the official publication of the waste management association of...

15 Thiess backs a side tipper step change19 Alex Fraser’s recycled concrete specs32 Burning rubber with solid skid tyres 30 Profile: Compactors & street sweepers

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A Publication

T h e O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e W a s t e M a n a g e m e n t A s s o c i a t i o n o f A u s t r a l i a

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• Meet WMAA’s new board

• Biochar: another organics option

• EfW and landfill surveyspages 11-14

ISSUE 30 May/June 2009

www.insidewaste.com.au

CPRS changes to simpler system

Inside Image

EMISSIONS from legacy waste will no longer be included under the government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), with the revised legislation winning industry applause through the Australian Landfill Owners Association (ALOA), which campaigned aggressively for the changes.

Waste will now also be subject to the CPRS at the same time as everyone else, July 2011, rather than from 2008. The prescribed distance rule has been adjusted in line with ALOA requests too, with the lower 10,000 tonnes CO2e threshold only applying to sites accepting a similar classification of waste and within a certain (yet to be determined) distance of a site triggering the 25,000 tonne CO2e threshold.

Max Spedding, the driving force behind ALOA, highlighted the important role of Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change Greg Combet in being willing to “engage in a consultative process” and push through the changes.

SITA’s Mike Ritchie says exclusion of legacy emissions also opens the door for industry to discuss a “simple proxy” system to overcome continued uncertainty about landfill gas measurement. He claims preparing for the CPRS will cost each covered site about $200,000, with ongoing measurement costing $50,000 annually.

But most large sites already have good weighbridge data. Simply multiplying weight by the government’s accepted emissions factors, such as 1.13 tonnes CO2e per tonne of C&I waste (recently changed from 1.9 tonnes), would greatly simplify scheme administration.

The only potentially complicated issue would be determining the effect of gas capture on each site’s liability. Ritchie suggests state regulators could assess individual facilities, say every five years, to determine their gas capture efficiency.

WA's surprise 300% levy hikeWA’s landfill levy on putrescible waste will jump to $28/tonne from July 1 this year, while the inert waste levy will be hiked up to $12/m3. The shock 300% increases were revealed in the state’s budget, and decided without stakeholder consultation.

The government calculates households will pay $24/year more for council rates, and forecasts an extra $39 million revenue will be generated for the state.

Of greatest industry concern is the government’s intention to amend its Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Act 2007 to allow revenue to be directed to any Department of Environment and Conservation activity. The levy was previously fully hypothecated.

There’s nothing like a third world country to remind you of the importance of effective waste management. Inside Waste's Mark Stanley snapped this pic on his recent trek through Yangon, the capital of Myanmar (previously known as Rangoon, Burma).

Short order, by George!SYDNEY’S Sutherland, Rockdale, Hurstville and Kogarah councils have banded together to call for expressions of interest to process their combined annual 112,000 tonnes of municipal waste using an AWT. The move has been anticipated for years, but interested parties were given less than one month to submit EOIs.

The EOI was advertised May 12 and closed June 9. The councils point out this falls within the minimum 21-day period stipulated by the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005. The counter argument is that providing long-term waste solutions is more complicated than supplying pencils.

The most suitable EOI respondents will be asked to submit selective tenders for a contract proposed to begin June 2012 and running “from 10-20 years with an option to extend… by up to five years”.

“The successful service supplier will provide sustainable waste disposal solutions [that] will give effect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improved resource recovery and optimum resource efficiency,” states the EOI document, and the councils “do not wish to assume any responsibility regarding ownership and operation”.There is not enough spare capacity at existing Sydney AWTs to take the full

continued page 3

Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 1Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 1 2/06/09 10:56 AM2/06/09 10:56 AM

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Week l y news upda t es a t www. ins i dewaste . com.au ■ MAY/JUNE 2009

NEWS 3

GREEN groups and industry representatives lined up to welcome some long-overdue steps toward action on waste issues following a “breakthrough” meeting of Australia’s environment ministers in Hobart on May 22.

“On the key area of product stewardship, council agreed to finalise product stewardship arrangements for tyres, computers and televisions at its next meeting in November 2009,” stated the EPHC communiqué, with ministers also expressing support for developing a national e-waste product stewardship system.

The EPHC confirmed the National Waste Policy to “establish a new national vision and direction for waste for the first time since 1992” will also be finalised in November, with a draft to be released for public comment during June and July.

On the battleground issue of packaging waste, the EPHC “noted that the [National Packaging Covenant] will co-exist with other regulatory measures and requested the [NPC Council] continue developing and drafting a new covenant for consideration by council at its next meeting”.

Veteran campaigner Jeff Angel, head of the Total Environment Centre, commended Federal Environment Minister Peter Garret for being “very firm and enthusiastic”, and gave the EPHC an overall rating of “6.5 out of 10” for the meeting – a rare credit for the

government to receive on waste policy.“This is a change from the years of inaction,

but there’s still a long way to go,” says Angel. “The ministers have recognised the overwhelming public support for more recycling and were clearly unimpressed by arguments from the packaging lobby.

“I think we’ve had a very strong signal of the end of procrastination and inaction… they finally seem to be getting on top of [waste].”

The tyre industry commended the EPHC for “the strongest positive statement” made on product stewardship since discussions began eight years ago, while the IT industry talked of a “landmark” decision and the TV industry was “cautiously” optimistic.

SITA Environmental Solutions has retained control of Australia’s largest collection contract, with Brisbane City Council giving it the nod for an eight-year, $210 million, waste and recycling collection service, saying it “offered the best value for money and excellent environmental benefits”.

SITA has held Brisbane’s waste collection service since 2002.

“At over $25 million per year this is the largest collection contract in Australia and one we are proud to win. It was a very competitive process," said managing director Eric Gernath.

SITA will purchase 107 new trucks to service the new contracts, with Gernath pointing out “this will inject $32 million dollars into the Queensland economy”.

In BriefIn BriefGov busts a move on waste reformPrince abdicates ACOR

Anne Prince is stepping down as CEO of the Australian Council of

Recyclers, a position she held for seven years, to allow her more time working with indigenous communities through her consultancy business.

Builders dumped onKESAB environmental solutions studied domestic building sites in SA and found 10% of waste material were items such as old fridges illegally dumped by the local community. It suggests councils should introduce, or more vigorously promote, hard waste collections.

Oxidation underestimationUS researchers reviewed 42 studies of the fraction of methane emissions oxidised by various landfill cover materials, and found a mean result of 36%. They argue regulators should use a figure “considerably greater” than the current 10% default assumption.

Teaching new landfill tricksA Landfill Management course for operators and managers will be offered through TAFE NSW Riverina. It “delves into emerging issues such as capturing and reusing methane gas, alternatives to landfill, composting and maximising the recovery of recyclables”.

PVC price holds firmNon-profit industry project the Vinyl Cycle is calling for MRF operators to send it more PVC material, sayings its buying price has held firm at $700/t throughout the commodity downturn.

SITA collects $210m from BCC

After years of dancing around the issues, the government is finally making interesting moves on waste reform.

volume. With a new facility required, the EOI acknowledges, “the chosen contractor will need to hold relevant licences for receipting and processing of putrescible waste”.

“Preference will be given to a facility (including transfer station) located within the St George or Sutherland region, however, alternative sites may be considered, dependant upon transport costs.”

After being given just a few weeks to identify and secure a suitable site, get the relevant planning approvals in place, and provide details on the proposed technology, potential suppliers have bandied about words such as “ridiculous” and “joke”. Local paper the St George Leader ran the front-page headline, Tender process a load of rubbish.

Despite long-standing industry

concerns about its monopoly position, the NSW Government has ensured WSN retains control of the fully licensed Lucas Heights waste site, located within Sutherland Shire Council and the only serious contender for the location of a new St George AWT, especially at short notice.

Unless a suitably sized area of that site is made available to other service providers, the tender process seems destined to be a one horse race. With WSN currently up for sale, frustrated competitors have not failed to notice the government has a lot of money riding on that one horse.Another potential issue for the council grouping is that, while the ACCC approved the St George region jointly tendering for waste collection, its ruling did not cover waste processing. The grouping has also changed, with Sutherland joining the mix.

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From page 1


ProfileBernd Ostermeyer has been involved in engineering in

Australia since the late 1960s, producing mining equipment and general engineering products. In the ’70s, he started producing side tipping trailers for the Australian market under the name of Tristar Transport Engineers.After selling Tristar in 1984, he began development of the Flex Tipper and formed the company BTS (Bulk Transfer Systems) in 1990 to further develop and patent this concept. These tippers have been exported to places including Africa, China, Israel and Canada, and Bernd has received numerous awards for the design.In 2000, he began developing the ‘Bowl Door Side Tipper’ under the name AZMEB Global Trailers. In 2006, Thiess Services approached AZMEB about developing a High Volume Side Tipper that could be used in the waste industry (see page 15 for more).What was your first job in the waste industry? My company won the contract to manufacture and supply industrial waste bins for Hannons Waste Management in Darwin.Favourite part of your job? Designing new machines.Least favourite? Office work.What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do? Design a gravity mineral separation plant to separate minerals from mined ore.Complete this sentence: What the waste industry needs most is... highly productive and cost efficient long haul transportation equipment.What is the key driver of change in waste management? The environment and costs associated with transportation, disposal and storage of waste.What will be your legacy to the industry? The High Volume Side Tipper truck (see page 15 for more).Best advice you’ve ever been given? Work hard, be honest.Your ideal weekend? Driving to explore new places and experience new things.

Profile

Bernd Ostermeyer

4 NEWS

MAY/JUNE 2009 ■ Week l y news upda t es a t www. ins i dewaste . com.au

M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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ANAECO has ticked off another major milestone, completing wet commissioning of its first DiCOM facility, built for Perth’s Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC), at full commercial scale.

“The past few months represented a critical test of the technology and the facility met all expectations,” says MD Tom Rudas.

The plant will now be put through a series of performance trials, with future contracts – including a $50 million deal in Victoria – predicated on the results.

Some minor adjustments were made following the commissioning phase, with Rudas telling Inside Waste “we’re changing

out a few leaky valves, the typical type of commissioning stuff, but nothing major or structural”.

Leaks tweaked and DiCOM’s ready

Pay changes all round Australia

Up and running – Perth’s DiCOM plant.

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THE WASTE Management Award 2010 handed down by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will commence January 1, 2010 and affect all players in the waste industry – including workers, employers, and councils. For example, under Clause 14.4, the casual loading in NSW will increase from 20% to 25%. The award replaces the Federal Refuse, Recycling & Waste Management Award;

the NSW Transport Industry Trade Waste Award; the NSW Transport Industry Waste Collection & Recycling Award; and the ACT Waste Management Award.

Tony Khoury from NSW Waste Contractors and Recycler Association is spearheading an industry response to the AIRC, and says it is possible certain provisions will be phased in over a period of 12 months, two years, or possibly even three years.

1Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 4Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 4 2/06/09 10:43 AM2/06/09 10:43 AM

IVECO has taken Australia’s number-one-selling waste truck to new heights.

The proven ACCO is now available in a new natural gas-powered model. The Cummins

C+ Gas Euro 4 engine is rated at 280hp, and its CNG tanks carry the equivalent of a

working day operation. The new natural gas-powered engine is exceptionally quiet,

economical and productive. Built and engineered in Dandenong, Victoria, since 1972, the

new Natural Gas ACCO is great news for the environment – and your bottom line.

To contact your nearest IVECO Dealer, call 1800 4 IVECO.

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127822 Acco print AD 330x240 V2 FA indd 1 29/5/09 4:41:35 PMIssue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 5Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 5 2/06/09 10:37 AM2/06/09 10:37 AM

Setting the new benchmark in AWTThe first DiCOM facility at Shenton Park (W.A.) is now operational, utilising the groundbreaking single vessel hybrid anaerobic digestion/aerobic composting technology.

