By: Regional Infrastructure Projects Coordinator, Steven Cosatto...
Conference presentations fell into four categories. Delegates were provided with:
1) An update on and future direction of the Queensland Waste Strategy by the Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Steven Miles, and EHP representatives.
2) A current snap shot of Queensland’s waste in comparison to other councils, regions, states and countries.
3) Innovative ideas to achieve the greatest value for money with current waste streams.
These presentations formed the bulk of the conference and included topics such as:
- How to achieve a circular economy in regional locations
- Alternatives to landfill for regional and small scale applications
- Landfill design, operations and compliance for regional locations
- Waste management in regional locations
- Regional collaboration (including Amanda Hancock's “Taming the Junkyard Dog” presentation on FNQROC’s collective scrap metal arrangement) and
- Financial considerations
4) The future of waste.
Being mindful of not favouring one presentation over another (particularly from industry) below are some items which struck a chord with me.
The conference was formally opened with a Ministerial Address from Hon Dr Steven Miles MP.
The Minister advised that:
- The State would continue to maintain the existing waste strategy, effectively a “steady as she goes approach” - linked here.
- The State intends to provide a level playing field to industry. Waste industry compliance investigation taskforce had been established - linked here.
- Preliminary assessment into the feasibility of landfill disposal bans as a tool to drive resource recovery has been published - linked here.
EHP representative Ariane Milinovich advised regarding:
- Priority wastes
- Examples of projects addressing priority waste:
Speakers advised that “the true cost of waste disposal is not cheap” and many long-term liabilities are not being considered, charged or costed by LGs (refer Table 1 below). A recurring point from many speakers is that currently, many liabilities associated with waste disposal are unfunded, particularly when considering the long-term liabilities of waste disposal such as:
- Site remediation (40-50 years)
- Post closure management (monitoring, reporting, leachate control, landfill gas management)
- Asset replacement - new landfill cell, liner etc
Table 1 - Dept of Environment BDA Group Report
The NSW State Government has initiated a $465.7 million Waste and Resource Recovery Initiative to assist regional and rural councils with:
- Waste challenges in Regional NSW
- Waste less, recycle more and grants to close and improve landfills
- Waste aid for Aboriginal councils
- Tools and infrastructure support.
This initiative is being funded through a levy charged to councils to dispose of waste (see Figure 2 below). Currently Queensland has the lowest levy. A general consensus amongst the waste delegates at the conference was that Queenslanders should consider the prospect of additional costs, levies or landfill bans being imposed upon particular waste streams in Queensland at some stage in the future.
Figure 2 - National levies charged $ per tonne charged for waste disposal
An interesting workshop on day 2 was the “Future of Waste” facilitated by Joyanne Manning of ARUP. Joyanne discussed the time frame of 1963 – 2063 and how waste management had evolved since 1963 and what should the world of resource and waste management look like in 2063.
- 1960s - Goods made to last, if something was broken we fixed it, it was not thrown away.
- 1970s – transfer stations, landfill, incineration,
- 1980’s – recycling
- 1990 – the development of energy from waste methodologies.
- 2000’s – Zero Waste Target.
- 2010 onwards – Joyanne believes the word “waste” will have disappeared. We will regard everything as a resource. There will be a global approach to design, manufacture, construction, operation and use of resources.