over 10 tonnes of off-the-road tyres per hour and 27,000 tonnes annually.

“Utilising existing logistics networks and working together with industry partners, we can provide an efficient mine-to-processing service,” Stewart says.

The tyres will undergo primary processing on-site at the Port Hedland facility, before the size reduced material is containerised for direct export from the region to Tyrecycle’s processing facility in South-East Asia.

It will then be converted into rubber crumb for either repatriation back into Australia for domestic consumption, or for sale into other markets as feedstock for high-value re-purposed products.

“What this project delivers is a local Pilbara-based approach towards the environmentally and socially conscious management of off-the-road tyre waste,” Stewart says.

Tyrecycle is also looking to boost processing capacity at its recycling facility in Perth, to facilitate the production of 42,000 tonnes of tyre shred and 3000 tonnes of crumb

from end-of-life tyres. This material will be repurposed for use in road manufacturing, tyre-derived fuel, tile adhesive and sporting and playground surfaces.

The company is also building a new, world-leading, multi-milliondollar, purpose-built plant at Erskine Park in Sydney to process rubber waste into tyre-derived fuel and rubber crumb for use in roads and sporting surfaces.

“The Federal Government’s ban on the export of waste last year creates opportunities for expansion,” Fairweather says.

“As Australia’s leading tyre recycler, we’re excited about the potential growth in demand for products repurposed from end-of-life tyres, especially if supported by bold government procurement targets.”

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WASTE HANDLING

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – TYRE RECYCLING

Rolling with the market WITH THE EXPORT BAN ON WASTE TYRES FAST APPROACHING, ELDAN RECYCLING’S CARSTEN NIELSEN SPEAKS WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW ABOUT A TYRE PROCESSING SYSTEM THAT CAN PRODUCE 99.9 PER CENT OUTPUT PURITY.

Eldan’s tyre recycling plants are available with capacities ranging from 500 to 10,000 kilograms each production hour.

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hen China announced restrictions to the import of certain waste-derived products in 2017, waste exports came into public prominence. Global flows of these materials were displaced to other south-east Asian countries, many of which have now implemented their own restrictions. According to the Federal Government’s latest National Waste Report, the disruption and uncertainty of end-markets drove prices lower and led to a slump in markets, stockpiling

by Australian recyclers and diversion of some recyclables to landfill.

In response, the Council of Australian Governments announced that bans would be established on the export of some waste-derived products in 2019.

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The export ban on tyres will take effect from 1 December this year, meaning operators will only be able to export bus, truck and aviation tyres for re-treading, tyres that have been processed into crumbs, buffings, granules or shreds, and tyres that have been processed into tyre-derived fuel.

According to Carsten Nielsen, Eldan Recycling Area Sales Manager, the export ban on tyres that have not been processed into value-added products suggests significant growth opportunity is on the horizon for Australia’s tyre recycling market.

Nielsen, who has been working in the recycling industry for over 20 years, has been travelling the globe since 1984.

As such, he has developed a sound

understanding of international markets and the varying needs of waste and resource recovery operators. Nielsen adds that while the recycling industry as a whole is expanding, tyres are a standout material that highlight how one type of waste can be recycled in many ways.

“Used tyres are among the largest and most problematic sources of waste today, due to the large volume produced and their durability. However, the same characteristics which make waste tyres a problem also make them one of the most re-used waste materials.”

Recycled tyre chips can be used for tyre derived fuel, Nielsen says, which is used for heat plants and cement ovens.

Rubber granulate is reused in sports fields, artificial turfs, rubber mats and moulded products, while rubber powder can be reused in rubber paved asphalt.

Asphalt will become a significant market opportunity, Nielsen adds, given government procurement drives to incorporate higher levels of recycled content in infrastructure projects.

Recovered steel, which accounts for approximately a quarter of a tyre’s weight, can also be smelted and reused just like non-recovered steel – facilitating a profitable side business.

“Finally, liberated textile has a very high effective burning value and can therefore be mixed with other materials to increase that material’s effective burning value,” Nielsen says.

Carsten Nielsen and Eldan Product Manager Flemming Hansen pictured with a Super Chopper 2118.

PROCESS SOLUTIONS With over 30 years’ experience in the tyre recycling sector and more than 1000 installations world-wide, Eldan offer solutions for the processing of all types of tyres including whole car and truck tyres, mining tyres, super singles, earth mover tyres and OTR. To achieve required end-products, different standard tyre recycling plants are available with capacities ranging from 500 to 10,000 kilograms each production hour. All systems are tailor fit solutions, including engineering, training of operators and plant management.

“Using a modular approach, a large number of combinations can be supplied to produce shreds, chips, granulate and powder,” Nielsen says.

He adds that Eldan’s systems are multi-size, meaning the size of rubber granulate can be changed easily by merely altering the screen combination.

“During production of rubber granulate, flexibility is a very important factor since the market demand of various fraction sizes will vary.”

Eldan’s system incorporates a range of products and process steps, starting with a powerful, low-speed, single shaft primary shredder capable of processing complete car and truck tyres down to shreds. A tumble back feeder then ensures continuous flow into a

multi-purpose rasper, which reduces material size down to approximately 12-millimetre chips and liberates up to 98 per cent of the steel content.

From there, a high-speed, fine granulator liberates 50 per cent of the textiles, before a single shaft fine granulator performs the second and final granulation stage. Final size distribution of granulate is performed by an aspirator, which removes all the remaining, liberated textiles.

Ensuring output purity is one of Eldan’s main focuses, which can be challenging when recycling tyres, especially passenger car tyres that contain more textiles. However, with Eldan’s tyre recycling systems, operators are guaranteed an output purity of up to 99.9 per cent.

Eldan can also provide a number of optional modules for specific customer requirements, Nielsen explains, such as a steel quality upgrading system which reduces the rubber and textile content in the steel fraction to produce up to 99 per cent clean steel wire.

Additionally, Eldan recently developed a new sensor-based system to detect foreign objects in tyre shreds, reducing the risk of breakdowns and yearly downtime.

The Eldan Foreign Object Detection system consists of a sensor system monitoring the vibrating discharge conveyor following the Eldan Super Chopper.

Changes in acceleration from dense objects hitting the surface are picked up by the system, which will stop the material flow of the plant and give off a warning signal.

“It is then easy for the operator to search through the material on the vibrating discharge conveyor, find and remove the foreign object, and continue production without further problems,” Nielsen says.

