PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF A 3 BIN MUNICIPAL WASTE SYSTEM

Transcription

1 _ PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF A 3 BIN MUNICIPAL WASTE SYSTEM Funded by the Department of Environment and Conservation Strategic Waste Initiative Scheme Prepared by Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd 2 nd June Bin Performance Review (FINAL).doc i

2 _ 1. CONTENTS 2. DISCLAIMER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION PROPONENT AND OTHER PARTIES PROPONENT: CITY OF NEDLANDS APPLICANT: BOWMAN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD OTHER STAKEHOLDERS STAKEHOLDERS CITY OF NEDLANDS BOWMAN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD SULO MGB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD PERTHWASTE BACKGROUND CITY OF NEDLANDS WASTE SERVICES Prior to November November 2006 Onwards CITY OF NEDLANDS 50% WASTE REDUCTION TARGET SUMMARY OF DOMESTIC WASTE CLASSIFICATION AUDIT Conclusions from the Survey WASTE DISPOSAL OPTIONS STUDY WASTE SERVICES COST REVIEW CARRIED OUT IN EARLY WASTE COLLECTION CONTRACT GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF COMPOSTING THE 3 BIN PERFORMANCE REVIEW PROJECT INTERSTATE THREE BIN SYSTEMS CITY OF GLEN EIRA - VIC CITY OF GEELONG - VIC CITY OF RANDWICK - NSW CITY OF MONASH - VIC CITY OF CASEY - VIC SNOWY RIVER SHIRE BERRIDALE NSW CITY OF MOSMAN - NSW CITY OF BOROONDARA - VIC CITY OF MOONEE VALLEY - VIC CITY OF BROKEN HILL - NSW CITY OF CANADA BAY - NSW CITY OF TEA TREE GULLY - SA CITY OF RYDE - NSW CITY OF WAVERLY - NSW CITY OF HUNTERS HILL - NSW THE RESIDENT SATISFACTION SURVEY SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS RESPONSES TO QUESTION 2 OF SURVEY Bin Performance Review (FINAL).doc ii

3 _ 13. THE MGB WASTE AUDIT MGB WASTE AUDIT COMPARISONS (2004 & 2007) RECYCLING MGB AUDIT WASTE MGB AUDIT GREENWASTE MGB AUDIT MGB WASTE AUDIT CONCLUSIONS MGB WASTE AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS MGB AUDIT RESULTS GREEN WASTE AUDIT ON FIVE LOADS TRUCK AUDIT RESULTS TRUCK V S MGB AUDIT COMPARISON DIVERSION FROM LANDFILL REFERENCES APPENDICES INTERSTATE COUNCIL SURVEY RESULTS Bin Performance Review (FINAL).doc iii

4 2. DISCLAIMER This document has been prepared by Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd for the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the City of Nedlands and is funded using the SWIS grant scheme. The content of this report is based on the scope of works as agreed between the DEC, City of Nedlands and Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd. Content within this document has been prepared using industry standard skills and techniques normally exercised in the preparation of such documents. This document, although made public is intended to be used for the sole purpose as agreed by the DEC, City of Nedlands and Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd. Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any person or organisation that relies on or uses the information contained in this document for any other purpose or reasons other than those agreed by the DEC, City of Nedlands and Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd without first obtaining written consent from Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd. Bowman and Associates Page 4 of 37

