Waste Management Review June 2019 by Prime Creative Media

JUNE 2019

A renewed focus Biomix’s Vanessa Lenihan on the role of technology in best practice compost.

FEATURES Breaking commercial food waste barriers Alex Fraser’s 140-year anniversary Tyrecycle cleans up stockpile Waste 2019 wrap-up

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COVER STORY

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

Biomix is investing heavily in innovative technologies and taking a bold approach to managing more than 100,000 tonnes of green organics per annum.

REGENERATING THE LAND Waste Treatment Technologies outlines how its partnership with ELB Equipment is supporting new composting operations in effective locations.

“WE’RE BECOMING A LOT MORE SCIENTIFIC AND PRECISE IN HOW WE’RE SELLING OUR COMPOST. WE’RE MOVING AWAY FROM JUST SELLING COMPOST TO INCORPORATING IT INTO THE BROADER AGRIBUSINESS SECTOR. WE SEE COMPOST AS BEING REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH AND ITS STRUCTURE.” -Vanessa Lenihan, Biomix CEO

In this issue

Features

BUSINESS 18 THE OF FOOD WASTE

Waste Management Review explores why so few businesses have food waste collection and processing systems in place.

MATERIAL SURPLUS The Australian Organics Recycling Association brought together recycling suppliers, researchers and packaging associations under the one roof.

B REAKING DOWN 26 BIOPLASTICS

Waste Management Review explores the role of bioplastics in replacing single-use plastics and the misconceptions surrounding biodegradables.

PLANS 36 PENRITH PRUDENTLY

Penrith City Council’s Joshua Romeo tells Waste Management Review about council’s achievements in planning for high density development.

LEANING UP A 38 CLEGACY STOCKPILE

52 SHARING THE VISION

Tyrecycle’s Jim Fairweather explains the strategic planning required to clean up one of Australia’s largest tyre stockpiles, located in regional Victoria.

One year on from National Sword, regulators share their policy response at Waste 2019, while industry leaders discuss the critical steps to move the sector forward.

42 TIMELY ACCESS

54 OFFICEWORKS TAKES CHARGE

SUEZ’s Phil Carbins explains how the company works with its contractors to provide safe and efficient landfill operations across Australia.

Officeworks’ Ryan Swenson highlights the company’s smart approach to back-of-house and customer recycling.

ECYCLING THROUGH NE YEAR ON 44 RTHE 56 OFOR THE AGES ARL As Alex Fraser celebrates its 140th anniversary, Waste Management Review details the company’s efforts to become one of Australia’s leading providers of recycled construction materials.

As the Australasian Recycling Label celebrates its first anniversary, APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly reflects on the success of the recycling education program to date.

48 ACTING ON PLASTIC

Regulars

The City of Canterbury Bankstown is planning a ban on single-use plastics and set out on a journey to identify the best model of execution.

6 NEWS 58 P ROMOTIONAL FEATURES 65 LAST WORD www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 3

PUBLISHER

Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

EDITOR

Toli Papadopoulos toli.papadopoulos@primecreative.com.au

From the Editor

The state of play for organics IT’S BEEN A BUSY MAY FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW with two major conferences and site tours to mark International Compost Awareness Week. At the beginning of May, I had the pleasure of attending the Australian Organics Recycling Association’s (AORA) National Conference in Fremantle, Perth. As with past years, the complexities of soil health and best practice compost management were key points of discussion, with academics, industry associations and technology suppliers offering their expertise. It’s clear that organic amendments offer significant potential to reduce carbon emissions and provide valuable nutrients for our soils. Research conducted in 2017 by MRA Consulting shows that Australian agricultural soils are increasingly deficient in nutrients and organic carbon. The compost produced from processing all available organics across Australia would cover less than 0.5 per cent of the compost needs in Australian agriculture. University of Washington compost expert Dr Sally Brown, who was at the AORA conference, has conducted extensive research that demonstrates that applying organics to land improves soil nutrients, soil carbon sequestration and increases plant-available water. But the challenge is still the stigma, feasibility and economical viability of food and garden organics collection (depending on where you live in the country), with a 16 per cent national collection rate, according to the latest National Waste Report. Since we’ve tackled this topic pretty extensively, we thought we’d look at another difficult undertaking – the low rates of commercial food waste collection. More on page 18. With organics collection and treatment a hot topic, Waste Management Review has dedicated most of this issue to the topic. Pages 14 to 35 highlight the successes and opportunities spanning composting facilities, bioplastics management and commercial organics collection. Also this month, the Victorian Waste Management Association hosted its own zero-waste event as part of International Composting Awareness Week, which included tours of organics collection and processing sites from the likes of Cleanaway and Melbourne Zoo, and an industry breakfast. More on page 24. Finally, it would not be May without the annual Waste 2019 Conference, one of the largest events for the sector. Read our wrap-up of the event on page 52.

4 / WMR / June 2019

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Carr

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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.

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.

Less Landfill Less Carbon Less Traffic Greener Roads Alex Fraserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recycled construction materials can cut the carbon footprint of new infrastructure by up to 65%.

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News

Malaysia issues warning to plastic smugglers Malaysian Government Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin has announced a government investigation into illegal plastic waste imports. According to Ms Yin, the investigation follows a two-week inspection period where 111 shipping containers full of plastic were found disguised as other goods. Ms Yin has warned smugglers that Malaysia will not hesitate to send falsely declared plastic waste back to its country of origin. Ms Yin’s announcement follows a 60 Minutes report that claimed 71,000 tonnes of Australian recyclable plastic

had been exported to Malaysia and processed at illegal facilities. While the Australian waste management industry rejected many of the claims made by 60 Minutes, the glut of specific kinds of plastic waste with no end destination is a global hot button issue. Malaysia saw an influx of plastic imports after China’s 2018 crackdown on contamination, with data from UK HM Revenue and Customs, a non-ministerial department responsible for tax collection, showing UK plastic waste exports to Malaysia tripled in the four months

following the contamination ban. Earlier this year, India similarly issued a total ban on solid plastic imports. Ms Yin said Malaysia would need the support of international government’s to stop the trade of illegal plastics. “This operation is to avoid Malaysia becoming full of dirty plastic waste from other countries, especially developed countries,” Ms Yin said. “The Department of Environment, in collaboration with other government agencies, will continue to enforce the interests of the environment and the wellbeing of the people of Malaysia.”

Malaysia is cracking down on plastic waste imports from international countries.

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News

Quantifying the Victorian contribution A recent study by the Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) has quantified the economic contribution the sector makes to the Victorian economy. The data follows the same modelling recently used by National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) state and territory affiliates Waste and Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) and Waste and Recycling Industry Northern Territory (WRINT). The VWMA commissioned economist Nick Behrens, Director of Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions, to complete a report that breaks down the economic and social contribution of the waste management and secondary resources industry to the Victorian economy. VWMA Executive Officer Mark Smith said the interconnected waste and resource recovery network seen nationwide comprises a fleet of vehicles, other machinery and infrastructure assets to consolidate, process, recovery, treat, dispose or export waste which all aspects of the economy produce. “I think that’s something the broader economy doesn’t always recognise,” Mr Smith said. The Victorian snapshot shows that more than 1100 businesses create 23,000 direct Victorian jobs. The overall industry, including the government and private sector, creates an annual turnover of $3.7 billion. This contribution makes up $2.3 billion of Victorian gross state product of the state’s roughly $399 billion

8 / WMR / June 2019

of gross state product. Mr Smith said that the report shows the waste sector provides an essential service similar to that of water, electricity and roads/logistics. “This report is the first time we’ve articulated our benefit with data back to the community or to key parts of government at a local, state or federal level,” Mr Smith said. “Membership with state-based associations such as the VWMA empowers us to act on our members’ behalves and for the interests of the sector. It’s through our members’ support that we’ve been able to carry out this research.” Mr Smith said that the valuable data and information provides the VWMA with evidence to shape and define the state’s waste management and resource recovery narrative. “It provides us with authoritative information about the sector which should not be underestimated when we frame the valuable contribution we make to the economy [direct and indirect], the environment and society.” The waste and resource recovery sector also supports the growing balance of the Sustainability Fund (sourced through landfill levies). “It’s really important to recognise the critical support role the sector plays in supporting the state government’s collection of landfill levies which we understand to be about $215 million a year. The Sustainability Fund is critical in funding the EPA, Sustainability Victoria and other agencies working to make Victoria safe, prosperous and sustainable.”

“The data sets highlight a compelling story about what the private sector’s stake in waste and resource recovery currently looks like. Our data indicates that state government contributions are minuscule when compared to the investments and contribution of the private sector.”

Fast Fact How the VWMA will use the data: • It will help contextualise and frame the broader contribution to Victoria • I t will work with other associations to help inform the national contribution • I t will use the data to engage with government, the media and politicians about the important role the sector plays. How the waste sector can use the data: • W hen talking about their business, contribution and local benefits • C ombine with other applications or documents that communicate the sector’s broader benefits. How government can use the data: • In government reports or documents • T o prevent duplications of existing work carried out by the private sector • T o work with associations to better engage with businesses wanting to drive outcomes for the sector.

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News Mr Smith said that the report also highlights industry’s commitment to ensuring a sustainable and efficient waste and resource recovery network. National Waste and Recycling Industry Council CEO Rose Read said that the report is an important step for the sector in telling its story about the benefits it delivers to the community, councils, the environment and businesses. “I’m optimistic that other states will follow Victoria, Queensland and Northern Territory’s footsteps and adopt the same methodology developed by Queensland Economy Advocacy Solutions.”

Circular Economy Innovation Network holds first meeting A new circular economy group has been launched by the NSW Government through the Office of the Chief Scientist to bring stakeholders together from across governments, industry, universities and not-for-profit groups. The Circular Economy Innovation Network (CEIN) will look to map and identify opportunities for stakeholders to work together in the goal to reduce waste, enhance sustainability and ultimately boost industry (growth and jobs) by developing a circular economy. The first stakeholders’ meeting was held at UNSW as CEIN host, attended by 150 stakeholders wanting to enhance sustainability, and emceed by Michael Sharpe, Director of the federal government-initiated Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. The size and complexity of the waste

10 / WMR / June 2019

challenge facing society dominated discussion at the first stakeholders’ meeting of the newly announced CEIN. CEIN Director Professor Veena Sahajwalla, who is Founding Director of the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, said that many stakeholders have already made great progress in reducing waste and using it as a resource, and the first stakeholders meeting was a testament to that. “What is clear is that we need much greater coordination and connectivity across stakeholders to identify the opportunities and problems in getting a circular economy really going,” she said. “And that is where the new network comes in. CEIN will bring stakeholders together to not only enhance current efforts to build a circular economy, but

to identify the big impact opportunities.” CEIN Co-Director Ashley Brinson, who is Executive Director of the Warren Centre at Sydney University, said the passion and enthusiasm displayed during the first stakeholder meeting session demonstrated a strong collective desire to truly establish a circular economy in NSW and Australia. The CEIN is undergoing its startup phase and is developing a series of stakeholder workshops to identify themes and opportunities, as well as other activities such as identifying tools and resources needed to promote innovative solutions to reduce and reuse waste and improve product design and production. In other news, a Circular Economy Lab was launched in Brisbane in early 2019 with pilot projects under way.

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News

Industry associations respond to 60 Minutes recycling report Waste management industry associations have released a statement contesting claims made in the 60 Minutes Sunday night program, Plastic not so fantastic. Liam Bartlett’s 60 Minutes report claims much of Australian plastic waste is not being reused or recycled, but rather dumped, buried or burned in illegal processing locations in South-East Asia. The program refers to Australia’s recycling industry as a “con”, which according to industry associations doesn’t paint a full picture of the Australian recycling industry or its capacity, and includes a false claim that much of Australia’s plastic waste is being disposed of incorrectly. Recycling groups including the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), the Australian Organics Recycling Association, Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association of NSW and National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) contributed to the statement — urging greater investment, regulatory reform and policy support from governments. According to the 2018 National Waste Report, Australia generated 67 million tonnes of waste last year, 37 million tonnes of which was recycled. The report also shows 33 million tonnes of that recycling was undertaken within Australia, with plastic exports decreasing by 25 per cent. It is estimated in the report that between 10 and 15 per cent of kerbside

12 / WMR / June 2019

recycling cannot be recycled because it is contaminated with nappies, soft plastics, garden hoses, bricks and batteries. ACOR CEO Peter Shmigel said the program should not discourage the vast majority of Australians who regularly recycle. “Australian recycling is highly successful despite some ill-conceived claims in the broadcast. In fact, up to 90 per cent of material collected for recycling is made into new products,” Mr Shmigel said. Plastic not so fantastic claims 71,000 tonnes of Australian recyclable plastic has been exported to Malaysia. In response, Mr Shmigel said 71,000 tonnes represents less than two per cent of the 4 million tonnes that is actually exported and less than 0.2 per cent of the 37 million collected for recycling. “If the claim that all these materials are not being properly processed is accurate, this is very concerning, as there are also legitimate processors in Malaysia,” Mr Shmigel said. According to the statement, in response to the impacts of restrictions across Asia, the local recycling industry, which employs more than 50,000 Australians and generates up to $15 billion in value, is currently making some of the most advanced recycling investments in the world. WMRR CEO Gayle Sloan said the industry is investing in high-tech infrastructure to improve sorting and processing in order to produce high quality materials from recovered waste. Ms Sloan is also advocating for a

stronger domestic recycling system through a new labelling scheme to build community confidence. “We need a Made with Australian Recycled Content label which will do two key things – empower the community to take action and ownership of the materials they consume, and incentivise manufacturers and brand owners to include recycled content in their packaging and products,” Ms Sloan said. “This will create new markets for recycled materials and ensure a sustainable future for kerbside recycling, local resource recovery and remanufacturing.” Ms Sloan said the local industry is investing heavily and working collaboratively to upgrade local processing capacities which in the past were, to some extent, built to meet China’s previous specifications. A recent Reachtel survey commissioned by ACOR found that almost 93 per cent of people said reducing waste and recycling products into new products was important to them. NWRIC CEO Rose Read said the community continuously votes in favour of recycling through its strong participation. “We encourage householders to continue to separate and sort their recycling correctly to reduce contamination and realise the environmental and economic benefits of recycling,” Ms Read said. Prime Creative Media has contacted 60 Minutes for comment.