For more information contact Carsten Nielsen: cn@eldan-recycling.com

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

Greater Sydney’s great asset GAVAN HOLLOWAY, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF SYDNEY WASTE SERVICES, SHARES HOW A NEW ADDITION TO THE FLEET HAS HEIGHTENED SERVICE AT A CRUCIAL TIME.

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t’s estimated that over 5.3 million people reside in Greater Sydney. Including businesses, the region is rapidly growing and is increasingly requiring innovative waste management and infrastructure solutions to service the area.

Gavan Holloway, Chief Operating Officer of Sydney Waste Services, says the company’s goal is for strong customer relations and encourages the necessary investment in IT, technology, plant, equipment, resources and services with confidence of a return on

financial investment. That confidence translates through innovation across smart technology supporting equipment, collection services and frontline staff. Sydney Waste Services is committed to investments that will influence, develop and become a key contributor to the growth of the company both operationally and sustainably.

Last year, Sydney Waste Services partnered with HYVA and HSR Southern Cross to trial a Rear Loader to enhance the company’s ongoing goals in innovation through

Sydney Waste Services’ partnership with HYVA and HSR Southern Cross supports its vision to improve resource recovery outcomes and opportunities.

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supportive equipment.

“The process of trialling is like buying a new car. It was so exciting to have a brand new compactor join our fleet. Through this trial process, we were able to tighten up and fine tune the technical operations of the equipment while seeing how the product could successfully bring value to our company.”

Following the trial, Sydney Waste Services purchased a complete HYVA Rear Loader to join its fleet of 45 vehicles. When drawing on the noticeable benefits, Holloway says the reduced energy consumption, lower noise, zero leakage, easier serviceability and lower operating cost are features that jump to mind.

HYVA Rear Loaders are available in a wide range of configurations, and can be supplied for top loading, tipping and tip cart loading applications. Holloway says that for Sydney Waste Services, the efficiency of the compactor combined with the lower noise benefit are most notable compared to other compactors on the market.

“We are running our fleets on the narrow streets of Sydney at all hours, including one and two o’clock in the morning. This means we need really quiet equipment that is also effective and can help optimise our operations.

The vehicles work very hard, are reliable and environmentally

friendly,” Holloway says.

Sydney Waste Services services all over the region, across a 24 hour schedule for commercial, industrial and residential high rise towers.

“We want to provide only the highest quality of equipment for our dedicated workers and the big part of choosing the HYVA Rear Loader was the positive feedback from our employees,” Holloway says.

He notes the dramatic change in waste management operations since he began in the industry over 34 years ago.

“The sector is rapidly evolving, It’s been incredible to see the accuracy in reporting and technological growth in equipment,” he says.

Partnering with HYVA and HSR Southern Cross supports the company’s vision to innovate

HYVA Rear Loaders are available in a wide range of configurations.

through management of reporting and monitoring and improve resource recovery outcomes and opportunities.

“The support from the HSR Southern Cross team through the

trial, purchase and operation stage was incredible. The time table schedule is spot on, which has never been more important in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.”

Drive More. Scale Less.

TM

THE LOAD SCALE YOU TRUST Right Weigh offers the most reliable scales in the industry.

With the free Right Weigh App, monitor on-the-ground weight without leaving your cab.

Superior customer service and 3-year product warranty ensures complete customer satisfaction.

INCREASE PROFITS

Maximise load capacity and save money on commercial fees, out-of-route mileage and overweight fines.

SAVE TIME

No more detours to commercial ground scales. The days of waiting in line to rework and weigh your loads are over.

IMPROVE SAFETY Remove the guess work out of driving and maintaining legal weights.

Smart Trucks Solutions Leigh: 0418 622 840 | leigh@rwlsau.com.au | Jarrod: 0488 130 481 | jarrod@rwlsau.com.au

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Installation of Right Weigh load scales is a simple threestep process and calibration is quick and easy.

rightweigh.com.au

EVENTS

Leading with less WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW SPEAKS WITH MEMEME PRODUCTIONS’ CATE MCQUILLEN ABOUT EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AHEAD OF HER WASTE 2021 KEYNOTE ADDRESS.

W

hile mememe productions is perhaps best known as the home of dirtgirlworld and Get Grubby TV, Creative Producer and Owner Cate McQuillen characterises its mission as one of community engagement and conversation building.

Driven by a belief that positive, narrative led content can achieve

wider commitment to sustainable actions and practices, McQuillen and her co-creator Hewey Eustace have the “audacity” to believe they can influence a generation to tackle waste and climate change head-on.

“We’ve created a positive and engaged story world that includes casting children in a special celebrating their relationships with

mememe productions is driven by a desire to encourage sustainable life practices.

46 / WMR / April 2021

nature and fully demonstrating just how fun getting grubby can be,” McQuillen says.

In addition to creating eco-driven content, the passionate mememe team’s day-to-day life is centred around on-the-ground work with families and communities.

“Whether it’s a documentary series with the Indigenous Rangers across the top end about biosecurity, working with Torres Strait Islanders to set up a community farm, or working in early childhood education with our sustainability curriculum, we adore what’s happening in real life – that’s what really excites us,” McQuillen says.

This May, McQuillen is set to present a keynote address at the Waste 2021 Conference at Coffs Harbour’s Opal Cove Resort.

Celebrating 25 years, the Coffs Harbour Waste Conference is the leading conference for the waste management industry in Australia.

Historically the conference has attracted 650 delegates both nationally and internationally, though this year the capacity will be reduced to comply with COVID regulations and restrictions, with delegates to be widely spread across Australia.

Targeted at anyone who works in or has an interest in waste management issues, the conference is particularly relevant to local government.

Waste 2021 will run as a hybrid event, featuring both face-to-face and online attendance options.

Attendees will hear from leading

waste management professionals on the latest developments in the industry, be able to visit a vast array of exhibitions, and have the opportunity to network with other waste experts.

“I just love this conference. We had to take a year off in 2020, so it will be nice to get together and remind each other of the importance of what we do – that we are changing the world,” McQuillen says.

McQuillen’s keynote will explore the nature of waste, with a particular emphasis on how industry can better formulate its messaging to communicate effectively with the wider community.

“It’s not about us sitting together at a conference discussing: why is waste a problem? We know why,” she says.

