Container deposit system to be world best South Australia’s highly robust container deposit (CD) system could soon be setting the standard for the rest of the world. This follows a successful fact finding mission to the U.S. and Canada by a group of leading figures in the SA and WA recycling industry. New and established CD systems were examined along with a number of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, which would ensure producers take more responsibility for managing the environmental impact of their products. “When we examined the CD systems we found that overall ours compares very well indeed,” said Zero Waste SA Chief Executive Vaughan Levitzke. “However, we did see several good ideas which could lift our already excellent system to something which would be world best.” Among the improvements: - Allowing returned goods to be weighed and not counted, saving time and labour - Advertising the CD system to increase returns - Introducing on-line auditing to automatically record the number of items returned The group also gained a number of insights which will help develop Australia’s first EPR scheme.

Reverse vending machines at Reynolds Recycling in Hawaii - one of the ideas seen during the study trip. “Washington State has developed model legislation which will be watched closely throughout the US,” Mr Levitzke said. “While British Columbia and California have schemes that have been running for a while.” These EPR systems focus on computer and other electronic wastes, as well as tyres, pharmaceuticals and hazardous household materials.  “We examined the legislative models and talked to industry to identify the good and the bad,” Mr Levitzke said. Australia’s Commonwealth, State and Territory governments are currently investigating the introduction of national Product Stewardship standards. “The information we collected will be fed into that process and there’s no doubt it will assist,” Mr Levitzke said. “In terms of both CD and EPR the study trip was very worthwhile.”

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Collecting food waste
makes financial sense

Collecting domestic food waste as part of the existing green organic recycling system could save many councils money and divert significantly more waste from landfill.

Those are the major conclusions reached by John Comrie of J.A.C. Comrie Pty Ltd, who is investigating the costings of such a domestic food waste scheme for Zero Waste SA.

Presenting his findings to more than 150 delegates at the recent Waste Pathways Forum held in Adelaide, Mr Comrie showed council costs would actually be lowered if collection periods were adjusted appropriately to best suit the altered waste profile.

Using the existing three bin system, domestic waste and green organics would be co-collected fortnightly.

Collection of the residual waste, which would be significantly reduced with the removal of domestic food, would also occur every two weeks.

For councils with an existing fortnightly green organics collection rota, it was estimated savings could be in excess of $4.00 per household per annum, taking into account reduced collection costs and lower landfill charges.

Furthermore, he estimated that under such a system waste diverted from landfill would increase from the current level of 55% to some 77%.

Such collection systems have been successfully trialled by a number of organisations, with Mr Comrie suggesting the model devised by Burnside Council - involving the provision of corn starch bags along with open windrow composting - was well worth pursuing.

Mr Comrie, who has more than 20 years of relevant local government experience, made it clear to the delegates that the conclusions were his own as the full report had not yet been finalised and presented to Zero Waste SA.

The forum - Waste Pathways: Outlook 2007 – was jointly sponsored by Zero Waste SA and the Local Government Association

(SA). All the papers presented at the Waste Pathways: Outlook 2007 forum can be downloaded from http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=267

For more information, please contact Fiona Jenkins at Zero Waste SA.

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Waste levy update

Zero Waste SA has begun reviewing the submissions made in response to Hyder Consulting’s discussion paper on South Australia’s Solid Waste Levy.

A total of 38 submissions were received from private industry, local government, regional waste management authorities, charitable organisations, landfill operators, recyclers and composters as well as the State Government. Two national organisations also responded to the paper – the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations and the Australian Council of Recyclers.

The discussion paper outlines a number of options to make the levy more effective in reducing waste, taking into account metropolitan and regional differences, different types of waste and the point at which the levy is applied. The paper also discusses timeframes for any future levy increases.

The submissions, together with the findings from the Hyder review, will be used to guide the Government’s decision-making in relation to the levy.

The levy supports the South Australia’s Strategic Plan target of a 25% reduction of waste going to landfill by 2014, by enabling the government to provide grants and incentives to improve waste management.

The levy will increase by $10m from 1 July 2007.

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Campaign to clean our green waste

A community information campaign is being developed to reduce the amount of contaminated material placed in garden waste bins.

The campaign aims to educate householders with kerbside garden organics collection about why it is important to recycle correctly, and what should and should not be placed in their green organics bins.

South Australians are diverting a significant volume of green organics from landfill. However, non biodegradable contaminants found in green organics, such as plastic, glass pieces/chards and syringes, are becoming a major problem for the sustainability of the industry.

The most efficient and cost effective management approach is to avoid or minimise this contamination by helping to make sure householders are putting their waste into the correct bin.

The campaign – which includes market research, generic bin stickers, an educational flyer and a media program – is being developed by Zero Waste SA with the assistance of the Organics Contamination Working Group which includes councils, collectors and processors, and commercial end users.

