Footpath trial of recycled plastics in Lake Macquarie

Lake Macquarie City Council has used glass sand and recycled plastics on 30 metres of footpath as part of a project trialing the use of environmentally sustainable material.

‘Greencrete’ contains crushed glass sand and polypropylene strips made from 100 per cent recycled plastic which helps reinforce the concrete in place of steel mesh.

Manager of Lake Macquarie Asset Management Helen Plummer said 50 per cent of the fine aggregate used in the concrete was manufactured with glass sand rather than virgin material.

More than 5000 tonnes of glass is collected from Lake Macquarie homes each year, with a portion being sent to a Central Coast processing plant where it is washed and crushed into sand.

“We conducted extensive testing on the concrete prior to it being poured and it is a case of so far, so good.

“We will continue to monitor the footpath in coming months to see how it holds up to everyday wear and tear, and whether it cracks or wears differently to normal concrete,” Ms Plummer said.

Lake Macquarie council began trialling the use of recycled glass sand in civil works projects last June using the material in underground drainage pits.

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NSW Labor’s waste election pledges

New South Wales Labor leader Michael Daley has announced that if elected his government will ban single-use plastic bags and invest $140 million into local recycling initiatives.

Mr Daley said the NSW waste system is struggling to keep up with rapidly declining sites for landfill, China’s National Sword policy and a collapsing market for recycled material.

NSW is the second highest per capita waste producer in the world with every person in the state generating an average of two tonnes of waste each year.

Mr Daley said that within the first 100 days of taking office Labor would introduce legislation to ban plastic bags as part of a longterm plan to phase out single-use plastic.

The proposed $140 million Circular Economy and Job Creation Investment Fund aims to support the resource recovery and recycling industry by investing in recycling and processing facilities, increasing community-based waste reduction and providing seed funding for innovative solutions for dealing with waste.

Mr Daley said the fund would use unallocated waste levy revenue to support recycling and environmental programs.

Labor also plan to establish a recycling, resource recovery and waste council comprised of key industry stakeholders that will provide advice to the Environment Minister.

“It is a fact that recycling waste generates more jobs than sending waste to landfill, Labor’s war on waste will seize this opportunity and at the same time reduce waste and pollution. It’s a win-win,” he said.

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Sealing the deal

Select Civil’s Renaud Chauvet explains the key service capabilities private waste management organisations such as SUEZ have looked for when using a specialist waste services provider. 
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aora conference

AORA to host annual conference

The Australian Organics Recycling Association will hold its annual conference on the 1 to 3 of May at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth.

Well established as a principal conference for the Australian recycled organics industry, the event will feature speeches and panel discussions that examine policy, practices, technology and equipment relevant to the industry.

The event aims to explore the renew and regenerate principal, paying specific attention to end-product and its soil regeneration applications.

Keynote addresses will be delivered by two international guests, University of Washington research professor Sally Brown and Italian Composting and Biogas Association senior expert Marco Ricci.

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Stack Exchange

As a specialist in containerised cargo, Sydney Sideloaders, keeps a hectic schedule working on the waterfront of one of the busiest ports in the world. To ensure its fleet of prime movers is revitalised and raring to go six days a week the company invests in the Agility Program from Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

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$57M awarded to assist waste recovery for bushfire affected communities

CFA awards Veolia water treatment contract

Veolia Australia and New Zealand has been awarded a design, construct, operate and maintain contract with Country Fire Authority (CFA), Victoria for water treatment.

Veolia, with construction partner Filtec, will take 18 months to commission Water Management Systems (WMS) at seven CFA Victorian Emergency Management Training Centres across regional Victoria.

Following construction completion, Veolia will then operate and maintain all seven facilities for an initial three-year period.

The water treatment systems will treat water to potable water quality and includes the treatment of any legacy poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Veolia Australia and New Zealand General Manager – Industrial Services John Baranauskas said that the company is excited to partner with CFA to deliver water treatment solutions that allow for water to be reused.