Demonstrating;

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When was the company founded? 2006Where do you operate? National coverage as we only deal with local government and waste management contractors.Key contracts?We are currently assisting Penrith City Council with its new 3-bin organics diversion program. The extent of our work includes supplying 51,000 Penrith City Council branded Kitchen Collectors and providing staff and contractors to assist in 15 public place educational displays.We are also working closely with Shoalhaven City Council on the NSW south coast in the distribution of 5,000 Earth Machine Home Composting kits with the goal of removing in excess of 15,000t of organic waste from the domestic collection and processing stream.Annual revenue and profit? Source Separation Systems is a private company and does not disclose profit. Number of employees? four Any new initiatives in the last few years/plans for the future? We are constantly listening to our client’s requirements and developing innovative products to assist them in achieving their resource recovery goals. Recent examples include the development of the MaxiSort Mobile Event system designed to convert any 240L mobile garbage bin into a resource recovery station and also the office based MultiSort system.Who owns and runs the company? 100% Australian.Where was last year’s Christmas party? Queens Wharf Brewery in Newcastle.Website? www.sourceseparationsystems.com.auContact for further enquiries? Peter Cruwys on (02) 4940 4648 or [email protected]

SSSPSource Separation SystemsCompany ProfileCompany Profile

6 NEWS


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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A MULTIMILLION dollar machine that can chew through four 200L steel barrels of hazardous waste at a time has been switched on at Geocycle’s Dandenong facility. Nicknamed BOB – the “big oversize blender” – it will divert an extra 6,000-7,000 tonnes of hazardous material from Melbourne’s landfills annually.

Some $4 million in federal funding and $600,000 from EPA Victoria went into BOB, which will eliminate the need for staff to open and decant the contents of incoming steel drums (which remain a hazardous waste even when empty).

Whole drums now pass through a series of augers before entering a 10m3

blender where a massive propeller spins at 500rpm. Magnetic conveyors pull metal fragments bigger than a 10c piece out of the blended slurry, allowing them to be washed and ready for recycling in just six minutes.

Geocycle claims BOB will save more than 1,000 tonnes of steel from landfill

annually. The other blended organic waste outputs will be used as an alternative fuel for firing cement kilns.

BOB’s your big firey uncle!

TWO of the industry’s most prestigious awards, WMAA’s biannual national landfill and transfer station excellence awards, are back up for grabs. Veolia cleaned up both categories in the first awards in 2007 with its showcase Woodlawn Bioreactor Landfill and supporting transfer station in the Sydney suburb of Clyde.

Past winners are eligible to nominate, providing standards have been maintained, but

are expected to face fierce competition.WMAA says the awards are not solely for the

big metropolitan sites; they are equally open to smaller regional sites with a record of excellence in their own context.

Sites are judged across eight categories, including public acceptance and appearance, innovation and creativity, design and construction, and environmental controls.

Awards strive for excellence

BOB, a Big Oversized Blender.

CIssue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 6Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 6 2/06/09 10:37 AM2/06/09 10:37 AM

Environmental sustainability in the Australian automotive industry through responsible collection and recycling of used lead acid batteries.

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CY123 872 Century ULAB InsideWaste Hassle indd 1 21/05/2009 04:24:05Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 7Issue 30_May.June09_InsdieWaste.indd 7 2/06/09 10:37 AM2/06/09 10:37 AM

TPI still in suspense Tox Free ain’t pain free

Polluters courted and fined

TRANSPACIFIC Industries’ shareholders remained in limbo as Inside Waste went to print, although an announcement on the company’s proposed capital raising seemed imminent.

TPI asked to be suspended from trade on the ASX on February 19, at the time expecting sensitive negotiations with its banking syndicate and potential cornerstone investors to take “approximately one month”. After more than three months of official silence, rumours have swirled about why the process is taking so long, and who will stump up cash – possibly $800 million – to reduce TPI’s debt. US private equity firm Warburg Pincus has been tipped repeatedly in the financial media.

Questions also have been asked of

the ASX and the legitimacy of it placing no set limit on how long a company can remain suspended, locking up investor funds and sheltering itself from scrutiny.

Inside Waste Weekly will carry details of the capital review as they emerge.

TOX Free Solutions announced record monthly revenue of $8.6 million and earnings of $2.5 million (EBITDA) for March. But while it is “expecting to finish the remainder of FY09 strongly”, it will fall short of the $26 million full year EBITDA it forecast last August, revising the figure down at least 6% to $22-24 million.

The more pessimistic end of the forecast is more than 15% below previous guidance. Tox says softer

earnings “can be directly attributed to delays in the setup and commissioning of the new NSW hazardous waste facility, downturn in commodities affecting our Kalgoorlie operations, delay in the commissioning of the new Karratha site and overhead increases that are necessary to manage the business moving forward”.

Despite these challenges, the company says underlying business “is performing very well”.

WASTE is being run through the second sorting line at WSN Environmental Solutions’ Ecolibrium facility, with the company saying it has “moved a step closer to full

capacity”. At print time, it expected the showcase ArrowBio AWT to be fully operational “in the coming weeks”. The official opening of the plant was held back in July, 2008.

MULHERN’S Waste Oil Removal was fined $460,000 in South Australia’s Environment, Resources and Development Court after pleading guilty to polluting the environment following an oil spill at Largs North in 2007.

The company accepted materials it was not authorised to receive, such as wastewater from spray paint booths, and disposed of it by digging a pit on its site. Waste oil subsequently

spread on to a 1,100m2 adjoining area of land.

Meanwhile, EPA Victoria fined Boral Resources $5,671 for illegally dumping industrial waste on to a neighbouring property in Numurkah, north of Shepparton. The property was also fined for accepting the dried slurry, made up of material from concrete washout operations, after it requested Boral deposit the waste to provide a base for a concrete slab.

8 NEWS


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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i n s i dewaste MAY/JUNE 2009

NEWS

NSW trends toward failureNSW Shadow Environment Minister Catherine Cusack has accused the state’s Labor Government of squandering its landfill levy income, claiming a progress report on waste programs shows the state will fail to meet its own resource recovery targets.

This 2008 WARR Progress Report is based on 2006/07 data and the government claims it shows NSW “progressing well”.

In 2002/03, the state’s municipal waste diversion rate was 30%. In 2004/05, it rose to 33% and in 2006/07 reached 38%. But Cusack says these figures reveal a trend for an annualised two-percentage point improvement and, if that continues, in 2014 the diversion rate will only reach 52% – well short of the 66% target.

Cusack says NSW is on track to miss eight of nine targets, with C&D recycling in the ERA the only likely success story.

NSW does have time to lift its

game, but requires a big lift. In municipal waste, for example, recovery rates need to improve twice as quickly over the next seven years as they did over the first four.

“The initial stages of a program are all about getting the low hanging fruit, so you would actually expect to be exceeding your target

now… it gets harder,” says Cusack.Just $13.25 million of the NSW

levy found its way back to councils in 2008/09, about 5% of what was collected. Cusack refused to commit to a set percentage of funds her party would return to industry, but says it would be above 5% and involve a “more sophisticated model” of price incentives for councils.

Last year, Sydney’s Liverpool Council recycled 14% of its waste but received a $172,000 state government bonus. Meanwhile, Hunters Hill, which recycled an impressive 88%, received just $14,000 because payouts were doled out at $2.39 per resident.

Catherine Cusack.

Sydney (02) 9688 8888 Melbourne (03) 9931 0237 Brisbane (07) 3375 6808 Adelaide (08) 8262 8699 Perth (08) 9353 5788 Email: [email protected]

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Remember Australia’s worst waste site?

10 NEWSM AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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BACK in March 2007, Inside Waste revealed a series of shocking photos and suggested Plastech’s St Marys facility in Sydney’s west was “one of the worst managed waste sites in Australia”. The former company director, Ruth Buchanan, has now pleaded guilty in front of the NSW Land and Environment Court and been ordered to pay almost $500,000 in fines and clean up costs for illegally and unsafely storing up to 376 tonnes of hazardous waste and dangerous chemicals in an open yard.

“Fortunately, any major incident was avoided but Ms Buchanan’s actions left taxpayers and the landowners with considerable clean up costs after

Plastech went into liquidation,” says NSW DECC director general Lisa Corbyn.

Meanwhile, the Court has also sentenced a Narellan woman to 450 hours’ community service and fined her $45,000 for illegally dumping waste from 2002 to 2004.

Kate Maree Pal operated a landfill consultancy that arranged for waste transporters and generators to dispose of waste on to land that required fill. She charged a higher rate to get rid of low-grade materials, including arranging for up to 90,000 tonnes of material with significant quantities of wood, tree stumps, fibreglass, plastics, bitumen and rubber to be dumped on to two private properties.

Guilty parties dumped on

SOUTH Australia’s ban on single use plastic bags has taken full effect, and now the ACT says a similar ban is “being considered among a range of options”.

The ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory were last November tasked by the EPHC to develop a national proposal based on a plastic bag levy trial in Victoria, with the nation’s environment ministers saying they “recognised the potential to pursue a national approach which builds on the voluntary actions of supermarkets and the actions of various jurisdictions”.

SA refused to wait, instead announcing it would “go it alone”

and progressively phase in a ban from January 1 until May 4.

As the ban came into force, the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union said shop assistants in SA were nervous about customer reaction, and advised customers “not to take out their frustrations at the checkout because shop assistants are simply obeying the law”.

SA Environment Minister Jay Weatherill claims “all sorts of changed behaviour” is already apparent, but has warned retailers against profiteering on the sale of reusable bags, saying the government “will guard against people making windfall profits”.

A NATIONAL ‘FoodWise’ campaign has been launched by not-for-profit advocacy group Do Something! in an attempt to reduce the three million tonnes of food Australians throw away every year. The aim is to tackle both the environmental and financial problems of food wastage.

“Every year, Australians spend $5 billion on food they buy but don’t eat,” says campaign organiser Jon

Dee, pointing out the public needs to consider methane emissions from landfills as well as “significant fuel and energy costs” in processing, refrigerating and transporting food.

In inner-Melbourne, meanwhile, surplus food from some Safeway supermarkets (owned by Woolworths) will be used to prepare healthy meals for homeless people as part of a new initiative coordinated by FareShare.

Bag ban lifts off in SA

Do Something! on food waste



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M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9 i n s i d e W M A A 1

Wa s t e M a n a g e m e n t A s s o c i a t i o n o f A u s t r a l i a

11

From the President

"Fostering best practice and innovation in resource management"

A new era has begun for WMAA and I take this opportunity to thank those members who supported my candidacy. Since its inception in 1991, the association has seen only four national presidents, and I’m honoured to be the fifth.

I take up the incumbency very much aware that my role is to represent all members and focus on those values we hold in common. The energy of the organisation, inherent in our fertile diversity of interests and priorities, must be channelled into common end objec-tives: improved utilisation of resources, reduced environmental impacts and an improved bottom line.

How to steward in these changes? With yet another waste inquiry being launched by the Federal Government, I’m personally frustrated by the number I’ve seen over the years that seem to have led nowhere. Industry has the technology and resources to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts of managing our solid waste. But to implement those efficiencies and achieve lasting change that reflects our common interests, we need policy leadership. The present situation of tel-evision recycling and e-waste in general serves as a clear example of what hap-pens without it.

As an organisation, we need to establish once and for all our identity and aims. Do we remain as we are, watching from the sidelines? Or do we use our fund of combined experience and knowledge to take an active role in shaping the future of our industry?

We have a new WMAA board with some old faces and some new. I look forward to driving change, working with existing members and staff and welcoming new members as we expand the association.– Dr Ron Wainberg

WMAAGold Corporate Sponsors

The WMAA Annual General Meeting on 21 April welcomed sev-eral new directors to the board, while some long-standing directors stood down. Dr Ron Wainberg suc-ceeded Lillias Bovell as the new national president and Mike Ritchie took up the vice presidency.

Ron has been an active member of WMAA for many years, serving at various times as NSW branch presi-dent, national committee member, national vice president and chair of the Strategic Advisory Council.

Mike’s move from branch repre-sentative creates a casual vacancy on the board, which is yet to be filled.

The newly appointed directors include Jan Fitzgerald (finance and accounting) and Frank Kolstermann (gold corporate members’ repre-sentative). Board positions still to be filled are the director (Local Government) and the branch repre-sentative casual vacancy.

The WMAA constitution does allow for a further specific skills appointment, however the board will hold off on this until all other positions are resolved.

The members noted with appre-ciation the contributions of outgo-ing directors Lillias Bovell (national president), Tony Cade (gold cor-porate members’ representative), Eric Coonan (legal), John Hassett (finance and accounting) and Dale Smart (commercial and contracts).

Frank KlostermannFrank began his career as a solici-tor, barrister and chartered account-ant in Germany before joining the Rethmann Group, Germany’s larg-

est privately owned waste manage-ment company.

He spent nine years as execu-tive director and served on the boards of several Rethmann Group companies and joint ventures in Australasia, before joining Thiess Services in 2005.

Frank is currently manager treat-ment and disposal, commercial for Thiess Services’ Australian waste management business.

Jan FitzgeraldA Certified Practicing Accountant with a background in accounting and finance, Jan moved into the field of corporate sustainability 11 years ago, undertaking postgraduate study in environmental management. She

has worked with Westpac, ANZ and Melbourne Water, and consulted to organisations across a number of sectors, including energy, insurance, automotive and property.