“We need to focus on how we communicate that to people. We can call them consumers or all kinds of things, but they’re people – it’s our families and friends. How do we speak to them?”

As a conference geared towards local government, McQuillen notes a significant shift from councils in the last eight years.

“It’s moving from a pragmatic, this going into this bin conversation, into

an understanding that behavioural change starts with love,” she says.

Another area of focus for McQuillen’s keynote will be the role of reduction, and its oftenoverlooked significance in the reduce, reuse, recycle narrative.

“It’s not just about which bin the material goes in and recycling, but did you buy it in the first place? That’s a conversation we need to be having with the community – leading with less and understanding that having less is not losing,” McQuillen says.

“The words we choose to communicate this messaging is important. I want to talk about the lexicon of change and how we can use powerful words that help people understand that less is winning.”

McQuillen adds that while waste practices and their effect on the climate may have been an afterthought in the past, or not acknowledged at all, the conversation is shifting.

“There are many reasons people look at the waste conversation. They look at it for health, they look at it for financial reasons such as keeping levies down, they look at it in the context of the circular economy and

Cate McQuillen’s Waste 2021 keynote will explore the nature of waste and communication.

capturing resources,” she says.

“Or they understand that when it comes to food waste and recycling, the way we make waste is deeply connected to the story of how we grow a climate safe future.

“Getting our waste right gets our climate right.

“That’s what makes this a place where I really want to stand and have a conversation.”

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SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS

Closing the consumer loop WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES THE RETAIL SECTOR’S ENGAGEMENT WITH RETURN AND EARN AND THE ROLE OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN SHAPING POSITIVE RECYCLING OUTCOMES. “Providing customers with an option of returning their containers at our supermarkets and receiving a 10 cent refund makes recycling very convenient for them.”

According to Davis, Return and Earn has been positively received by Coles’ customers, which is highlighted in its significant return rates.

She adds that to build on that success, Coles is now working with TOMRA in Western Australia.

Western Australia’s CDS, Containers for Change, launched in October last year, with TOMRA operating five return locations across the state.

More than 460,000 tonnes of material has been recycled through Return and Earn.

C

oles’ ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket sees it focus on a range of social and environmental issues.

Processing an average of 20 million customer transactions each week, the supermarket giant is committed to playing its part in Australia’s circular economy transition through active partnerships with some of the country’s largest waste and recycling organisations and social enterprises.

Since 2018, for instance, Coles has been working with TOMRA and NSW’s Return and Earn container deposit scheme (CDS).

Coles supermarkets currently host 34 TOMRA reverse vending machines

48 / WMR / April 2021

(RVM) across NSW, and the company is the sole redemption partner for an additional 23 RVMs which are located close to a Coles supermarkets.

Through the partnership more than 200 million containers were returned in the last financial year.

Kirsty Davis, Coles General Manager Sustainability and Property Services, explains that Coles’ primary driver for working with TOMRA and Return and Earn is to provide a convenient way for its customers to recycle.

“We were one of the founding partners of the REDcycle soft plastics recycling program and Return and Earn provides another way to make it easy for our customers to recycle,” she says.

CONSUMER CONVENIENCE While 200 million container returns through Coles hosted RVMs is an impressive feat, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for Return and Earn.

As of February 2021, the CDS has seen over five billion containers returned for recycling through its network of return points.

Return and Earn, a NSW Government initiative, currently sees two out of every three eligible bottles and cans supplied in NSW redeemed through the scheme for recycling, with more than 460,000 tonnes of material recycled since the CDS launched over three years ago.

Return and Earn makes it easy for the community to participate through its extensive network of return points across the state.

Return points range from RVMs and automated depots, to over the counter and donation station sites.

David Eevs, who manages refund redemption sites at two IGA stores in Galston and Wangi Wangi, explains that people in the catchments had to travel significant distances to recycle prior to the RVM installations.

The community are embracing the program, with the Wangi Wangi site averaging 50,000 container returns each week.

“We were happy to partner with Return and Earn because they are taking recycling full circle,” Eevs says.

“We sell a lot of cans and plastic drink bottles, so when the opportunity came up, we were happy to take part and keep recycling local.”

While CDS’ across the country are recording impressive results, industry stakeholders highlight the Return and Earn model and its bydesign commitment to consumer convenience as a key driver of the NSW scheme’s success.

In an October 2020 Waste Management Review column for instance, National Waste and Recycling Industry Council CEO Rose Read wrote that Return and Earn has “clearly set the benchmark in best practice community access, container redemption and recycling rates.”

Despite Australia not having the benefit of the return to retail networks common in Europe, Return and Earn was designed to get as close to that model as possible.

This has been achieved by positioning RVMs in shopping centres throughout NSW. One such shopping centre is Mirvac’s East Village precinct, which has ranked number one in Shopping Centre News’ Little Guns Awards for annual turnover per square metre four years in a row.

Mirvac installed a RVM in mid 2020 to build on its existing success and draw

Return and Earn makes it easy for the community to participate through its extensive network of return points.

more people to the centre.

Alex Perryman, Mirvac East Village Shopping Centre Manager, explains that the property group is committed to sustainability and waste reduction.

“While we had a number of initiatives in place for our tenants to recycle, we didn’t really have an option for our customers, so the Return and Earn scheme provided an opportunity for us to give our customers access to incentivised recycling,” he says.

“While it’s hard to know exactly how many customers are using it, there are people coming in with significant drops offs that we probably wouldn’t have seen previously, so it’s attracting new customers to the site.”

According to Perryman, the RVM has also shifted the recycling habits of the businesses that operate out of East Village Shopping Centre, with some using Return and Earn rather than Mirvac’s centre system.

He adds that East Village is located in a dense part of Sydney, surrounded by apartments that have limited facilities to recycle.

“Having the Return and Earn service in the area gives better access to those people and has been very positively received,” Perryman says.

“I’m also seeing less waste on the streets. A lot of bins in the area were overflowing with people getting takeaway from nearby stores, and that seems to have shifted by having this service conveniently located.”

Another property group that has partnered with TOMRA is Charterhall, which operates 12 RVMs at shopping centres across NSW. The first site went live in 2017, with National Retail Operations and Sustainability Manager Nick Morse noting that the recycled volumes have consistently exceeded Charter Hall’s expectations.

“Partnering with TOMRA allows us to contribute to waste diversion and the wider sustainability of our communities,” Morse says.