“As a leader in the identification, removal and treatment of hazardous waste materials including chemicals, we will ensure that the CFA are able to operate their training activities without risk to the environment and the community,” Mr Baranauskas said.

The project is being delivered by Veolia’s Remediation Services, Industrial Services and Engineering teams.

Photo credit: Country Fire Authority. Image taken at the Bangholme Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre.

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Laverton North site regains compliance

An inspection of a major Melbourne recycling company by EPA Victoria officers in March has determined the company has met the conditions of the notice served on them and is now able to resume accepting recyclable waste materials at its Laverton North site.

The Coolaroo site remains non-compliant and will not be able to accept recycling waste until compliance has been confirmed by the EPA.

On 15 February 2019 EPA alleged the company was not in compliance with the Victorian Waste Management Policy(Combustible Recyclable and Waste Materials) and issued them with a remedial notice which required them to cease accepting recyclable waste materials at their Laverton North and Coolaroo sites.

EPA CEO Dr Cathy Wilkinson said that in the event of a fire at either site, large amounts of plastic materials could likely generate significant community impacts from smoke and that the recycling industry had had ample time to become compliant with the policy.

The Melbourne company requested the inspection following improvements at their Laverton North site’s outdoor storage which has seen a reduction in stockpiled waste and increased separation distances as required by the policy.

“The closure of the sites was a decision taken to protect the community from the risk of a major fire. EPA will not allow a repeat of the 2017 Coolaroo fire,” Dr Wilkinson said.

“The company has demonstrated that it has met the conditions outlined in our notices and is again compliant. However, EPA will continue to inspect the Laverton site to ensure it remains compliant with the outdoor storage requirements.

“The community expectation is that the company will now maintain compliance and be able to provide a valuable service to Victorians. The message should be clear, EPA is vigilant. Safety and security cannot allowed to be compromised.”

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Veolia to commence O&M on Australia’s first thermal WtE facility in 2021

Construction has begun on a thermal waste-to-energy facility in Kwinana, WA that will be operated and maintained by Veolia Australia and New Zealand post-construction for 25 years.

Avertas Energy has been named the supplier and will contribute to landfill reduction by processing 400,000 tonnes of waste, equivalent to one quarter of Perth’s post-recycling rubbish. Diverting this waste from landfill will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to taking 85,000 cars off Perth’s roads.

In addition, Avertas Energy will generate and export 36 megawatts of green electricity to the local grid per year, sufficient to power more than 50,000 households. Scheduled to open in 2021, Avertas Energy already has 20-year waste supply agreements in place with Rivers Regional Council and the City of Kwinana, playing a role in supporting those local governments’ waste management strategies. As the preferred supplier of baseload renewable energy, Avertas Energy will also be supporting the green energy needs of the Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA) and its members.

Avertas Energy is implementing moving grate technology which is used in approximately 2000 facilities globally. Waste managed by Avertas Energy will result in recovery of metallic materials that will be recycled and by-products that will be reused as construction materials.

WA Premier Mark McGowan joined Macquarie Capital and Phoenix Every Australia representatives to ‘turn the sod’ at a ceremony last Friday.

“Having the country’s first thermal waste-to-energy facility built in Western Australia demonstrates confidence in our economy and shows WA has the capacity to be at the forefront of new technologies for waste management,” he said.

The plant will generate more than 800 jobs during construction and 60 positions once fully operational.

Funding for the project has been provided by Macquarie Capital, Dutch Infrastructure Fund, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a range of financial institutions.

Federal Government Environment Minister Melissa Price said the government was pleased to support this project with a $23 million grant and up to $90 million in debt finance.

Avartas Energy CEO Frank Smith said the facility represents a significant opportunity to reduce pressure on landfill capacity and create a new and reliable source of green power.

Acciona Geotech Managing Director Bede Noonan said the company anticipates this project will contribute to the development of specialist skills in the Western Australian construction industry, creating local opportunities for subcontractors.

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