Her current areas of focus are resource use and carbon emissions within organisations, and she hopes to put this experience to good use in her role on the WMAA board.

New guard to steer WMAA

In a move that brought widespread relief to the waste management industry, ‘legacy’ emissions from old landfill sites will be exclud-ed from the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Liability for emissions will only apply to waste deposited after the scheme begins in July 2011.

The exclusion of legacy emis-sions comes as a result of intense industry lobbying from the waste management industry and local government. There was concern from landfill operators about the equity of imposing liability on pre-viously deposited waste, and from local government faced with rising ratepayer levies.

In further news, landfills emit-ting under the 25,000 tonne CO2e threshold will escape liabilities whilst those above the threshold will fall under the scheme. Sites falling under the 10,000 tonnes CO2e threshold will only be cov-ered if within a certain proximity of the larger emitters. Known as the proximity rule, the prescribed distances are yet to be finalised.

Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, Greg Combet, has cut his teeth on the legisla-tion, which was introduced mid-May. The revised legislation also allows industry a further year to research abatement opportunities and implement controls.

Sigh of relief over legacy emissions

Frank Klostermann Jan Fitzgerald


12

In late 2008, the National Energy from Waste Division asked its members to have their say about directions for 2009. An overwhelming 30% of members responded to this survey, with 89% of respondents acknowledging the benefits of being part of the division.

In keeping with the times, the division intends to use electronic communication more during 2009, acknowl-edging that our members live in various states, and not all in capital cities. Part of this initiative will be the dissemination of information and ideas through the WMAA website, a resource which has to date been underutilised by the division.

The division hopes to complement these electronic initiatives with networking meetings, seminars and conference participation through state working groups.

Members in almost all states indicated that they were interested in being part of a state working group and we intend to spend the upcoming months assisting those members to start or reinvigorate their own groups.

Our members also belong to a variety of other WMAA divisions, working groups and committees, and we will take advantage of this to encourage greater information sharing and debate between WMAA groups.

If you have not already expressed an interest in becoming part of a state working group, please contact either the energy from waste division chair, Christine Wardle ([email protected]) or the secretary Patricia Chamberlain ([email protected]). Let’s help make 2009 a memorable and productive year!

2 i n s i d e W M A A M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (WMAA)

Communiqué electronique

By Sarah Wilson

Each year in NSW alone, an estimated 4.6 million tonnes of industrial waste is generated: coalwaste fines, asphalt, glass fines and plastics; particleboard and timber, steel fines and cement... it’s a sobering thought. With landfill costs on the increase, some creative and enterprising thinkers are looking for ways to utilise these materials for new purposes.

Called industrial ecology, or IE, it’s a vision of waste as a valuable com-modity, to be broken down, recon-stituted and used again as something else, extracting value, reducing raw materials costs and cuAtting green-house gas emissions in the process. Realising that cost savings and sus-tainability needn’t be mutually exclusive, businesses have embraced the concept readily.

Viviane Clément from Edge Environment says, “not only does IE bring resource savings in terms of avoiding virgin resources and landfill tipping costs, it can also gen-erate an extra revenue stream through waste exchanges.

“In an increasingly tight financial environment, com-bining factors such as waste regulation and rising landfill costs, IE offers the opportunity to turn compliance into tangible benefits through by-product recovery and reuse.”

Driving this vision is the Australasian Industrial Ecology Group (AIEG), which is developing an AIndustrial Ecology Network to foster waste exchange partnerships, in conjunction with the WMAA.

“Our goal is to establish an Industrial Ecology Working Group to guide and administer the Network for NSW, based on a framework that can be replicated in each state and result in a National Industrial Ecology Division in partnership with the WMAA,” says Garbis Simonian, chair of the AIEG as well as being MD and founder of Weston Aluminium.

“We want to make sure that these waste exchanges make both environmental and commercial sense.”

Clément says, “Close engagement and coordination with government regulators also represent an important component of the Network. Innovative waste exchanges are already underway in NSW, through initiatives in the Sustainability Advantage Program, a business sup-port service from the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change that the AIEG has been closely working with”.

The Inaugural Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference, to be held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on July 30-31, 2009 will see the official launch of the IE network.

“This conference will bring together some of the world’s best in terms of sustainable, practical, and successful applications of by-product synergies,” says Simonian.

The conference runs over two days and is hosting both international and Australian practitioners. It will cover areas as diverse as cement and other building products, power generation, roads, and smelters, among others.To find out more about the conference, visit www.austindustrialecology.com.auTo obtain more information or to join the Australian Industrial Ecology Group under WMAA, please contact Val Southam on (02) 8746 5000.

Industrial Ecology: old materials, new ways

Suite 4D, Level 45 Belmore StreetBURWOOD NSW 2134

Tel (02) 8746 5000Fax (02) 9701 0199Email: [email protected]: www.wmaa.asn.au

WMAA CONTACTS

NATIONAL PRESIDENTRon Wainberg 0418 427 481

VICE-PRESIDENT Mike Ritchie 0401 980 391

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERVal Southam (02) 8746 5011

STATE PRESIDENTS:NSWMike Ritchie 0401 980 391

VICMartin Aylward (03) 9558 7220

QLDTroy Uren 0432 632 200

SADon Richardson (08) 8213 2100

TAS Debra Mackeen 0419 104 740

WABruce Bowman 0402 373 582

NATIONAL DIVISION CHAIRS:CARBON COMMITTEEMike Ritchie 0401 980 391

COMPOST AUSTRALIAPeter Wadewitz (08) 8556 5295

CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITIONBob Andrews (08) 8242 1039

BWILincoln Falconer +64 9919 5457

ENERGY FROM WASTEChristine Wardle 0408 540 980

EDUCATIONRenae Crosthwaite (02) 9399 0943

LANDFILLMax Spedding 0400 880 677

DISCLAIMERArticles and papers submitted for the Inside WMAA section of this newsletter present an overview of the topic only and are not intended to be a detailed statement of the law. Views are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the WMAA.

The Botany Industrial Park, a model of industrial ecology.


Inappropriate disposal of biohaz-ardous waste is a growing con-cern for society. With an increasing growth in home healthcare, back dropped by an ageing population and early release now standard in hospitals around Australia, biohaz-ardous waste volumes are steadily increasing.

In 2008, the Biohazard Waste Industry (BWI) surveyed waste industry groups, finding a percep-tion that untreated biohazardous and clinical waste disposed of inap-propriately was on the increase. With the growing use of home and small scale health-care providers, occupa-tional health and safety issues are emerging for municipal waste col-lectors, transporters, sorters and processors, as well as concerns for the environmental impact of these materi-als in landfill. The 2008 survey now forms the basis of the group’s present project.

With biohazardous waste issues seemingly omitted in the National Waste Policy Consultation paper (a precursor to the Federal Government’s National Waste Policy), BWI has prepared a sub-mission highlighting the envi-ronmental, economic, and health related concerns surrounding bio-hazardous and crime scene waste disposal and the economic benefits of reform.

To raise industry awareness at local, state and federal levels, as well as within the broader health-

care sector, it has launched a public affairs and communication cam-paign, and is targeting key decision-makers to influence policy input to the consultation paper.

Despite the proliferation of small-scale healthcare providers (informal industry research within BWI indicates the residential sector is the fastest growing generator of untreated biohazardous waste), it seems appropriate systems and reg-ulations for dealing with the waste have not kept pace with these

changes. Although various regulations exist within health-care facilities for the management of bio-hazardous waste, there is little if any regula-tion of waste gener-ated by the broader community, for exam-ple, within the home or in public areas.

No national legisla-tive regime is in place governing the defini-

tion and identification, appropriate capture, handling and disposal of biohazardous waste, although most states and territories have their own guidelines.

National oversight to date has been provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) National Guidelines for the Management of Clinical and Related Wastes. Reviewed every five years, the guidelines were rescinded in 2005 (because of their evidentiary basis) and there are currently no plans to reissue them.

13

Biohazardous waste blitz

13

M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9 i n s i d e W M A A 3

What’s BWI about?The Biohazard Waste Industry Australia and New Zealand, a division of the WMAA, was formed in 1994 to develop and promote consistent standards for the management of clinical and biohazard waste based on industry recognition of best practice. Membership of the BWI is from waste transporters, disposal facility operators, consultants to the health-care sector, tertiary institutions, medical device manufacturers and others.

Breaking down biohazardous wasteBiohazardous waste refers to any waste that can cause disease in humans or animals, or cause environmental or agricultural damage. It can include human blood or other body fluids (not urine or faeces); human or primate tissue, and waste arising from medical or veterinary research; ‘sharps’ (devices capable of cutting or penetrating the skin); diagnostic specimens; laboratory cultures, and materials or equipment containing human blood or body fluids (including sanitary waste originating from people with communicable diseases).

Related wastes are those contaminated or suspected to be contami-nated with chemicals; cytotoxic (poisonous to cells) drugs or pharma-ceutical products.

Biohazardous waste is generated by medical and nursing facilities; blood banks and mortuaries; home healthcare; dental and veterinary practices; pharmaceutical organisations; podiatrists; tattoo and body piercing businesses; the sex work industry and crime scene remediation.

"Informal industry

research within BWI indicates the residential sector is the

fastest growing generator of

untreated biohazardous

waste."


14

The first Asia Pacific Biochar Conference was held recently on the Gold Coast, with Asia and Pacific Rim countries well represented. Research scientists made up the bulk of attendees, reflecting the current fertile state of the biochar industry. Delegate Gerry Gillespie, president of Zero Waste Australia, provided the following summary of his observations from the event.

The biochar industry is in a phase similar to the worm farming industry in the early 1990s. It will no doubt attract a great number of snake oil salesmen and charlatans in the coming years, including the ‘mass burn’ incineration brigade whose interests are strictly return on investment above all other values. However, biochar is not the threat it is perceived to be by many in those other industries that have dedicated beneficial uses for organic materials.

The development of biochar faces the same quality assurance and financial hurdles confronted many years ago by the compost industry. Having said that, it does warrant support and investment, as it has the ability to achieve a great number of goals specific to its process, which could assist many communities in reducing their environmental impact and generating alternate energy sources. The occurrence of char as a naturally occurring phenomenon deserves further investigation.

The material has many positive uses and applications, not the least of which is as an addition to the

composting process to facilitate both a better quality product and a faster production rate.

Its biggest handicaps at the moment are the relative cost of production and the availability of a consistent supply of biomass. In any case, the application of both health and industry standards will require source separation of input products or the identification of sources of material that are specific to the task at hand. Its greatest application could be in the production of energy, utilising saline effluents and growing crops on saline land while simultaneously repairing degraded soils.

The plant Arundo Donax is a perfect example of such application. Being a helophyte, it could be grown successfully using effluent saline waters from regional centres while repairing damaged soils and restoring their agricultural value.

Although biochar may not be

the panacea it is perceived to be by some politicians, it does warrant support and investigation for the niche it fills in the natural cycle, and for its potential to sequester carbon on a large scale. The point the biochar industry has reached to date validates the investment by the Department of Environment and Climate Change in the research

by BEST industries in recent years. It would be wise to continue this support so as to stay abreast of progress in future years.

A number of conversations and meetings at the Asia Pacific Biochar Conference highlighted the

awareness by research scientists of humanity moving into a potential phase of ‘peak’ phosphorus, where this valuable natural asset will no longer be available for mining. As this occurs, one of its most consistent sources will be waste streams. The location and availability of consistent nutrient sources will become one of the limiting factors for humanity in

the coming 50 years. The conference highlighted

the need for all managers in the resources industries to perceive all sources of organic material not as problems requiring solutions, but as opportunities for development. All organic outputs – liquid, solid and charcoal – should be seen as ‘catalysts’ that develop these opportunities. It is not the fact that an organic product is put into the soil that is important, it is what it does when it gets there. This should be our measure of success.

For further information on the conference, go to www.anz.biochar.org where the text of the papers and contacts are available.

More information available at www.zerowasteaustralia.org

By Angus Johnston

The second national landfill sur-vey has uncovered 611 landfills receiving waste in the financial year 2007/2008. Thanks to the initiative of the WMAA Landfill Division and the hard work of the national office team, we have complete responses from more than 350 landfills around Australia. The project was funded equally by WMAA and the Federal Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

It was 2005 when the Landfill Division first acted on the need for improved information about land-fills. State governments and regional waste management groups often

collect information about the waste and recyclables delivered to landfills, but rarely gather information about the landfills themselves. Even when they do, the information from each state is not collected the same way and is rarely accessible by anyone outside the agency that collected it.