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Cutting-edge technology BIOMIX IS INVESTING HEAVILY IN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND TAKING A BOLD APPROACH TO MANAGING MORE THAN 100,000 TONNES OF GREEN ORGANICS PER ANNUM.

easuring, monitoring and understanding soil properties is a nuanced undertaking, as biological, chemical and physical indicators all play a role in the success of what we put in the ground. The ongoing business of providing high quality compost is another area conducive to the outcomes of soil health, and thus EPA guidelines and industry regulations govern a bestpractice approach. Soil nitrogen and appropriate levels of water improve soil longevity, in addition to providing valuable nutrients and organic carbon through high productivity farming practices. It is within this burgeoning landscape that innovative organics recycling practices are bucking the trend. Vanessa Lenihan has been at the coalface of industry progress, working with farms to identify ways to overcome the soil challenges they face. Her more than 15 years’ experience in the water industry, including sewerage quality management at South East Water, is laying the groundwork for innovation as she leads the composting business Biomix. Vanessa has for the past few years performed consulting work for Enviromix – a parent company of Biomix. In 2016, Vanessa was asked to project manage the construction of Biomix’s Stanhope facility, managing

14 / WMR / June 2019

Biomix turned to FOCUS Enviro to support its next transition.

the design, construction and approvals process over 14-months. After successfully project managing the construction and commissioning of the new site, Vanessa in February this year joined the company as CEO – a natural transition given her past experiences. Biomix processes 100,000 tonnes per annum of garden and food organics, selling its compost to the broader amenity market, broadacre, viticulture and horticulture industries. “Biomix is in the industry of organics resource recovery and so is the wastewater industry. Sewage is just a different form of organics so there’s actually a lot of synergies between the two and the lines between the two industries have become blurred,” Vanessa says. Understanding the biological process of wastewater created synergies to administer this to the biological process

of composting, including managing inputs and quality controls. BREATHING LIFE INTO COMPOST Biomix at the end of 2017 unveiled its premium compost facility at Stanhope. The company designed an EPA-approved in-vessel composting system, engineering its own vessels to better manage air flow and odour. Its compost is produced to AS4454-2012 specifications and regularly sent off for independent and accredited lab testing. “The thing that is unique about Biomix is the composting vessels were designed by us. We worked with the mechanical engineering firm that designed them and we own the intellectual property around the vessels,” Vanessa says. She says that one of the challenges Biomix had is that when it opened the vessels in late 2017, the business began

to grow exponentially at a rate it had not anticipated. Likewise, low rainfall onsite and high evaporation presented a challenge to processing compost at the site. To support its next transition, the company turned to integrated processing supplier FOCUS Enviro for support – a supplier of EDGE Innovate shredding, screening, separating, stacking and sizing equipment. From November last year through to January this year, Biomix acquired three unique new products from EDGE Innovate. The EDGE MPS48 Picking Station, EDGE FTS Mulch Master (deep stacker) and EDGE TRT622 Trommel replaced a series of conventional machines traditionally used for composting. “Because we grew so fast we had to manage parts of the business quite differently to what we’ve had previously,” Vanessa says. “The EDGE Picking Station is really focused on removing contamination upfront and the Mulch Master has allowed us to process our windrows and get water to them in a way that is highly beneficial.” The EDGE Picking Station was designed to improve safety for waste management sites by reducing the effects of dust, noise and climate conditions for workers. It helps eliminate contaminants such as organics, hard plastics, glass and other deleterious materials. Vanessa says that Biomix has seen a significant reduction in water loss through windrows by using the Mulch Master, halving the number of times to turn a windrow. “Every time you turn a windrow you lose at least 20 per cent moisture. “The Mulch Master allows us to halve the number of turns during the process.” She says that the Mulchmaster has increased volumes through deep

Vanessa Lenihan, Nick Marshall and Ronan McKenna collaborate onsite.

stacking of compost, having previously used excavators and loading circles with a higher cost and slower processing time. Vanessa says that the machine has allowed Biomix to increase the moisture content of its compost as the auger softens the materials and water jets allow the spread of moisture. RE-THINKING THE PROCESS The Mulch Master combines traditional flipping and rotation with constant material flow to overcome traditional challenges of compaction, contamination, material bridging and the risk of combustion. Designed for low density, bulky materials such as mulch, compost and soils, the EDGE FTS Mulch Master boasts a large hopper capacity of 15 cubic metres. A 25 per cent additional buffer capacity over the standard EDGE FTS units with a bespoke hopper design prevents material bridging. A variable high speed conveyor enables an even spread of material further regulated via a double screwed forward/reverse auger. Biomix’s new EDGE trommel also allows it to produce a 14-millimetreminus product. Vanessa says the screen has doubled throughput and comes with an on-board vacuum system attached that pulls out contaminants such as light plastics. “We’re filling a front lift bin a day of light plastics and there’s no way we’d

be able to specifically pick them out by hand – that’s how effective the vacuum system is.” The TR622 Trommel screen is ideal for multiple applications such as topsoil, recycling, composting and construction and demolition waste. The TR622 comprises a 180-degree radial conveyor, a unique load sensing hydraulic drive system, eco-power saving functionality and a user-friendly HMI control panel to suit varying applications. A hydraulic sliding feature allows for a speedy drum exchange and enables operators to easily lift out the existing drum to replace it with various drum types available. Its 22-foot-long drum allows it to produce enhanced screening results and top quality fine materials such as compost, gravel, sand and topsoil easily. Ronan McKenna, State Manager of FOCUS enviro, says the company last year trialled the machinery to ensure it met Biomix’s tonnage requirements. He says that many of EDGE’s products have been tried and tested in other major markets such as North America. “The Mulch Master is a brand new piece of technology that no-one else has used before, so once customers see it and get it round on their site it speaks for itself. “The machines are fast becoming a popular replacement for traditional windrow turners for multiple reasons, including reduction in maturation pad

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 15

COVER STORY

areas and machinery capital outlay.” Robbie McKernan, FOCUS enviro Director, says the company considers it an honour to be working with Biomix – a forward-thinking organisation open to a fresh approach to compost. “There is a lot more evidence mounting to support new processes such as big stacking as opposed to traditional windrow methods,” he says. “As a supplier, we value opportunities like this where businesses look at their processes as a whole and work out where savings can be achieved, as opposed to a ‘business as usual’ approach.” Ronan says that FOCUS Enviro is continuing to see demand from organics recycling companies across Australia. “We have been in a fortunate position to support the food and garden organics (FOGO) aspirations of customers across the country over the past two years. This has shaped our product knowledge to offer a purpose-built solution to meet processing challenges with safety and material quality front of mind.” The new EDGE equipment is starting to pay dividends for Biomix, and the company is now looking at accelerating its output. Biomix is currently working with farmers to incorporate compost into traditional fertiliser program. With

funding from Sustainability Victoria, Biomix is working with SESL to determine a protocol that outlines an optimum blend of compost and fertilisers. This will inform a three-year application program for farmers. The first round of trials on farms was completed earlier this year, with the second now underway. Vanessa says it demonstrated the need for a balanced approach to compost. Biomix is also working with La Trobe University on the application of compost for pastures. “We’re becoming a lot more scientific and precise in how we’re selling our compost. We’re moving away from just selling compost to incorporating it into the broader agribusiness sector,” Vanessa says. “We see compost as being really important to the future of improving soil health and its structure and then being able to retain moisture in it and reducing the amount of watering farmers need to do.” Vanessa says that moisture is so important for the composting process that Biomix designed its vessels to minimise water loss during processing. Odour management and controlling the processing period to kill off any pathogens and weed seed is an

Biomix has the capability to process compostable packaging, films, coffee cups and pods. 16 / WMR / June 2019

important part of the Biomix process. Vanessa says that one of the unique attributes Biomix has is its capability to process compostable packaging, films, coffee cups and pods. “One of the biggest changes coming through the industry is the introduction of compostable materials into the waste streams and we’ve set ourselves up to be able to process that.” As for the future, Vanessa predicts improving FOGO infrastructure, gaining a higher nitrogen compost, embracing compostable packaging and tackling contamination will be key to improving the uptake of compost. “We have a step change in the Victorian Environment Protection Act coming in 2020. “This will force us to focus on how our business is being managed and innovative further to embrace this change,” Vanessa says. She says the changes to the Environment Protection Act will hopefully address some of the grey areas currently experienced in organic waste acceptance and management. With a strong uptake of FOGO collections from councils, along with a changing regulatory environment, the need to embrace new technology and processes is more important than ever.

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The business of food waste WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES WHY SO FEW BUSINESSES HAVE FOOD WASTE COLLECTION AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS IN PLACE.

he Federal Government’s 2011 National Food Waste Assessment called the increased generation of food waste a global and national problem – specifically highlighting concerns over the economic and environmental viability of existing food waste disposal systems. In the following eight years, the issue of food waste generation has persisted, with the 2018 National Food Waste Baseline Report showing 7.3 million tonnes of the waste stream was produced between 2016 and 2017 – the equivalent of 298 kilograms per person. According to the report, 7.3 million

Data on food waste has historically been limited.

18 / WMR / June 2019

tonnes represents 4.9 per cent of Australia’s total waste. In an interview with Waste Management Review earlier this year, MRA Consulting’s Mike Ritchie estimated that only five per cent of Australian businesses separate and recycle their food and organic waste. Given generation figures, developing programs to incentivise businesses to recycle food waste could significantly reduce waste to landfill. The 2017 Food Waste Opportunities report, prepared by the Institute of Sustainable Futures for the NSW EPA, shows the two principal contributors of food waste sent to landfill in NSW are the

wholesale and retail sector. Additionally, the report shows that of the 236,000 tonnes of food waste generated by those sectors in 2016, only 13 per cent was recycled. When applied to businesses, the cost of food waste exceeds environmental disposal concerns, with the stream creating lost expenditure on food, wasted staff time, customer dissatisfaction and hygiene issues. According to the Food Waste Opportunities report, the reasons for not recycling food waste ranged from staff not being aware or willing to separate food waste from general waste, insufficient financial motivation, lack of space, cost of food waste recycling compared to general waste collection, a limited number of recycling facilities and issues around contamination via packaging. Wholesalers and retailers expressed particular concern over the lack of sufficient collection services for food waste, according to the report. One facility specifically mentioned by industry stakeholders in the report was EarthPower, a joint venture between Veolia and Cleanaway. EarthPower, which received a grant from the NSW EPA to enable the processing of more food waste, operates at a capacity of 52,000 tonnes per annum – half of which

Enrich360’s dehydration equipment reduces the volume of food waste by up to 93 per cent.

reportedly comes from the wholesale and retail food sector. According to the report, EarthPower already operates at the limit of its capacity. The facility reported that more food waste exists in the market than EarthPower has the ability to process, and as such they have to be selective about what material they take. A spokesperson for the NSW EPA told Waste Management Review that while the number of businesses in NSW reducing their food waste through recycling was growing, there is significant room for improvement via the implementation of grants and education programs. In 2018, the EPA introduced grant funding to support businesses wanting to separate food and other

organic waste from their standard waste collection. Organics collections grants, for example, provide up to $500,000 for business food collections as part of the $105.5 million Waste Less Recycle More Organics Infrastructure Fund, delivered through a partnership between the EPA and the NSW Environmental Trust. “The funding supports legal advice to extend existing food collection contracts to business, vehicles, redesign work to accommodate extra bins, weighing equipment and equipment to facilitate centralised collections like trailers and towing devices,” the spokesperson says. Similarly, rebates from $1000 to $50,000 are available to finance

equipment purchases for businesses trying to avoid food waste through recycling. Eligible equipment to support organics management includes compost bins and worm farms, digesters, macerators and source separation bins. The spokesperson says the Your Business is Food education program, which provides businesses with resources to reduce food waste focusing on preparation, storage and serving size, has been successful. “The program has since been adopted by Victoria and the UK, with an average 21 per cent reduction in food waste being achieved by participating businesses,” the spokesperson says. Food Innovation Australia Limited

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 19

UP FRONT

(FIAL) Managing Director Mirjana Price expresses similar sentiments. She says Australian businesses are committed to being environmentally responsible, but require simpler processes and pathways. When a business wants to recycle its cardboard or glass, the mechanisms to do this are already in place. Food waste recycling processes, however, are not widely understood. According to Mirjana, FIAL provides grants to small and medium industry operators to develop innovative responses to food waste. “The grants enable approved small and medium businesses to gain access to cutting-edge researchers so they can collaboratively explore options for reducing their waste and increasing profitability,” Mirjana says. Mirjana says encouraging businesses to take action on food waste extends beyond individual grants and education programs and requires large-scale government support and initiatives. “This could take the form of tax break incentives, developing case studies for innovative practices and delivering upskilling and capability building programs across the food value chain to raise the capability and capacity of businesses to respond to food waste,” Mirjana says. “A key initiative FIAL will roll out as part of the Federal Government’s National Food Waste Strategy is a voluntary commitment program.” Program signatories will pledge to report on their progress against a set of actions known to reduce food waste. Mirjana says transparent monitoring and reporting against agreed parameters will provide much-needed evidence to track signatories’ progress against food waste reduction targets. The most current national data on the amount of food waste generated

20 / WMR / June 2019

“As awareness of the problem and opportunities for change grows, this will catalyse others to take action and build the momentum to have a significant impact on food waste reduction.” Mirjana Price FIAL Managing Director

by businesses is in the National Food Waste Baseline – but it uses data that the report acknowledges can be highly variable. Due to the limited prior attention on food waste and commercial confidentiality constraints, the report acknowledges many businesses currently don’t have reporting frameworks in place to track their food waste or its economic value. This places uncertainty on data management, food waste definitions and transparency of end destinations, the report notes. “As awareness of the problem and opportunities for change grows, this will catalyse others to take action and build the momentum to have a significant impact on food waste reduction,” Mirjana says. “The work done to date is just the tip of the iceberg and there is much more we can do to spread the word around food waste.” While raising awareness is important, cost of implementation is a major deterrent for businesses when considering whether to recycle their food waste, according to the Food Waste Opportunities report. Taking the need for additional bins for source separation, additional transport costs and staff time management into account, food waste recycling is often perceived to be too expensive for businesses.