“The community uptake has been really positive at our convenience shopping centres.”

Morse adds that Charterhall has developed a strong, collaborative relationship with TOMRA, and as a result, the RVMs are well located and well presented.

“Return and Earn compliments our community-based focus and provides a convenient option for our customers to contribute to the circular economy.”

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 49

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – WEIGHING SYSTEMS

Maintaining legal limits RIGHT WEIGH AND SMART TRUCK SOLUTIONS ARE COMMITTED TO MAXIMISING PAYLOADS WHILE TAKING THE GUESS WORK OUT OF DRIVING AND RETAINING LEGAL WEIGHTS.

A

fter years spent searching for a simple, cost effective way to keep truck drivers within legal load weight limits, Alaskan trucker Sid Campbell developed the first Right Weigh onboard load scale in 1998.

As a fleet owner and operator on Alaska’s ice roads, Campbell first used his scales on his own trucks and trailers.

He soon recognised that many of his peers were also in search of the same solution, and since then, Right Weigh, Inc. has grown into a global leader in on-board load scale solutions.

All Right Weigh scales come with a three-year warranty.

50 / WMR / April 2021

Kelly Jackson, Right Weigh’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, explains that the company’s approach is grounded in first-hand industry knowledge and experience.

“From the driver all the way up to the fleet owner, we understand all of the pain points along the road and design our products and customer support services around that understanding,” she says.

It’s this holistic, total supply chain ethos that led Right Weigh to its similarly minded Australian

distributor Smart Truck Solutions over 13 years ago.

Like Campbell, Smart Truck Solutions owner Leigh Noske has a long history in transport, which allows him to provide customers with tailored weighing solutions and advice based on personal experience.

Noske and Smart Truck Solutions began distributing Right Weigh products in Australia after meeting the Right Weigh team at a truck show in 2008.

The partnership is centred around a commitment to helping customers maximise load capacity, while saving money on commercial scale fees, out-ofroute mileage and overweight fines.

“I’ve been in the transport industry for over 40 years, first as an owner of vehicles and now a supplier of Right Weigh load scales. I know how the industry works and what customers need from their weighing systems,” Noske says.

While the team’s initial Australian focus was tractor trailers, Right Weigh and Smart Truck Solutions have been turning their attention to the waste and resource recovery sector in recent years, after recognising similar needs and challenges.

When Chain of Responsibility laws underwent a revamp in 2018, for example, waste haulers came under increased pressure to improve safety along the supply chain.

Overloading waste trucks, even

inadvertently, can result in expensive fines. And as legal weight is based on both individual axle group weight and overall vehicle weight, Noske says load scales have become an indispensable feature – taking the guess work out of driving and maintaining legal weights.

DIGITAL LOAD SCALES Right Weigh Load Scales help turn waste trucks into self-weighing vehicles while keeping operators with legal limits reliably and efficiently.

While the total Right Weigh portfolio can be applied to the commercial trucking industry, Noske highlights Interior Digital Load Scales and Exterior Digital Load Scales as particularly well suited to the needs of waste management transport applications.

Right Weigh’s most versatile product, the interior digital gauge, provides on-the-ground axle group weight for vehicles with air steer and drive axles.

The gauge is available with up to four air inputs and mounts in the cab for ata-glance weight data.

The scale has a simple two-point calibration and comes with with chrome and black bezels.

Right Weigh’s exterior scales are similarly effective and designed for truck ai161303332532_WMR_Feb21_ThirdPage.pdf 1 applications with an air suspension drive

axle group and a spring suspension steer axle.

They monitor the drive axle group as well as providing a steer axle weight using a strain sensor that is attached to the steer axle.

In addition to providing the driver real-time and accurate data, Noske says Right Weigh digital load scales can synchronise via Bluetooth to the Right Weigh mobile app for ease of use.

“Users can view the on-ground weight of their truck and trailer either from the heads-up-display on the unit or anywhere within Bluetooth range, and can share that information with fleet operators via email – facilitating a safer and more productive way to monitor and maintain legal weight limits.

“Through the tare feature in the app, total weight of waste collected can be available, as well as the ability to monitor inputs and outputs during material recovery, and dispose efficiently,” he says.

Noske adds that installation is a simple three-step process, with quick and easy calibration.

11/02/2021 6:48:47 PM While Right Weigh, Inc. is

Right Weigh Load Scales optimise loads while maintaining legal weights.

internationally recognised for its product offering, Jackson credits much of its popularity to superior customer support.

“Our products are reliable, durable and reputable,” she says.

To ensure that promise, Right Weigh scales come with an indisputable threeyear warranty.

“Our mission is to make life easier for the driver, and Noske does a tremendous job offering that support to the Australian industry,” Jackson says.

Contact - Smart Truck Solutions P 03 5292 1992 E leigh@rwlsau.com.au W www.rightweigh.com.au/

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – WEIGHING SYSTEMS

LOADRITE customers set to see unprecedented support T

AS THE WASTE INDUSTRY LEARNS TO ADAPT TO BEST PRACTICE TECHNOLOGIES, SMARTTECH AUSTRALIA IS TAKING STEPS TO GROW THEIR NATIONAL FOOTPRINT.

he waste industry is under growing scrutiny to adapt and leverage best practice technologies in the delivery of the critical role the waste services industry provides. Technology adoption in Australia has been unprecedented, and LOADRITE has been at the forefront of this evolution within waste as it provides both safety, productivity and invoicing solutions in one box.

A huge driver in that adoption has been through organisations such as Weighing Systems Australia (WSA) who have driven this narrative and significant adoption for over 30 years.

As the waste industry learns to adapt to these best practice technologies, SmartTech Australia has taken steps to grow their national footprint and provide the waste industry with a comprehensive portfolio of LOADRITE onboard weighing systems and solutions by acquiring WSA. Dan Barry, General Manager for SmartTech Australia, explains that SmartTech is a business that has evolved based on its strength in

52 / WMR / April 2021

LOADRITE and solutions for the civil construction and quarrying industries.

With the edition of WSA, SmartTech are in a position to jointly provide customers with a superior solution and more scalable ongoing support.

“With the addition of WSA, SmartTech now has a nationwide footprint covering 12 regional branches in all the major cities and has over 50 service technicians with 14 of those being NMI certified,” Barry says.

“From an infrastructure perspective, there is a lot of value that SmartTech brings to the table, which can only amplify the value that WSA already provides to their customer base.”