The Landfill Survey gathers infor-mation about landfill infrastructure and practices. For example, 60.6% of landfills receiving more than 100,000 tonnes per annum of waste have gas collection infrastructure. Within that category, we now know 39.4% of landfills flare the gas they collect and 51.6% produce electric-ity from it. With the data we now have, we can break down these

figures by state or by landfill type.Landfill size will be very impor-

tant to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and to those who may have to purchase emission permits. The survey reveals 20.4% or approximately 125 landfills receive greater than 30,000tpa of waste. It also shows a CPRS that applies only to landfills receiving more than 50,000tpa will capture more than 91% of waste landfilled each year.

The industry needs quality infor-mation to attract investment and government support through grants and favourable policy settings. For example, DEWHA will be using this year’s survey results to inform the upcoming National Waste

Policy. There appears to be a role for WMAA in filling the yawning gap in quality data about waste management and resource recovery in Australia. The survey is an initial step in that direction.

WMAA will be providing a sum-mary of the aggregated landfill data to every landfill operator who responded to the survey. The focus will be on comparing infrastructure and practices with landfills of a similar size.

More detailed information and analysis of the data is available on a fee-for-service basis from the WMAA national office. For privacy and commercial reasons, data on individual landfills is not available.

4 i n s i d e W M A A M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

Biochar = another organic opportunity

Landfill survey fills a hole

Biochar, another arrow in the quiver for applying organics to land.

"The location and availability of consistent nutrient sources will become one of the limiting factors for

humanity in the coming 50 years."


By Garth Lamb

THIESS has provided the waste industry a springboard to jump past “standard improvement” in transport efficiencies and into the realm of “step change” technology. In a mature industry where even a 1-2% improvement across a regular truck run can be considered a major development, Thiess is talking about cutting kilometres travelled by over 25% using the side tipping B-double transfer trailers it has pushed to develop.

“It improves the mode of transport dramatically,” claims Peter King, general manager of waste management for Thiess Services. “It’s a really good environmental story, it’s a really good safety story, and it’s a really good productivity and efficiency story.”

That story has been some two years in the making and started with a fairly simple observation that, “if we could cart more waste with less trucks, it would have some cost benefits”.

The company’s existing 45-48 foot (13.7-14.6m) ‘moving floor’ transfer trailers can handle 24 tonnes of waste. Moving to a B-double could increase the payload up to 32-40 tonnes (with Higher Mass Limit approvals), and when Thiess crunched the numbers on what that might mean running between its three transfer stations and two Brisbane landfills, the option clearly looked attractive.

“Some of the statistics we came up with were we would reduce the number of trucks on the road, which gives a safety benefit [and] would take our annual kilometres down from 1,250,000 a year to under 900,000 a year – that’s a 28.5% reduction in simple figures,” says King. “The number of trips we would need to cart the same amount of waste would reduce from nearly 21,000 to 15,000 trips – that’s a 26% reduction.”

It also means 6,000 fewer chances of being involved in a road accident, and of course 6,000 fewer opportunities for an irate Aunt Mavis to complain about the trucks rumbling past her house. In terms of operating costs, fuel savings were calculated at a massive 250,000 litres a year.

With the scale of potential benefits in perspective, the question became how best to increase the payload? While some operators swallow the inconvenience of de-coupling B-double moving-floor trailers and unload them separately, and it more recently became

an option to install walk-through moving floors on B-doubles (Vawdrey showcased this option in the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of Inside Waste), Thiess was keen to “look outside the square” and explore a totally new concept.

After being told “it can’t be done” by several better known trailer makers, Thiess turned to Azmeb Global Trailers (also known as BTS, or Bulk Transfer Systems), a specialist in transport R&D with a particular focus on side tipper trailers. As you can tell from the

photos, the prototype they came up with is like nothing the waste industry has seen before.

Ejecting trailer trashThe High Volume Side Tipper (HVST), or “green truck” as Thiess has tentatively named it, basically involves one fold-down side with a box on top. When it pulls up at a tip face, the hydraulics work in sequence to slide the box top up as the side flap folds down. These steps take about 20 seconds each and, once fully open, the whole body tips on its side to eject waste. Once the

B-trailer is empty, the process is simply repeated for the A-trailer.

This design provides impressive productivity and safety advantages. For starters, the driver never needs to get out of the vehicle on site, providing obvious OH&S benefits. But perhaps most exciting is the fact this B-double can be fully unloaded in “around 5-6 minutes”, compared with 11-16 minutes to unload the (smaller capacity) moving floor trailers.

Another major advantage of the

HVST is much lower maintenance. Abrasive material, such as glass fragments, works its way into cracks in between moving floor planks, eventually requiring floors to be rebuilt – which can take several weeks, and cost a pretty penny.

Fewer moving parts are one big maintenance advantage of the HVST. Another is less pressure on the hydraulic system, meaning the oil doesn’t get as hot and overall maintenance on the system is much reduced. The hydraulics on the HVST are engaged for only five minutes per trip. To empty a moving

floor, however, the hydraulic system is engaged pumping planks back and forth for about 15 minutes. Multiply each figure by five loads per day, and the HVST hydraulics work 50 minutes less each day.

“A [moving] floor has so many moving parts, and the cost of maintenance is so much higher… with a side tipping truck, it’s simple, it’s neat, there’s less moving parts and it will be a winner for the industry – there’s no doubt about that,” says King.

The company is well placed to make that call. Its first prototype rolled off the line about a year ago, and was in use for “probably nine months” before engineers “got all the bugs out of it” and moved into building the second prototype. That second version, which has a 120m3 capacity, is now on the road and comes with even better figures than the first: the design team took two tonnes out of its weight, lifting the payload to about 36-37 tonnes. Azmeb is aiming for 39-40 tonnes on future models.

In terms of loading material into the HVST, the operator simply drives under an outlet shoot at the transfer station, presses a button to automatically open the tarpaulin cover, and pre-compacted waste is then dropped into the trailer. Loading the full B-double takes about 15 minutes, longer than loading smaller moving floor trailers, although it works out “about the same” on a minutes-


COLLECTION

Thiess takes a side step forward

Meet the High Volume Side Tipper – a step change in waste transport.

15

With a side tipping truck, it’s simple, it’s neat, there’s less moving parts and it will

be a winner for the industry – there’s no doubt about that.”Peter King, Thiess Services

“


COLLECTION


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

16

per-tonne loaded basis.Outside the transfer station

environment, the HVST can be filled with a normal loader by lifting the top box without letting the side flap down. This could come in handy back-loading mulch from a greenwaste site, for example.

Innovation is kingThe HVST won’t suit every application, especially as it is only allowed on approved B-double routes. But King believes it could “transform” the waste game, as well as finding applications in a host of other bulk transport industries. Asked what drove Thiess to pursue such a novel concept, King points to the Waste Innovation Alliance it formed with Brisbane City Council in December 2006.

“We’re engaging in some real innovative processes going forward, and we’ve already delivered some quite interesting innovations into the management of Brisbane’s waste,” he claims.

But innovation doesn’t come cheap. Taking into account cash and time, King says Thiess invested “in the order of nearly $700,000” to get the

truck to this point, although he adds there is “absolutely no doubt” the company will see a rapid return on this investment, with the HVST helping it “provide the best service at the minimal cost in a very competitive market”.

The company currently has a fleet of 22 prime movers and trailers in Brisbane, although it will now be able to reduce that to 18, “and we believe that with some more efficiencies we’re working on now, we’ll take that 18 down to 16”. While HVST trailers cost more than moving floor varieties, needing fewer vehicles means capital costs to replace the full fleet work out about even.

Thiess will “without doubt” introduce the system outside its Brisbane operations, and King tips once people become aware of the advantages, “there will be a big industry step change”.

One of the few potential barriers to uptake is resistance to B-doubles from people who don’t believe bigger

is better when it comes to the size of vehicles on their roads. But King points out modern B-doubles come with few downsides compared to the trucks that are 6m shorter, especially in light of the improved efficiencies – meaning less trucks on the road and cheaper transport, which is ultimately “good for all the community”.

Getting more customers on side

will be the final step in a long process. As with any innovative project, getting a new concept off the ground took a lot of teamwork – from Thiess management backing the idea and spending the cash, through to engineers working out the bugs, and drivers ultimately testing the prototype.

Thiess will reap some benefit being the first to make the change, although it is not likely stay ahead of its competition too long: Azmeb owns the design patents and will market the HVST to the wider waste industry. Some may consider Thiess foolish for putting so much effort into developing a product that will also benefit

its competitors, although King seems comfortable with sharing.

“We see our role, as a key industry contributor, [as] enhancing productivity and sustainability to the industry and our business,” concludes King.

More information available at www.azmeb.com.au

A novel design coming to a tip face near you?

16

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PROCESSING 19

By Garth Lamb

CONSUMERS often harbour a bias against recycled materials, for little reason other than an entrenched (and simplistic) assumption that ‘new’ products must be better than those made of material rescued from landfill. But a study undertaken by C&D recycler Alex Fraser Group is set to turn the value equation around when it comes to recycled concrete, proving the material is not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but can also offer superior performance compared to its virgin counterpart.

Alex Fraser, which is active in Queensland and Victoria, is by far the biggest player in Australia’s concrete crushing game, accounting for some 60% of the national market. Late last year, it commissioned researcher ARRB Group (formerly the Australian Road Research Board) to study several sections of road in an industrial estate at Hoppers Crossing, Victoria.

One section was laid in 2002 using recycled crushed concrete (RCC) material as the roadbase. The other section was laid in 1991 using local crushed rock roadbase material. Using falling weight deflectometer tests, ARRB studied the future life expectancy of the two sections, and found a massive disparity. Across 16 test sites, the virgin section had an average five-year’s life left, compared to a whopping 441 years for the RCC section, tested across 17 sites.

The strength of the crushed concrete material was calculated as 3,500MPa, almost 13 times greater than the 270MPa result for the crushed rock. This was despite the crushed rock layer being thicker than the RCC (400mm compared with 270mm) and covered with more asphalt (50mm compared with 30-40mm).

Alex Fraser’s business development manager Jon White is quick to concede the very impressive preliminary results will probably be “diluted somewhat” as the company runs more tests to verify the findings: “we would expect there will still be significant benefits, but they might not be as good as 20 times [greater life expectancy].”

Testing is also underway to determine exactly why RCC performs better, with the company keen to verify anecdotal evidence it is easier to lay and to compact. White says improved compaction is mostly due to RCC being

made up of smoother and rounder particles, with a better distribution (and larger percentage) of fines and binder particles in the mix.

“Not only is the actual process of laying and compacting [RCC] quicker and easier, but it tends then to lock everything in better so it leads to a longer life for the finished grade,” he says.

There is also likely to be some cohesion benefit from cementous material reactivated during the crushing process, although White believes this

makes up less than 1% of material, and “is certainly not the only reason for this greater life expectancy, although it might be one of the factors”.

Cementing new marketsEven with a precise understanding of the benefits, the market for RCC has grown fast. Alex Fraser pioneered concrete crushing in Australia 22 years ago and recycled its first 10 million tonnes of concrete in 16 years between 1987 and 2003, with the major breakthrough coming in 1993 when Vic Roads approved RCC for use in road base.

The company took only five years to pound through its second 10 million tonnes of material, and now expects to double its output again between 2008 and 2014, with the 40 million tonne

milestone firmly in its sights.“We’re currently [processing] three

million tonnes per annum,” says White, adding the output of the wider industry is “probably five million tonnes”. But there is room for growth; total output “could be double that again” if all old concrete was recycled instead of dumped, he claims.

Even if 10 million tonnes of material found its way to C&D recycling yards each year, this potential supply is much smaller than possible demand for aggregate products, a fact White

says constantly “pulls us back down to earth”.

Recycled material is gathered from many different sources across a wide array of construction and demolition projects, and “the big issue is we will never have enough material to compete head to head with the quarries”.

“We don’t see that we’re in competition… we’re not going to take over the world because there is just not enough [old concrete]. They can go to a rock face and blast off a bit more. We’ve got to wait for a building to be demolished.”

It may never take a stranglehold on the broad aggregates market, but it is certainly gunning for leadership in the rapidly growing “sustainable infrastructure” marketplace.

Environmental advantagesIn 2008, Alex Fraser commissioned independent researcher RMIT to conduct a lifecycle assessment on RCC compared to crushed rock. Overall, it found “reduced impacts” for the recycled product.

While the processing used slightly more water than working with virgin rock, the softer concrete material required a little less energy to crush. RMIT found the biggest benefits of RCC, however, came via recovery of steel from reinforced concrete waste, avoiding the energy requirement of new steel production.