In a 2016 Love Food Hate Waste program evaluation prepared for the NSW EPA, implementation cost was a key focus. After partaking in the program, fewer businesses thought food waste recycling was cost efficient, down 17 per cent from the initial survey. The evaluation concluded that further incentives around cost reduction were needed. This lack of industry consensus again highlights the need for national data and government investigation. Enrich360 CEO Dean Turner says businesses don’t recycle food waste at the same rate as other waste streams due to misconceptions about difficulty. “Food waste is not inherently more difficult to deal with than other recyclable waste streams, it’s more an issue of people not understanding it,” Dean says. “Many years ago, businesses decided to separate cardboard and bottles from their general waste. “This was equally as hard to implement at the time but is now standard practice – it’s just about accepting there is a different and better way of doing things.” According to Dean, enrich360’s dehydration equipment can process most food and reduce the volume of the waste by up to 93 per cent. “If a company produces 200 kilos of food waste, it will have to

be collected each day. Using our machinery they can reduce that to 20 kilos of biomass and have it collected once a week,” Dean says. Enrich360 provides businesses with dehydration equipment, reducing waste rates and therefore storage space. The resulting biomass is then collected and used as slow release fertiliser for farms that grow food, facilitating a closed loop system. Enrich360’s reuse model reflects industry recommendations. Planet Ark, for example, advocates that hotels, restaurants and other large food service establishments consider the installation of industrial onsite composters. This though requires significant capital investment. Dean says enrich360 functions to remove this investment strain through purchase, rent and rent-to-

own options – enabling businesses to dehydrate food waste on site and have it collected for offsite composting. According to Dean, if governments took the necessary steps to make food waste recycling compulsory for large generators, significant volumes of waste would be diverted from landfill. The City of Melbourne’s Degraves Street Recycling Facility is an example of a local government taking those steps, with the council installing a communal food waste digester in 2013. The project was designed to help businesses set up source separation systems in their kitchens. Additionally, council recycling operators were employed to work collaboratively with traders to overcome challenges such as space constraints, late night operating

hours, high staff turnover and behaviour change. An audit of 32 businesses in the precinct prior to the facilities installation found waste streams were 90 per cent food or other recyclables. According a 2015 project report by the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group, the Degraves precinct saw a 68.9 per cent reduction in food waste following the facilities establishment. While the Degraves Street Recycling Facility has proved successful, given the scale of the waste stream, it is unlikely councils alone can adequately address the issue of incentivising food waste recycling without further support. You can read more about this issue and how it relates to Victoria on page 65.

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FEATURED TOPIC – ORGANICS

Day one of the AORA National Conference included equipment demonstrations.

Material surplus THE AUSTRALIAN ORGANICS RECYCLING ASSOCIATION BROUGHT TOGETHER RECYCLING SUPPLIERS, RESEARCHERS AND PACKAGING ASSOCIATIONS TO IDENTIFY COST-EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO ORGANICS.

he Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) recently laid out its strategy to 2022, with a view to making recycling and reuse an accepted management practice for surplus organics. In an age where the cost of compliance, financial guarantees and end markets have posed challenges to some small and medium compost operators, the research being done to stimulate the organics recycling market represents a significant opportunity. As such, the AORA Annual Conference, with its theme of renewal and regeneration, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to share important updates on their efforts to facilitate the beneficial reuse

22 / WMR / June 2019

of surplus organics. The three-day conference from 1-3 May saw more than 150 delegates touch down in Fremantle, Perth, discussing topics spanning certified compostable packaging, soil health and commercial farming. Keynote speakers included Dr Sally Brown, from the University of Washington, who advocates for compost as a simple solution to multiple problems, including reducing carbon emissions from waste. Marco Ricci-Jurgensen, another international speaker, of the Italian Composting and Biogas Association, also shared 20 years worth of lessons from successful organics recycling in Italy.

Day one included a demonstration day with grinders, screens, turners and other equipment up close and personal. On day two, Warwick Hall, of the Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA), highlighted the importance of ensuring bioplastics are certified in the organics recycling industry. A common assertion throughout the conference was the need to avoid the term “biodegradable” as it does not denote when and where materials break down. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has in the past fined companies for not making truthful claims surrounding the biodegradability or compostability of their products. The ABA provides verification in the

form of a certificate of conformance after an independent auditor has reviewed the requirements. Dr Helen Lewis, Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, also represented the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation. As a close partner of the co-regulatory organisation, Dr Lewis is working on 2019 projects as part of the National 2025 Packaging Targets. “We don’t see [certified] compostable packaging being a massive part of the market. It is generally only going to be used in niche applications and we need to roll this out very carefully in a systematic way,” Dr Lewis told the audience. On day two, AORA also handed down its Student Research Awards, delivered in partnership with CROWN at the University of Queensland and Komptech. Three students were recognised for projects improving agronomic outcomes and each presented their research findings. Dr Daniele De Rosa, of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), highlighted his research project that optimised the use of organic amendments in sub-tropical vegetable cropping systems. The aims of the south-east Queensland study was to develop a longterm profitable, agronomical and environmentally sustainable alternative to organic synthetic nitrogen to reduce nitrogen losses. Shao Yap, of the University of Queensland, presented on anaerobic treatment of solid manure residues. Spent bedding, a mix of bedding stubble, faeces, urine and other products is a major by-product of Australian livestock farming. The uncontrolled risks are greenhouse gas emissions and odour. Mr Yap’s project looked at how a leach bed anaerobic digestion approach suitable for high solids waste such as spent

Christopher Malan, of ELB Equipment, presents the Student Research Awards to winner Shao Yap of the University of Queensland.

bedding could be cost effective to construct and operate. Aidan Chin, of the University of Queensland, highlighted how sorbents can tailor nitrogen release from organic wastes to match the uptake capacity of crops. Delivering nutrients from mineral or organic fertilisers out of sync with crop uptake can cause inefficiencies and pollution. For this reason, the study looked at identifying suitable sorbents within the landscape of crop nutrient physiology to formulate organic wastes as next generation fertilisers. On day two of presentations, Marcus Geisler, Chairman of the WA Waste Authority, unpacked the state’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy and Action Plan to 2030. The strategy includes a new target to ensure all Perth and Peel households have a third kerbside bin for food organics and garden organics by 2025. Dr Darren Perrin, of Ricardo Energy & Environment, discussed a circular approach to the role of food organics and garden organics using a number of examples in the UK. One project organised by WRAP UK saw funding and technical support provided to 19 local authorities between 2007-

09 in England and two in Northern Ireland for food organics and garden organics trials. The trials showed that significantly more food waste was captured in weekly food only collections, as opposed to mixed weekly or fortnightly garden and food waste collections. Sam Oakden, of Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), also highlighted an important project through the National Food Waste Strategy which is aiming to help meet the Federal Government target to halve Australia’s food waste by 2030. FIAL represents about 180,000 companies in food and agribusiness across the supply chain. It is drafting an implementation roadmap to meet the target through a voluntary commitment program. Diana De Hulsters, National Executive Officer, and Peter Wadewitz, Chair, both agreed the conference was a resounding success. “Combined with the launch of AORA’s new strategic plan we are set for steady growth of the association and organics recycling industry over the next few years. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the 2020 Conference in the Hunter Valley,” Mr Wadewitz said.

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 23

FEATURED TOPIC – ORGANICS

Onsite organics THE VICTORIAN WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION CELEBRATED INTERNATIONAL COMPOST AWARENESS WEEK WITH A DAY OF COMPOST SITE TOURS.

outh Melbourne Market Operations Coordinator Adam Mehegan sells 30 buckets of Market Magic organic fertiliser each week. Produced by earthworms feeding on South Melbourne Market organic waste, each $15 bucket purchased sees 50 cents donated to local charities. Adam’s passion for sustainability is the driving force behind South Melbourne Market’s composting initiative, through which 32 tonnes of food waste is processed a year. Adam says waste is collected from organics bins twice a week and treated in a Gaia dehydrator. The material is fed into a central chamber surrounded by thermal oil. The dehydrator constantly agitates the waste for nine hours, decreasing its volume by 85 per cent. Waste Management Review had the opportunity to visit the South Melbourne Market composting facility and many others as part of the Victorian Waste Management Association’s (VWMA) compost site tours event. VWMA’s compost site tours attracted a range of attendees, including Yarra Council Waste Minimisation Officer Sophie Green, OneEarth founder Prati Bhatt and representatives from Argus Recycling and Citywide. The event was organised by VWMA Executive Officer Mark Smith for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), with the support of the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

24 / WMR / June 2019

Site tours began at the South Melbourne Market as part of International Compost Awareness Week.

ICAW is an awareness and education initiative celebrating the benefits of composting and organics recycling. Australian Organics Recycling Association National Executive Officer Diana De Hulsters says while details vary between countries, the benefits of composting transcend political and cultural boundaries. “The use of landfill space and incineration can be reduced by at least one third when organics are recycled. Focused attention on recycling organic residuals is key to achieving high diversion rates,” Diane says. In addition to site tours, VWMA held an ICAW industry breakfast, with presentations from City of Port Phillip Mayor Dick Gross, Compost Revolution Founder David Gravina, Yume Founder Katy Barfield and BioPak Founder Richard Fine. David says scaling up is a key priority for Compost Revolution. Compost Revolution facilitates the purchase of composting equipment, offering significant discounts to people living in participating councils.

“Our job is to assist councils by using digital marketing techniques that get in front of people, inspiring and intriguing them enough to close the gap between intention and action,” David says. Similar sentiments were expressed by Katy, who tells Waste Management Review her online surplus food marketplace Yume was developed with an understanding that technology can be used as a resource to reduce food waste. BioPak’s solution to food waste is biodegradable compostable food packaging and landfill waste diversion. Richard says composters benefit as products become nutrient rich feedstock and high quality compost. “At the end of the day it helps transition to a circular economy – it’s a win win situation for the consumer, the environment and all the industries involved in that supply chain,” Richard says. Cleanaway’s new South East Organic processing facility and depackaging unit was the second stop, with Buisness Development Manager Melinda Lizza

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guiding the group. Melinda says the site would function at a zero waste-tolandfill rate if not for kerbside collection contamination. According to Melinda, it highlights the importance of public education programs that teach what can and cannot be placed in an organics bin. The South East Organics processing facility, a first of its kind for green waste, is capable of annually sorting, decontaminating and shredding more than 150,000 O NST R UCES WAST E FO MON TY C R ED LU tonnes of council and commercial food and organic waste. DU “Just yesterday [in May] we processed 500 tonnes of organic material,” Melinda says. The tour group was next guided through Cleanaway’s depacking unit, which houses a new piece of equiptment capable of separating liquid and solid food waste from numerous types of packaging. According to Melinda, this means waste typically sent to landfill can now be diverted. Given the relatively new technology, Cleanaway’s staff regularly run tests by feeding new packaging types through the machine to find out what can and can’t be separated. While most tests have been successful, a recent trial of unsaleable lollies showed some restrictions still exist. In 2018, the AFL Grand Final saw 100,022 people pass through the gates of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the third stop on VWMA’s tour. Vince Macolino, Melbourne Cricket Club Environmental Sustainability Specialist, tells the group the club was serious eme accuracy, speed and consistency of cut, combined with very low operating about minimising the environmental impact of many people ew HLF fiber laserinisone the perfect way to take your low business to the next level. eating drinking acy,Yawei speed andand consistency ofspace. cut, combined with very operating According to Vince, 147 tonnes of organic waste was HLF fiber laser is the perfect way to take your business to the next level. processed on site dehydratorup possibilities for companies llar, the new HLFinistheinstadiums a league of composting its own, opening last year,sector; includingfrom a year’s worth of grass clippings. e laser cutting start-ups through to full production, 3-shiftduty, reliable, cost effective recycling Heavy w HLF is in a league of its own, opening up possibilities for companies Dehydrated material is then converted into a soil additive s. solutions ting sector; from start-ups through to full production, 3-shift and used to sustain the heritage-listed Yarra Park that Australia’s favourite solution for all kinds of waste/ surrounds the stadium. y German built Precitec auto-focus cutting head, IPG laser source, Siemens materials reduction applications Vince says the club’s waste to landfill rate dropped 75 troller and a fabricated, stress-relieved fully annealed frame it really is a cut above built Precitec auto-focus cutting head, IPG laser source, Siemens per cent last year, thanks in large part to the composting Extensive range available: a fabricated, stress-relieved fully annealed frame it really is a cut above initiative. • Vision Series Shredders The day ended at the Melbourne Zoo with Waste • Gran-Calibur Series Granulators Removal Officer Thomas Meek, who showed off the zoo’s • Complete recycling lines; tyres, e-waste, cable, rmation: in-vessel Hot Rot composter, which runs 24 hours a day, plastic washing & drying. seven days a week. 8066 According to Thomas, the Hot Rot turns all appliedmachinery.com.au compostable material such as catering, garden waste pliedmachinery.com.au inery.com.au and animal excrement into organic soil. Connect with us socially ery.com.au VWMA’s Mark Smith says educational programs like the Connect us socially compost site tours are central to the work ofwith VWMA. “You can expect these tours to become a regular feature 22/12/16 9:27 am here in Victoria,” he says.

FEATURED TOPIC – ORGANICS

Breaking down bioplastics WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES THE ROLE OF BIOPLASTICS IN REPLACING SINGLE-USE PLASTICS AND THE MISCONCEPTIONS SURROUNDING BIODEGRADABLES.

ioplastics represent about one per cent of the 303 million tonnes of plastics produced annually, according to a European Bioplastics 2019 fact sheet – Bio-based plastics – fostering a resource efficient circular economy. In 2018, the global bioplastics production capacity amounted to 1.9 million tonnes, with production expected to ramp up to 2.4 million tonnes by 2023. As crude oil and gas decline over the next few decades and become more expensive, an early transition to renewable resources becomes important. Innovative biopolymers such as PLA and PHAs are the main drivers for biodegradable plastics. Some bioplastics have the same properties as conventional plastics while offering additional advantages such as a reduced carbon footprint or further waste management, including industrial composting. With multiple single-use plastics being phased out and alternatives being discussed, the question on many minds is: where do bioplastics fall in the broader solution? According to Rowan Williams, President of the Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA) and Director of the Australian Organics Recycling Association, bioplastics are not the panacea but rather an adjunct to replace

26 / WMR / June 2019

problematic plastics being littered, incinerated or heading to landfill. Rowan presented at the Australian Organics Recycling Association Annual Conference on certified compostable bioplastics and their role in enabling a circular economy. “We need to be carefully picking our compostables. The question we should be asking is: is a compostable alternative a solution for that? It may not be, based on functional performance, but it’s worth looking at,” Rowan tells Waste Management Review. The ABA was established in 2006 as the peak body for manufacturers, converters and distributors of bioplastic products and materials throughout Australia and New Zealand. The association works with government, organic recyclers, composters, industry groups, NGOs, brand owners and converters to further the understanding and appropriate use of bioplastics. Bioplastics encompass plastics that are biodegradable, biobased or both. This can include compostable materials, but best identified by passing standards such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010, accompanied by the appropriate logo. The ABA and Rowan have been seeking to break the misnomer of compostable biodegradability and its significance in a circular economy. “When it comes to conventional

The ABA does not like the term biodegradable as it isn’t clear that there are conditions for plastics breakdown.

recycling, we don’t like the term biodegradable in any way because it doesn’t tell you when and where and how things break down,” Rowan says. Consumer group Choice on its website explains the murky territory of biodegradability, with certain conditions allowing for plastic breakdown. It notes that the term biodegradable usually refers to plastics that are “compostable”. Certified compostable ensures that the inherent property of biodegradability is carried in the material or product. “There’s two subgroups within biopolymers. There are those that are designed to be compostable and are therefore biodegradable and may or may not be made from renewable resources,” Rowan says.

