ISCA sorts waste asset trash from treasure

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s IS rating system has historically been used to measure sustainability outcomes in the roads and transport sectors. As traction continues to increase, discussions with the waste industry have opened.

Since 2012, infrastructure leaders across the nation have measured their performance in sustainability through a comprehensive rating system.

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) IS rating scheme evaluates sustainability across the design, construction and operation of infrastructure. The IS rating scheme measures sustainability across a range of areas, such as governance, the economy and the environment. The methodology covers different infrastructure types, including transport, water, energy, communication, open space assets and waste.

ISCA Manager Business & Technical Services Ainsley Simpson says ISCA was formed in 2008 by a committed and represented group from the infrastructure industry, that affirmed the need for an independent sustainability assurance body for infrastructure.

“It’s always been member-based, industry-led and industry compiled,” Ainsley says.

By 2010, ISCA received funding from the federal government and various state authorities for the development of v1.0 of its IS rating scheme. Statutory authorities such as Main Roads WA have since mandated the voluntary scheme for projects over $100 million, finding sustainable ways to build road infrastructure.

Ainsley says Main Roads WA engaged their supply chain to achieve sustainable outcomes in the delivery of the Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project which was completed ahead of schedule and under budget in 2016.

She says ISCA is exploring opportunities to benchmark waste sector assets in the same way.

ISCA is speaking with council asset managers, sustainability of officers and general managers to adopt the scheme into their operations.

“We are in discussions with various segments of the waste sector, with some assets at the design stage while others are fully operational facilities,” Ainsley notes.

“The waste sector hasn’t been as engaged as the transport sector with us over the past ve years. In May 2016, we launched IS v1.2 which included special provisions for smaller assets, which could be anything less than $20 million.

“Since then, we’ve started working more with local councils, and obviously they’re at the forefront of waste management. There is some interest in getting local councils and waste operators in the mix, so that they can make a more transparent commitment to sustainability.”

To read more, see page 38 of Issue 11. 

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