5 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Nedlands is located 7 kilometres from Perth, encompasses 20.6 square kilometres and contains a population of just over 21,000. The City has approximately 8,000 domestic dwellings, the majority of which receive a municipal waste collection service. As part of the Waste Minimisation Strategic Plan for the City of Nedlands (2005) a goal was set to reduce the volume of waste to landfill by 50%. A 2004 audit revealed the then two bin waste collection system was achieving a diversion rate of around 40%. The audit also revealed that the 240 litre waste bin was only filled to 72% capacity and contained 41% green waste. In November 2006, with the aim of moving closer to a diversion rate of 50%, the City of Nedlands introduced a three bin collection system. This system included a 240 litre Mobile Garbage Bin (MGB) for recycling, a ventilated 240 litre MGB for garden organics and a 120 litre MGB for residual waste. In the same year the Waste Management Board (WMB) of WA released a draft organics strategy (2006) that stated: Garden organics collected from households should be via a system that minimises the potential contamination in the final compost product while maximising the amount of organic material collected. Source separation is the most appropriate method of collecting garden organics to be used as feedstock for compost. The strategy also stated that the: WMB will encourage local government to implement source-separated garden organics collections that aim to capture the majority of garden organics from residential properties in their area. (WMB, 2006). Following the introduction of the three bin system and the desire of the WMB to promote the collection of garden organics, the City of Nedlands along with the collection contractor Perthwaste, the MGB supplier SULO and the City s waste consultant Bowman & Associates made an application for funding to the WMB. The application was successful and the funding granted under the Strategic Waste Initiatives Scheme (SWIS). The monies were to be used to critically analyse the performance of the three bin system and prepare a report on the outcomes that can be utilised by other local councils and the wider industry. This paper reports the outcomes of the funded project. Findings from the project s waste audit on the mobile garbage bins indicate that the City of Nedlands is now achieving 65.6% diversion of waste from landfill within the mobile garbage 3 bin collection system and over the entire residential waste collection service diverting 46.9% away from landfill. The project also identified that green waste and recyclables were still being deposited in the municipal waste bin. With further education these materials could be diverted away from landfill leading to an overall waste service diversion from landfill of 51.7%. Bowman and Associates Page 5 of 37

6 4. INTRODUCTION In November 2006 the City of Nedlands introduced a three bin collection system in order to move towards achieving its goal of reducing waste to landfill by 50% (Waste Minimisation Strategic Plan ). Prior to the introduction of the new three bin system the City was achieving 32% diversion from landfill across all the waste collection services. Initial indications after inception were that the three bin system was achieving in excess of 50% diversion. The three bin system consists of a 120 litre MGB for waste, 240 litre for recycling and a 240 litre vented MGB for green waste. The aim of this project is to critically review the performance of the three bin system and prepare a report on the outcomes. The DEC called for submission under the Strategic Waste Initiative Scheme (SWIS) in February One of the preferred project areas was Organics and targeted market development, home composting and worm farming demonstrations. It was considered that a critical review of the performance of the City of Nedlands three bin system may qualify for funding under SWIS and following submission of an application funding for the project was approved by the DEC. The stakeholders in the project are: The City of Nedlands Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd Sulo Perthwaste 5. PROPONENT AND OTHER PARTIES 5.1. PROPONENT: CITY OF NEDLANDS Andrew Melville - Manager Sustainable Nedlands 71 Stirling Highway Nedlands WA 6009 TEL: (08) amelville@nedlands.wa.gov.au Website: APPLICANT: BOWMAN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD 5.3. OTHER STAKEHOLDERS 8/288 High Road Riverton, WA 6148 MOB: FAX: bruce@bowmanassociates.com.au Website: Sulo MGB Australia Pty Ltd Perthwaste Bowman and Associates Page 6 of 37

7 6. STAKEHOLDERS 6.1. CITY OF NEDLANDS The City of Nedlands is situated 7 Kms from Perth CBD and has a population of 21,338. It is made up of the suburbs of Dalkeith, Karrakatta, Mt Claremont, Nedlands, parts of Floreat, Shenton Park and Swanbourne. The City has approximately 8,000 dwellings of which the majority now participates in weekly kerbside garbage collection and fortnightly kerbside greenwaste and recycling collection services. The City hosts commercial and business precincts which also participate in the kerbside waste and recycling service. Approximately 1,040 commercial waste services and 260 recycling services are included in the collection system BOWMAN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD Bowman & Associates Pty Ltd was created in January 2005 as an environmental engineering consultancy to provide consultancy services to the waste industry as well as the transport industry and small business. The company specialises in providing waste management support to local governments, regional councils, local and multi national waste management companies. Bruce Bowman who is the company s Director and Principal Consultant has a thirty year career in transport and waste related industries working for local and national companies and as an owner equipment operator. Bruce is a Civil Engineer with post graduate qualifications in Applied Science and has engineering experience that compliments his management background. Bruce s career has extended across the states of Victoria, NSW, Queensland and WA. Bruce is Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia as a Chartered Professional Engineer ( ), registered with the National Professional Engineers Register and a member of the Environmental Engineering Society. In March 2008 Bruce was elected the WA State President for the Waste Management Association of Australia SULO MGB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD Sulo Australasia is an Australian based mobile garbage bin manufacturer who was the successful supplier of MGBs for the 2007 City of Nedlands waste services contract. Sulo Australasia were engaged to collect and recycle the redundant 240 litre bins and supply the new 120 litre waste bin and the 240 litre aerated greenwaste bin PERTHWASTE Perthwaste/Green Recycling is a privately owned company with branches in Perth and Bunbury. Its core business is the collection of waste and recyclables, transportation, processing and sale of processed recyclable products for Local Government and commercial clients. Bowman and Associates Page 7 of 37

