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Small businesses to help save the planet Zero Waste SA is participating in a new integrated small business sustainability program that has been launched for small businesses in the north of Adelaide. Called ‘Adelaide’s Sustainable 1000’ (S1K) the program aims to deliver real solutions that will aid small businesses in the fight against global warming, drought and waste. In particular, S1K will focus on the areas of, water, energy, chemical use, transport and general waste and it’s estimated participating businesses will cut their annual operating costs by $500 while reducing their impact on the environment and lowering demand for resources. With Village Green Environmental Solutions doing the face-to-face work, the project is a unique collaboration of State and Local Government which involves: – Zero Waste SA Zero Waste SA Chief Executive, Vaughan Levitzke, said that the agency had contributed $40,000 towards the program. “Our contribution recognises that a collaborative and innovative approach is needed to achieve behavioural change in the challenging area of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste. “Working with small businesses complements Zero Waste SA’s other initiatives in the C&I stream which are targeting larger companies in the manufacturing sector. “Through these initiatives Zero Waste SA is addressing South Australia’s Waste Strategy which calls for a 30% increase in the level of recycling and resource recovery of C&I waste by 2010 and, more importantly, the generation of less waste at source,” Mr Levitzke said. "Often programs like this only feature workshops and once off do-it-yourself paper audits, but we have been looking at a model that works closely with local businesses to bring about a long-term, measurable change," said Mayor of Salisbury, Tony Zappia. Over the coming weeks, local businesses in the north will be encouraged to sign up for the program that will guide them through a process of sustainability assessments, workshops and training to help them identify and reduce their environmental and social impacts. Contact John Blumson, Zero Waste SA for more information,
Zero Waste SA new Business Plan Reaching South Australia’s waste strategy targets are a step closer with the release of Zero Waste SA’s Business Plan for 2007/2008. Chief Executive Vaughan Levitzke said the plan’s release showed continued support for recycling and the municipal waste stream, but was continuing attempts to move towards reduction and avoidance activities and tackling commercial and industrial waste. “We are shifting our focus to new areas such as kitchen organics collection for composting,” Mr Levitzke said. “The 2008 Metropolitan Solid Waste target - 50% of material collected at kerbside is recycled - has been largely achieved,” Mr Levitzke said. “This business plan seeks to encourage local government to embrace food waste collections as required by the 2010 target of 75% of material collected at kerbside is recycled.” Mr Levitzke said the business plan included four new areas of action: – Partnerships with the tertiary sector will form an important plank for the future development of innovative solutions, marketing and behaviour change research as they relate to resource use, consumption, and business. – Investigating how to most effectively increase the level of resource recovery from the commercial and industrial sector including establishment of high performance systems. – Working with the Department of Premier and Cabinet to improve waste management for remote and indigenous communities. – Examining options for recycling by residents in multi-unit dwellings, where waste and recycling facilities are often poor or difficult to use. More than $2 million will be available as financial incentives for regional and metropolitan infrastructure, social enterprises and industry resource efficiency. “Our grants are having an effect, as seen by the remarkable reductions in waste to landfill in previous years,” Mr Levitzke said. “Since 2003-04, we have seen a 10.49% reduction in metropolitan waste disposed to landfill,” Mr Levitzke said. “However, this pace of reduction will become more difficult to sustain in a growing economy - the reductions achieved by improved kerbside recycling collections, for example, are not as easily gained in other areas of waste management. “The effective doubling of the solid waste levy from July 2007 will be an added incentive to reduce waste to landfill – we look forward to a significant effect during this financial year. After a peak in waste to landfill in May and June 07, we are off to a good start to this financial year, as July ’07 has seen the lowest tonnage to metropolitan landfills for the month of July for ten years.” Copies of the business plan are available from the Zero Waste SA website www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au
New $10 million state-of-the-art
One of Australia’s most advanced recycling plants has opened for business in Adelaide. CMA Corporation – one of this country’s largest recycling groups – has invested $10 million in the Wingfield plant which sits on the former ION automotive site on Johansson Road. The plant is operated by Southern Rocycling, a subsidiary of CMA, which has moved from its former home in Pooraka. Southern Rocycling State Manager Wayne Burgess said the seven hectare site featured state-of-the-art recycling technology, including a unique recycling system for fluorescent tubes. “We are the only company in Australasia to be licensed to deal with fluoros,” Mr Burgess said. “We offer a whole solution to the handling and recycling of mercury-bearing waste with the first stage of the process undertaken here in Adelaide, and then completed in Melbourne.” “Currently, only one per cent of fluorescent tubes sold are recycled through our plant. But we’re confident that following recent meetings with the Federal Government, legislation will be introduced making it mandatory for companies and authorities to recycle fluorescent tubes, underlining the importance of our new Wingfield processing plant to the South Australian environmental landscape.” Speaking at the official opening on 14 August, Zero Waste SA Chief Executive Vaughan Levitzke said individual households need to be brought into the recycling loop as well. “We have taken this up nationally and we need to have incentives built in for people to return spent globes to point of sale, and that can probably only be done with Federal Government intervention,” he said.