“And then there are fully biobased, biopolymers such as biobased PET which is chemically identical to oilproduced PET.” He adds that biobased materials are often designed to recycle the same as normal PET but their defining characteristic is that they have a zero carbon footprint. For example, CocaCola has a plant-based bottle designed to recycle the same as PET. Rowan says that biobased products can be recycled if they happen to end up in the recycling stream. According to a 2015 meta study by European Bioplastics titled “the behaviour of bioplastic films in mechanical recycling streams”, bioplastics account for less than one per cent of the entire market share of mixed waste streams. When considered that durable bioplastics can be

conventionally recycled, the amount of compostable plastic films becomes even less significant. Rowan says that considering this minuscule amount, you would need a considerable amount of nonrecyclable bioplastics to end up in the recycling stream before they affect the end product. One of the more successful trials of bioplastics has been a series of compostable food bag trials, with councils such as the City of Holdfast Bay looking at it, but these are few and far between in Australia. He says that due to the small volumes of bioplastics and resulting demand, bioplastics should be better directed at replacing problematic single-use plastics such as meat trays (rigid plastics) or cucumber plastic wrap. As some would argue that compostable materials could

replace traditional plastics, Rowan says that ABA is not advocating for the replacement of polymers with strong end markets. “This is a myth we’ve got to get people over. You’re not going to make a compostable PET bottle because why would you interfere with a robust PET recycling stream? It makes no sense,” he says. Rowan says that the infrastructure has to keep pace with the technology. The ABA has been working with associations such as AORA and APCO to help create a value proposition for compost, anaerobic digestion and solve issues with collection, while educating consumers and government stakeholders in the process. “Will the technology move on? Only when there is demand for it. And the demand is coming.”

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FEATURED TOPIC – ORGANICS

Regenerating the land WASTE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES OUTLINES HOW ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH ELB EQUIPMENT IS SUPPORTING NEW COMPOSTING OPERATIONS IN STRATEGIC AND COST-EFFECTIVE LOCATIONS.

well-managed composting site can be the difference between what’s perceived by the community as a bad food and garden organics (FOGO) service or a successful operation. When well run, compost can improve the physical properties of soil – from water retention to high nitrogen and reduced bulk density. According to the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group’s FOGO guide, only 30 to 50 per cent of emissions from food organics are likely to be captured at most landfills. The data represents a significant opportunity to take organics out of landfill and regenerate the land or convert them to energy. Waste Treatment Technologies (WTT) has been designing, constructing, building and maintaining alternative waste treatment (AWT) facilities over the world since 1996. This includes pre-treatment/decontamination, composting and anaerobic digestion, and has to date completed more than 125 projects of varying sizes. WTT’s service is becoming particularly important in Australia, as the nation’s 24.6 million population is projected to increase to between 37.4 and 49.2 million by 2066, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows. The subsequent effect of growing waste on the nation’s landscape is

28 / WMR / June 2019

compelling more FOGO collection by local governments and supporting new compost infrastructure. According to 2017 research by MRA Consulting, Australian agriculture soils are increasingly deficient in nutrients and organic carbon, which is why compost has emerged as one solution. MRA estimated that the compost produced from processing all available organics across Australia would cover less than 0.5 per cent of the compost requirements in Australian agriculture. The figure indicates the demand is there, so getting the strategy right is crucial. To ensure it can service the Australian market with a robust support network, WTT has been working with Komptech for more than 20 years. Over the past five years, WTT has teamed with ELB Equipment, the authorised Australian distributor for Komptech Equipment. The pair has increased this union with new technologies and joint marketing and resource sharing. ELB Equipment is able to offer its global after-sales support network to create a winning partnership. Christopher Malan, Managing Director of ELB Equipment, says that WTT’s product quality is analogous to Komptech’s high standards – instilling ELB Equipment with confidence. “I think what sets WTT apart is that anybody can build a concrete bunker

and have water running through it, but it’s those little details and 25 years of knowledge around the world that makes all the difference,” Christopher says. “Like with the Komptech machines, the WTT system is built to last with reduced maintenance. The leachate involved can be quite corrosive and if not managed properly, it can really make effects.” One of WTT’s flagship systems earning a reputation in the Australian market is an in-vessel composting system that allows operators to work closer to communities and reduce their costs. The automated process can be visually managed from a process computer and specific batch reports produced to ensure compliance with relevant quality and environmental standards, including air flows and temperatures. All input streams are decontaminated and mixed in a pre-treatment line. The mixture is fed by a front loader into a tunnel with WTT’s door system, aeration units, central air and water treatment and automation systems. The tunnels take fresh air required from the processing building. To maintain a constant negative pressure in the building that contains odours, the central hall suction is connected via a bypass to a humidifier fan. The tunnel exhaust fan, combined with a bypassed hall ensures air flows through

Waste Treatment Technologies designs in-vessel composting systems that allow operators to work closer to communities.

a humidifier. This saturates as much exhaust air as possible by preventing the biofilter material from drying out. The biofilter cleans the air before being exhausted in the atmosphere. SOILCO, a NSW horticulturally focused business based in Wogamia, Wollongong and Sydney, is one company to utilise the system. In 2016, SOILCO began to look at upgrading its facility at Kembla Grange Organics Recycling Facility to include WTT’s air, water and process controls which were installed during January 2017. WTT offered its service in the design, engineering and construction and start-up of rectification works on the existing aeration, leachate and air treatment systems. Charlie Emery, SOILCO General Manager, says that through its initial Kembla Grange facility, the company wanted to prove it was possible to operate in a light industrial location

close to communities. To achieve this, it needed to ensure it maintained rigid process controls. “Investing in good quality technology and equipment, odour and process control gets you composting closer to the soils which is cheaper for the community,” Charlie says. One of the benefits of working with WTT is that ELB Equipment is its preferred equipment supplier. Having bought Komptech machinery from ELB previously, Charlie knows it’s vital for his operation to have statewide technical support, essentially an extension of his own team. Sean Galdermans, Bid and Project Manager at WTT Australia, says the in-vessel technology is far superior and provides a constant output that allows SOILCO to manage a lot more parameters than previously. “The system creates the best conditions for organics to decompose due to a number of process controls.

Myself and Charlie were amazed after two weeks to see the kind of volume reduction achieved and the homogenous output of the product,” he says. WTT is able to monitor and control these standards remotely, including through office computers, smartphones and tablets. “We constantly manage all sorts of process parameteres. The computer has been equipped with control logic that relies on different rules influencing the process based on an adjustable weighing procedure. Furthermore, this logic can easily adapt to changing conditions which is of utmost importance when the process can be influenced by many factors,” Sean says. “You can set seasonal recipes because waste changes quite a bit over the season. Waste operators basically set the desired recipe and the control system does the rest. We can show the authorities that critical steps such as pasteurisation and hygienisation have

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au / WMR / 29

FEATURED TOPIC – ORGANICS

Customisable compost WHEN LANDSCAPE SUPPLY COMPANY CORBET’S GROUP REQUIRED A NEW TROMMEL SCREEN FOR ITS COMMERCIAL COMPOST YARD, IT ENLISTED THE HELP OF FINLAY SCREENING, CRUSHING AND RECYCLING SYSTEMS.

he history of composting is difficult to track, but reports suggest humans have been engaging in the process for over 10,000 years. According to the Complete Book of Composting, the first ‘written’ account of composting can be traced back to the reign of King Sargon during the Akkadian Dynasty. While composting is a natural process, the sale of organic matter on a commercial basis requires companies to meet strict standards and regulations. For this reason, Corbet’s Group General Manager Andrew Corbet places significant stock in the screening and separation process. “An effective trommel screen is crucial to a business like ours given the potential for contamination. You can’t take any chances with the sale of organic material to the public,” Andrew says. Corbet’s Group, a family-owned logistics and landscape supply business, has been in operation for more than 40 years. “We produce compost and potting mix with a range of organic materials including topsoil, manure, bark, grass clippings and food waste,” Andrew says. “Our Sunshine Coast compost yard produces upwards of 5000 yards of compost every month, which we sell to landscapers, bagging companies

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Terex’s Environmental Equipment range helps Corbet Group effectively manage its processes.

and large-scale national stores like Bunnings.” Corbet’s Group produces more than five varieties of compost, meaning flexibility and quick drum change capability were primary concerns for Andrew when making his latest trommel purchase. “Our products range from potting mix derived from composted bark and minerals, composted green waste for soil conditioning, slash bark for low density media bases and a whole range of other customisable compost products,” Andrew says. According to Andrew, the Terex Environmental Equipment range, which includes shredders, trommels, recycling screens, waste handlers, grinders and window turners, helps Corbet’s Group

effectively manage its processes. “We’ve had a number of trommels over the years, quite a few different brands actually, but Terex certainly works more effectively and flexibly in my view,” Andrew says. Finlay, a specialist supplier of screening and processing equipment for the waste recycling industry, is the exclusive dealer of Terex Environmental Equipment. Andrew has been a customer of the company for many years, having previously purchased crushing and screening equipment from Finlay Sales and Hire Manager Ronnie Bustard in 2015. “Not long ago, when Andrew was speaking to me about maintenance for an old piece of crushing equipment, he

mentioned the company would soon need a new trommel screen for their compost yard,” Ronnie says. “I suggested the Terex TTS 620 tracked trommel and offered to bring it to the Sunshine Coast for a demonstration. It went really well so Andrew made the purchase. It was all very straightforward.” Andrew says after acquiring the machine, Ronnie and other members of the Finlay staff trained his operators on how to operate, service and maintain the trommel. “They went the extra mile by coming up here and making sure my staff knew how to operate the equipment,” Andrew says. “I’m also sure Ronnie and the team would come to the site if we had any problems, but the trommel runs smoothly every day.

We’ve had no issues.” Andrew says he also purchased multiple aperture barrels, which Ronnie fitted to the new trommel before carrying out tonnage tests. “The trommel drum has a really quick change out time – it only takes a few minutes before we’re up and running again to screen a new material load,” Andrew says. “The feeder control system continually adjusts its speed, which means we can process compost at a higher efficiency rate than before.” Ronnie says the TTS 620 trommel enables application flexibility and it can be utilised for any sort of organics screening. “All the conveyors are built to a modular design which allows each one to be removed independently and easily configured to various applications.

It also means the machine is easy to maintain,” Ronnie says. “The TTS 620 Terex trommel uses less fuel than standard trommel screens because it has a highly efficient engine. It also has a combined hydraulic drive system enabling advanced material processing control.” According to Ronnie, the trommel screen’s swing out engine cradle gives operators unrestricted ground level access to all service components, while hinged doors on both sides of the drum offer unobstructed access for maintenance and cleaning. Andrew says another contributing factor to his decision to enlist Finlay was its spare parts servicing. “They offer fast and efficient turnaround on aftermarket spare parts – whatever make or model, they have you covered,” Andrew says.

COUNCIL IN FOCUS

Penrith plans prudently PENRITH CITY COUNCIL’S JOSHUA ROMEO TELLS WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW ABOUT COUNCIL’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN PLANNING FOR HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT. Q. How does sustainability guide the council’s waste programs? A. Penrith City Council is committed to sustainability through policy and practice. Sustainability is about integrating environmental, social and economic sustainability considerations into our policy, planning, decision making and operational processes and balancing short-term priorities with longer termneeds. The Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy (WARR) takes a broad understanding of the concept and outlines our plan for action into the future. The strategy identifies key activities that will be taken by council to implement within the liveability of the city, including leadership, business

Penrith City Council is now entering into its 10th year under a FOGO service.

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innovation, resource efficiency andsupport improved practice. Q. What are the key elements to a successful relationship between waste managers and developers? A. Consistency of service across Penrith local government area promotes equity and increases critical mass for sustainability. Penrith believes that communication, timing, consistency and flexibility are important elements to building rapport, and as such a successful relationship between waste managers, developers and other interested parties. One of our recent examples is a Waste Planning Officer within the waste management team which has allowed for development responsive

to planning, urban design and waste collection objectives. This is observed through higher density dwellings required to accommodate onsite waste collection. It allows the removal of kerbside bin presentation, facilitating activated street frontages and increased amenity outcomes within urban densification. Q. Which bin system do you use and why? A. Penrith is now entering its 10th year under the three-bin food organics, garden organics (FOGO) system, which continues council’s commitment to sustainability. Council is committed to actively supporting the community to reduce waste sent to landfill. Penrith believes the three-bin FOGO system is one of the best ways council and the community can achieve these goals. As a further demonstration of this, council broadened its most recent waste and resource recovery tender process to include all council managed waste allowing for consistent management, processing and disposal across all managed waste streams. Council has recently undertaken independent audits of bins and community consultation as part of the review of the WARR Strategy. This research supported expansion of the three-bin FOGO service into rural

properties. Small focus groups included representation from some harder-toreach demographics including those residents from the rural areas and younger residents. Audits were also undertaken of council-managed waste from public spaces and council-owned properties. The new contracts provide opportunities for the integration of all collection services. This allows for efficient servicing of public space bins, council property bins and commercial properties, maximising opportunities for source separation and resource recovery. Council’s ‘best fit’ approach to the provision of waste and resource recovery services integrated with the outcomes of improved waste planning has seen a two-stream onsite collection service provided to multi-

unit dwellings and residential flat buildings. This allows for the provision of a uniform service with heightened amenity outcomes, removing the need for kerbside bin presentation in high density areas. Q. What is council most proud of when it comes to its achievements in waste management? A. Council is committed to the implementation of sustainability projects and waste and resource recovery objectives to achieve environmentally sustainable outcomes. An example is the flexibility of bin service options available following resident consultation. Opportunities have been identified and implemented including increasing sustainable waste management options, improving bin capacity where relevant, as well as

integrating public space and civic services with newly introduced commercial waste and resource recovery services. Council is proud of the way Penrith residents have been early adopters of sustainable practices through sorting behaviours at the household level. This is aligned with the recent tender with Australian Native Landscapes further facilitating the ‘closing the loop’ objectives for sustainability and 75 per cent diversion from landfill. Council’s value of innovation has been reflected through its recent response to the Western Sydney District Plan. Through close collaboration with industry consultants, developer forums and council’s collections contractors, council has implemented an Australianfirst fleet solution to address collection within higher density developments.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – TYRE RECYCLING

Cleaning up a legacy stockpile TYRECYCLE’S JIM FAIRWEATHER EXPLAINS THE STRATEGIC PLANNING REQUIRED TO CLEAN UP ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST TYRE STOCKPILES IN REGIONAL VICTORIA.