8 7. BACKGROUND 7.1. CITY OF NEDLANDS WASTE SERVICES Prior to November 2006 Prior to November 2006 the kerbside municipal solid waste collection was carried out by a private contractor Trum Pty Ltd trading as Roads and Robinson Rubbish and Recycling. The municipal solid waste was collected weekly in 240 Litre mobile garbage bins MGBs and was delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station in Shenton Park where it was transported to the Red Hill Landfill. The Brockway Transfer Station is owned and operated by the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC). The City utilises the waste management infrastructure provided by the WMRC but is not a member. The recycling was collected fortnightly in 240 Litre MGBs and was transported to the Roads and Robinson Rubbish and Recycling Materials Recovery Facility at Maddington. All revenue from the sale of recycling product remained the property of Roads and Robinson Rubbish and Recycling. The City of Nedlands also provides bulk verge collection services to its residents. Three green waste collections and one green waste/hard waste collection are carried out by the City s bulk waste contractor Auswaste. Auswaste transport the green waste to the WMRC green waste processing site at Mt Claremont. The hard waste is delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station. All waste delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station went to landfill November 2006 Onwards In November 2006 the City introduced a 3 bin collection system by awarding the collection contract to a private contractor Perthwaste. Perthwaste operates on a five year contract that commenced in November The municipal solid waste is collected weekly in 120 Litre MGBs and is delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station in Shenton Park where it is transported to the Red Hill Landfill. In January 2007 the WMRC increased the disposal fees at the Brockway Transfer Station for non member councils. As a result the City of Nedlands municipal solid waste and hard waste disposal charges increased from $75/Tonne in 2006 to $86.63/Tonne in 2007 excluding GST. The increase occurred without prior notice and was in response to a rate increase introduced by the Redhill Landfill. The City of Nedlands had not budgeted for such an increase and the increase occurred two months into the new municipal solid waste contract. The recycling is collected fortnightly in 240 Litre MGBs and is transported to the Perthwaste recycling transfer facility in Bibra Lake where it is loaded onto bulk transport vehicles and transported to Picton near Bunbury for final processing. All revenue from the sale of recycling product remains the property of Perthwaste. Within the new waste and recycling contract the City offers a 240 litre fortnightly greenwaste collection service. Perthwaste collects and processes the greenwaste. Greenwaste is currently processed at Custom Compost at Nambeelup. The City of Nedlands also provides bulk verge collection services to its residents. These are currently carried out by the City s bulk waste contractor Auswaste. Prior to 2007 the City conducted three bulk green waste collections and one green/hard waste collection per year. Since the inception of the new three bin system the City has reduced the bulk green waste and hard waste collections to two combined green and hard waste collections per year. Bowman and Associates Page 8 of 37

9 Auswaste transport the green waste to WMRC green waste processing site at the Brockway Transfer Station. The hard waste is delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station. All hard waste currently delivered to the Brockway Transfer Station goes to landfill CITY OF NEDLANDS 50% WASTE REDUCTION TARGET The City of Nedlands is committed to achieving a waste reduction target of 50%. In 2005 the City published its Waste Minimisation Strategic Plan Objectives and Actions. The document covers recycling, commercial waste, education and waste processing. Action items are listed and accompanied by a budgetary estimate. The City s Plan places emphasis on waste minimisation through waste diversion and education SUMMARY OF DOMESTIC WASTE CLASSIFICATION AUDIT 2004 During 2004 the City of Nedlands secured the services of Murray Ladhams to conduct an audit of the waste generated within the City. In summary the audit revealed that on average: Municipal solid waste bin weight of Kgs Recycle bin weight of Kgs Utilised capacity of municipal solid waste bin of 72.57% Utilised capacity of recycle bin of 70.60% 45% of residents used 100% of the municipal solid waste bin capacity 40% of residents used 100% of the recycle bin capacity Municipal solid waste bin contents consist of: o General Waste 44.3 % o Green Waste 41.2 % o Recyclables 14.5% Contamination in the recycling bin is 2.34% Conclusions from the Survey Contamination in the recycling bin is low with residents very conscientious and able to embrace waste minimisation initiatives. High volume of green waste in the municipal solid waste bin. Capacity of the municipal solid waste and recycle bins is under utilised. Investigate introduction of third bin for green waste WASTE DISPOSAL OPTIONS STUDY Prior to the introduction of the three bin system considerable effort was undertaken by the Council to ensure that there would not be an adverse economic burden on the Council s ratepayers. The first study undertaken was called the Waste Options Study which was carried out in November 2005 and critically reviewed the options available for the City regarding waste disposal with particular regard to the City not being affiliated with any Regional councils. The study recommended: 1. Remain independent of Regional Councils until there is a definite and quantifiable advantage in becoming a member. 2. Carry out annual reviews with Regional Councils to evaluate opportunities that may become available to the City. Bowman and Associates Page 9 of 37

