The National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) has this month delivered a new report to the Federal Government recommending national performance standards for recycled material processing facilities.
NWRIC and environmental consultancy firm MRA Consulting have published the National Recovered Material Specifications for Sorting and Processing Facilities, which recommends performance standards for sorting and processing facilities handling glass, plastics, metals, paper and cardboard, and organics.
Rick Ralph, NWRIC Chief Executive Officer, said several affordable and straightforward measures could be adopted to substantially increase resource recovery rates and better meet end user demand.
“While both minimum and best practice standards are essential, best practice specifications are key to driving resource recovery rates and increasing the quality and commercial value of resources, and should be used wherever possible,” he said.
The report has recommended 49 existing sorting and processing specifications for each material type and stage of the recovery process, as well as indicative timeframes, responsibilities and practical steps to achieve them.
“Change doesn’t mean an overhaul though,” Ralph said. “We can achieve this while also ensuring steps are practical to implement, commercially sound, deliver added value back to the resource recovery chain, actually increase resource recovery, and can also adapt to changing technology and market conditions.”
The report includes proposals for best practice specifications where minimum specifications already exist, amendments to others, and seven new specifications including those for glass fines, liquid paperboard bale, shredded mixed flexible plastic, advanced recycled feedstock, advanced recycling output and pulp.
“Importantly, the report identifies a number of actions, including packaging design, what is accepted in yellow bins and an expansion of container deposit schemes that can significantly improve the quality and quantity of resources recovered,” Ralph said.
The report also recommends the development of a free online portal to provide sorters, processors and end users with a single point of access to all relevant recovered material specifications.
“The quality of the resource recovery value chain dictates negotiations between individual seller-buyer contracts,” Ralph said. “These specifications are about increasing the value and volume of recovered resources and making it easier for sorters and processors to produce high quality recycled outputs.”
For more information, visit: nwric.com.au
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