Tyrecycle was appointed last year to clean up a legacy stockpile at Numurkah. Photo credit: EPA Victoria

ne of Australia’s largest tyre stockpiles, located within metres of homes and businesses in Victoria, was this year cleaned up by the Victorian Government. The government at the end of last year appointed Tyrecycle, one of the country’s most experienced tyre recyclers, for the clean-up operation, with the site now deemed safe. Over 44 operational days, Tyrecycle removed a 5200 tonne stockpile, equivalent to 500,000 tyres, at Numurkah near Shepparton, which posed an extreme fire, health and safety risk to local residents. The total transformation of the site saw 334 truckloads of tyre waste removed over this period.

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The company worked closely with Moira Shire Council along with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), which used its powers to enter the site late last year under the Environment Protection Act 1970. The EPA introduced tighter controls for waste tyre storage in 2015, prompting a significant reduction in the number of known stockpiles across Victoria, with Numurkah being one of the legacy sites. The Environment Protection Act 1970 requires scheduled premises to be licensed, with requirements for onsite firefighting resources, limits on the size of the piles and minimum distances between and around them. Stockpiles of more than 40 tonnes or 5000 equivalent passenger car units

of waste tyres are scheduled premises under the regulations. EPA CEO Dr Cathy Wilkinson said the site was an unacceptable fire, environmental and human health risk. Tyrecycle began work on cleaning up the site in December 2018 under the control and guidance of the EPA and Moira Shire Council. Jim Fairweather, Tyrecycle CEO, says that the company was transporting 125 tonnes of end-oflife tyres per day from Numurkah to Tyrecycle’s EPA-licensed processing facility in Melbourne at Somerton, where they were cleaned, sorted and shredded for recycling. “Tyrecycle ramped up its Melbourne facility to a 24/7 operation for the project and doubled its processing capability to remove the huge amount of waste tyres in the most efficient and time effective way,” Jim says. “We increased our staffing levels to handle the waste, with most of each delivery being processed within 24 hours.” According to the CFA and EPA, the consequences of a fire at the Numurkah site would have been catastrophic to the local community with air quality impacted and the contamination of soil, groundwater and surface waters. “It was a great outcome for the local residents, to help them feel safe again

after a decade of uncertainty. It was made possible due to the collaborative efforts between the Victorian Government, authorities and industry – working together,” Jim says. The EPA conducted site inspections at Tyrecycle’s Somerton facility during the transportation and processing phase of the waste tyres from Numurkah. Jim says that Tyrecycle is proudly the only EPA-licensed collector and recycler of tyres in Victoria and all environmental regulations were met during the project. “Our planning procedures are thorough, including specific transportation schedules for the collection and arrival of waste.” He says that the conditions were extremely challenging and strategic planning is required to begin a

clean-up operation especially of this magnitude. “Firefighting equipment is always onsite. However, when temperatures went to 40 degrees or if there was a total fire ban, all work ceased as the searing weather conditions resulted in an unsafe working environment. “Fire safety preparation is paramount during a clean-up, as well as heightened security and effective management of any wildlife and vermin on site. With careful planning and protocols, we were pleased to deliver an incident-free project.” The majority of the shredded and recycled waste tyres were converted into tyre-derived fuel (TDF), helping companies reduce their environmental footprint across South-East Asia. “TDF is an attractive alternative fuel on an international scale. The

extremely high calorific value of the product has significantly lower volumes of greenhouse gases when compared with coal,” Jim says. The recycled tyre waste from the Numurkah site is also being used for a variety of products across the construction, manufacturing and automotive industries, including crumbed rubber for road surfacing, athletics tracks and brake pads. Tyrecycle also worked with the EPA in Victoria in 2017 to remove another dangerous and large tyre stockpile on the outskirts of Stawell. During a clean-up operation lasting just over two months, 9500 tonnes of tyres which had been stockpiled for many years were removed, with more than two-thirds of the tyres transported to Tyrecycle’s Melbourne facility for processing and recycling.

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – HAZARDOUS WASTE Tellus Holdings recently received local government approval from the Western Australia Mid-West Wheatbelt Joint Development Assessment Panel.

Geological journey TELLUS HOLDINGS’ STEPHEN HOSKING HIGHLIGHTS CONSTRUCTION WORKS ON AUSTRALIA’S FIRST KAOLIN MINE AND GEOLOGICAL WASTE REPOSITORY.

ccording to the Department of Innovation, Industry and Science, as of January 2019 the amount of hazardous waste in Australia was growing at a faster rate than the population. If not managed correctly, hazardous waste can have disastrous effects on communities and the environment. In order to regulate the industry and mitigate the risk of rogue operators, the approvals process needs to be thorough. These risks highlight the significance of infrastructure development company Tellus’ Sandy Ridge facility. Sandy Ridge will accept up to 100,000 tonnes of hazardous waste per annum, using a best practice multi barrier system that comprises man-made barriers (active

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control) and natural barriers (passive control) that can permanently isolate the waste for millions of years. The Federal Government shares a similar contention, awarding the facility Major Project Facilitation status in 2017. Tellus has recently received local government approval from the Western Australia Mid-West Wheatbelt Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP), the latest step in a long run of studies and approvals over six years for the project. The company received approval from a number of government bodies including the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy, the Western Australian EPA, the Western Australian Department

of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety and the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental and Regulation. The JDAP approval is a further show of support for Tellus’ plans for long term storage, recycling and recovery of valuable materials and the permanent isolation of hazardous waste, including naturally occurring radioactive material and disused radioactive sources. With approvals in hand and financing secured earlier this year, Tellus’ General Manager Stephen Hosking, who is responsible for constructing Tellus’ infrastructure, says the company has now commenced construction of enabling works at Sandy Ridge. “GR Engineering Services (GRES)

Sandy Ridge operations will commence from March next year.

were awarded the lead engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract in February and have commenced detailed design and procurement ahead of mobilising to site in June this year.” As well as the lead EPC contract, the enabling stage of construction also

The site works will include the installation of an air dome.

involves maintenance and upgrade contracts focused on local roads and intersections around the facility, allowing for safer access. It also involves upgrading a neighbouring airstrip to enable the site’s workforce to travel to and from the site. Stephen says work on the airstrip is particularly important to the company as the site will soon see the arrival of more than 100 construction workers and up to 80 operational staff at its peak. “We have spent a considerable amount of time focusing on how we can make our site a great place to work and so being able to fly to a nearby airstrip cuts down travel time considerably. Providing our staff and contractors with best-in-class accommodation and food with good

communications connectivity have been non-negotiables for us.” In parallel to the GRES award, Tellus has also mobilised project management consultant Turner and Townsend to its Perth office, and placed long lead procurement orders with Fleetwood Australia for site buildings and an innovative air dome structure from US-based supplier Arizon Building Systems. “Air domes are very popular in North America and Europe and we are very excited to be bringing this innovative and low-cost building system to Australia. The air dome will be installed by GRES before mining of our first waste cell. It will allow year-round waste operations for our clients, while providing a safe working environmental for our personnel,” Stephen says. Commencement of construction on the main facility site is planned for June when GRES will mobilise to Sandy Ridge. The site works will include installation of the air dome, development of the first kaolin open pit or waste cell, container yards, an onsite laboratory, office and accommodation village. The facility will start to accept waste for surface storage in September this year with full operations commencing from March next year.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – LANDFILL MANAGEMENT

Timely access SUEZ’S PHIL CARBINS EXPLAINS HOW THE COMPANY WORKS WITH ITS CONTRACTORS TO PROVIDE SAFE AND EFFICIENT LANDFILL OPERATIONS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

lizabeth Drive Landfill in Kemps Creek and New Illawarra Road Landfill in Lucas Heights form significant operations within the crucial NSW landfilling landscape, with both sites paired to resource recovery parks. As one of the few putrescible landfills servicing metropolitan Sydney, Lucas Heights is licensed to accept 850,000 tonnes of solid putrescible and non-putrescible waste per year. This includes municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial and industrial (C&I) waste. The resource recovery park is also licensed to receive 55,000 tonnes per annum of green waste. Elizabeth Drive Landfill in Kemps Creek receives solid non-putrescible waste, including C&I, construction and demolition (C&D) and restricted solid waste. SUEZ recognises the importance of the site and at the end of last year proposed extending the life of this landfill by about six years to 2030. Managing the facilities each day is a comprehensive operation, from onsite waste acceptance, ground and surface water management and environmental monitoring and reporting. One business helping SUEZ with elements of the two operations and four others across Australia is Select Civil – a civil contracting, plant hire and waste management services company. The company has over the years provided services to all six

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SUEZ’s Lucas Heights facility is a significant operation.

SUEZ landfill sites, including onground personnel and equipment. Starting with Kemps Creek in 2009 and Lucas Heights in 2011, Select Civil’s support network stretches as far as North Bannister in WA and Hogan’s Pocket Landfill in Mackay, QLD. Each of SUEZ’s landfill sites differ significantly in size, scale and location, while operating under different regulatory environments and communities. Select Civil’s extensive knowledge of the landfill sector ensures it is able to apply this knowledge to suit each facility, sourcing quality equipment, maximising machine performance and reducing maintenance.

The company also works with other major companies, supporting a combined tonnage of waste landfilled at these facilities in excess of 225,000 tonnes per month. Select Civil operates a fleet of waste handling bulldozers, compactors and articulated dump trucks in addition to various loaders, trucks, excavators and track loaders. Employing more than 50 staff at these sites, the company supports safe operations and plant maintenance in accordance with contractual arrangements. Phil Carbins, Sydney Landfill & Organics Manager at SUEZ Australia and New Zealand, says that through a competitive tender process, Select Civil successfully won a number

of contracts. Over time, it has developed a robust understanding of the company’s sites and operations and proved to be closely aligned with SUEZ’s requirements. “Our relationship with Select Civil is a contract heading towards a partnership arrangement where both parties understand each other’s key drivers,” Phil says. A crucial component for SUEZ is ensuring its operations align with its licensing, airspace and environmental compliance obligations. “Our environment protection license means SUEZ must comply with the daily operations and Select Civil is completely involved in meeting those environmental obligations each day, including covering the tip face,” Phil says. Select Civil safely operates significant equipment for SUEZ using a best practice approach with efficiency and safety front of mind, including compactors, excavators and bulldozers. It also works in conjunction with SUEZ’s site operations team and engineers to ensure stormwater and leachate are managed appropriately. At Lucas Heights, Select Civil provides landfill services on site, including a public drop-off and resource recovery station, transferring the bins to the tip face at the site. Additionally, it provided mobile plant and maintenance for SUEZ’s green waste platform, including front end loaders and excavators. At Kemps Creek’s alternative waste treatment facility, Select Civil equipped SUEZ with mobile equipment and continued maintenance of four Caterpillar 938K wheel loaders and a back-up 950G. “Understanding the responsibility we have to meet our customer’s expectations and long-term objectives particularly around efficiency and

capacity in landfill compaction is an important key performance indicator for our business,” Phil says. He says that to ensure maximum uptime, it’s Select Civil’s responsibility to have a set number of machines available operating at its landfills at any point in time. “We have sites with different input tonnages – some are quite small, but Select Civil has been able to allocate the right level of equipment and resources to meet the demand.” Phil explains that in addition to its main duties, Select Civil performs a range of ancillary activities at its various sites, including picking up bins in drop-off areas, placing litter fences in the right locations and cleaning out drains. Importantly, Phil says that relationships are strong with the Select Civil and SUEZ site management team. “Supervisors interact not only daily with site operators, but in some instances hourly,” he says. Phil says that on a normal day, landfill management is a predictable and smooth business. However, he says that it is not always predictable. For instance, high rainfall events can be challenging. He says that fortunately, Select Civil and SUEZ’s other stakeholders are dedicated and able to consistently work through any hurdles. Another key component to the partnership is the ability to work with SUEZ’s other contractors on site, which all form critical parts of onsite management, whether it be cell constructions, landfill gas capture, leachate collection systems or excavations. “Select Civil through SUEZ must be able to coordinate with other contractors onsite and it is our job to make sure all contractors are working together for the greater good.”

PROFILE

Recycling through the ages Alex Fraser’s history began in the metals industry in 1879.

AS ALEX FRASER CELEBRATES ITS 140TH ANNIVERSARY, WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW DETAILS THE COMPANY’S EFFORTS TO BECOME ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S LEADING PROVIDERS OF RECYCLED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.

ot many Australian companies have 140 years of operation behind them. Such a milestone is even more extraordinary when you consider the enormous changes that have occurred over the past century – from two world wars to some of the most challenging economic recessions.

Alex Fraser is one organisation that recently hit that 140-year milestone, attributing its long history of success to investment in its people and its business. As a result, the company was able to swiftly respond to major shifts in material usage and keep pace with changing community expectations.

Alex Fraser operates in QLD and Victoria.