10 3. Continue with the two bin system as the City s waste diversion targets will be met by Year 5 using the current system without further investment in assets. 4. Explore options to reduce the City s exposure to increasing MGB maintenance costs due to the aging nature of the insitu MGBs. 5. Promote the use of 120 litre MGBs in place of the existing 240 litre MGB to reduce the volume of municipal solid waste generated. 6. Promote the use of worm farms for food waste and compost bins for lawn clippings and garden waste. 7. Continue to promote the recycling service to reduce the percentage of recycling placed in the municipal solid waste bin and going to landfill. 8. Review the current waste collection contract for waste and recycling and enter discussions with the contractor with the view of increasing resources and transport municipal solid waste to alternative disposal sites. 9. Review the option of disposing municipal solid waste at a site such as Rockingham landfill. 10. Review the current bulk waste collection contract and enter discussions with the contractor with the view of transporting materials to alternative disposal sites. 11. Review the option of delivering bulk hard waste material to a facility such as Resource Recyclers to take advantage of waste diversion and lower disposal costs. 12. When preparing future collection tender documents allow for disposal of materials at alternative facilities. This will assist the City to take advantage of new opportunities as new facilities come into service. 13. Include three separate items for pricing in the next recycling tender being collection, processing and collection with processing WASTE SERVICES COST REVIEW CARRIED OUT IN EARLY As the City was required to re-tender for waste collection services and the current contract with Roads and Robinson Rubbish and Recycling was about to expire and in response to the recommendations made in the Waste Disposal Options Study the City commissioned the preparation of several cost models to compare both the economic cost and diversion from landfill outcomes of varying scenarios. The scenarios included: Continuing with the current waste service. This model was to be used as a bench mark only. Introducing a third MGB for greenwaste and replacing the aged 240L MGB with a new 120L MGB. Entering into a regional waste collection contract with the neighboring Councils of the Town of Claremont and the Town of Cottesloe. Rate payers to purchase the new MGBs compared to the City purchasing the MGBs WASTE COLLECTION CONTRACT In November 2007 the City of Nedlands and the Town of Claremont contracted the waste collection services for MGB waste to Perthwaste for a period of five years. In the case of the City of Nedlands the contract included the supply and distribution of new 120L MGBs for waste and 240L aerated MGBs for the collection of greenwaste. A budget was prepared detailing the expected costs of providing the service and the expected increase in rates charges for the ratepayers. Bowman and Associates Page 10 of 37