RMIT considered few impacts beyond the boundary of the processing plants. For example, it ignored the requirement for quarries to remove overburden soil to get at rock, the impacts of blasting rock, and energy required running dewatering pumps at quarry sites.

Still, White claims the carbon footprint of its crushing plant worked out 65% lower than the footprint of a quarry crushing. Considering the 20 million tonnes of C&D material it has recycled to date, the company claims to have saved the equivalent greenhouse emissions of taking 29,000 cars off the road for a year.

Because RCC is 20-25% less dense than crushed rock, fewer trucks are required to deliver material to sites. Based again on 20 million tonnes, White says “we could have saved up to 800,000 truck movements and 12 million kilometres of truck travel”.

If all that RCC had gone to

Concrete evidence of gains

Alex Fraser is driving uptake of recycled concrete in roads like Melbourne’s Eastlink freeway.

The virgin section had an average five-year’s life left, compared to a whopping

441 years for the Recycled Crushed Concrete.“


PROCESSING


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

20

construction of high performance road base, about 2,700km of road could have been built. In terms of reinforcing steel recovered over the years, the company claims it could build almost four Sydney Harbour Bridges.

While taking up environmental benefits is currently in vogue, White is quick to point out this forms only one aspect of product sustainability. He argues, of course, that RCC ticks all three boxes of sustainability – providing environmental, social and economic advantages.

Economics stack upWhite sees a “feel good factor” with many RCC sales, with consumers simply preferring it to virgin material if they considered it performs the same. The other big demand factor “is savvy contractors who understand that [RCC] is a lower density material, and therefore it is less expensive”.

On a straight tonne for tonne basis, White says RCC is “pretty much on par or anything up to 10% dearer” than virgin products. But the 20-30% lower density of RCC means customers “get a lot more material for their tonne” and all told RCC “could be

up to 20% cheaper”.At the other end of the economic

chain, Alex Fraser does not charge disposal fees for concrete delivered to its Victorian sites, and charges a “very nominal” amount in Queensland, as low as $1/m3 or about $0.50/tonne. Even in the Sunshine State, where (legal) landfills might charge as little as $8/m3, there is a significant financial incentive for generators to recycle

rather than dump.Cheaper disposal, a better end

product in terms of cost and performance, and significant environmental gains – it’s hard to understand why there isn’t much greater demand for RCC. White puts a lot of the problem down to “ignorance more than anything else”, although this is changing.

Queensland’s Main Roads department is currently looking to

adjust its specifications for road-base materials, a move that could dramatically increase RCC demand. Alex Fraser suggested “a few adjustments” to its draft specifications, but White is very positive overall.

“They’ve tried to take the best bits of the other states’ specifications… [And] they’re certainly committed to making it happen,” with a final specification possible by July, or by the end of the year at the latest.

In Victoria, where the roads department has backed RCC since 1993, there remain some engineers who doggedly specify the use of virgin material. But White argues “we’re in a different space and time now”, and RCC uptake in Queensland could be even faster than the rapid growth seen in Victoria.

Alex Fraser is certainly backing a big increase in demand. In the last year, it has spent some $28 million upgrading its facilities in Queensland and Victoria. With a greater capacity, the company “will be out there explaining the message to everybody… [That using RCC] is probably the easiest way to bring overall sustainability to a large infrastructure project”.

20

iw

Laying the base for sustainable roads.

+61 3 8720 0800sales @steinert.com.au

www.steinert.com.au

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PROCESSING


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22

By Mark Landsberg

STEINERT Australia recently took delivery of a combination induction sorting and X-ray sorting system, which will make it possible to process and sort materials it was not previously possible to accurately deal with. The system is the first of its kind installed in Australia and will be used for testing samples of customer’s material and proving what can be sorted and with what accuracy and repeatability.

Sensor-based sorting technology has been used for some time in the waste and recycling and mineral processing industries. The first sensor sorting system Steinert produced in 2001 was an induction sorting system, used to recover non-ferrous metal and stainless steel from shredded scrap metal.

Sensor-based automated sorting systems typically have a sensor head that ‘looks’ at material on a moving conveyor belt. The sensor provides data back to a high-performance processing

unit, which is programmed to select the particular material being sought, relevant to the sensor being used. This data is processed in real-time and an electronic signal is then fed to a compressed air ejection system.

A precise blast of compressed air is fired by selected valves to eject the desired material from the general material flow on the conveyor.

Compressed air is the most commonly used ejection method, due to its high precision, speed and reliability.

A large number of different types of sensors are currently available, including induction sensors used to detect all types of metal, colour sensors (essentially cameras) that will detect most materials able to be distinguished

by colour, near infrared (NIR) sensors, which can detect different types of plastics, and now X-ray sensors that differentiate materials by their elemental signature. Each sensor has different applications and limitations.

The Steinert X-ray sorting system recognises different material densities. Light metals, such as aluminium and magnesium, can be sorted from heavy

metals such as copper, bronze, zinc and lead. Cast aluminium can even be separated from wrought aluminium-based alloys. The system can therefore increase the value of non-ferrous metals by separating the mixed metals.

Using the X-ray technology, PVC can also be sorted from plastics, and stones and ceramics from scrap wood.

Plastics, stones and composite materials can be separated from organic materials, making the system ideal for producing refuse-derived fuels (RDF). It can also recognise components containing heavy metals, composite materials and internal items such as screws, which means it has great applications in e-waste recycling.

For minerals processing applications, mineral bearing rock can be separated from low grade or barren rock. Coal can be separated from ash. Diamonds and gold nuggets can be detected and recovered from gravel.

Steinert's X-ray vision22

The X-ray system offers automated sorting capabilities that were not previously

possible by allowing material with similar colours and weights to be distinguished“



PROCESSING 23

A distinguished sortThe X-ray system offers automated sorting capabilities that were not previously possible by allowing material with similar colours and weights to be distinguished. The basic rule of the technology is X-ray absorption is proportional to material density and material thickness. Different materials have different densities and the sensing (detection) principle is that each chemical element has

a different atomic mass.The sensor detection head

operates by transmitting X-rays through the material to be sorted,

while an X-ray sensitive camera measures the intensity of the received radiation. A computer processes the data in real-time to determine the difference between the incidental and the transmitted radiation. The resulting difference in intensity is the amount absorbed by the material. This information is then used to draw conclusions about the atomic composition of

the scanned material.The system creates a near-reality

image of the scanned material, sufficient to enable subtle evaluation. The absorption depends on several key factors, with the larger the atomic mass and the thicker the material, the greater the absorption.

In order to compensate for the material density, the material thickness is analysed on two different energy levels know as Dual-Energy. The Dual-Energy system allows the software to measure the absorption specific for the material at two energy

levels, which overcomes the effects of thickness and shape to determine material density. The material size determined is a volume based on X-ray absorption and not a surface area-based measurement.

Radioactive wasteThe information processing and material separation technology that is part of this package solution is based on Steinert’s induction sorting systems platform. This tried and tested platform has been in use in materials processing systems for many years.

The X-ray component is also a proven technology, which has been in use in scanning systems throughout the world and is now being adapted to waste applications. The principal technology is well known in medical applications as DEXA: Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry.

The robust piece of equipment that results from combining these two systems is encapsulated completely and can be used in a standard factory environment. It meets all international and Australian standards for safe radiation thresholds. The high intensity radiation is absorbed within

the X-ray unit and the low intensity scattered radiation is shielded by lead or steel. No radioactive substance is ever present.

Steinert Australia, which is registered with local authorities and has a licence to operate the sorting system, can provide advice on both federal regulations and local operational requirements.

A demonstration unit with a 1m usable feed conveyor belt width has been installed in the Bayswater, Victoria facility.

It will process particle sizes between 5-200mm and is capable of a throughput up to 10 tonnes per hour. The X-ray head has a relatively low power consumption of 8kW.

To answer any sorting or separation requirement, Steinert is able to run in-house tests to determine what can be separated and with what degree of accuracy and repeatability.

Mark Landsberg is sales manager with Steinert Australia. The Germany parent company pioneered magnetic waste sorting systems as far back as 1874.More at www.steinert.com.au iw


– 2004 –May/June: Zero Waste SA becomes the state’s official waste management authority, with half the revenue from SA’s landfill levy ($10.10 in Adelaide), some $7.4 million in 2004/05, committed to fund the organisation.■ Nolan-ITU’s Assessment of Domestic Waste and Recycling Systems found the three-bin collection model was both the cheapest and most environmentally friendly option in city areas, although just four of Sydney’s 40 councils were using it.■ Rethmann Australia unveils plans for Australia’s first commercial waste MRF, a $15 million facility in Botany, Sydney. By November, these plans are dumped in the face of council hostility.July/Aug: “Landfill gatefees in south-east Queensland have plummeted since Collex opened its Ti Tree facility up the road from Thiess Services’ Swanbank landfill… Two of the highest standard landfills in Australia are reportedly charging as little as $20/t, down from more than $30.”■ SITA clashed with the Transport Workers Union in Brisbane after pushing to introduce owner-drivers. Claims drivers were told to dump recyclables sparks a media frenzy.■ Waste Service NSW pushes Thiess into handing back operations contracts on the Chullora MRF and three major transfer stations at Artarmon, Ryde and Rockdale.Sep/Oct: Landfilling putrescible waste in Australia’s major cities costs the country $624 million a year in net environmental

and economic costs, according to a landmark cost-benefit calculation conducted by Nolan-ITU.WME October: Collex’s Woodlawn bioreactor landfill near Goulburn opens for business, introducing competition into the Sydney landfill market.WME November: The Western Regional Waste Management Group strikes a deal that will see nine Melbourne councils paid $10-20/tonne for their recyclables.

– 2005 –Feb/March: WCRA lodges a complaint with the ACCC, accusing state-owned Waste Service NSW of abusing its disposal monopoly to win collection contracts, starting with Fairfield, Canada Bay, Gosford and Parramatta Councils.April/May: “Melbourne’s worst kept secret” revealed: the city’s five regional waste boards will be scrapped to create a single Metropolitan Waste Management Group.■ The Baxter Group and Visy form the Baxvis JV to increase C&I recycling in south-east Melbourne.WME May: The Environment Protection & Heritage Council ministers signal they will stick with the National Packaging Covenant until 2010, despite pressure from councils and NGOs to ditch the controversial model. A target of 65% recycling is set, up from 48%.June/July: Visy relaunches one of Australia’s most advanced glass

recycling facilities at Laverton in Victoria, almost doubling its size and introducing computerised optical sorting.■ NSW Waste Fund is rolled into the broader Environmental Trust Fund.WME July: NSW amends its environmental planning and assessment legislation, giving the planning minister greater scope to use discretionary powers around ‘state significant’ infrastructure.Aug/Sep: A code of practice for the collection of domestic waste launches in NSW.■ A price war on mobile garbage bins breaks out as Singapore-based Schaefer reemerges on the already crowded market.■ Adelaide’s Burnside City Council launches a six-month, full-scale trial to collect and process domestic organics using bench-top food waste bins.WME November: Treasurer Peter Costello announces Phillip Weickhardt will head a Productivity Commission inquiry into waste management.WME November: NSW unveils a new schedule for its landfill levy to rise from $22.10/tonne to $57 by 2012.WME December: WA Environment Minister Judy Edwards calls for container deposit legislation, reigniting CDL debate.

– 2006 –Dec/Jan: WSN Environmental Solutions beats Collex and SITA to Sydney’s biggest AWT contract, a $150 million, 15-year deal using ArrowBio technology.■ Brambles puts Cleanaway up for sale, with Remondis, Visy and Waste Management NZ considered frontrunners and Transpacific Industries “an outside chance to expand into solid waste”.

Feb/March: The first signs of economic stress emerge from the UR-3R AWT at Sydney’s Eastern Creek, with GRD downgrading its profit projection from $2 million to break even for the year.WME April: Transpacific Industries becomes the dominant player in the Australasian waste market after buying rival, Waste Management NZ for $769 million to top off a string of acquisitions.WME April: The Business Roundtable on Sustainable Development weighs into the Productivity Commission debate over waste management, arguing for a major rethink on targeting volume reductions. The Commission apparently agrees, with its draft report in June saying policy should be guided “by a rigorous analysis of costs, benefits and risks” rather than unrealistic and random recycling targets.April/May: Wright Corporate Strategy conducts an industry-wide skills audit that finds likely growth in total employment of about 20% over the next decade, or 2% p.a.June/July: US private equity firm KKR buys Cleanaway for $1.83 billion. Within a year, Terry Peabody’s Transpacific Industries buys it off KKR, leaving “plenty of figures in the waste industry scratching their heads at the sums he has forked out”.■ Visy Recycling begins testing its high-tech mega-MRF in western Sydney, Australia’s biggest at some 250,000tpa.WME August: Victoria flags a rise in its landfill levy for prescribed (hazardous) waste from $30 to $130/tonne. By February 2007, further increases are planned, with the levy set to hit $250 in July 2008.Oct/Nov: Brisbane City Council and

This issue marks five years in print for Inside Waste. Last issue brought you highlights from parent publication WME Environment Business Magazine, which is celebrating 20 years in print throughout 2009. Here is a wrap of combined coverage since Inside Waste launched.