Not only are LOADRITE onboard refuse truck scales of value to the waste industry, but so is the entire LOADRITE portfolio that SmartTech can offer.

“Beyond onboard truck scales, SmartTech’s belt scale solutions can monitor processing (e.g. glass or metals recycling), as well as our

loader and excavator scale solutions to measure truck loading. And connecting to Trimble Insight web dashboards so customers can monitor progress in real-time,” Barry says.

This strategic acquisition coincides with a series of important shifts in the waste industry with increased scrutiny via Chain of Responsibility (CoR) legislation and the industry’s adoption of best practice solutions such as on truck weighing to ensure overloading is eradicated.

This is combined with substantial operational productivity gains realised via on board ‘Legal For Trade’ certified waste loads for greater accuracy and weighbridgefree operations and invoicing.

“CoR has really put everyone in a position where they have to be totally accountable in how they operate their businesses, and this is the thing that really binds a lot of these solutions from a LOADRITE perspective.

Anything that is moving material, whether its waste or recycling, we have the tools to help mitigate risks that can potentially impact their ability to continue to trade. The

legislation is very clear. It focuses on best practice and we feel that LOADRITE is best practice.”

Alan Clarke, former owner of WSA, and now Waste Product Manager for SmartTech, explains why upgrading onboard weighing systems to be Legal for Trade is important to his clients.

“Waste haulers need to be able to charge for overloaded bins because the fees at the tip or transfer station make it important that haulers are not losing money on a pickup.”

When speaking about what the waste industry should look for when choosing an onboard scale solution provider, Barry comments that support is the key.

“Whatever the customer is looking for, the provider must stand behind their solution with nationwide support to deliver results. For SmartTech, we stand behind our solutions, investing first in customer support which will establish and grow our reputation,” he says.

Barry adds that with the addition of WSA, SmartTech now have measures in place that ensure a consistent positive customer experience.

“Whether you engage us to deliver in Hobart, Weipa or the Pilbara, we will deliver our services seamlessly regardless of where you are, and that’s what we pride ourselves on.”

In speaking about SmartTech’s nationwide coverage and how this

is critical in relation to COVID-19, Barry remarks that the growing limitations around interstate travel are quite possibility a reality for the next 18 to 24 months.

“Last year’s travel restrictions really showed the value of our national footprint and being realistic, these on and off travel restrictions will probably be with us for another 18 to 24 months. Customers are evolving during this period too, and as they evolve with these guidelines, we have the ability to provide a support structure that allows this.”

Contact - SmartTech Australia P 1800 655 860 W www.smarttechaustralia.com.au

SmartTech has evolved based on its strength in LOADRITE and solutions for the waste industry. www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 53

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – WEIGHING SYSTEMS

AXTEC ONBOARD AXLE LOAD INDICATOR The innovative Axtec OnBoard Axle Load Indicator provides drivers with real-time information on axle and gross vehicle loads via a simple, easy to read, colour coded bar graph display.

By constantly displaying axle and gross weights, drivers know they are complying with mass load limits and are able to distribute their loads safely and legally at all times.

Visual and audible warnings can prompt the driver when overloads are present, while load data can be simultaneously written to the built-in logger and transmitted to a tracker system.

The colour touch screen can automatically display images from rear-view or side-mounted cameras and can be set to dim when the vehicle is in motion.

All of these functions take place with absolutely no input from the driver, so they are not unnecessarily distracted and can focus on daily tasks.

From light vans to 32-tonners, the simple colour-coded display has no manual controls, which means no driver training and nothing for them to break.

Optional outputs are available to vehicle tracking systems and data storage.

Having formed a strategic partnership with Transport Waste Solutions Australia, Axtec products are currently

Axtec’s system prompts drivers with visual and audible warnings when overloads are present.

being utilised by several state utility companies – helping them meet Chain of Responsibility obligations by providing accurate and reliable vehicle load information in real-time as vehicles perform their day-to-day operations.

Contact - Transport & Waste Solutions P +61 (2) 9623 1800 E chris.coleman@twsaust.com.au W www.twsaust.com.au

BINWEIGH: THE ORIGINAL FIRST TRADE-APPROVED SYSTEM FOR THE AUSTRALIAN WASTE INDUSTRY “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is truer today than it’s ever been, and if you’re operating a waste collection business then you know that first-hand.

The reliable and accurate weight of each loaded bin is crucial information to maximising profitability – and when it comes to maximising charge-by-weight operations with accurate weight data, Diverseco’s range of BinWeigh systems is the solution.

Diverseco’s comprehensive range of legal for trade systems include front-lift, rear-lift and side-lift loaders that provide high- and low-resolution load ranges from 0-200 kilograms to 0-4000 kilograms, limited only by the manufacturer’s bin lifter capacities. Drivers will receive a fully automatic weighing process with no delay to the tipping cycle, an RFID interface, and data logging to third party data management systems comes standard.

Best suited for waste tankers, hook and skip trucks, BinWeigh LFT underbody loadcell systems complete Diverseco’s range of charge-by-weight solutions.

Diverseco’s specialist and engineering teams provide guidance with new installs and converting existing vehicles with the right BinWeigh solution.

54 / WMR / April 2021

Diverseco has service centres around the country and specialise in a full range of onboard and vehicle weighing systems.

BinWeigh provides drivers with a fully automatic weighing process.

Contact - Diverseco

P 1300 069 970 E onboardsolutions@diverseco.com.au W www.diverseco.com.au

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – RECOVERY EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

CJD’S LG946L LOADER The LG946L Loader is Australia’s favourite SDLG loader for versatility and performance. Ideal for loading and unloading loose materials, it is widely used in waste and resource recovery operations, small mine and timber plants and general construction.

SDLG was introduced into Australia in 2010 when CJD Equipment was appointed as the National Distributer.

Having proven itself in regions around the world, SDLG was poised for success down under with a strong value offering backed by CJD’s seasoned dealer network.

The LG946L has a fully certified ROPS-FOPS rollover protection air-conditioned cab, with wraparound pillarless front and rear windscreens for clear visibility.

The cab interior is vast, with a focus on comfort, ergonomics and practicality.

SDLG uses axles designed and built at its factory, thus ensuring a perfect driveline match that results in increased productivity.

The engine is high torque, high performance and fuel efficient. It is connected to a tropical cooling package allowing it to work at full capacity in the toughest conditions.