11 8. GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Within the scope of works was the requirement to investigate and report on Government initiatives that influence the current and future context of waste management in WA. Currently in WA waste management is the responsibility of Local Governments. The main legislation that included aspects of waste was the Health Act and the Local Government Act. These effectively established that waste management is important to public health and that it is the responsibility of Local Governments. Local Governments are responsible for the collection and disposal of waste. The collection of waste is normally contracted out to waste collection companies. Some Local Governments, mainly in metropolitan Perth, form Regional Councils to manage the disposal of the waste. These regional councils oversee the landfills and Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). The Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA), the peak lobbying and advocacy organisation for local governments in WA, created the Municipal Waste Advisory Council (MWAC). The MWAC is a standing committee of WALGA that is responsible for waste management policy. WALGA s waste management goals are to facilitate, encourage and promote economically sound, environmentally safe and efficient waste management practices for Western Australia, endorsed and supported by local Government. The MWAC is actively involved in state wide co-ordination of recycling issues, review of waste management legislation, production of position papers on waste management, (and) promotion of Integrated Resource Recovery techniques. Since 1988 development of new waste legislation had been on the state government s agenda. In 2001 the state government published the WAste 2020 Task Force report and recommendations which first showed the goal of zero waste to landfill by In 2002 the Waste Management Bill was introduced to parliament but did not proceed through to become law. The State Government in 2002 created its own waste advisory body, the Waste Management Board (WMB) under the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). The WMB, which is currently chaired by the eminent Barry Carbon, is responsible for offering strategic advice to the Western Australian Government on waste management issues. The Waste Management Board in consultation with the DEC created a Strategic Direction framework and in 2004 published the Statement of Strategic Direction for Waste Management in Western Australia: Vision and Priorities. The Statement sets out the framework and priorities for waste management in Western Australia for the next three years within the context of the broad vision and goal for the 15 years. This goal is to move towards zero waste by The main principles of the WMB is that waste management can be divided into three areas, prevention, recovery and disposal, and that to achieve the main goal of zero waste focus is required on all three areas. The Statement outlined the framework and priorities for three years from This new direction will put greater emphasis on projects that reduce the generation of waste while also making sure we encourage and support continued improvement in waste reuse, recycling reprocessing (Recovery) as well as environmentally safe disposal of residual waste (Disposal). One of these priorities was to get new comprehensive waste legislation passed through Parliament. In October 2007 the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) and Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Levy (WARRL) Bills were introduced to Parliament. In December 2007 the WARR and WARRL Bills passed through both houses and became the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Act 2007 and the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Levy (WARRL) Act In the WARR Act 2007 the Bowman and Associates Page 11 of 37

12 purpose of the Act is described as The purpose of the waste strategy is to set out, for the whole of the State (a) a long term strategy for continuous improvement of waste services, waste avoidance and resource recovery, benchmarked against best practice; and (b) targets for waste reduction, resource recovery and the diversion of waste from landfill disposal. The Waste Management Board states that, The WARR Bill: establishes an independent statutory waste authority responsible for waste strategic policy and planning, and for administering the funds raised through the collection of the landfill levy; allows for the Department of Environment and Conservation to manage regulation, compliance and enforcement functions relating to waste; creates the head-powers for establishing product stewardship plans and extender producer responsibility schemes; and, consolidates and updates waste provisions currently in other legislation, such as the Health Act The WMB Business Plan provides an overview of the planned activities to be undertaken in These activities will be funded mainly by the landfill levy and fall into some general themes: Extended Producer Responsibility and Waste Legislation - includes the WARR Bill, development of Industry Product Stewardship Plans, and investigations into a Container Deposit Scheme. Organics includes development of guidelines for compost, support for recycled organics projects, and the provision of support for the implementation of industry-based initiatives. Working with Government includes implementation of the National Environment Protection Measure on packaging, National Packaging Covenant, Local Government Zero Waste Plan Development Scheme roll-out, household hazardous waste, and having governments lead by example in using recycled material. Emerging Priorities includes policy interventions, landfill levy review, recovery and disposal capacity, and the provision of information about waste industry in WA. Strategic Partnerships includes the Municipal Waste Advisory Council (MWAC), Greenstamp program, Waste and Recycling Conference, and the Centre for Excellence in Cleaner Production. Waste and Resources Awareness and Promotion (WRAP) includes advice to households and events, website and publications, Waste Wise schools, and Waste Wise Schools grants. Litter Prevention includes the litter prevention strategy. Business Management Support includes levy compliance and account administration, grant contracts and funding schemes, WMB support, and preparing for the future. Review current waste strategies and summarise to suit project objectives. The current state government waste strategies are based on the WMB s foundation principles of prevention, recovery, and disposal. Prevention of waste is being achieved by supplying information to the public, like tips on how to how to shop smart, the Buy Recycled Guide, fact sheets, and brochures on worm farming and household composting. The state government s re-signing of the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) from 2005 to 2010 commits it to a partnership between local and state governments, industry, and consumers to ensure resource conservation and Bowman and Associates Page 12 of 37