2004 2005 2006

24 TIMELINE


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

24

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2007 2008 2009Thiess strike a 12-year alliance to operate the council’s waste infrastructure, including the Brisbane landfill and four transfer stations. It also secures supply for the company’s Swanbank landfill.

– 2007 –WME April: A Warnken-ISE report commissioned by SITA finds the waste industry could reduce Australia’s greenhouse problems by nearly 7%, providing cheap options for carbon abatement. Perth’s Southern Metropolitan Regional Council, meanwhile, puts more than 110,000 tonnes of CO2e abatements up for sale, the biggest attempt by a waste processor to cash in on the carbon debate.May/June: Sydney’s Liverpool City Council awards SITA a 10-year, $5.5 million/year contract to finally build its first SAWT in Australia, expected to divert more than 70% of municipal waste from landfill.July/Aug: NSW introduces a $38.60/tonne liquid waste levy.■ WCRA Queensland forms to provide a sharper focus on operations and a vocal lobby group for the industry, something it says WMAA can’t do with its broader membership.■ Sam Bateman’s article, ‘The organics behind a carbon neutral landfill’ is published, the latest manifestation of a hot debate about the carbon impacts of landfills. In August, the government’s draft National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill flags the nation’s biggest landfills could be forced to report emissions.WME August: The Federal Government responds to the Productivity Commission’s 2006 waste inquiry, rejecting the central thrust that waste policy should be based purely on economics.

Nov/Dec: State-owned WSN Environmental Solutions again referred to the ACCC, with other players crying foul over its successful bid for the St George region of councils’ waste collections. Leaked documents show its price was more than 20% below the nearest rival.■ Wright Corporate Strategy and WME Media publish The Blue Book, which says demand for capital investment in solid waste management and resource recovery infrastructure during the next eight years will exceed $2.6 billion.

– 2008 –Jan/Feb: ‘In or out?’ was the big question: is it better for waste to be covered by an emissions trading system or not? What form an ETS would take was unclear, and opinions were divided.WME February: WSN commissions the Greenhouse Implications for Councils in Managing Municipal Waste report, and NetBalance finds local councils neglect the biggest emission source under their control when drawing up greenhouse inventories.WME March: Hyder Consulting reports the total economic contribution of Australia’s recycling industry was conservatively worth $55 billion in 2006. Commissioned by the Australian Council of Recyclers, it found every $1 of direct turnover provides $4 in downstream benefits.March/April: Orange City Council’s plans for the ‘Hub’ landfill in central NSW are rejected by the Land and Environment Court in a long-running test case for ecologically sustainable development.WME May: WME publishes its inaugural Leaders List of the 10 people driving Australia’s environment and sustainability push. Veolia’s Doug Dean and Visy’s

Richard Pratt win the waste and resource recovery section.July/Aug: Waste falls back ‘in’ the emission trading scheme outlined in the Rudd Government’s CPRS green paper, despite Professor Ross Garnaut’s draft report just two weeks earlier arguing waste should be ‘out’ – which was the opposite position proposed in Garnaut’s March discussion paper.■ Thiess opens a 45,000tpa MRF in Gosford, Australia’s first to use near infrared technology for optically sorting all glass, paper and plastic materials.WME September: The Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts calls for a “national strategic framework for waste” that emphasises “sustainability and resource efficiency rather than waste disposal”.Sep/Oct: Gas leaking from a landfill in Cranbourne, Victoria forces the evacuation of nearby residents, sparking media headlines and a class action law suit.■ Barwon Regional Waste Management Group selects AnaeCo to build Victoria’s first AWT, a $50 million DiCOM facility that will divert 80% of waste from landfill for 20 years.Nov/Dec: The Australian Landfill Owners Association forms to lobby government, initially on emissions trading. It follows debate over whether WMAA should be more proactive.■ NSW outlines a new landfill levy to help plug a black hole in its mini-budget. New areas are to be covered, and levies will rise by $10+CPI annually, hitting $128/t in Sydney in 2016.■ Peter Garrett announces the EPHC will begin working on developing a new

National Waste Strategy.■ ‘Commodity price crash’ is the front page headline as the global economic downturn begins to bite.

– 2009 –Jan/Feb: Hyder Consulting releases a report that puts a dollar figure on the cost of landfill emissions, suggesting a surcharge of about $7.73-$13.74 per tonne of waste. It comes as the government’s CPRS white paper confirms waste is ‘in’ – and so are legacy emissions, from 2018.■ GRD Group finds a ‘buyer’ for its showcase Eastern Creek UR-3R AWT facility, which had been bleeding $500,000/month from GRD’s books. Emergent Capital takes over the site, along with the $40 million debt attached to it.March/April: The National Recycling Initiative developed by the Boomerang Alliance, with the support of the Australian Council of Recyclers, brings together more than 20 of the nation’s biggest recyclers, nearly all of Australia’s green groups, and a substantial cross section of local governments to outline, in broad brush strokes, a package that would encourage private industry to invest more than $2 billion in new recycling infrastructure.■ Melbourne’s Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Strategic Plan calls for eight new AWT facilities around the city.May/June: Legacy emissions from landfill are removed from the government’s proposed CPRS, following a revision of the legislation.


TIMELINE 25

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26 LANDFILL


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

26

By Johannes Biala and Dr Andreas Horn

MENTION Saudi Arabia and the immediate connotation is opulent wealth from oil. This perception was no doubt fuelled by the breathtaking developments that took place in the oil-rich Gulf States in recent boom times. Indeed, according to IMF figures of nominal GDP per capita, people from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are among the 10 wealthiest in the world – but most Saudi residents don’t fall into this category.

The average Australian generated more than US$50,000 worth of GDP in 2008, compared to only some US$21,000 in Saudi Arabia. This demonstrates Saudi Arabia, as a country, is not as wealthy as it may appear, and in many areas it is also not on the level of technological development we are used to – including in waste management.

However, the Saudi government now wants to advance recycling and waste

management to match world’s best practice, while also progressing privatisation.

Saudi Arabia has a population similar in size to that of Australia, 24 million people (2007), and the majority (>80%) live in urban centres. It is understandable that the government wants to start improving recycling and waste management in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the three largest cities in the country. They have a combined population of nine million and generated about 4.6 million tonnes of MSW in 2007.

Considering the current state of affairs, however, advancing recycling amounts to a mammoth task:■ MSW is collected daily from individual or multi-user bins and disposed of in landfills, or dumps;■ There are no recycling programs for residents;■ The ‘informal sector’ extracts materials from MSW where possible and profitable, resulting in recycling

rates that might range from 5-15% (significant quantities of paper/cardboard, metals and plastics are recycled from the C&I sector);■ There are no waste management and waste disposal fees;■ Waste management and recycling

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(bioreactor) landfills etc. Then imagine the public mindset 20 years ago when most people had never heard about recycling, and ask the Department of Municipal Affairs in Canberra to improve waste management and recycling in the three cities – oh, and get the required money from the federal coffers, too.

Tale of three citiesIt is of limited comfort to know some progress has already been made: the area of Riyadh landfill where MSW is disposed is operating with a bitumen base and leachate collection system and last year the ‘dump’ in Jeddah was closed in favour of a brand new, state of the art 450ha landfill site, with the first two cells (18ha) being commissioned in early 2008. A 3.5m high concrete wall surrounds the site to keep unwelcome scavengers out.

But rapid population growth (3-4% p.a.), coupled with growing wealth and the expanding economy, means MSW generation is forecast to more than double within the 20 twenty years, and it is clear that just building new landfills is not a long-term solution. Consequently, the government needed to develop a strategy for improving the waste situation in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

In doing so, 10 alternatives for recycling and waste treatment were evaluated on the basis of technical, environmental and economic aspects. The initial assessment covered five fundamental processing options for MSW – incineration, mechanical treatment, mechanical biological treatment (aerobic or anaerobic) and mechanical treatment with production of MSW compost – each with and without source segregation recycling schemes.

Taking local conditions and financial implications into consideration, it appeared unlikely the top ranked future recycling and waste treatment scenario could be implemented in the near future. Instead, it appeared much more feasible to consider the improvement of recycling and waste treatment as a long-term development process with gradual improvements, encapsulated in the Recycling Roadmap.

It is envisaged the first step along the Recycling Roadmap should be to extract recyclables from MSW in so called dirty MRFs (DMRFs). It is anticipated this first step will lift MSW recycling rates from 10% to 30%.

Recycling rates and environmental benefits can then be improved further by introducing source separation recycling schemes and/or transforming

existing DMRFs into facilities that also stabilise residual waste (aerobically or anaerobically), and possibly generate MSW compost in addition to compost from source segregated organics.

Private sector surgeBefore getting carried away with long-term goals, let’s consider achieving the first goal. To do that, processing capacities for up to five million tonnes/year of MSW will be needed in the three cities. This could be achieved, for example, by establishing up to 10 DMRFs at 500,000tpa, a move that would require investment in waste processing and recycling infrastructure exceeding A$2 billion.

Depending on sales revenue for recyclables, this initial step might be cost neutral for the government (while delivering profits for private operators), although all other recycling and waste minimisation activities will have to be supported through public funds.

The Saudi government seeks to advance the country not only by improving recycling, but also by pushing forward its privatisation strategy. Therefore the Ministry for Municipal and Rural Affairs was compelled to also find a structure for future recycling and waste treatment activities that not only reaches the envisaged recycling goals, but also provides business opportunities for the private sector.

After reviewing the experience gained with waste and recycling PPP models around the world (including Australia), the Saudi government is now looking at a model that would allow it to fund and own future facilities, while private partners would run them in a jointly owned operating company.

It takes a lot to build a Kingdom for Recycling. Nevertheless, the plans have been developed and submitted, and now it is up to the King and his government to make a decision.

Once the King has given the green light to go ahead, the country will need plenty of expertise and technology to realise the goals of its Recycling Roadmap. It is likely that Australian companies will be in a good position to provide a helping hand, and benefit from developing and implementing lean and efficient recycling systems.

Johannes Biala is director of Queensland-based consultancy The Organic Force ([email protected]). Dr Andreas Horn is with HMU/Dornier Consulting based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ([email protected]). iw


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28 ORGANICSM AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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For further information call:Craig Cosgrove 0418 966 593 • Paul Oostendorp 0408 975 661 • Nick Fisher 0408 020 565

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EnglandFood waste has a much higher profile in the UK than Australia, with even PM Gordon Brown getting behind WRAP’s ‘love food, hate waste’ campaign. Combined with the EU Landfill Directive pushing for high waste diversion and the UK’s market for renewable energy credits, this is “creating quite a dynamic environment with a lot of councils scrambling to put in food waste collection systems”.

At least one farmer in Bedford has turned his existing anaerobic digester (AD), originally built to process piggery waste, into a waste management facility, taking council and commercial food organics. Now he is building a second, larger digester and adapting his business model to cope with growing demand.

IMAGE: The AD plant has a purpose-designed de-packager, allowing it to take all food wrapped in a single layer of plastic, metal or cardboard packaging (but not pallets of food, which are packaged twice).

The Churchill Trust was established in memorial of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and each year sends about 100 Australians off to research activities being undertaken in other parts of the world. People are chosen from all backgrounds, ages and industries and late last year Lisa Brown, manager of contracts and projects with Impact Environmental Consulting, was given the nod. Sponsored to travel around Europe and North America for two and a half months studying food waste management, she sent Inside Waste Weekly regular postcards. Here are some highlights of what she saw.

More on travel opportunities under the Churchill Trust at www.churchilltrust.com.au

Postcards from the cutting edge


NorwaySome 65% of houses have a food waste collection

service in Norway, owing to regulations that have been

in place for over 10 years. Now “they are ramping that

up”, with laws to stop any material with greater than

10% total carbon content being disposed directly in

landfill expected to take effect from this July.

An AD facility at a sewerage treatment plant

was one of the stops on the tour. It found by

taking food waste as 10% of its feedstock,

gas production was increased by 2.5 times,

allowing that gas to then be upgraded for use

powering vehicle fleets. It is the opposite situation

to the Australian scenario, where biosolids from STPs are

often sent to composters.