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While the company is synonymous with building a sustainable construction sector, its humble beginnings were in the metals sector. In 1879, Alex Fraser was a founding member of a metal broker firm, in Queen Street, Melbourne, run by the Melbourne Metal Exchange (MME). With the price of metal fluctuating on an almost daily basis, Fraser and his fellow MME members controlled the entire output from Barrier Mines as well as other important mines throughout the country with silver, lead, zinc and tin the principle metals. In the early 1920s, Fraser made the decision to retire and return to his country of birth, leaving the business to a clerk employed with the company – Archibald McKellar. McKellar’s 11 years with the business helped him grow the business throughout the Great Depression and eventually take over as owner. With the passing of McKellar Snr, his

Glass waste fines have historically been challenging to recycle.

son Archie took over after World War II in the 1950s. Margins were difficult at the time and with stiff competition in the tin and lead business, McKellar Jnr set looked for new opportunities, starting with the demolition and recycling of metal from returned fighter jets and tanks from the war. Many of these initial opportunities saw Alex Fraser become a pioneer in commercial recycling, including plastics and dry nylon recycling. During the 60s and 70s, demolitions became a prominent activity for Alex Fraser and by the late 70s, its primary industry. The early 80s marked the beginning

of a new age in Alex Fraser’s recycling story as it embarked on one of its most ambitious projects yet. Led by Jamie McKellar and his brothers Robert and Peter, the family’s third generation began to transform large quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, like concrete, asphalt, brick and stone, into new construction resources such as aggregates and roadbase. With the establishment of its first concrete recycling site in Port Melbourne, Alex Fraser started to grow its employee base from an initial few to more than 260 across five recycling plants in Queensland and Victoria.

Alex Fraser Asphalt was launched in the 1990s. It quickly expanded to include two high-capacity asphalt plants on opposite ends of Melbourne’s metro area and five asphalt crews renowned for their quality workmanship and reliability. Together, Alex Fraser’s recycling and asphalt operations work with local governments, contractors and asset owners to build greener roads throughout Melbourne and Brisbane, reducing the carbon footprint of construction by up to 65 per cent. DEVELOPING A REPUTATION One of its biggest milestones arose in 1992, when governments, councils and contractors began to recognise and support the use of recycled C&D. Alex Fraser worked closely with government to develop VicRoads specifications. These specifications have been periodically updated and set an outstanding example of government agencies supporting the use of recycled content. Alex Fraser went from strength to

One of Alex Fraser’s major achievements is turning glass waste into construction sand.

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PROFILE

strength, winning the Western Ring Road and Albert Park Grand Prix track projects and laying the foundations of Melbourne’s Crown Casino. As of 1987, it was responsible for almost half of Victoria’s C&D recycling effort. By 2008, Alex Fraser became a major recycling enterprise, having produced 20 million tonnes of sustainable construction materials. Peter Murphy, who has been with Alex Fraser for more than 15 years, transitioned the company into its next phase of growth, stepping up to the role of Managing Director in 2011 after the company changed hands to John Swire & Sons. Peter’s background in logistics drove Alex Fraser’s commitment to reliability, ensuring responsive delivery to its valued customers. He and his team consistently benchmark locally and internationally which has helped foster a culture of innovation and best practice at Alex Fraser. Peter led the establishment of a network of world class recycling facilities, and spearheaded Alex Fraser’s innovative recycled glass projects. Fast forward to 2019 and Alex Fraser’s notable achievements span turning glass into construction sand, converting historically landfilled concrete into recycled aggregates and roadbase, and using a wide variety of recyclables in its quality asphalt mixes, including recovered asphalt,

glass and plastics. It is now responsible for producing up to four million tonnes of sustainable construction material per annum, recovering millions of tonnes of demolition and glass waste and paving more than 1000 kilometres of green roads every year. This year the company is in the midst of commissioning a world-first glass recycling plant and new high recycled technology asphalt plant, doubling the volume of recycled sand produced in Victoria while drastically increasing the volume of recycled materials incorporated in its asphalt mixes. Peter credits the company’s innovation and agility to its people who are always looking for the next improvement, and to strengthen longterm relationships with customers and regulators. “We work hard to provide reliable services, so our customers can get their projects done on time, on spec and on budget. On all our customer projects, supply timelines are integral to performance. If we can give them a high volume of consistent material, their project will be more efficient,” Peter explains. He says that it was rewarding to see the efforts of Alex Fraser’s people recognised last year with the company winning the Waste and Recycling Award at the Victorian Transport Association

Alex Fraser was last year acquired by Hanson Australia, with strong synergies between the two companies.

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Australian Freight Industry Awards. “The prize commended our gamechanging glass recycling operation that diverted hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill and provides resources that are badly needed to fulfil Victoria’s multibillion-dollar infrastructure pipeline,” Peter says. “It also substantially reduces heavy vehicle movements. There’s plenty of talk about recycling lately. We’ve been doing it for a long time on a large scale and have continued to innovate and invest.” R&D CONTINUES Of course, none of Alex Fraser’s achievements would be possible without its continued efforts to improve the end markets for recycled materials. The company conducts ongoing research and development with partners including CSIRO, Australian Road Research Board, Melbourne’s RMIT, Melbourne University and Swinburne University. Testing over an extended period on materials and pavements demonstrates that recycled aggregate matches, if not exceeds, the performance of the equivalent virgin material. Part of its ongoing work is liaising with individual local government areas and businesses to educate them on the environmental and commercial benefits

acoustics, traffic and visual amenity as well as constantly working to reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations and our customers’.”

Alex Fraser’s original Laverton site in the 1980s.

of using recycled material. Peter says that as natural resources deplete and quarries move further afield, transport costs increase sharply. Recycled materials are not only a sustainable option, but often the most economical. Alex Fraser’s desire to benchmark recycled materials led to a decision to partner with RMIT Centre of Design and conduct a life-cycle analysis of its recycling operation compared with a quarrying operation. In May 2008, the results of the RMIT research were released indicating the carbon footprint of recycled crushed concrete is 65 per cent less than equivalent quarried material. These findings have subsequently been independently verified in accordance with international standard ISO14040. “Demand is increasing and the constant challenge is to ensure that all of these major projects happening across the country are aware of sustainable alternatives,” Peter says. “The consistent quality, compaction, transport and density benefits of recycled construction materials are well recognised as presenting substantial

savings to construction costs, so they are well supported across the sector.” He says that Alex Fraser’s recycled road base and aggregates comply with road building authorities’ specifications, such as VicRoads and Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the vast majority of local governments also support the use of recycled content. “VicRoads has a strong track record of choosing recycled materials for some of its biggest projects, including the M1 and M80,” Peter says. Last year, Alex Fraser developed PolyPave™ – a high-performing asphalt product containing recycled materials, including plastic, glass and RAP. Melbourne’s City of Yarra was the first of many councils to incorporate the new material in its roads through a resurfacing project in late 2018. Peter says that Alex Fraser has been planning for the long term and sets a very high benchmark in operating standards for its sites. “This includes ensuring our operations are ‘not seen and not heard’ through extraordinary measures to address air quality management,

POSITIONED FOR GROWTH Alex Fraser was last year acquired by construction and building material supplier Hanson Australia. Complementing Alex Fraser’s unique sustainability offering is Hanson’s technical expertise, sophisticated systems and large site network. Peter says that Hanson’s ownership strengthens the viability of recycled materials, with great synergies between the two businesses. “We are working together to improve efficiencies at Alex Fraser and Hanson, including recycling Hanson materials.” As for the future of Alex Fraser? The company has continued to invest and aims to expand its capabilities with new materials and new locations. “The new integrated facility at Laverton is a demonstration of a thriving circular economy at work. It has answered a long-standing question around how successfully waste materials can be recycled into quality resources for greener roads.” Peter says that Alex Fraser will continue to be agile, evolving its business to align with community needs as it works towards another prosperous 140 years.

Alex Fraser’s impact: Carbon saved: 319,937 tonnes of CO2 emissions Weight recycled: 49 million tonnes Trucks saved: 145,185 Major projects serviced: 240

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PROFILE

Many councils worldwide are seeking to reduce plastic pollution.

Acting on plastic THE CITY OF CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN IS PLANNING A BAN ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS AND SETTING OFF ON A JOURNEY TO IDENTIFY THE BEST MODEL OF EXECUTION.

ore than 100 countries, states and territories around the globe have banned single-use plastics. Many of these bans are focused on single-use plastic bags, but a number of them in the past year have been targeting commonly used items such as straws, coffee cups and plates. A well-known vote by the European Union at the end of 2018 to phase out a number of single-use plastics by 2021, where alternatives are available, created impetus for other governments to follow suit. A year later, the SA and ACT Governments begun investigating into their own bans. Multiple councils have also endorsed their own bans, including the City of Karratha, Hobart City Council and the City of

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Canterbury Bankstown. While many of the bans are still in their infancy, the United Nations reviewed 60 national bans and levies and estimated that 30 per cent reduced plastics consumption. Brad Gray, Team Leader, Resource Recovery at the City of Canterbury Bankstown, brings to the city more than 10 years’ experience with Planet Ark. His experience saw him work on campaigns such as National Recycling Week and Cartridges 4 Planet Ark. Brad tells Waste Management Review that the city’s inspiration for a ban on single-use plastics arose during last year’s Plastic-Free July event, when a councillor put forward a motion at the council meeting to phase out single-use plastics. The notice of motion set a

course for a journey for council to understand where and why they were being used, what behaviours facilitate their use, what alternatives existed and what actions were needed to phase them out. A Single-use Plastics Action Plan, based on research as well as trial and error, will guide the city through the steps required to phase out the targeted items. In its planning and processes, the city focused primarily on phasing out bottled water, straws, coffee cups, plates, cups and cutlery, and bags. Brad says that plastic pollution, especially in waterways, is a significant environmental issue and council sees it as its responsibility to lead the charge to reduce and eventually phase them out.

“We acknowledge there are numerous barriers that need to be overcome right across council in order to phase out single-use plastics in one go, so we are going through a gradual process to remove them,” he says. To understand the various types of single-use plastics being used in council’s teams, it surveyed all organisational managers. From there, it identified key stakeholders and conducted face-to-face interviews with teams to dig deeper into how singleuse plastics were being used and why. The city also sought to identify any alternatives or opportunities to eliminate them, in addition to any barriers that could hinder progress. “Engagement and communication is a major component of implementing this change, so we are working closely with key stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition, as well as helping employees understand the ‘why’ behind the changes,” Brad says.

engaging with stallholders at events to use alternatives. Brad says there is no one single item that is easy to phase out, with straws required for those living with disability and gloves a product safe handling in the food industry. “Thankfully, there are a number of alternatives coming to market from manufacturers. As part of the process, we want to be careful and avoid disposable products where possible, even if they aren’t made from plastic,” Brad says. “This is where developing a standard principle approach will be useful, as it emulates the waste hierarchy in how we trial and implement actions to phase something out.” Brad says that the city follows a hierarchical approach of avoidance, followed by replacing the product with a reusable alternative, finding a better alternative single-use product, reducing use of the item if no

“As with any behaviour change program we work on, there will be significant consideration given to how we communicate and understand the motivators for individuals to be able to make changes.” In areas such as council’s leisure and aquatic centres, the city will need to look for alternatives to water bottles and slurpie straws, while

sustainable alternative is available and only keeping its use to necessity. He says the approach ensures the city will choose replacement products carefully and thoughtfully. His advice for other councils looking at this option is to recognise banning single-use plastics is not a quick fix and requires significant commitment and resourcing with wide employee

Brad Gray brings to council more than 10 years’ experience with Planet Ark.

engagement and support. “You also need to do your research thoroughly to understand the issues before jumping to solutions,” he says. The plan aligns with many of the city’s other projects as it strives for the best levels of customer service and innovation. A big initiative for the city is its Closing the Loop on Waste project, a Smart Cities project dedicated to better identifying bin contamination and exploring ways to communicate with the community that minimises service interruptions and issues. Brad says that the phasing out of single-use plastics is a project that enable teams from right across the city to work towards a shared goal. “It is a great opportunity for us to model positive environmental actions in all our facilities,” Brad says. “I’m proud that the City of Canterbury Bankstown is one of the first local governments in Australia to go down this path. It won’t be an easy path, but it’s great that we are on it and I’m looking forward to others joining us.”

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EVENTS – WASTE STRATEGY SUMMIT

Where to from here? DICK GROSS, CITY OF PORT PHILLIP MAYOR, EXPLAINS THE MECHANISMS REQUIRED TO HELP LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OVERCOME KERBSIDE RECYCLING MARKET FAILURES. Dick Gross will be speaking at the 2019 Waste Strategy Summit.

s a self-confessed local government tragic, Dick Gross has been involved in various council roles for more than 20 years. From president of the Municipal Association of Victoria to now the City of Port Phillip Mayor, Dick has become a well-known voice in the waste industry. Additionally, Dick is a writer and tutor in climate change at the University of Melbourne and a former lawyer. His passion for supporting the growth of the industry has seen him speak out publicly on issues such as the recent temporary shut-down of Melbourne materials recover facilities and the implications of China’s National Sword. Continuing this leadership, Dick will be a speaker at this year’s Waste

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Strategy Summit, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for waste prevention, recycling, resource recovery and disposal. “I’m passionate about mistakes and in my talk I discuss a lot about mistakes and how do we judge ourselves, are we too hard on mistakes? And I think we are,” Dick tells Waste Management Review. Dick says his presentation will explore from a local government perspective why Victoria is lagging behind other states in legislating developing technologies such as invessel composting. “Part of the problem in Victoria when I started in local government two decades ago is I was told that 700 years of landfill were left in Melbourne

because we had big holes everywhere to support mining or extractive resources,” he says. “But now people are living next to those holes so planning issues are more fraught and I think that is less so in NSW.” According to the 2015-16 Victorian Local Government Annual Waste Services Report 2015-16, garden organics makes up 18 per cent of kerbside diversion – a key contributor to emissions when buried in landfill. Dick says the best way to reduce emissions is to follow Europe’s lead with a carbon pricing mechanism. He says that while methane from waste is significant, albeit not the greatest contributor, it is part of the broader landscape of carbon innovation for

cities. As there is an increasing need to divert materials from landfill, the policy response must provide incentives. “Europe prices carbon and the idea is that there is an externality associated with many transactions, i.e. is there a positive or negative associated with it? “A carbon pricing scheme looks at the externality of our human activity as it’s unfair not to take these externalities into account.” Dick points out that during the period of Gillard’s carbon tax, landfill operators were significant price payers, despite not being by any stretch the biggest contributor to emissions. For any future scheme, Dick believes the best model would be for smaller councils to be means tested and given government support. “Local governments have rate capping and it’s unfair to expect a rate capped council to deal with additional costs so my view is that councils should pay and receive partial compensation from other tiers,” he says. After a major recycling company in Melbourne was issued a notice from the EPA requiring it to stop accepting recyclable waste materials, issues surfaced again on the lack of end markets for recyclables. Many councils, including Port Phillip Council, were locked out of their materials recovery facilities (MRF). Port Phillip Council was locked out for more than two weeks and forced to send 658 tonnes of recyclables to landfill, costing it $79,000. This was subsequently reimbursed as part of its contract for unexpected expenses. Port Phillip Council called on the Victorian Government to urgently hold a roundtable with the Municipal Association of Victoria and councils to develop an action plan to futureproof the recycling sector. One of the key issues Dick points out is that there is clearly insufficient

competition in the market and more operators need to open up in the MRF space. He says that China has propelled MRFs to look at upgrading their materials to a cleaner product. Dick believes that there are wider reasons for China’s ban than just cleaning up its own environment. He suspects its linked to escalating trade tensions between China and the US. “America has a huge recycling sector employing more than 100,000 people so when China turned the tap off it wasn’t great for them. Because of World Trade Organization rules, they couldn’t easily be seen to just ban America’s material for an environmental reason because its flow is exactly the same as Australia’s contaminated.” Dick says that there is no doubt that there is a real issue with the value of commodity prices, but this is by no means a crisis. “My view is that we need product stewardship at a national level and we need to do things to add value to commodity prices, including mandating a set amount of recyclables in glass and containers, but particularly glass,” he says. Dick adds that mandating in local governments the use of crushed glass instead of sand as roadbase and mandating recycled plastics as road surface would also lift commodity prices up. Landfill levies should also be raised, he says, including in states such as Victoria. He says that events such as the Waste Strategy Summit offer an opportunity for knowledge-based industries to share ideas. “My wife works in innovation and she argues that part of the growth of innovation is the swapping of knowledge, not only formally through presentations, but also informally through networking and the serendipity