13 recovery. The covenant sets a target for a reduction in the amount of non-recyclable packaging sold. Industrial waste reduction is also one of the prevention strategies; the State Sustainability Strategy requires a fourfold improvement in the resource efficiency of the WA economy by 2020 and the Department of Environment and Conservation will implement a form of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme that will encourage more sustainable product designs. Recovery of waste is being achieved by providing information to the public about what, how, and where to recycle through the guides, brochures, and the internet. The NPC also sets a target for recovery of packaging materials; the amount of packaging recycled must be at least 65% by 2010.The Sustainability Code of Practice as part of the State Sustainability Strategy asks government agencies to implement programs and procedures to reduce, recycle, and reuse. Programs that aim to increase the amount of recovery of waste in industry include the Greenstamp program, rechargeable battery recycling program, mobile phone recycling program; providing information to employers and employees about recycling at work; and creating a construction and demolition recycling directory. Safe disposal of some waste will always be necessary; though that amount should be smaller and smaller as WA moves towards zero waste. The WMB provides information about WA s landfills and on how to dispose of household hazardous waste. The Department of Environment has created a kit for local governments that provides information about household hazardous waste. The Office of Government Procurement has established six panel contracts for waste disposal from government agencies that include recycling, audits, and collections. For industry WMB provides information on controlled wastes and landfill licensing. Local Governments decide on how much and of what type of waste and how it is collected in their areas. Most metropolitan councils have both kerbside recycling and garbage collection. Some councils provide a kerbside organics collection as well. Local Governments will soon be required to have Strategic Waste Management Plans under the Zero Waste Plan Development Scheme that will ensure a consistent and rigorous approach to waste management throughout the State. The result of these local government and MWAC plans and the Towards Zero Waste by 2020 plans of the WMB and State Government will be the progressive reduction of the amount of waste to landfill. This means that a progressively greater amount will be recovered, including organic waste. The MWAC says: Organic wastes are the single largest component of the waste stream. Approximately 1.2 million tonnes of organic waste was generated in Perth in 1996 (WAste 2020, 2001). 25% of this waste originated from green (or garden) waste with other main contributors to this waste stream being manures and sludges (20%), food wastes (18%) and paper and cardboard waste (15%). Land clearing, timber processing and wood combine to form another 18% of the organic waste. If WA seriously wants to achieve zero waste to landfill then a comprehensive plan for dealing with organics must be created and implemented. The organics will have to be composted or turned into renewable energy in a bioreactor type system. This is the recovery principle taking over from the disposal principle. Much of the waste that could and will be recycled in the future is still going to landfill. This will have to drastically change if WA is going to meets its goal of towards zero waste by The rest of the waste that can not be recovered will have to be prevented from being disposed of. Bowman and Associates Page 13 of 37

14 9. GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF COMPOSTING Up to 70 percent of the municipal solid waste stream is organic material. In a landfill most of the organic waste is eventually anaerobically digested by microorganisms into landfill gas, also called biogas, and leftover sludge. Landfill gas is approximately 40% carbon dioxide and 55% methane with small amounts of other gases. Both methane and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases; that is they contribute to the greenhouse effect. Methane is a 21 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. If left alone the methane would slowly rise up through the landfill and go into the atmosphere. Traditionally landfills have flared the methane to reduce potentially dangerous buildup of methane, which is highly combustible. Some landfills instead of just flaring the methane are using it to generate electricity by combustion. This turns the methane into carbon dioxide. Electricity generation from landfill gas is considered a renewable energy because no extra carbon dioxide is being emitted to create the electricity. The renewable energy generated can be registered as Greenpower and sold to electricity companies like Synergy. Organic material can be composted to produce beneficial high quality humus. Using compost is beneficial for all types of gardening/growing, especially for environments with poor soils like Western Australia. Composting the organic component of municipal solid waste diverts a large portion of waste from landfill; municipal solid waste can make up to 30% of the waste going to landfill. This increases the longevity of landfills and conserves resources that would be spent in building more landfills. Composting of organic waste occurs aerobically and does not produce methane, just carbon dioxide. The benefits of using compost include carbon sequestration in soil, avoidance of chemical fertilisers and other chemical plant/soil additives, improved soil properties and related plant growth, and rehabilitation of degraded land and mitigation of land degradation. The Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) does not count biogenic (naturally produced) carbon dioxide emissions as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because the carbon is part of the natural cycle. The AGO does count anthropogenic (human produced) green house gas emissions. For landfills anthropogenic emissions would be the emissions generated during construction from land clearing, trucks, and production of materials; during operation from trucks, compactors, dozers, and electricity; and if no effort is made to capture or flare it, the methane gas also. If the methane gas is flared or combusted the carbon dioxide produced is considered a biogenic emission. If the methane is captured and used to generate electricity then that is an offset as the carbon dioxide produced does not count as a GHG emission as it would have gone into the atmosphere anyway. This offset can be depending on the size and composition of the landfill more than the anthropogenic emissions generated. Thus the landfill would have a net benefit in respect to greenhouse gases. The process of composting has similar anthropogenic carbon emissions during construction from land clearing, trucks, and production of materials and during operation from trucks, dozers, other machinery, and electricity. The carbon dioxide produced during the decomposition of the waste is biogenic. The Recycled Organics Unit at the University of NSW says, Preliminary results suggest that 89% of emissions from windrow composting are biogenic in origin, while only 11% are anthropogenic (these figures will change depending upon the scale of a composting operation). The application of compost can have some green house gas savings from carbon sequestration in soil, avoidance of chemical fertilisers and other chemical plant/soil additives, improved soil properties and related plant growth, and rehabilitation of degraded land and mitigation of land degradation. These savings are enough to offset the emissions generated in producing the compost, depending on the size, volume, and scale of the facility and compost produced. Thus composting also has a net benefit in respect to greenhouse gases, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Bowman and Associates Page 14 of 37