Another strange quirk in Oslo, the Norwegian capital, is the use of one

bin (due to space constraints) with material separated into three streams using colour

coded bags – white for garbage, green for food waste, and blue for plastics. These are

optically sorted at the processing facility.

IMAGE: colour coded bags allow residents of Oslo, Norway to put separated waste

streams in one bin.


ORGANICS 29

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CanadaCanada’s biggest city and financial capital, Toronto, has a total population of about four million, with 2.6 million in the one huge city council – giving it the political clout and financial muscle to undertake big infrastructure projects.Going against the trend of Australian trials, Torontonians are allowed to put food scraps in plastic bags, making the system much simpler and leading to an impressive 90% participation rate.During processing, the waste is mixed with water as an

agitator breaks open bags and pulps the food waste. That pulp is pulled through a

screen at the bottom of the tank and fed into the AD plant, leaving plastic bags and heavies in

the tank. More water is added to clean the bags, which are eventually raked out, compressed,

and landfilled. About 23% of incoming material is rejected as contamination.The operator claims the final digestate has less than 0.5% plastics in it, and Brown agrees

“the compost is nice”.IMAGE: this much plastic in a load of organics would break an Australian operator’s

heart, but Toronto’s final compost is still clean.

AmericaWhile Australian councils can introduce a green waste service simply by writing it in to their next collection contract, in parts of the US – including Hennepin County in Minneapolis, Minnesota – there is an open market: “when you move into an area you just go through your phone book and choose who’s going to provide your garbage service”. That means the council has to rely on private haulers – of which there might be 30 in any municipality – to provide and market organic collection services. Given many haulers also own landfills, it is difficult to institute separated organics collection.

Despite these challenges, some areas are seeing a grassroots, bottom up drive for organic services at schools, small businesses and many households. The tonnages of material diverted are not high, “but it’s a great example of education [leading to] people demanding the service, wanting to do it just because they can see the sense in it”.

IMAGE: Lisa Brown with University of Minneapolis waste manager who has pushed separate collection/processing of organic material.


30 ENERGY FROM WASTE


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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By Garth Lamb

COMPARING Australia’s waste treatment and disposal systems to those employed across Europe, one obvious difference is the lack of energy from waste (EfW) options in our tool box. But with Australia’s push to divert ever more waste from landfill, there is increasing pressure to explore a wide gamut of alternative treatment options.

One such option comes from Refgas, a UK specialist on generating combined heat and power (CHP) by running biomass waste through advanced gasification processes. Its first demonstration plant, a 1MW CHP requiring just 4,000-5,000tpa of feedstock, has been up and running in Wales for just over a year. The first commercial unit, a 4MW facility taking 15,000-20,000tpa, is due for commissioning this August at the University of East Anglia in England.

Refgas’s focus to date has been processing shredded timber or other ‘biogenic’ feedstocks, although material

with up to 30% plastics content has been tested. There is potentially scope to take mixed waste in the future, although the company (rooted more in the clean energy sector than waste management) has so far focused on organics.

So what are some potential Australian applications? WA waste consultant and local Refgas representative Giles Perryman is currently exploring opportunities in WA’s Pilbara Region, including generating power for remote mine sites, which can generate alot of timber packaging waste.

Another potential feedstock in the future may be residual outputs or low-grade organics from AWT plants, although the company wants to stick to waste streams it knows best for now, the field of unlocking power from biogenic waste, where it has a ‘small’ claim to fame.

“The main thing that sets us apart from the other [technology suppliers] is the low tonnage,” says Perryman. “It allows you to target specific

fractions of the waste stream, rather than establishing some filthy great big 200,000tpa machine.”

In fact, the company has decided to commercialise a version of its 1MW demonstration system after finding market demand for units small in terms of both throughput and footprint. The 1MW Refgas unit can be contained in three 20 foot shipping containers, and packed up and moved without too much drama if, for example, a mine closes down after several years.

Perryman also boasts the system

is “reliable, easy to use, and not too high tech”.Feedstock and flexibilityIn terms of feedstock requirements, Perryman says “we need a maximum of 30% moisture and particle size between 50-100mm”. Shredding material to correct size is simple. Getting the moisture content right can be more challenging, although the plant’s heat output can be used to pre-treat feedstock.

Once material is conveyed into the unit, high-temperature gasification

Just a little EfW

The Refgas RG2000 4MW CHP system converts waste to power.

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ENERGY FROM WASTE 31

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takes place in a reduced oxygen environment. The ‘syngas’ produced as organic material breaks down goes through simple cleaning steps before being fed straight to power turbines.

Exhaust emissions out of the plant meet European standards, while the residual waste output is about 5-10% of inputs. When clean biogenic feedstocks are processed, this ‘waste’ is a potentially useful biochar material.

Clean organic inputs may come from a metropolitan council feeding a specific section of its waste stream through the Refgas system. In more remote locations, mixed feedstock may be used, with the 90-95% reduction in waste disposal volumes particularly attractive in sensitive environments, such as Rottnest Island.

Depending on calorific value of the input material, the 4MW unit will produce 2MW of electricity and 2MW (equivalent) of heat. Running the unit requires about 10% of the electricity it produces.

Another advantage of its small scale, switching the Refgas unit on and off is not a lengthy process. Visitors to the UK pilot plant generally get half through their cups of tea in the 20

minutes it takes to get the system up and running from a stationary start.

“You can run it on eight-hour days, or for a few days then switch it off for a few – there’s a lot of flexibility there,” says Perryman.

Without accounting for civil infrastructure or transport, the core ‘off-the-shelf’ unit costs roughly £2 million (A$4 million), which could work out a bargain given costings Perryman has done based on likely feed in values of energy to WA’s grid.

Taking into consideration operational costs for the plant, as well as borrowing costs to pay back capital outlay over 10 years (and factoring in a 10% return on investment), he predicts “you’d be needing to charge a gate-fee of $35-55/tonne”.

Plenty of landfills already charge more, and as Australia’s 20% by 2020 Renewable Energy Target starts to bite, the Refgas EfW option should become increasingly attractive.

More from Giles Perryman on (08) 9759 1418 or www.refgas-uk.com

Inside Waste will in coming issues profile other EfW options.


32 WORKSHOP


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

32

By Garth Lamb

WASTE operators don’t so much use tyres as torture them to death. It’s hard to think of a more gruelling test for a bit of rubber than being run back and forth across refuse all day, and the conditions in our game are very different – and more challenging – than those faced by any other sector. For that reason, tyres designed specifically for wasties are now being rolled out.

When it comes to tyre brands, Solideal isn’t on the tip of the tongue for the Australian public. Despite it having some 9,000 employees worldwide (6,000 of them in manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka), it is headquartered in Luxembourg and specialises in the niche industries of material handling and construction. The specialist focus keeps it out of the public psyche, but the outfit’s Australian arm, Bearcat, says it also keeps it on the cutting edge of innovation in industrial tyres. At least one local customer agrees.

Regal Bin Hire in Melbourne uses a New Holland LS 185B skid steer to sort through waste on a concrete pad. It claims to recycle about 95% of incoming waste, “including everything from rocks to scrap steel”.

“With 12 full-time employees driving trucks and collecting bins and five guys in the yard at all times, the skid steer machine is going non stop,” says operations manager Adam Aboueid, adding a massive backlog of work – and some very frustrated workers – are the result of any machine downtime.

The company tried several pneumatic tyre options to try and remain mobile, but found “punctures, failures and downtime were a nightmare for our operations,” seeing it forced to shell out for 3-4 sets of tyres a year, plus dropping “thousands of dollars in punctures and replacements”.

The search for a better solution led it to trial Solideal’s Safetymaster “flat proof” solid rubber tyres, which it found to be “100% better than anything else we had tried”. It says the initial investment of new wheels and tyres “paid for themselves in the first six months”.

Tailor-made tyresBearcat’s business development manager Glen Wolfenden says the tyre Regal is using was purpose built to suit skid steers running in “high damage category applications” – places like metal recycling yards, transfer stations and “anywhere you’d put a normal tyre into and just have to cross your fingers”.

“Rather than taking an existing product used in a different industry and saying ‘we’ve got something we think will do the job, just whack it on and it should go ok’… they’ve actually designed a tyre that’s going to be best suited for the application.”

The wheel is a quick fitment type, with a single piece wheel ‘locked’ into place by a tyre wheel base lip – a design Bearcat claims has many benefits over traditional three-piece type wheels. Rather than the typical 16-inch (406mm) skid steer tyre, the quick fit Solideal is a 20-inch (508mm) design. The reason, says Wolfenden, is because this cuts down on wasted rubber while allowing a bigger footprint and better traction.

“What people did in the past was adapt a big, thick, heavy rubber tyre that’s designed for a hard base, slow moving forklift operation and said ‘that’s the best we can find’.”

Operators commonly attempt to “flat proof” budget pneumatic tyres by pumping in a tyre fill, although Wolfenden says this can damage tyres, meaning they wear out faster.

The catch for the Safetymaster is pretty easy to predict: a higher sticker price. The list price is “around $500”. This compares to about $200 for a bog-standard skid steer tyre (next to useless in any waste application), or around $315 for a heavy-duty pneumatic tyre. But where the $200 option might last 300-350hrs and the heavy duty pneumatic 650-800 hours, the $500 solid version will go for more like 2,000-2,500hrs, as well as dispelling any risk of a puncture and the resultant down time – which can be costly as well as frustrating.

Doing rough math on the Regal example where 3-4 sets of cheaper tyres/year have been exchanged for more expensive rubber lasting 1-2

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WORKSHOP 33

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When Regal Bin Hire says it wears tyres down to the rim, it isn’t kidding.

years, the company should save about $4,500 over two years. It won’t see any of the staff take an early retirement, but any cost saving that also improves performance has to be worth a look.

With tight profit margins, Wolfenden says operators in the recycling industry are generally cost sensitive and “need to get every cent out of every consumable item”. Looking at photos of Regal’s used tyres, it’s hard

to imagine how it could get any more wear from a bit of rubber.

“These tyres are that tough and durable that I wear them down to the rim and, once they’re cactus, I have a new set of wheels and tyres ready to bolt on,” says Aboueid. “This is the only tyre change I have to worry about from go to whoa.”

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34 COMPACT STREET SWEEPERS


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

34

n Compact and manoeuvrable n Outstanding performance n Low emissions

Phone (03) 9271 6400 www.macdonaldjohnston.com.au

The clean sweep of refuse equipment

CN100 CN200 CX400

Tennant Company

Rosmech Sales & Service

Dimensions: 3,450 x 1,140m x 1,980mmGVM: 2,800kgHopper capacity: 1m3

Water tank: 195LFuel tank: 55LTurning circle: 3,250mm/4,040mmMax sweeper width: 2,050mmMax speed travel/clean: 40/13km/hKey users: Sydney Olympic Park, City of Melbourne, Canterbury City CouncilBase price: Approx $125,000More: Tennant Company on 1300 767 066 or www.tennantco.com.au

Dimensions: 3,900 x 1,250 x 1,980mmGVM: 4,500kgHopper capacity: 1.7m3

Water tank: 360LFuel tank: 70LTurning circle: 2,500mm (between pavements)Max sweeper width: 2,450mmMax speed travel/clean: 50/12km/hKey users: Enviro Sweep, Bankstown City Council, City of PerthBase price: $155,000 + GSTMore: Rosmech Sales & Service on (08) 8182 7777 or www.rosmech.com.au

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Be swept off your feetWHEN it comes to the environmental impacts of waste, litter probably isn’t the biggest problem. It is, however, the most visible manifestation of the issues, and there are a host of very good reasons why councils should aim to keep their streets as clean as possible, including avoiding a snowball effect where residents take less care of their surrounds when someone else has already dropped a chip packet before they got there. What’s one more ciggie butt in a pile of 600?

There is also the very obvious fact that not every member of the community makes it out to inspect their local landfill or the recycling station, but everyone does walk down the street from time to time. People want to know the money they pay council for waste management is being spent wisely, and filthy streets are a sure way to get the community offside.

The compact street sweeper is an increasingly common sight throughout Australian cities. Unlike the big truck-mounted units, the lighter machines can be driven on paved areas or along footpaths and are able to manoeuvre around street furniture and tight city corners. The compact units cover more ground than the smaller walk-behind units do, while the cabin offers increased comfort and protection for drivers. With OH&S issues playing an ever-growing role in council operations, protecting workers from the elements – not to mention possible attack – is one good reason to fork out the extra cash for a cabined sweeper.