Dick Gross has been involved in various council roles for more than 20 years.

of casual conversation, so that’s why these events are absolutely important,” he says. Waste Strategy Summit 2019 is designed for executives working within waste management, recycling, resource recovery and environmental sustainability departments across all sectors looking to improve their operations. The event includes a diverse array of speakers, including Big W’s Anthony Castaldi, the City of Sydney’s Gemma Dawson, ANZ’s Jeff Elliot, Plastic Forest’s David Hodge and NSW EPA’s Justin Koek. The key themes of this year’s event include Australian waste management from a regulatory eye, understanding the importance of implementing realistic strategies in everyday practices, the importance of collaboration and outside the box recycling and resource recovery strategies. Last year’s event saw more than 110 people from the public and private sectors gather to discuss strategic planning and innovation. Waste Strategy Summit will take place from 25-27 June at the Aerial UTS Function Centre in Sydney. For more information visit: www.questevents.com.au/wastestrategy-summit-2019

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EVENTS – WASTE 2019 Costa the Garden Gnome chats to WA Waste Authority’s Marcus Geisler at Waste 2019.

Sharing the vision ONE YEAR ON FROM NATIONAL SWORD, REGULATORS SHARED THEIR POLICY RESPONSE AT WASTE 2019, WHILE INDUSTRY LEADERS DISCUSSED THE CRITICAL STEPS TO MOVE THE SECTOR FORWARD.

tockpiling regulations, organics diversion programs, education programs and legislative impediments were just a few of the topics covered at this year’s Waste 2019 Conference. Around 640 delegates across Australia and overseas landed in Coffs Harbour, NSW from May 14-16. The three-day conference saw delegates highlight the latest legislative developments and innovative business models across the waste industry, showcase new products and services and network with likeminded professionals. While the long-running conference is particularly prominent among councils, the conference featured private industry leaders, suppliers across resource recovery and transport and government regulators from around the country. On day one, Rupert Saville, Unit

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Head Litter Prevention Unit at the NSW EPA, explained the success stories in working towards the Premier’s Litter Prevention target to reduce the volume of litter in the state by 40 per cent by 2020. This included six education and awareness campaigns, 13 litter prevention grants and the Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme all helping to achieve a 37 per cent reduction in litter volume. Day two’s keynote speaker Rozalina Petrova, Policy Officer at the European Commission, provided a European perspective on waste management and a circular economy. As part of this, all member states will have separate collection of paper, metal, plastic, glass and biowaste by the end of 2023. On day two, Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) CEO Gayle Sloan

hosted a panel featuring Re.Group’s Garth Lamb, Cleanaway’s David Clancy, Veolia’s Christine Hodgkiss, SUEZ’s Tony Grebenshikoff and Bingo Industries’ Daniel Tartak. The panel covered a broad spectrum of issues, including the pressures faced by National Sword, regulatory challenges and market development. Mr Clancy told the panel that the expectations of the general public in the face of National Sword have never been higher. Ms Hodgkiss said now is the opportunity to take back control of local recycling markets. Throughout the panel, waste to energy and finding solutions to end markets were key points of discussion. Ms Hodgkiss highlighted that waste to energy could help tackle problematic waste streams and add value to the industry.

The NSW EPA’s ban on mixed waste organic outputs also emerged as a topical point of discussion during the panel. One panellist reinforced the importance of policy certainty and a sensible transparent process towards alternatives. When it came to discussing the circular economy, Mr Grebenshikoff mentioned that over the years, there had been a big focus on measuring the success of recycling through diversion from landfill metrics. He explained that this is only part of the story and we should instead be measuring recycling outcomes in manufacturing. During the discussion, WMRR CEO Gayle Sloan said that the waste industry should consider changing the waste management hierarchy to the resource management hierarchy. As glass emerged as one of the missing links to increasing recycling market development, Mr Tartak explained that Bingo will get involved in processing the waste stream only when the market signals are there. In the evening, the annual cocktail dinner saw a night of dancing and fun – with a nautical theme. On day three, the state and territory regulators chaired a panel hosted by MRA Consulting’s Mike Ritchie on each of their regulatory barriers and policies to address this. The panel included ACT NoWaste’s Alex Taylor, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Angela Hoefnagels (Victoria), the Department of Environment and Science’s Kylie Hughes (QLD), WA Waste Authority’s Marcus Geisler, NSW EPA’s Molly Tregoning and EPA SA’s Steven Sergi. Each panellist elaborated on what their regulatory authority was doing to stimulate kerbside collection and recycling markets. Mr Geisler spoke of all councils in Perth and Peel transitioning to

FOGO by 2025. During the panel, he encouraged regional WA councils without kerbside recycling to look at a green bin first, as transforming material to quality compost could reduce transport barriers. He said that funding was available through the Better Bins Kerbside Collection Program. Ms Tregoning pointed to the NSW circular economy policy statement. A day prior, Ms Tregoning had provided her own presentation about the NSW 20-year waste strategy. She said that consultation was already underway on the strategy. In reponse to feedback in the early consultation, the EPA has decided to extend the time for developing the strategy and is aiming for completion in early 2020. Ms Hughes highlighted QLD’s vision for a “zero-waste” society by 2050. Along with a looming landfill levy, QLD currently looking at a waste strategy with a goal of 10 per cent avoidable waste to landfill by 2040. Notable policy planning includes a new waste to energy discussion paper on its way and an organics recycling plan. Ms Hoefnagels touched on Victoria’s circular economy policy, statewide infrastructure plan, market development strategy and changes to the Environment Protection Act coming 1 July 2020.

In SA, Green Industries SA is looking at banning single-use plastics and reviewing its waste strategy. Mr Sergi highlighted financial assurance policies in SA can reduce the profitability of stockpiling and disincentivise unauthorised stockpiling. Advanced technologies such as drones to profile stockpiles, material type and the likelihood it will get back into the market are being looked at. Mr Taylor highlighted that in the ACT, all waste facilities, regardless of size and type, must be licensed provided they meet the appropriate site definitions. Speaking to Waste Management Review, Amanda Kane, EPA NSW Manager Organics, said the conference offered the opportunity to talk to each and every player in the waste industry. “From the government perspective it’s actually listening to what the industry, local government and people are saying so that we can keep supporting them,” Ms Kane said. On increasing FOGO collection and compost, she highlighted the importance of the $100 million Waste Less, Recycle More fund, supporting collection grants and FOGO trials in multi-unit dwellings tounderstand the barriers to entry.

Bingo Industries Managing Director Daniel Tartak takes the mic at an industry leaders panel on day two of Waste 2019.

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SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS

Officeworks takes charge

Officeworks increased recycling rates from 64 per cent in FY17 to 81 per cent this financial year.

OFFICEWORKS’ RYAN SWENSON HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPANY’S SMART APPROACH TO BACK-OF-HOUSE AND CUSTOMER RECYCLING.

s a major supplier of office products and solutions for homes, businesses and schools, Officeworks’ customer footprint is by no means small. Its 168 stores buttress more than 8000 team members, in addition to three distribution centres and two support centres. Developing an overarching sustainability plan therefore necessitated smarter thinking about how it manages its waste internally, using concrete data and drawing on waste industry experts to identify environmentally friendly solutions. In 2015, Officeworks launched its first Positive Difference Plan, which set a five-year strategy and targets issues most pertinent to their stakeholders. The plan outlined goals to reduce the company’s environmental impact, sourcing products in sustainable and responsible ways and supporting the aspirations of its team and communities. Four years into the 2020 plan, Officeworks has made significant

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progress against the targets, including reducing carbon emissions by 15 per cent. As part of this, it is also working towards ensuring all paper products are either Forest Stewardship Council certified or made from 100 per cent recycled materials by December 2020. The company follows the principles of the waste hierarchy, avoiding or reducing the amount of waste that is generated in the first place. From FY17 to FY18, it reduced its total waste generated from 6975 tonnes to 5764 tonnes. Of that, waste to landfill decreased from 2513 to 1405 tonnes. Officeworks has also increased recycling rates from 64 per cent in FY17 to 81 per cent this financial year to date and is working towards a target to recycle 85 per cent by 30 June this year. Ryan Swenson, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Officeworks, tells Waste Management Review that reducing the company’s environmental

impact is a priority for the business, its team members and other stakeholders. “Setting a long-term target to send zero waste to landfill, with milestones each year, enables us to establish a roadmap that demonstrates continuous improvement and to monitor our progress along the way,” he says. To support its ambitious targets, Officeworks partnered with Cleanaway in 2017. The partnership allows Officeworks to provide detailed data and reporting to help its teams understand their progress against the targets. Ryan says that Officeworks then looked at three areas where it could have the most influence: service schedules, infrastructure and behaviour change. “By analysing the data, we made changes to the general waste collection schedules across selected stores from weekly to fortnightly. “This drove an immediate change in behaviour as our teams needed

to ensure they had enough room in their general waste bin to last the fortnight,” he says. He says that Officeworks looked at its infrastructure to ensure its stores had the right bins in the right places based on their waste streams. “Thirdly, we put some of our team members through a waste and recycling workshop to help drive behaviour change at their stores,” Ryan says. Over the past six months, team members from selected stores have conducted their own waste audits by spending a day offsite sorting through their own general waste bin, and then completing a cause and effect workshop to understand how recyclable waste entered the general waste bin and how to avoid it in the future. Ryan says that this has been critical to imbedding a culture of zero waste to landfill and demonstrate that individual actions add up to make a big difference. “Some stores have now moved their general waste collection to an on-

call service since they are generating such little waste.” Throughout March, more than 70 of its sites recycled at least 85 per cent of their waste, with many passing the 90 per cent mark – a testament to what is possible with the right initiatives and leadership. To increase recycling rates at its support office, Officeworks has over the years implemented new recycling streams such as coffee cup recycling, organic waste collection and soft plastics recycling. Ryan says that one of the highlights of the Positive Difference Plan is seeing how passionate its team members are to make a positive difference in their workplace. As with any waste strategy, some challenges have sprung up. Ryan says that Officeworks has a number of stores that have ongoing issues with illegal dumping. To help address this, stores have moved their general waste bins to Officework’s overall recycling data.

Officeworks this year launched its largest ever recycling station at Mentone in Melbourne.

smaller bins that can be more easily moved into their receiving area each night. With secondary packaging being a key input, Officeworks is focused on reducing the material used by optimising packaging sizes. It is moving to reusable solutions where possible, such as transit pallets, and working with suppliers to ensure all packaging is easily recyclable by removing materials from its supply chain such as polystyrene. Officeworks takes a holistic approach when considering the environmental impact of the products it sells, which includes how they are disposed of at their end of life. Throughout FY18, the company collected almost 700 tonnes of e-waste from its customers, which included ink and toner cartridges, computers and accessories, printers and mobile phones. It also this year launched its largest ever recycling station at its Mentone Store in Melbourne that comprises recycling options for batteries, pens and markers. To help its customers recycle, Officeworks developed the Australasian Recycling Label with Planet Ark in 2015 and it now features on over 3000 ownlabel products.

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APCO COLUMN

One year on for the ARL AS THE AUSTRALASIAN RECYCLING LABEL CELEBRATES ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY, APCO CEO BROOKE DONNELLY REFLECTS ON THE SUCCESS OF THE RECYCLING EDUCATION PROGRAM TO DATE AND SHARES WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT FOR THE CAMPAIGN.

ustralia is a country of proud and passionate recyclers. Yet research consistently demonstrates that Australians want more information about how to recycle correctly. A Global Recycling Day report developed by Nestle and Planet Ark found that while an overwhelming majority of Australians (96 per cent) are eager to recycle, 94 per cent of people still put one or more non-recyclable items in their recycling bin. And with more than 200 Australian recycling labels currently in circulation, it’s easy to understand why consumers don’t always get it right. To tackle this challenge, in 2018 Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) joined forces with Planet Ark and Packaging Recycling Evaluation Portal (PREP) Design to launch the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) – a nationwide labelling scheme to help consumers better recognise how to recycle products effectively. The evidence-based system provides simple instructions about how to correctly dispose of each individual packaging component when people need it most, in those few seconds when they are deciding what bin their package goes in.

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Education is a critical piece of the puzzle, and the program will help drive greater industry participation and transparency about their packaging recyclability. It’s been one year since we delivered the program to our APCO members and the scheme has much to celebrate, with overwhelming support from both government and industry. In September 2018, the Hon Melissa Price, Minister for the Environment, officially launched the program at an APCO industry event in Melbourne. I’m delighted to confirm there are now more than 200 Australian businesses committed to the scheme. A huge thank you to our industry champions who have adopted the label and are leading the way for other businesses in their sector.

their packaging’s recyclability using PREP. It’s a unique analysis tool that enables companies to assess whether packaging is recyclable in the kerbside system or the REDcycle program. To ensure PREP’s determinations are as accurate as possible, in 2018 APCO formed the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), a group of experts from across the value chain in recycling and packaging. Working in partnership with the TAC is the Marketing Advisory Committee, a team representing businesses, retailers, recycling industry and local and state government.