15 The US EPA s Waste Reduction Model (WARM) compares the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a certain waste management options against a baseline. The methodologies used by the US EPA are consistent with the international standard produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The baseline scenario where the waste is just disposed (not in a landfill) and so the GHG emissions are maximised, was used to find the reductions in GHG emissions by the two waste disposal strategies. These are the strategies taken by the City of Nedlands in 2004, landfilling all the greenwaste in the MGB, and 2007, separating green waste using the three bin system and composting it. A 2004 audit found around 3,364 tonnes of greenwaste was picked up from MGBs and taken indirectly approximately 43 Kms to Cockburn Landfill. This resulted in a reduction of 794 MTCE (metric tonnes of carbon equivalent), as it was taken to a landfill with methane recovery to energy instead of the baseline. In the 2007 audit approximately 250 tonnes of greenwaste were taken to landfill and approximately 2,579 tonnes were collected from the newly implemented greenwaste bin and composted. The greenwaste that was composted had to be taken around 80 Kms. The 2007 strategy resulted in a reduction of 209 MTCE compared to the baseline. The two strategies can also be compared against each other. A hypothetical comparison can be made between the 2004 strategy of landfilling all the greenwaste collected in the MGB and the 2007 strategy of source separation and composting it. This was based on the 2007 amount of greenwaste picked up. In comparison to landfilling with methane recovery to energy, the 2007 strategy of composting produced 585 MTCE more GHG emissions. It must be noted that the WARM does not take into account any potential reduction in GHG emissions from substitution of compost for fertilizers or pesticides. This could not only significantly increase the GHG reduction of composting but also have a reduction in the amount of environmental pollution. The WARM does not look at other possible factors of environmental damage either. Landfills have a much greater potential for soil and water pollution than composting. The area required by a landfill can be around 40 hectares whereas a composting facility might only require 4 hectares. In 2004, 100% of the greenwaste collected in the MGBs went to landfill, around 3,364 tonnes. In 2007 less than 9% of the greenwaste collected in the MGBs went landfill, around 250 tonnes. This is a reduction of 92.6%. The City of Nedlands waste policy is to reduce the amount of waste to landfill. The US EPA states that composting is at worst a carbon neutral solution to green waste disposal. Composting though may also be better for the economy as landfills bury resources whereas recycling reuses resources. Zero Waste New Zealand Trust (2004) reported that intensive recycling of waste creates 3 to 5 times as many jobs as landfilling. The social feeling is also changing; today many more people are embracing recycling and composting and thinking about the consequences of continuous disposal of waste. So comparing with the triple bottom line (economic, environment, and social) composting may be the way forward. The future of waste management in Western Australia lies in reducing waste to landfill by source reduction and recovery. The Towards Zero Waste by 2020 plan by the Department of Environment and Conservation aims to reduce waste to landfill significantly by Recovery of organic waste is crucial to this aim. Composting is going to be one of the solutions to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Bowman and Associates Page 15 of 37