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Industry sustainability – a bigger picture

What is the most effective way to increase the level of resource recovery and reuse from the commercial and industrial sectors?

That is a question Zero Waste SA is now trying to answer, to achieve the SA Waste Strategy target of a 30% increase by 2010.

Currently Zero Waste SA is encouraging the adoption of waste reduction and sustainability practices by SA businesses across water, energy and transport use, among others.

At the same time, the Pilot Resource Efficiency Industry program is providing funding assistance to businesses from different industry sectors to participate in a resource audit program.

Zero Waste SA is currently examining a rating system for manufacturing and commerce. The system has attracted support from the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, the Queensland and Victorian EPAs, and The Australian Industry Group.

In the past, the message and tools available to assist industry to move towards sustainable performance have been confusing. Programs such as EMS, product stewardship, cleaner production, lean manufacturing, full cost accounting and factor 4 have resulted in many companies taking fragmented action instead of a more strategic approach.

The system now being examined would be based on a 5-star rating system for all business sectors, and would include measurement and benchmarking for sustainable performance.

Company processes would achieve a star rating by earning points through the adoption of waste, water and energy savings, product stewardship, green purchasing, supply chain engagement and environmental reporting.

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Compost Guru visits Adelaide An Adelaide workshop run by compost guru Edwin Blosser has been hailed a great success - and a very valuable step in the drive for quality improvement in the compost manufacturing sector. Edwin is the man behind America’s Mid West Bio-Systems, which is the acknowledged world leader in the manufacture of high value humified compost. With colleague Elmer Ullrich, Edwin recently spent two days in Adelaide. The first was spent visiting composting sites ahead of the workshop on the following day. More than 40 participants attended the workshop, representing a wide variety of organisations from throughout SA, Queensland, NSW and WA.

Pictured above: Michael Eyres (Australian Soil Planners), Peter Wadewitz (Peat's Soil and Chairman Compost Australia) and Rhonda Daly (YLAD).  Participants learnt about the importance and value of manufacturing a humified compost, and also received practical information on how this high quality product could be manufactured in SA. Edwin's visit was kindly facilitated by Rhonda Daly from YLAD - Living Soils based at Young in NSW, and Michael Eyres from Australian Soil Planners in Adelaide. Zero Waste SA was the major sponsor for the visit.

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Green office fit-out on TV

Sustainability is going to be the focus when the ever-popular television show Building Ideas opens its new season on the 5th of May.

The very first story will feature Zero Waste SA’s award-winning green office fit-out, and will highlight how various aspects of the work can be applied to existing workplaces and homes to save resources and reduce running costs.

“Building Ideas is one of South Australia’s most popular local shows and as it’s produced by the Master Builders Association it’s a perfect vehicle for us to speak to people about these issues,” said Zero Waste SA’s Chief Executive Vaughan Levitzke.

“What we have done in this fit-out is well worth talking about because it’s a low energy-star-rated building,” Mr Levitzke said.

“Retro-fitting older buildings is becoming increasingly important as tenants demand building owners incorporate sustainability features to make the buildings more competitive in the rental market as not everyone will be able to afford to move in to a new 5-star rated building.”

Demonstrating the quality of the project, the Zero Waste SA fit-out was short-listed at this year’s national Interior Design Awards for Environmentally Sustainable Design as well as Corporate Interior Design.

For more information about the fit-out visit http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au and click on the link “Greening of Zero Waste SA”.

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Grants incentive evaluation

Zero Waste SA’s grant assessment and selection processes have been found to be robust, transparent and equitable.

The Molino Stewart organisation, which is still completing its full evaluation of Zero Waste SA’s grant and incentive programs, made its finding based on strict evaluation criteria, a series of interviews and the existence of appropriate mechanisms such as a two-stage assessment process and strict use of the ‘conflict of interest’ protocol.

Furthermore, Zero Waste SA’s grant and incentive programs have been found to be compliant with the ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) better practice grant administration guidelines. The assessment and selection process was found to be particularly robust.

However, in line with best practice, Zero Waste SA will be improving its risk management plans as well as its evaluation plans for future grant and incentive programs. There will also be a review of the reporting template for grant and incentive projects not yet completed. This will ensure consistent data reporting and the collection of relevant information to gauge the effectiveness of programs.

Molino Stewart was contracted to:

- review the effectiveness of each grant and incentive program against set criteria, including the amount of waste diverted, investment per tonne of waste diverted, project targets and improvement in efficiencies

- review the process for grant application and assessment against best practice grant administration in Australia

- provide recommendations for improvements in programs, including performance reporting measures and application process.

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Sneak preview Here’s a quick look inside Regional Recyclers new high quality materials recovery and sorting equipment facility at Amcor’s new site at Wingfield. Zero Waste SA provided $250,000 to help establish the plant.

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Compost Guru
The man behind America’s Mid West Bio-Systems.

Collecting food waste makes financial sense