preferred resource recovery practices by local councils · comprehensive and up-to-date data will...

Preferred resource recovery practices by local councils

Best bin systems

NovemBer 2011

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This guide includes:

� preferred bin-based recovery systems, standardised mobile bin colours and a standard set of dry recyclables to be collected from the kerbside (Table 1)

� baseline and interim targets and performance outcomes (Table 2)

� the resource recovery performance of various systems (Table 3).

Note that councils may choose to implement different service levels across their local government area (LGA). In some cases, a council may be able to apply the same service level across the LGA and benefit from resulting economies of scale and ease of community education. In other LGAs, variations within the community may make it more suitable to provide different service levels across the LGA. An example of variations within a community is housing density in areas where there is a combination of single and multi-unit dwellings.

Table 1: minimum service standards for waste collection

Service characteristic Minimum service standard

Collection systems for residual waste (garbage)

Preference 1

Preference 2

Preference 1

Standard mobile bin size of 80, 120 or 140 litres collected weekly.

Preference 2

240-litre bin collected fortnightly where a weekly food and garden organics service is provided and an optional weekly service is available for households with products such as nappies.

Selection of the residual waste bin size and collection frequency should include consideration of the size and frequency of other waste services, bin audit results, community demand etc.

Disposal to landfill should be the last resort when every effort has been made to avoid waste and to recover waste generated. Waste disposal must be carefully handled to minimise negative environmental outcomes. Alternative waste treatment technologies can recover some of the mixed residual waste stream, and can stabilise and reduce the amount of the waste that must still be disposed of to landfill.

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This guide helps local councils and industry provide best practice collection systems for households to increase recycling.

Municipal waste is predominantly generated by households. While recycling has increased dramatically (in 2009–10, the NSW community recycled 45 per cent of the municipal waste it generated) many recyclable materials that could be recovered and returned to the economy are still disposed of.

This guide aims to promote greater recovery of the organics and dry recyclables.

Bin audits conducted in 2008 showed that almost three quarters of the contents of the average residual (red lid) bin in Sydney was recoverable, including 40 per cent food, 11 per cent garden organics and 23 per cent dry recyclables. More comprehensive and up-to-date data will be obtained from the 2011 bin audits.

Local council resource recovery experience reveals that councils achieve relatively higher rates of resource recovery where they provide household collection systems (e.g. bin types, size and collection frequency) that complement the technologies used to recover and treat the collected material. A council’s decision on the type of household collection system and treatment technology will also depend on issues such as cost, transport, community acceptance and housing type. Councils need to consider the specific circumstances within their council area.

Specifically, higher resource recovery is generally delivered through a three bin collection system with separate bins for residual waste, dry recyclables and food/garden organics or collection systems where the residual waste is processed through an alternative waste treatment system.

This guide sets out preferred minimum service levels for consideration by local councils when they review existing services, or enter into new collection or reprocessing contracts.

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Collection systems for dry recyclables

Preference 1

Preference 2

Preference 11 X 240-litre mobile bin containing commingled dry recyclables collected fortnightly.

Preference 22 X 120-litre mobile bins, one for paper and cardboard and one for other dry recyclables such as glass and plastic containers, collected on alternative weeks.

The use of crates for dry recyclables is not recommended due to significant OH&S hazards.

Increased service levels, such as increased bin size, additional bins or more frequent collections, should be available for large families and good recyclers.

Collection systems for organics (garden or combined garden and food)

1 X 240-litre mobile bin for organics or alternative organics service .

1 X 240-litre mobile bin for organics allows Councils the flexibility of introducing co-collection of food and garden organics services when suitable (e.g. where there are appropriately licensed and accessible processing facilities, a group of councils has collaborated on arranging for a regional processing facility to compost such waste), or there is local demand for co-collection of such waste.

Standard range of dry recyclables for collection in the dry recyclables mobile garbage bin (MGB)

Standard recyclables are: � recyclable paper and cardboard including newspapers, magazines,

phone books, cardboard packaging and liquid paperboard � glass bottles and jars � steel cans and aerosols � aluminium cans, packaging and foil � all plastic containers


Standard MGB coloursAustralian Standard 4123.7-2006 Mobile Waste Containers – Part 7: Colours, markings, and designation requirements

a. Domestic residual waste (garbage) bins should be dark green or black mobile bins with red lids.

b. Domestic dry recyclables (fully commingled or containers only) should be dark green or black mobile bins with yellow lids.

c. Domestic paper and cardboard-only bins should be dark green or black mobile bins with blue lids.

d. Domestic garden organics and combined garden and food organics should be dark green or black mobile bins with bright green/lime lids.

e. Domestic food organics only bins should be dark green or black mobile bins with burgundy lids.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

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Table 2: Performance outcomes from separate bins for dry recyclables and garden organics

The following performance outcomes can be expected from the use of separate bins for dry recyclables and garden organics, where the bin size, collection frequency and household education are optimised to match community needs.

