June 2017

War on Waste ‘not 100 per cent accurate’

Paper cup manufacturers are fighting back against a program aired Tuesday on ABC that claimed 100 per cent of coffee cups are ending up in landfill, and that the only alternative is reusable cups.

War on Waste, an ABC series hosted by The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel, that aired this past Wednesday 31 May, saw Craig fill a tram full of take-away coffee cups, and announce that of the 1 billion coffee cups used in Australia every year, every one of them ends up in landfill.

Biopak Founder and Director Richard Fine told BeanScene he was interviewed by Craig, and informed him that several councils were recycling paper cups. He provided the list to BeanScene, which shows dozens of councils that confirm they did recycle paper coffee cup.

“The facts presented in the War on Waste Episode last night were unfortunately not 100 per cent accurate as paper cups including BioCups are accepted in the paper recycling stream in many councils,” he said.

BeanScene Magazine has spoken with a publicist from the ABC to confirm why this information wasn’t included in the program. The publicist sent its enquiry through to production company Keo Films who hasn’t yet responded to our enquiry.

The real challenge with recycling paper cups, Richard told BeanScene, is not that paper cups can’t be recycled, but more that several leading recycling companies are simply refusing to do it. Richard nevertheless welcomed the media attention to put pressure on recycling companies to make the effort to recycle paper cups.

“The bioplastic lining on BioCup actually dissolves during the repulping process and is easier to recycle compared to PE-coated cups,” he said.

The O’Kelly Group also provides 100 per cent compostable cups, and will need to work with recyclers and councils to ensure the cups are recycled.

According to Biopak, paper coffee cups account for only 0.5 per cent of the 3.2 million tons of paper consumed in Australia every year. Currently Australians send around 1.7 million tons of recyclable paper to landfill, this includes 12,000 tons of coffee cups.

“Compare Australia’s current 45 per cent paper recycling rate to some countries achieving a 75 per cent rate and it’s clear to see we have a problem that is bigger than coffee cups,” Mr Fine said.

Back in May, Trish Hyde, Australian Packaging Covenant Chief Executive Officer laid out some of the challenges of recycling coffee cups.

“The community is currently receiving many mixed messages about whether their coffee cup can be recycled or not,” Ms Hyde said.

“Because the actual cup is made from paperboard with a plastic lining, typically polyethylene, there was concern that this mixed material presents issues for recycling facilities.

“Our members include material recovery and recycling facilities. Through the working group, we resolved that coffee cups can be recycled. However, we also know that there is more work to do to ensure that recyclers receive fair value in recycling this material,” Ms Hyde said.

The list of councils accepting paper cups was recently verified by Planet Ark and The Australian Packaging Covenant.

This article originally appeared on BeanScene Magazine.

End of life tyres

Australia’s first biofuels pilot plant launches

The Premier of Queensland and Minister for the Arts have officially opened Australia’s first biofuels pilot plant in Gladstone.

The $18 million Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant (NOABPP) was opened just 14 months after the project was announced by the Premier.

The NOABPP is a joint venture between Southern Oil and J.J. Richards & Sons, on the site of their Northern Oil Refinery, and brings together five technologies from around the world to produce biocrude and renewable fuels from waste.

Southern Oil Managing Director Tim Rose said that, together with a $5.3 million biocrude and biofuel laboratory which opened on site last December, the NOABPP was a game changer for Queensland and would be a significant economic and employment contributor to the region.

“Over the next three years, this pilot plant aims to produce one million litres of fuel for use in field trials by the US navy as part of its Great Green Fleet initiative, by the Australian Defence Force for the navy, by Australian heavy road transport operators, and for the Australian agricultural and aviation sectors,” Mr Rose said.

“But we don’t intend to stop there; this is the next step towards a $150 million, commercial-scale biofuels plant that will produce in excess of 200 million litres of advanced biofuel annually – a project that has the potential to create hundreds of jobs and new industries across regional Australia.”

Mr Rose said that the pilot plant would trial and process a wide range of “waste” products to covert into renewable fuels over coming months.

“The rubber is literally hitting the road in Gladstone with used mining and passenger tyres some of the first waste streams to be trailed,” he said.