Oil gone from APY Lands
More than 35,000 litres of used engine oil has been safely removed from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the far north west of South Australia. Zero Waste SA and the Federal Government jointly funded the effort, which saw the oil trucked out of the APY administrative centre of Umuwa for recycling in Adelaide, some 1,400 kilometres away. Most of the oil was from the diesel generators in Umuwa and nearby settlements and had been simply stockpiled in drums for years. The drums were also brought to Adelaide for recycling. “Zero Waste SA became aware of the situation during a review we undertook for the Federal Government, and since then we have been working with the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division of the Department of Premier and Cabinet to find a long term solution,” said Zero Waste SA Project Officer, Erin Henson. While the major stockpile has been removed, a number of smaller stores of used oil still remain in other APY settlements. “Several purpose-built oil storage tanks have now been installed in strategic locations and these remaining drums are being emptied into them, which removes the threat of leakage,” Erin said. “The next step is to introduce a system which will see the tanks regularly emptied and the oil recycled, and that is something we continue to work on with the Department of Premier and Cabinet.” As part of its work in the APY Lands, Zero Waste SA is also assisting in the development of a Waste Management Plan for the area and helping to introduce a Tidy Towns initiative with KESAB environmental solutions.
Major results for construction
Thanks to a concerted on-site recycling effort, Adelaide builders are reaping significant cost savings and greatly reducing the amount of building waste heading to landfill. KESAB’s Clean Site program, which Zero Waste SA has funded for several years, has been working closely with a number of major builders to promote the financial, environmental and social benefits of recycling. “At a Bianco site in Gepps Cross, Tagara Construction have recycled 82% of their building waste which is more than 100 tonnes of gyprock, concrete, steel, cardboard, timber and plastic which has been diverted from the waste stream,” said Dick Olesinski, KESAB’s Clean Site program coordinator. In another example of on-site recycling, developer Hines Property recently told Adelaide’s Advertiser newspaper it believes it will be able to recycle 98% (by weight) of the old RAA building which has just been demolished in the city. “It works financially because it costs less for the builders to recycle this material than to send it to landfill. For example, it costs $25 a tonne to recycle gyprock but $65 a tonne to put it in landfill. The savings really add up,” Dick said. Reducing waste from building sites is a major issue. Building waste – either from construction or demolition – accounts for about 40% of all material sent to landfill. “On average, there are five or six tonnes of material discarded from every domestic building site,” Dick said. “It has taken a little while but, in general, the building industry now accepts it has a responsibility to help reduce its waste footprint, so the concepts of recycling, reusing and reducing are really taking hold.” The benefits are not only environmental and economic. “A lot of the builders who are now recycling are also generating a social benefit as well, giving them a full triple-bottom-line result.” Dick said. “For example, recyclers will pay for scrap steel and many builders are donating this income to good causes like helping disadvantaged families or supporting the Scouts. Everyone wins.”
New Board members for Zero Waste SA Environment and Conservation Minister, Gail Gago has announced the appointment of five new members to the Board of Zero Waste SA. The new Directors bring with them a wealth of practical experience to help oversee the organisation’s ambitious program of activities which involve local government, industry and the community. The new Board members are: Megan Dyson – an EPA Board member with skills in environmental sustainability, conservation and protection. Anne Harvey – experienced in economic, financial and risk management and has had senior roles in the Department for Environment and Heritage, and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Cheryl Christine Hill – an Executive Committee member of the Conservation Council of South Australia. Ros DeGaris – the Group Sustainability Manager of Adelaide Brighton Ltd. Tom Spirat – the Group Manager Infrastructure Services at the Corporation of the City of Whyalla and a member of the LGA Waste Committee. The new members will join four existing members who have been re-appointed for a second term: Allan Holmes (Chair) – Chief Executive, Department for Environment and Heritage. Lachlan Jeffries – Managing Director of the Jeffries Group. Jeff Tate – Chief Executive of the City of Onkaparinga. Vaughan Levitzke – Chief Executive of Zero Waste SA.