The transmission is heavy duty, smooth and reliable. It incorporates a kick-down function for superior productivity

The LG946L has a fully certified ROPS-FOPS rollover protection air-conditioned cab.

and is designed to work in all applications.

The SDLG also comes with a standard Volvo compatible quick hitch and general-purpose bucket, with a bolt-on cutting edge designed to increase productivity.

Contact - CJD Equipment P 1300 139 804 E enquiries@cjd.com.au W www.cjd.com.au/

MATERIAL RECOVERY SOLUTIONS’ GODSWILL BALERS International original equipment manufacturer Godswill Paper Machinery Company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of balers.

With over 200 balers in operation in Australia and New Zealand, Godswill holds a substantial market share, with many operating in high-volume applications.

To offer the reliable equipment locally, Material Recovery Solutions (MRS) are the exclusive agent for Godswill balers in Australia and New Zealand. Its range includes, but is not limited to, channel, two ram, closed door and custom build balers.

MRS’ range of Godswill balers typical come in three frame sizes and feature modular hydraulic systems, which allow MRS to increase kilowatt packages to tailor the baler’s configuration to suit customer requirements.

Hydraulic systems are designed to be highly efficient, offering regenerative oil management, energy efficient components and variable frequency drives, with variable speed controllers to optimise low-load stages of the baling cycle.

Flagship models comprise the GB-1111F series channel baler and GB-1175TR series two ram balers.

Godswill balers are designed to provide export bale weights at high throughputs across a range of material types.

Godswill balers are designed to provide export bale weights at high throughputs across a range of material types.

The channel baler series supports fibrous materials such as paper, cardboard and various waste streams.

The two ram baler series, designed to bale high memory materials such as plastic bottles, and LDPE film, can also bale an array of other materials.

Custom builds are also available for bespoke applications.

MRS provided are range of other equipment to complement the baler range and offer turnkey material recovery solutions to the industry.

Contact - Material Recovery Solutions P 07 562 900 92 E sales@MaterialRecoverySolutions.com.au W www.materialrecoverysolutions.com.au/

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 55

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – RECOVERY EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Developments in digitisation T

STEINERT’S JOHANN HEFNER OUTLINES THE ROLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DIGITALISATION WILL PLAY IN AUSTRALIA’S MATERIAL RECOVERY FUTURE.

o effectively keep resources in the value-chain and out of landfill, waste operators around the global are looking towards innovative Industry 4.0 approaches such as digitisation, artificial intelligence and robotic technologies.

Described as the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 refers to the current trend of continued technological improvements and digitisation. To help industry better understand these technologies, magnetic and sensor-based sorting

solutions leader STEINERT ran an online seminar in late February – discussing its experience and developments in the digitisation of the waste and recycling industry.

The seminar explored a range of concepts and technologies, with STEINERT UniSort Managing Director Hendrik Beel using practical examples to demonstrate how STEINERT works collaboratively with its customers to develop highly efficient sorting facilities. In 2018, for example, STEINERT delivered a fully automated

STEINERT recently delivered a fully automated plant at one of the world’s biggest material recovery facilities in Germany.

56 / WMR / April 2021

plant at one of the world’s biggest material recovery facilities in Germany.

The project was conceptualised around STEINERT’s new facilities framework, which calls for high levels of automisation to support improved recycling rates, while meeting demand for final product purity.

According to Johann Hefner, STEINERT Australia Resource Recovery Manager, the plant processes lightweight packaging waste from roughly 6.4 million people, with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes per annum.

STEINERT’s design and technology ensures an end-product with the highest purity levels available to industry, allowing its customer to replace raw materials from primary sources that are running low.

The plant features 58 near-infrared sorting systems, four Unibot robots, five non-ferrous metal separators and four overhead suspension magnets.

“The plant is fully automated, so no hand pickers are required, and all nearinfrared sorters are interconnected to achieve the best purities. Additionally, as the entire system is automated and monitored, the facility can be operated and maintained with minimal staff,” Hefner explains.

DIGITISATION AND DATA While data is seen as the key to previously irresolvable challenges in the recycling industry, Hefner says it is an often-under-utilised resource of companies operating in this space.

“There are calls for larger, more complex sorting facilities as a result of greater financial pressure, stricter requirements based on recycling rates and the materials in material flows comprising multiple layers,” he says.

“As such, facilities which are well utilised, easy to monitor and quick to maintain are absolutely essential for smooth-running and economically viable sorting processes.”

Hefner adds that STEINERT believes artificial intelligence will play a major role in the future of raw material recovery.

“A future that can offer unimagined opportunities in the fight against the scarcity of resources based on huge amounts of digitally obtained data and the mechanical evaluation of this data is central to STEINERT’s business model,” he says.

Hefner explains that these solutions build on STEINERT’s long-history in waste and recycling technology,

specifically noting its UniSort PR. “In 2011, the first Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) camera replaced the point-to-point scanners previously used as standard in the STEINERT UniSort PR, paving the way for data-based sorting solutions,” he says.

STEINERT’s HSI camera has a spatial and spectral resolution of 28,000,000 pixels, a 5000-fold improvement, and forms the basis of the company’s networked solutions – thereby providing new opportunities in the fight against the scarcity of resources.

“With the accumulated experience from four UniSort generations, a system was developed to fully process this data,” Hefner says.

All the necessary components are built into the machines of the EVO 5.0 generation, with customers benefiting from shorter commissioning times, easier facility monitoring, robot-based quality control and spectral databases with AI deep learning that helps sort previously inseparable materials.

“This enables the highest sorting performance for every machine globally all the time, as the database and calibrated system is identical for every machine. Additionally, the database is fuelled by an AI algorithm, so we continue to learn and improve the sorting efficiency and can continuously update the customer’s software.”

Hefner adds that STEINERT’s intelligent plant commissioning capabilities facilitate the commissioning of all sizes of plant and synchronisation at the touch of a button.

“This cuts commissioning times while also offering optimised staff management and enabling the commissioning of sorting facilities with more than 50 near-infrared sorters,” he says.

“By calibrating machines using a central spectral database, the entire system is adapted to the local

circumstances at all times and is stable in the face of environmental factors.”

Similarly, STEINERT’s intelligent remote monitoring cuts the time it takes to respond to problems thanks to mobile status monitoring and opportunities for service experts to intervene.