One thing to keep an eye on is the impact the machine has on the surface being cleaned. After all, there’s not much benefit in sweeping up dust if you’re also sucking up all the sand or mortar between the pavers, causing the surface to wear out prematurely.

When choosing a unit, don’t forget to factor in the cost of any peripherals you may also need, such as a trailer and truck to tow it if the unit isn’t going to stick to one beat (and isn’t mobile enough to get between the job sites). After sales service and support is another key consideration.

PRODUCT PROFILES: NEXT ISSUE

PLUSOH&S issues are a major concern for all waste operators, and camera systems are a must-have safety accessory for any waste collection vehicle. The only question is which system to choose?

Even during the current commodity crash, aluminium remains one of the highest value materials in the recycling stream. Eddy currents are the easiest way to recover non-ferrous metals.

PLUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSCamera systems

The July/August issue of Inside Waste looks at two more essential product categories.

Eddy current separators

To be part of either profile – or to suggest a product line you would like to see reviewed – please contact editor Garth Lamb on (02) 9817 6400 or by email

[email protected]



COMPACT STREET SWEEPERS 35

Hako Australia Nilfisk Advance

MacDonald Johnston Tennant Company

Dimensions: 3,800 x 1,198 x 1,995mmGVM: 1,800kgHopper capacity: 1m3

Water tank: 320LFuel tank: 72LTurning circle: 2,750mmMax sweeper width: 2,270mmMax speed travel/clean: 25/13km/hKey users: Tweed Heads Council, Erina Fair Central CoastBase price: $115,000More: Hako Australia on 1800 257 221 or www.hako.com

Dimensions: 3,070 x 1,320 x 1,990mmGVM: 1,950kgHopper capacity: 500LWater tank: 240LFuel tank: 30LTurning circle: 2,460mmMax sweeper width: 1,650mmMax speed travel/clean: 20/12km/hKey users: Narrabri Shire Council, Moreton Bay Regional CouncilBase price: From $104,855 + GSTMore: Nilfisk Advance on 1300 556 710 or www.nilfisk.com.au

Dimensions: 4,120 x 1,315 x 1,965mmGVM: 4,000kgHopper capacity: 1.5m3 (payload)Water: Lost water – 157L, recirculation system – 250LFuel tank: 51LTurning circle: 5,150mm (wall to wall)Max sweeper width: 2,880mm, 1,860mm OptimumMax speed travel/clean: 40/15km/hKey users: Sydney City Council, Citywide Services, Adelaide City CouncilBase price: $139,980 + GSTMore: MacDonald Johnston on (03) 9271 6400 or www.macdonaldjohnston.com.au

Dimensions: 5,460 x 1,780 x 2,540mmGVM: 9,072kgHopper capacity: 2.6m3

Water tank: 356L (optional water tank)Fuel tank: 90.9LTurning circle: 3,960mmMax sweeper width: 3,200mm (with Vario sweeping brush)Max speed travel/clean: 40/8-15km/hKey users: The Sentinel is designed for mining applications, municipal councils, streets, airports, military bases, cement plants and other outdoor applicationsBase price: Approx $220,000More: Tennant Company on 1300 767 066 or www.tennantco.com.au

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36 LANDFILL COMPACTORS


M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

36

BOMAG

BOMAG

Weight: 36.5tDimensions: 4,120 x 8,120 x 3,775mmEngine: 330kW Deutz TCD 2015 VO6Top speed: 12km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 220 teeth over four equal size drumsBlade movement: 1,320mmCost: $950,000More: BT Equipment on (03) 9554 0300 or www.btequipment.com.au

Weight: 54.5tDimensions: 4,440 x 9,425 x 5,200mmEngine: 440kW Deutz TCD 2015 VO8Speed: 0-12km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 288 premium teeth over four equal size drumsBlade movement: 1,875mmCost: $1,500,000More: BT Equipment on (03) 9554 0300 or www.btequipment.com.au

BC

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Pressing issues for landfillDESIGNING and building a modern landfill is a more complicated process than scrapping out the sort of ‘tips’ that used to dominate Australia’s waste disposal landscape. There are now liner systems and gas collection networks to think about, although the biggest challenge remains securing a suitable site.

The palaver surrounding construction of any new landfill means operators have a massive incentive to suck all the life they can from existing sites, and the number one way to achieve this is by packing more waste into the hole. The harder you press, the more you can fit, and a purpose built compactor is the stalwart piece of machinery for any landfill operator.

Clearly, the biggest question about how well a machine will perform is how much it weighs. That is not to say, however, that simply buying the biggest machine you can afford is always the best bet.

Actual ground pressure exerted depends on wheel width: narrower wheels provide higher pressure, but less coverage. Different wheels will also leave a different finish, which will determine what can drive on the surface after it has been compacted.

One recent development is the ability for compactors to hook into GPS systems to take a lot of the guesswork out of an operator’s day. Mapping where they have been helps ensure more accurate and even compaction rates, which is particularly important for sites hoping to achieve maximum landfill gas capture rates.

All landfills are tough environments, with a constant battle waged to keep rubbish from getting into places it can cause problems. Each manufacturer has their own thoughts on this, and an evaluation of their design needs to be a serious consideration for customers – when you shell out for a compactor, you don’t want to spend too much time without the wheels spinning.

Three manufacturers dominate the Australian market – Bomag, Tana and Caterpillar. Inside Waste has gathered data on three of their lighter landfill compactors and three heavier units.



LANDFILL COMPACTORS 37

The Heavyweight Champion

The BC 1172 RB-2 refuse compactor defends it title on the larget waste disposal sites.For the highest level of waste disposal site productivity, put the BC 1172 RB-2 in the ring! The combination of higher weight, greater pushing force and a superior wheel cleaning system guarantee the best possible use of valuable disposal site areas. The BC 1172 RB-2 weighs in at 55 tonnes and flattens everything in site. Even with high volumes of waste, it doesn’t “throw in the towel”. Efficient hydrostatic drive reduces fuel consumption, while wire cutters and dual scraper bars keep wheels clean for optimum compaction results. The special oscillating articulated joint keeps all four wheels on the ground for outstanding traction. A sealed belly pan prevents waste from entering the engine compartment. The BC 1172 RB-2 - heavyweight champion of waste disposal sites. Typically Bomag ... Best for Compaction.

• Brisbane 07 3373 6400 • Sydney 02 9780 7200 • Melbourne 03 9554 0300 • Adelaide 08 8262 8292 • Perth 08 9478 0600 • Freecall 1300 65 8888 www.btequipment.com.au A member of Tutt Bryant Group Limited

TanaCaterpillar

TanaCaterpillar

Weight: 26tDimensions: 4,230 x 8,200 x 3,460mmEngine: 179kW, Cummins QSC8.3Top speed: 5km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 442 over two full width drumsBlade movement: 1,200mm above/115mm below ground levelCost: $670,000More: GCM Enviro on (02) 9457 9399

Weight: 23.7t (fully fuelled & operator)Dimensions: 3,800 x 7,850 x 3,330mm (width over drums)Engine: 189kW Cat C9 ACERTTop speed: 10.6km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 20 per wheel (four wheels)Blade movement: Not suppliedCost: Refused to provideMore: WesTrac on (02) 9840 4600 or www.australia.cat.com for other distributor details

Weight: 54tDimensions: 4,230 x 8,200 x 5,000mmEngine: 399kW Cummins QSX15Top speed: 7km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 442 over two full width drumsBlade movement: 1,200mm above/115mm below ground levelCost: $1,200,000More: GCM Enviro on (02) 9457 9399

Weight: 53.7t (fully fuelled & operator)Dimensions: 4,500 x 10,200 x 4,200mm (width over drums)Engine: 372kW Cat C18 ACERTTop speed: 11.4km/hNumber of teeth/cutters: 40 per wheel (new step tip design, four wheels)Blade movement: Not suppliedCost: Refused to provideMore: WesTrac on (02) 9840 4600 or www.australia.cat.com for other distributors.

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E n v i r o n m e n t B u s i n e s s M a g a z i n e

August 2009 issue

Now listing!2009

CONSULTANTSREVIEW

Directory

WME magazine, Australia’s leading environment business magazine, is compiling a directory-style listing of environmental consultants in Australia to provide our readers with a ready reference guide. Published in the August 2009 issue, it will include name, relevant skills and services, size and locations. Each company will

have a separate listing, covering all services nationally.

TO LIST FREE go to www.wme.com.au/magazine and click on the Consultants Review link

Listingdeadline:July 10,

2009



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2009

June 10WMAA NSW Waste Educator's Working Group; Hurstville, Sydney. Details at www.wmaa.asn.au

11The Waste Revolution?; Sydney. Total Environment Centre, Green Capital, ACOR and WMAA. Details at www.greencapital.org.au

13The Great Compost Ball and Cookoff; Compost Australia. Details at www.compostweek.com.au

17The Waste Revolution?; Melbourne. Total Environment Centre, Green Capital, ACOR and WMAA. Details at www.greencapital.org.au

July30-31Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference; Sydney. Details at www.austresourcerecovery.com.au

August26-28Landfill Conference; Hobart Deatils at www.landfill.com.au

September14-18Waste and Recycle Conference; Freemantle. Details at www.wasteandrecycle.com.au

22-24WasteCon 2009; California, USA. Details at www.wastecon.swana.org

October5-9International Waste Management & Landfill Symposium; Italy. Details at www.sardiniasymposium.it 27-30Entsorga-Enteco – the international trade fair for waste management and environmental technology, Cologne, Germany. Details at www.entsorga-enteco.com

November 19-21Orbit 2009 – Biomass and Organic Waste as Sustainable Resources; Beijing, China. Details at www.orbit2009.de

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WASTED SPACE has been banging on for years about ways to raise the public profile of our industry, and finally we’ve nailed it: we need a reality TV show. The revelation came after seeing the stars of Australia’s waste game lined up on SBS TV for the Insight forum. Really, with the talent and passion we’ve got, not to mention the controversy, it’s hard to believe no one has thought of this PR opportunity before.

As usual, the waste game is a bit behind the eight-ball. It seems every other profession has already cottoned on, with lifeguards among the first through Bondi Rescue. We can’t really be too disappointed the television producers thought of them before us – there’s (thankfully) a distinct lack of bikini wearers in our industry, and contaminated bins aren’t quite as dramatic as drownings.

Being trumped by Bondi Vet isn’t a surprise either – if we had a chiselled industry champion like Dr Chris Brown, someone guaranteed to get every red blooded woman (and a few guys) tuning in, then we might have had a shot. No offence colleagues, but it’s a safe bet we can’t compete on the ‘dreamboat’ status – not everyone grew up with fantasies of being or marrying a garbo!

But now all the obvious shows are done, TV producers are starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Really, a show based in Goulburn of all places about the training of police recruits? Who ever would have thought that had any potential when there’s already a string of cop shows dealing with interesting (if not always believable) cases? Good on the NSW police for finding themselves a cheap recruitment advertisement, but it’s time to give lounge lizards something really fresh. The waste industry has it all.

All we need do is piggyback on the success of other reality shows to highlight certain aspects of our capabilities. For starters, everyone loves Top Gear – surely audiences would be just as thrilled by a series of collection vehicle test drives, culminating in testosterone-fuelled, early morning bin collection time trials down urban streets?

We’ve also got the best of CSI. Tracking down killers is only slightly more dramatic than using forensic techniques to work out who contaminated the recycling bin. Door knocking to explain correct waste separation will create as many sparks as any outspoken intruder thrown in to the Big Brother house.

Border Security is still on the air, and if audiences like watching customs officials find and confiscate strange Asian foodstuffs, they’d go gaga for workers searching through bins and picking contamination off a sorting line. People put heaps more interesting stuff in their bins than their suitcases.

There’s also an economic downturn on, so any employer can set up a vicious (and highly entertaining) fight for jobs. Australia’ Next Top Wastie is sure to draw crowds, and could open up the option of international licensing. Winners from around the globe would eventually compete in a final series, modelled after The Apprentice with one person voted off each week, to see who was eventually crowned ‘Lord of the Landfill’.

There’s plenty going on. All we really need now is a good looking host – or perhaps just a lovable wag – and a catchy theme song to really get this concept off the ground. Send your suggestions to editor@insidewaste.

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M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 9

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.com.auPublished by Waste Management and Environment Media Pty LtdPhone: (02) 9817 6400 Fax: (02) 9817 4366 Email: [email protected] Web: www.insidewaste.com.auEditor: Garth Lamb, Managing editor: Richard CollinsAdvertising: Mark Stanley, email: [email protected]

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