Giant collection nets 32 tonnes It was possibly South Australia’s largest public hazardous waste collection, and it was a huge success. On August 18, more than 1,000 cars visited the Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre in North Plympton with drivers leaving behind 32 tonnes of hazardous material. The collection was a joint initiative of Zero Waste SA and the West Torrens, Holdfast Bay and Marion City councils. Colleen Dobson, Zero Waste’s Program Manager for Hazardous Waste, said the careful preparation certainly paid off. “It was a tremendously successful event and congratulations must go to the staff of the Cities of West Torrens, Marion and Holdfast Bay, Solo Resource Recovery and our waste management contractors Transpacific Technical Services,” Colleen said. “Despite the large number of people who took part, cars were in and out in just three to four minutes which is the result of great teamwork from everyone involved on the day”. Of the 32.5 tonnes of unwanted materials taken to the collection site, the most common items were paint, waste oil and lead acid batteries. Flammable liquids, corrosives, pesticides, fertilisers and pharmaceuticals were also well represented. All hazardous material was removed from the collection site within one working day. Zero Waste, working in conjunction with local councils, has another seven hazardous waste collections planned for 2007. These are taking place in the following areas: • Kingston District Council For full details, including information on what will be collected and the best way to transport it, please visit www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/prog_house.php
Better soils from backyard waste Backyard green waste recycled by householders could well become a frontline weapon in the battle against soil-borne diseases. Each year in South Australia, more than 180,000 cubic metres of green waste collected from kerbside green bins is turned into compost. This not only reduces the amount of waste going to landfill, the compost reduces water use and improves soil structure. And now, scientists at the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI) are investigating the use of compost as a natural weapon against numerous soil-borne diseases which are afflicting crops grown by market gardeners. Researchers Matthew Ayres and Ross Ballard are involved in the three-year project funded by Zero Waste SA ($150,000), Landcare ($150,000) and the compost industry ($150,000). SA market gardeners have been struggling to deal with root rot diseases since the fumigant methyl bromide was banned, with some even turning to hydroponics to grow their vegetable crops. Trials already conducted by SARDI have demonstrated that significant suppression of plant root disease is possible by incorporating compost into the soil. A further benefit may be the reduced reliance on chemical disease control measures. “We aim to identify the composts that contribute most to disease suppression, identify the specific microbes involved and find ways to use those organisms to make the composts work more effectively,” Matthew said SARDI is working with Virginia market gardeners in trials initially involving tomatoes, capsicums and cucumbers.
SA on par with kitchen waste recycling South Australia is on par with Europe when it comes to the recycling of organic kitchen waste. That was one of the messages brought to Adelaide recently by Kit Strange, the editor of the international journal on sustainable waste management, the Warmer Bulletin. The Englishman is also the Director of the Resource Recovery Forum, a not-for-profit international association of more than 300 member organisations worldwide. As outlined in its new business plan (see story this newsletter) Zero Waste SA is focusing on the collection of kitchen organics for composting. The 2008 Metropolitan Solid Waste target of recycling 50% of material collected at kerbside has been largely achieved, so Zero Waste SA is now encouraging local government to embrace the 2010 target of 75%. As an expert in this area, Kit spoke at a breakfast organised by Compost SA and then conducted a workshop with members of Zero Waste SA, which sponsored his trip. “It was a very worthwhile exercise,” said Steven Marshall, the previous Chairman of Compost SA, who arranged the visit. “There were almost 40 people at the breakfast representing a tremendous cross section of organisations involved in waste management.” Kit praised the food waste recycling trial conducted recently by the Burnside Council, and said 17 similar trials were now underway in the United Kingdom. The trials have been designed to identify best practice and spot any potential barriers to implementation, and some interesting information has already surfaced. The audience heard people prefer food waste recycling systems which involved bin liners – either paper or biodegradable plastic bags – to keep the bins clean, reduce odours and avoid spillage. However, as Kit pointed out, these would need to be distributed and would increase the cost of any recycling scheme. The trials have also uncovered a degree of initial public unease with suggestions that the introduction of kitchen waste recycling would see the collection of non-recyclable waste changed from a weekly to a fortnightly cycle. Kit also highlighted some fresh thinking in Europe – with authorities in Flanders giving households two or three live chickens to simply eat kitchen scraps! In Europe, just like Australia, food waste makes up a large percentage of the total domestic waste stream. Research has found almost seven million tonnes of food is discarded every year in Britain – which is approximately one third of all the food purchased.
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| Zero Waste SA new Business Plan Reaching South Australia’s waste strategy targets are a step closer with the release of Zero Waste SA’s Business Plan for 2007/2008. |
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Oil gone from APY Lands |
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| Inside this issue | ||
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| Small business to help save the planet |
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| New $10 million state-of-the-art recycling plant for Adelaide | ||
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| Major results for construction site recycling |
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| New Board members for Zero Waste SA |
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| Giant collection nets 32 tonnes of hazardous waste |
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| Better soils from backyard waste | ||
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| SA on par with kitchen waste recycling | ||
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