A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM The true power of the ARL lies in its evidence-based approach. For a business to adopt the label, they first need to join the Packaging Recycling Label Program, a free scheme available to all APCO members, and measure

THE NEXT PHASE OF THE LABEL In 2019, we will be taking the ARL to its next phase with two new updates. The first is a recycled content label to help drive consumer awareness and demand for recycled content products. The second is a compostability label

to provide much needed clarity and leadership in the compostable/ biodegradable space. We have a range of projects underway to support these updates and work through the challenges involved. These include trials to confirm which certified organic materials can be processed in Australia’s organics recycling facilities. This is alongside a research paper to understand best practices for recycled content labels internationally and consultation activities to ensure robust stakeholder feedback.

I’d particularly like to commend Unilever for its leadership in the recycled content space, partnering with Planet Ark and APCO to lead consumer testing around the integration of a post-consumer recycled (PCR) call out within the ARL. These findings will be integral to the roll out of the ARL across PCR packaging. PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE The ARL is one part of a much bigger program of work currently being delivered by APCO and

CLIVE STIFF CEO, Unilever Australia & New Zealand

JACKY NORDSVAN Packaging Specialist, Nestle

“As a consumer goods company, we are acutely aware of the consequences of a linear take-make-dispose model and we want to change it. It is clear that urgent action is needed on multiple fronts. We want to help build a circular economy in which we not only use less plastic, but also ensure the plastic we do use can be reused, recycled or composted. We are proud of our landmark rHDPE move and for being one of the first companies to voluntarily sign up to the ARL, but no business can create a circular economy in isolation. Creating a local market and demand for all types of recycled plastic is critical and heavy lifting is needed from all players involved – suppliers, packaging converters, brand owners, policy makers and retailers, collectors, sorters and recyclers.”

“Nestlé made a commitment to implement the ARL on all locally made products by 2020 as it fully aligns with our ambition to have 100 per cent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. Clear labelling on our products plays a really important role in helping make sure our consumers don’t waste their waste, but feel confident in what they can recycle. Implementing the ARL, while challenging at times, has resulted in many positives for Nestlé, largely centred around making us think outside the box and be more innovative with packaging design. I encourage other organisations to adopt the scheme. I have no doubt they will also find the process brings forth many positives for them.”

our partners to bring to life the 2025 National Packaging Targets. Education is a critical piece of the puzzle, and the program will help drive greater industry participation and transparency about their packaging recyclability. To keep driving the success of the label, we need engagement and support from right across the supply chain. To find out how you can join other leading businesses in the Packaging Recycling Label Program, contact APCO at packagingcovenant.org.au.

ALEJANDRA LACLETTE Recycling Label Program Manager, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation “There has never been a better, nor more urgent, time for brands to adopt the Australasian Recycling Label. Research shows that the first place consumers look for packaging disposal information is the package itself. If we want to collectively succeed in processing the country’s packaging, it is vital to provide accurate disposal information that reflects the infrastructure that we have.”

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – EXCAVATORS

Maximum torque CATERPILLAR’S MH3000 HAS BEEN REFINED TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND EFFICIENCIES WHILE MAINTAINING MACHINE PERFORMANCE.

oosting safety and productivity without compromising on power and performance has been a consistent focus for Caterpillar as it develops new iterations of material handling machines. Caterpillar’s new MH3000 material handlers make no exception, combining high torque with significant improvements in fuel efficiency, safety, ease of operation, maintenance and versatility. The machines are available through Cat dealer in South Australia Cavpower and all other Cat dealership networks across the country. Ayden Piri, Industry SpecialistAccount Manager Asia Pacific at Caterpillar Inc, says that the MH3000 series is primarily used on transfer stations, scrap yards and millyards. For waste facilities, it’s particularly important to pick the right size machine and configuration based on the application. For this reason, Cat designs a range of special tools and linkages. “We know that when it comes to material handling equipment, success depends on productivity and low operating costs,” he says. “These machines are relentlessly efficient for sites and applications requiring high lifting capacities.” Ayden says that the main improvements of the MH3000 are easier serviceability with better access, refuelling, reduced fuel burn and new tools that get the job done faster and safer. He says that lower fuel consumption doesn’t affect productivity and helps lower operating costs significantly.

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Built-in fuel savers eliminate waste thanks to auto engine speed control, engine idle shutdown and enhanced eco mode. A high cooling efficiency axial fan lowers operating temperatures and costs. “We have optimised the engine and hydraulics in MH3000 series machines, upsizing the hydraulic pump and lowering the engine speed, so we don’t compromise on torque but still have full flow and high pressure in the system,” Ayden says. In terms of performance, dedicated swing pumps allow for faster and smoother combined movements, while an efficient hydraulic system provides precision and speed, preserving fuel consumption. Multiple options have been incorporated into the machine to improve safety. Visibility is enhanced through large glass areas and LED lights for all working lights and cameras, with both displays split on the same screen. Direct access to the cab is possible with the upper frame swinged through new steps on the front and rear of the undercarriage. Integrated technologies such as auto brake, axle lock or automatic travel lock eliminate fuel burn by maintaining a stationary position when required. Maintenance is reduced through automatic features such as electric lift pumps and lubrication systems that consume fewer parts and are easily repairable along with long greasing intervals. For a more versatile machine, a wide choice of front linkage lengths, including digging, straight and drop

The MH3000 combines high torque with improvements in fuel efficiency.

nose sticks are available in various configurations. The new drop nose stick improves machine movements, allowing transportation without stick removal. Ayden says that Cat makes its own recommendations for appropriate tools and linkages based on material density, application, site production requirements and geometry. “For example, scrap yards handle high density material in usually open spaces and this will require longer straight booms and drop nose sticks to support stacking, piling, loading and sorting applications,” he says. Various industrial and waste package options are available on Cat MH3000 series material handlers. Cat dealers will be the best point of contact to help customers configure machines they need for their job sites.

Contact: Ayden Piri Phone: 0400 498 508 Email: piri_ayden@cat.com Website: www.caterpillar.com

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – EXCAVATORS

VOLVO EC250D AND EC300D EXCAVATORS Volvo EC250D and EC300D excavators have been designed to operate with faster cycle times and greater productivity than previous models. With this in mind, the machines offer operators a seven to 10 per cent increase in fuel efficiency. The company’s D7 diesel engine seamlessly integrates with all excavator systems, with the premium, six-cylinder engine delivering high performance and low fuel consumption. Auto engine shutdown, ECO mode and a fuel consumption display all contribute to fuel efficiency. Volvo incorporates a smart hydraulic system which increases controllability, offering smoother and easier movement when travelling and lifting simultaneously. The harmonised boom and arm movement also works to offer better grading. To enable a better working environment, the D-series cab comprises a I-ECU monitor for machine status information, a climate control system to set the ideal temperature and a rollover protective structure for increased operator safety. The easy maintenance design incorporates safe and easy access centralised filters and grouped greasing points. The radiator, charged air cooler and hydraulic oil cooler are situated side by side on a single layer to maximise efficiency,

reduce blockages and aid cleaning. A fully sealed electrical distribution box contains all fuses and relays, working to protect against dirt and moisture for more machine uptime.

Volvo EC250D and EC300D excavators were designed for high productivity. Contact Contact: CJD Equipment Phone: 1300 139 804 Email: enquiries@cjd.com.au Website: www.cjd.com.au

SORTING AND SEPARATING EQUIPMENT Waste Management Review’s August issue highlights the latest innovations in sorting and separating and how they aim to support increased productivity for recycling and materials recovery facilities.

PARTICIPATION IN THE PROMOTIONAL FEATURE INCLUDES: A full page advert A feature professionally written by a Waste Management Review Journalist The article posted on the magazine’s website – www.wastemanagementreview.com.au – with free open access The article distributed in the industry-specific e-newsletter – Waste Management Review eNews Weekly

BOOKING DEADLINE: TUESDAY 2 JULY 2019 For more information about taking part in this promotional opportunity, contact:

Chelsea Daniel-Young on 0425 699 878 or email chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

www.wastemanagementreview.com.au

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – WASHING SYSTEMS TWS was established in 2012 in response to a growing demand for recycled aggregates.

Expanding C&D TEREX WASHING SYSTEMS IS EXPANDING INTO THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET WITH A FLEXIBLE PLANT DESIGN AND CLOSED LOOP ETHOS.

onstruction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for 30 per cent of all waste generated in the European Union, according to the European Commission’s Environment Department. This level of waste generation creates a significant opportunity for recycling, which is where Terex Washing Systems (TWS) comes in. The global business, based in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, was established in 2012 in response to a growing demand for recycled aggregates. Oliver Donnelly, TWS Business Line Director, says the confluence of recycled aggregate demand and C&D waste levels creates a significant space for market expansion. “Exhaustion of natural sand and aggregate reserves, and increased legislation around accessing new reserves, means there is a widening gap developing in the market,” Oliver says. While 10 years ago companies certainly had the option of recycling C&D waste, Oliver says those options

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were limited to crushing and screening. “Customers are starting to realise there’s potential to create higher specification aggregate when they use a wet processing system,” Oliver says. TWS offers this type of processing system, allowing customers to individually tailor plant designs to specific requirements. According to Oliver, when processed in a TWS plant, C&D waste can triple in value.

“There’s also a strong economic and practical argument for reusing C&D waste as it’s very expensive to transport. When a construction company has access to a washing plant, they’re able to equalise that cost,” Oliver says. Oliver says that while the bulk of TWS’s business is based in the UK and Western Europe, he has recently noticed an uptick in interest from the Australian market. “A lot of enquiries from Australia

TWS’ plant includes a prewash system for two-stage cleaning of zero to five millimetre sand.

require applications similar to those requested by J Mould, a recent customer in Reading, just outside London,” Oliver says. “This is due to shared concerns around land availability and water access in metropolitan areas.” James Murphy, TWS Australia Regional Sales Manager, says the Reading facility is a flexible plant capable of processing material in excess of 200 tonnes per hour. “Processors working with C&D waste will be aware that what comes through the gate is rarely consistent,” James says. “They need to be prepared to handle the most challenging, highly contaminated material to ensure a consistent, high quality end product.” For J Mould’s site in Reading, TWS incorporated an AggreScalp feed system. The two-bearing, 3.6-metre-by-1.5metre two-deck screen separates any 80-millimetre oversize material and conditions the remaining feed material prior to the wash plant. “Minus 80-millimetre material is conveyed to a six-metre-by-1.8-metre inclined pre-screen. This two-deck rinsing screen separates sand and fine particles from the aggregates before they are scrubbed in the PowerScrub 200 log washer system,” James says. “Twin counter rotating axles intensively mix the material, breaking down conglomerated clay balls and removing deleterious substances from the surface of the aggregate.” According to James, the aggregates are then rinsed clean on a linear motion sizing screen. “Any fine sand and silt that has been liberated in the log washer is rinsed through to the sump tank, leaving the aggregate clean and free of contaminants,” James says. The plant also includes a prewash system for the dedicated two-stage cleaning of zero- to fivemillimetre sand.

Terex Jaques have expert teams located at each of its bases in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

James says the prewash system’s large 3.6-metre diameter conical sump tank allows for gentle clay float off. “A HK200 separator, traditionally known as a dewatering cyclone, allows for effective sand cleaning even with a varying feed to the plant,” James says. “Its vacuum bleed allows for real-time adjustments, meaning a consistent, optimum underflow density is at the operator’s fingertips.” According to James, operators often don’t know how dirty the sand is. The prewash system therefore functions as a safety measure for the customer. “They can consistently produce a high-grade sand product no matter what material they’re presented with,” James says. “We want companies to reuse their waste and put it back into market. There is a strong economic, practical and environmental argument for the continued and expanded use of sustainable aggregates.” James says all process water from the washing system is filtered through a TWS Aquaclear water management system. “An automated Flocculant dosing system treats the process water as it enters a 20-metre diameter rake thickener,” James says. “Thickened sludge is extracted from the base of the rake thickener and

stored prior to further dewatering in the TWS Aquaclear filter press. The silt and clays contaminants are reduced in volume through dewatering, with the potential to be reused in landfill capping.” According to James, the system recovers 95 per cent of the process water required to produce the clean aggregates and sand, effectively closing the loop. “TWS has focused on developing a comprehensive portfolio of water management products so companies can operate on a small footprint, in close proximity to the major sources of C&D waste – large cities,” James says. TWS manage the Australian market through Terex Jaques, a manufacturer in Dandenong, Victoria. “Terex Jaques has expert teams of applications, electrical and service engineers located at each of our regional bases in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Each service base also carries a large consignment of spare parts,” James says.

Contact: James Murphy Phone: 0436 692 799 Email: James.Murphy@terex.com Website: www.terex.com/washing/en/

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE – WASHING TROMMELS SYSTEMS AND SCREENS

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NEUE HERBOLD WASH TECHNOLOGIES The German-built Neue Herbold plastic washing technologies cover all types of plastics, with washers and dryers marked by reliability and long lifetime. Available through Australian supplier CEMAC technologies, the heavy-duty granulators, washers and dryers ensure efficient material cleaning. Continuously welded solid steel constructions mean the machines are robust and built to last with high-quality steel and no brittle cast materials used. The washer rotor designs eliminate any chance for knives to loosen on heavy impacts. The rotors are dynamically balanced and can be equipped with wear plates. Roller bearings outside the housing create a trouble-free operation. All material contact surfaces can be executed in stainless steel. Two large access doors ensure easy maintenance. Automatic mechanical cleaning is done by rubber scrapers, increasing machine uptimes. With a complete range of well-built machines including granulators, float sink tanks, friction washers, dryers and all auxiliary equipment, Neue Herbold’s process experience aims to take the risk out of investments. The end result is a clean feedstock for downstream extrusion.

CEMAC technologies also offers full integrated plastics recycling solutions, including TOMRA sorters, and repelletising with EREMA recycling systems. Neu Herbold’s process aims to take the risk out of investments.

Contact Contact: Eric Paulsen Phone: 0455 920 888 Email: eric.paulsen@cemactech.com Website: www.cemactech.com

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

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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. Applied Machinery’s modular systems tackle a range of plastics.

Contact Contact: David Macdonald Phone: 03 9706 8066 Email: sales@appliedmachinery.com.au Website: www.appliedmachinery.com.au

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FINALISTS WOMENININDUSTRY.COM.AU P R O U D LY P R E S E N T E D B Y

Waste Management Review June 2019

Articles inside

TIMELY ACCESS

OFFICEWORKS TAKES CHARGE

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD WASTE

PENRITH PLANS PRUDENTLY

CLEANING UP A LEGACY STOCKPILE