Performance outcomes

Dry Recyclables

Net yield per household

Net yield per capita

Recovery rate Contamination rate*

Unit Kilograms per household per week

Kilograms per person per week

% by weight % by weight

Description Total kerbside recyclables collected

per household – excluding gross

contamination*

Total kerbside recyclables

collected per person – excluding gross

contamination*

Percentage of materials recovered

for processing

Contaminants placed in the recycling bins

by householders

Baseline target # ≥ 4.0 ≥ 1.5 N/A N/A

Interim target# ≥ 5.5 ≥ 2.1 ≥75% ≤ 3.5%

Performance outcomes

Garden Organics

Recovery rate Contamination rate*

Unit % by weight % by weight

Description Percentage of materials recovered for recycling or processing

Contaminants placed in the garden organics bins by householders

Baseline target # N/A N/A

Interim target# ≥85% ≤1%

* Gross contamination is defined as contamination that is caused by the incorrect disposal of waste material by households in their recycling containers. This does not include losses during collection or other system losses at the Material Recovery Facility.

# These targets will be reassessed as more information becomes available. A target will also be developed for co-collected food/garden organics.

Note: The OEH Guidelines for Conducting Household Kerbside Residual Waste, Recycling and Organics Audits provides methodologies for measuring these performance outcomes.

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Table 3: resource recovery Performance

Collection systems Characteristics Challenges Estimated recovery rates#

Three bin system including commingled food and garden organics, with residual waste processed at alternative waste treatment (AWT) facility.

� Council areas with high proportion of single dwellings

� Community achieving high recovery rates and low contamination levels in dry recyclables and garden organics

� Engaged, environmentally aware community � Community acceptance and willingness to

participate � Access to AWT for the processing of residual

waste � Access to commingled food and garden

organics processing and markets

� Strong commitment and resourcing for community education from pre service roll out through to the end of the contract.

� Contamination management critical to successful implementation.

� Matching frequency of collection and size of bins to community desires and waste generation rates across the whole community.

Domestic resource recovery rate

70-85%

(Note: assumes 30% recovery by AWT from the residual waste bin)

Three bin system including commingled food and garden organics, with residual waste disposed of to landfill

� High proportion of single dwellings � Community achieving high recovery rates and

low contamination levels in dry recyclables and garden organics

� Engaged, environmentally aware community � Community acceptance and willingness to

participate � No access to residual waste AWT facility � Access to commingled food and garden

organics processing and markets


� Strong commitment and resourcing for community education and engagement.

� Matching frequency of collection and size of bins to community desires and waste generation rates across the whole community.

Domestic resource recovery rate 55-70%

( Note: assumes half the available food in the residual bin is captured in the organics bin)

Three bin system, including garden organics, with residual waste processed at an AWT facility.

� High proportion of single dwellings � Access to AWT for the processing of residual

waste


� Strong commitment and resourcing for on going community education regarding contamination.


(Note: assumes 55% recovery by AWT of the material in the residual waste bin)

Residual waste

Residual waste

Residual waste

Dry Recyclables*

Dry Recyclables*

Dry Recyclables*

Organics (garden and food)

Organics (garden and food)

Organics (garden)

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Collection systems Characteristics Challenges Estimated recovery rates#

Three bin system, including garden organics, with residual waste disposed of to landfill

� High proportion of single dwellings � No access to residual waste AWT and

garden/food processing facilities

� Contamination management and education of householders is important to minimise contamination and maximise resource recovery.


Two bin system with residual waste processed at an AWT facility

� High proportion of multi-unit dwellings where opportunity for three-bin system is not possible due to space constraints

� Access to AWT for the processing of residual waste


� Strong commitment and resourcing for community education is critical to minimise contamination and ensure maximum recovery of dry recyclables through dry recyclables bin.


( Note: assumes 55% recovery by AWT of the material in the residual waste bin)

Two bin system with residual waste disposed of to landfill

� Rural and smaller regional towns where householders have ready access to alternative methods of organics disposal such as local drop off centres.

� High proportion of multi-unit dwellings � No access to residual waste AWT and

organics composting facilities

� Contamination management and education of householders is important to minimise contamination and ensure maximum recovery through the dry recyclables bin and alternative organics services.


Residual waste

Residual waste

Residual waste

Dry Recyclables*

Dry Recyclables*

Dry Recyclables*

Organics (garden)

# Estimated Recovery Rates are based on a combination of existing performance data as reported by councils and assumptions as listed in the table where few councils currently have the listed services across their whole Local Government area.

* Alternate system for dry recyclables is 2 X 120 litre mobile bins for paper/cardboard and containers

Published by:

Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of Premier and Cabinet59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard)Fax: (02) 9995 5999TTY: (02) 9211 4723Email: [email protected]: www.environment.nsw.gov.au

ISBN 978 1 74293 424 2OEH 2011/0933Published November 2011

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