“This provides overall plant performance improvement, as well as shorter downtimes and overall operational flexibility,” Hefner says.

“Our intelligent remote update also allows improvements or totally new functions to be deployed remotely and equips sorting facilities for future requirements without staff having to be present on site.”

On a more granular level, STEINERT’s intelligent object identified system uses AI to sort materials that could not previously be separated and for solving complicated sorting tasks, thereby guaranteeing constant and improved sorting performance.

“This allows for faster adaption to changes in material compositions and requirements, with the AI learning more stable visual differences,” Hefner says.

The AI object identifier adds image information to the sorting decision so operators can detect and sort individual item, for example cleaning detergent bottles that are of a target recyclable plastic but could contain toxic substances.

“Our robot-based intelligent quality control then checks for automated assessment of material qualities for processing, using for example the UniSort Unibot,” Hefner says.

“This enables accurate and flexible pricing as well as a response to legal and customer-specific requirements.”

Contact - STEINERT P +61 3 8720 0800 E sales@steinert.com.au W www.steinert.com.au

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE – RECOVERY EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

EREMA HAS THE ANSWER TO INCREASED DEMAND FOR FOOD PACKAGING RECYCLING Legal and industry requirements increasingly encourage packaging suppliers to search for stable and reliable sources for food contact compliant recycled material.

Austrian manufacturer EREMA offers systems to solve this increased demand for food contact compliant recyclate.

EREMA set the industry’s benchmark by being the first machine builder to receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for their PCR-HDPE to be used in food packaging with an unlimited mixing rate (up to 100 per cent) for sourced from milk and juice containers. A new addition to the approval now covers that new food packaging can contain up to 100 per cent of PCR-HDPE, whilst the input material can also be sourced from all food-grade containers, including containers and closures, and not only limited to drink containers.

All HDPE containers and closures can therefore consist of 100 per cent PCR-HDPE that has been produced with the EREMA process.

This process combines the patented Intarema® TVEplus®, RegrindPro® extrusion systems with the well-proven ReFresher module. The TVEplus® offers filtration, homogenisation and degassing at the highest level. The RegrindPro® turns a wide variety of regrind material into application-optimised recycled pellets through gentle processing and highly efficient filtration.

EREMA systems are available in Australia through CEMAC Technologies.

The pre-treatment of the material during the dwell time in the preconditioning unit of the recycling extruder enables a high decontamination performance of this machine.

The additional removal of low-volatility odorous substances from the granulate by the ReFresher module further decontaminates the material.

HDPE recycling with EREMA means meeting a consistently high quality of recyclate output while being flexible with input material.

Contact - CEMAC Technologies P 03 8400 6066 E info@cemactech.com W www.cemactech.com/

ELDAN RECYCLING’S SUPER CHOPPER ELDAN Recycling’s Super Choppers are heavy duty primary shredders designed for the first step in any recycling process.

Low speed and high torque make the Super Choppers suitable for tough materials processing, such as aluminium scrap, cables, electrical waste, MSW, industrial waste and plastics.

The Super Choppers are also efficient at processing shreds from all types of tyres, including OTR tyres with diameter up to 2000 milimetres, and pre-cut mining truck tyres without prior de-beading.

As one of ELDAN Recycling’s bestselling machines, the Super Chopper is powered directly by planetary gear and frequency converters, thus enabling automatic reverse for overload protection to minimise knife damages.

The machine starts up when fully loaded with material, thereby reducing downtime after shutdown.

Adjustable knife clearance optimises the cut function, with the knives able to be reground multiple times on a “flat-bed” grinder to ensure long life and low operation costs. Knives can be quickly and easily changed.

The unique rotor is manufactured and designed for minimum wear, while the frequency drive reduces power consumption by up to 50 per cent.

58 / WMR / April 2021

The Super Chopper is powered directly by planetary gear and frequency converters.

The SC2118/SC2109 frequency drive models can process up to 25,000 kilograms an hour, while the smaller SC1412/ SC1406 models can process up to 12,000 kilograms an hour.

Contact - ELDAN Recycling Carsten Nielsen P +45 6361 2534 E cn@eldan-recycling.com W www.eldan-recycling.com

PRODUCT SHOWCASE – RECOVERY EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

APPLIED MACHINERY’S PLASTIC WASHING SYSTEMS Applied Machinery’s plastic washing systems are designed for high performance recovery of rigid or flexible plastics derived from a variety of sources.

The modular systems tackle HDPE bottles, PE films, PP woven bags and PET bottles.

Depending on the application, the plants may comprise a bale breaker, infeed conveyor belt, pre-shredder for wet or dry size reduction, pre-washer to remove sands and dirt and screw washer.

Other features may include a hot washing tank with alkaline (caustic) soda to remove glues and oils, a sink float separation tank to remove non-contaminants and granulator for wet granulation and washing. For high-speed washing or material scrubbing, a horizontal friction washer can be applied.

In addition, centrifugal dryers, screw presses, thermal drying systems, zig zag classifiers and bag stations are also plant features.

The correct combination, sizing and equipment configuration of the equipment results in a reliable, efficient plastic recycling system producing high-quality materials ideal for sale.

Typical designs cover a PE washing system for recycling

The modular systems tackle HDPE bottles, PE films, PP woven bags and PET bottles.

materials to high purity and low moisture, such as postconsumer HDPE bottles (with labels), drums and containers and LDPE and LLDPE products.

A PP woven bag recycling line offers a system that minimises the quantities of fines created and keeps material loss to a minimum.

The PET bottle washing system recovers labels and caps from soft drinks and water bottles and produces a clean, uniform-sized PET flake with low moisture levels.

Contact - Applied Machinery P 03 9706 8066 E sales@appliedmachinery.com.au W www.appliedmachinery.com.au/

THE KOMPTECH MULTISTAR L3 Screening is a fundamental treatment stage in the processing of waste, recyclables and biomass.

Star screen technology is increasingly used for separation work, and in most cases the screener is a Multistar.

Komptech’s Multistar L3 – available in Australia exclusively through Kompech CEA – facilitates high throughput across a wide range of applications. One machine and one pass are sufficient to divide material into two or three fractions.

The hopper, feed system and design and dimensions of the screen decks combine to form a compact unit with unbeatable throughput. Effective wear protection of all parts in contact with material and an efficient dieselelectric drive system ensure the lowest operating costs.