Other waste streams to be tested include plastics, wood waste, Prickly Acacia, sugar cane trash and bagasse, urban and a variety of agricultural green waste including macadamia shells.

AgForce Queensland CEO Charles Burke said he strongly supported the opportunities the biofuels pilot plant may provide for primary producers.

“I am excited at the prospects the agricultural sector may have as an important contributor in the supply chain, turning waste into a biocrude,” Mr Burke said.

“Using everyday waste from normal agricultural production and value adding it as a renewable feedstock will potentially allow a secondary income stream for regional Queensland which is great for primary producers and great for the state.

“We are also very pleased to see that Prickly Acacia, a declared pest of national significance, is a potential feedstock for the biofuels industry.”

Independent reviews suggest that the agricultural sector might become the single largest source of waste feedstock for the Queensland renewable fuels industry.

Federal Government announces $1.2 million food waste package

The Federal Government has announced a $1.2 million program to tackle food rescue and food waste reduction.

The Food Rescue Charities Program will see funds directed to help charity organisations reduce their energy costs by switching to renewable energy, increasing their capacity to rescue and store more food and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of food ending up in landfill.

The funding will support a range of small scale energy efficiency projects such as more efficient refrigeration systems, renewable energy generation and storage to cut down on energy costs and expanding freezer storage capacity so more food can be rescued.

The Federal Government estimates food waste costs the Australian economy $20 billion a year and the government is working to reduce this  by 50 per cent by 2030.

Every year around three million tonnes of food is wasted from the commercial and industrial sector, costing $10.5 billion in waste disposal charges and lost product. Meanwhile, charities and community groups are turning away more than 43,000 people seeking assistance every month.

The Food Rescue Charities Program will support:

  •   Secondbite with $86,416 for its Environmental Improvements Program to enlarge its freezer storage capacity of rescued food and to add a refrigerated vehicle to its operation to increase the supply of rescued food
  •   FareShare with $154,641 for its Powering Three Million Cooked Meals for Australian Charities program by installing solar systems to reduce energy costs and to add a refrigerated van to its operation to increase supply of rescued food
  •   Oz Harvest Limited with $272,233 to for its Oz Harvest Food Rescue Program national vehicle fleet and food storage refrigeration systems project to expand its fleet of refrigerated vehicles and refrigeration systems to increase food rescue and supply through its programs in Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland
  •   Foodbank Australia Limited with $272,727 to install solar systems to reduce energy costs at its distribution centres in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia

     

Blacktown City Council parades charity trucks

Western Sydney’s Blacktown City Council has paraded six special edition Dennis Eagle waste collection trucks at the Blacktown Festival at the end of May.

Each vehicle was outfitted with a unique charity‐aligned design to raise awareness for the Amy Gillett Foundation, the Black Dog Institute, Keep NSW Beautiful, Cancer Council NSW, Diabetes NSW & ACT and Redkite.

Penske Commercial Vehicles partnered with its local dealer in Sydney to deliver the six trucks to the council.

The company said the six Dennis Eagle ‘Elite 2’ trucks included unprecedented safety and driver comfort features.

With single low‐step entry, compact wheel base, stand‐up walk‐through cab, disc brakes on all wheels, a solid mirror package, low window lines and strong visibility, public safety has been at the forefront of the product’s design.

The fleet features modern ergonomic interiors with a number of comfort attributes to keep operators performing in the demanding refuse collection application and has been customised for the council’s requirements.

Penske Commercial Vehicles’ General Manager – Sales, Mark Mello, said the success of the initial truck supplied to the council laid the foundation for the subsequent delivery.

“The feedback we received about the first truck delivered to the Blacktown City Council was very positive, and that gave us an opportunity to work with our Sydney dealer on the supply of these six units,” Mr Mello said.

“The council serves a huge resident base making truck attributes such as fuel efficiency, driver comfort and driver safety paramount.

“The Elite 2 range has led the way in the waste collection market with state‐of‐the‐art features, an ongoing improvement process and partnerships with body suppliers that have all resulted in a fantastic overall package that delivers outstanding performance in the urban environment.

“Both Penske Commercial Vehicles and our Sydney dealer have worked with the council over a few years now to provide the best value for money and low whole‐of‐life costs to the people of Blacktown, as well as supporting this council initiative promoting such important charities in the community.”