Very low dust emissions, largely screening internally also make this a strong competitor.

The power for the drives can come either from grid electric power or the optional built-in diesel generator. The use of grid power reduces energy consumption by up to 75 per cent compared with diesel-hydraulic power.

The cassette configuration of the screen decks facilitates rapid changes and flexibility, while particle size can be controlled by varying the rotation speed

Komptech’s Multistar L3 facilitates high throughput across a wide range of applications.

of the star shafts. In just seconds, particle size can be changed within the range provided by the star size using a touchscreen graphic control panel.

Different star dimensions and arrangements cover screening sections from eight to 150 millimetres.

Contact - Komptech CEA P 1300 352 378 W www.komptechcea.com.au

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LAST WORD

Is FOGO inevitable?

INEVITABLE? PROBABLY NOT EVERYWHERE. BUT I WOULD PREDICT A SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY OF AUSTRALIA’S 537 COUNCILS WILL GO FOGO WITHIN A DECADE, WRITES MIKE RITCHIE, MRA CONSULTING GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR.

T

here is a widespread trend in Australia towards collecting household organics through a new food organics and garden organics (FOGO) 240 litre bin. That is a three-bin system – FOGO, waste and recycling.

All of metro Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne have now either started or committed to three bin FOGO services by 2025. Most of regional NSW has now gone FOGO or has committed to it.

Two councils in Sydney are operating FOGO (Penrith) or committed to it (Randwick). The NSW 20-year plan is expected to make some definitive statements on FOGO collections and diversion of organics from landfill.

In Queensland, only Ipswich council has FOGO right now and that is a voluntary and largely underutilised service.

A number of Queensland councils and regions are exploring FOGO services. The new $75 per tonne landfill levy, rising to $90 per tonne, has focussed minds.

At least one region in Tasmania is expected to introduce FOGO in the next couple of years. The Environment Minister, Roger Jaensch, has also just announced a new landfill levy starting at $20 and rising to $60 per tonne by about 2025. That will make FOGO competitive with landfill for many Tasmanian councils. But, will we

end up with nationally consistent FOGO collections?

To answer that we need to look at the pros and cons of the kerbside collection of FOGO. The main benefits of FOGO can be summarised as: • FOGO is cheaper than landfill when there is a significant landfill levy in the state.

• FOGO diverts organics from landfills and thereby reduces greenhouse gas emissions, odour and leachate.

• FOGO generates high quality composts that are easily sold so long as they meet quality standards and are price competitive.

• Collecting and composting FOGO provides additional jobs over landfilling.

• Householders like FOGO services because they want to “do their bit” for the environment.

However, there are some constraints and concerns for councils and waste service operators: • FOGO is more expensive than landfill where landfilling is cheap or where there is no landfill levy.

• Some smaller house blocks find storing three bins problematic.

• Multi-Unit Dwellings (MUDs) produce more food (FO) than garden organics (GO) – can that be accommodated in the FOGO service?

• Won’t the contamination rate rise if we add food to existing GO services?

Mike Ritchie says the trend of rural councils being early FOGO adopters is likely to continue.

• Are there enough composters to process the FOGO? • Are there enough markets for that amount of compost?

Virginia Brunton, MRA’s Organics Manager, has spent the last five years rolling out FOGO programs with councils across Australia. With an additional 15 years in the Department of Primary Industries and years as a nursery owner and composter, Brunton has a pretty good picture of the sector.

I asked her for her experiences on each of these concerns. Here are her answers: • Landfill pricing: most councils under-price their real landfill costs. Once these are brought to account, FOGO looks a lot more competitive. Landfill levies make up the difference. However, FOGO

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LAST WORD

All of metro Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne have started or committed to three bin FOGO services by 2025.

can’t commercially compete with $0 landfills, ever.

• Small block sizes: let the households that don’t want a FOGO bin or can’t fit it to opt-out of the system. So, provide it across the municipality but with mechanisms to allow for opt-outs. Allow households to have larger/smaller bins or more bins depending upon demand. Some Victorian councils will introduce a fourth glass bin so this may be a prevalent issue in urban Melbourne.

• MUDs generate FO: true, but there is more than enough GO in the system to allow for good mixing and a high quality AS4454 compliant compost. It doesn’t matter if there is a bit of extra FO from MUDs. • Contamination: there is always a bit of extra contamination at the start of the service, but it comes down pretty quickly.

Average yellow bin recycling contamination is nine to 10 per cent across Australia, while average FOGO contamination is only

62 / WMR / April 2021

two per cent. That is important.

Composters are already designing processes to remove contamination from their final compost material. But quality matters and councils need to be on top of community education.

• Enough composters?: there are over 100 composters in Australia and enough capacity is being brought on-line to meet council needs. It is a bit of a chicken/egg story. Composters won’t build the infrastructure until they are sure a council will introduce the FOGO collection. So, looking at existing compost infrastructure is a misleading comparison. If a council goes to tender for composting infrastructure, my experience is that there will be at least half a dozen proponents wanting to build the facilities.

• Enough Markets?: Australia has more desert than just about any other country on earth. It also has the most organic matter depleted soils of any country. It is not about markets but about the price we are

selling composts into those markets.

I work with farmers across the country who want to use composts, but many cannot afford it compared to mineral fertilisers. So, we need to make sure we can get the compost to farmers at a competitive price.

That is where landfill levies help the composter financially and that reduces the compost selling price. It creates a virtuous circle – from farm produce, to Coles/Woolies/Aldi etc, to plate, to household food waste to composter, to compost and back to the farm.

That is what one expert says, and I agree.

MRA has implemented over 40 FOGO systems now and the above is pretty much a common story.

It is about engagement and communication across the supply chain from households, to councils, to industry and to farmers.

Done well, it works well.

Is it inevitable? No. But the trajectory is that we will see a lot more FOGO in the years to come.

Remembering that 55 per cent of what an average household generates in waste is FOGO waste, if we want to hit the national 80 per cent recycling target, then we need to do a lot more FOGO (along with other initiatives).

If we want to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, or as soon as possible, then we need to divert organics from landfill.

So, it is pretty much inevitable that Queensland, Tasmania and Sydney will join the FOGO club.

It is equally likely that the trend of rural councils being early adopters of FOGO, will continue.

Inevitable? Probably not everywhere.

But I would predict a significant majority of Australia’s 537 councils will go FOGO within a decade.

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