16 Type of Bin Garbage Recycling Green Waste Year Number of Bins Pickup (weeks per year) Participation rate (%) Weight per bin (kg) Green waste % Weight of green waste per bin (kg) Pickup per year (bins) 390, , , , ,996 Weight of greenwaste for a year (tonnes) 3, ,579 Year Amount of greenwaste to landfill (tonnes) 3, Amount of greenwaste recycled (tonnes) 0 2,579 Total amount of greenwaste (tonnes) 3,364 2,828 Greenwaste to landfill (%) Year Greenwaste Destination Landfill Composting Landfill Composting Amount (tonnes) 3, ,579 Amount (short tons) 3, ,837 Greenhouse gas emissions (MTCE) THE 3 BIN PERFORMANCE REVIEW PROJECT The City of Nedlands engaged Bowman & Associates to lead the project on critically reviewing the performance of the three bin system. The key aspects of this project were to: Conduct a desk top survey of local and interstate three bin councils; Conduct a satisfaction survey of Nedlands residents; Conduct a waste audit on the Nedlands three bin system; Compile data and compare economic and waste minimisation outcomes to past performance of Nedlands waste services; Review the reduction in green house gas emissions potential of a three bin system compared to the old two bin system; and Critically analyse the performance of the three bin system To complete the project a full report on the performance of the three bin system was required to be developed. As part of the WMB funding requirements this report will be publicly released for use as an industry wide educational tool. It will also aim to improve market confidence in the use and efficiencies of three bin systems in Western Australia. Bowman and Associates Page 16 of 37

17 11. INTERSTATE THREE BIN SYSTEMS As part of this project research into existing systems, in particular three bin systems, within Australia was undertaken. The aim of this research was to determine the best performing components of collection systems currently in place. Fifteen councils were surveyed many of which have introduced the 3 bin system using non aerating bins. Most councils reported good participation and contamination rates of around 1-2% which is similar to that experienced in Nedlands. The interstate council surveys are summarised as follows: CITY OF GLEN EIRA - VIC The City of Glen Eira introduced the green bin system in 2000 as a user pays voluntary service to residents. They are using a plain Nylex 240L bin collected each fortnight. Participation rate is high but seasonal with tonnages of approximately 4,000 Tonnes per annum. The contamination level is low due to the service being by voluntary participation. The City of Glen Eira continues to promote the green collection using on-going brochures, and stickers. Feedback from residents is positive and growing with approximately 60 new enquiries each month requesting a green collection service CITY OF GEELONG - VIC In 2003 the City of Geelong introduced the green waste collection service. Approx 80,000 households use Sulo plain bins for green waste. The 240L bins are collected each fortnight. There is currently around 60% participation rate with a low 2.5 % contamination level. City of Geelong collects approximately 28,000 tonnes green waste per year. Residents have adapted well to the 3 bin system CITY OF RANDWICK - NSW The green waste bin service has been operating in City of Randwick since Initially households used their own bins, and then a plain 240L Otto bin was introduced to residents which are collected fortnightly. Some residents with larger blocks pay extra to have a second bin. Approximately 95% of 50,000 household participate in green waste collection and the contamination level is low. The Council claims the approximate weight of bins when full is 50kg. City of Randwick has yearly calendars and stickers as ongoing education for residents. Council also changed from monthly collections to fortnightly collections in recent years CITY OF MONASH - VIC City of Monash has a 3 bin collection system with green waste collection commencing in Initially Nylex plain bins were provided and residents were confused believing they had 2 garbage bins. Sulo now provides the new 240L bins with different coloured lids and are collected fortnightly. Council embarked on changing all old bins with coloured lids for easy recognition of green waste. Education of older residents was lengthy as they believed green waste consisted of lettuce, broccoli etc. Shopping centre stalls, leaflets, and local newspaper advertisements helped with education and as a result 95% participate in green waste collection. Waste bin 120L collection is weekly and 240L recycling collection is fortnightly CITY OF CASEY - VIC The green waste collection has been operation in City of Casey since Residents complained at first being forced to use something they did not want, believing it was an election ploy only, however as time goes on, the residents have adapted to the service and the participation rate is high. The second hand Sulo 240L bins are plain variety; however Council is looking at other types of bins due to the jamming and clumping of materials inside. Presently the bins are collected fortnightly and the approx tonnes of green waste collected each year is 20,000 Tonnes. A council officer visits new Bowman and Associates Page 17 of 37

18 houses/subdivisions and personally educates new residents to the area as to materials collected, therefore contamination is very low. There is currently a 120L waste bin collected weekly and 240L recycle bin collected fortnightly. Council also runs two kerbside collections each year SNOWY RIVER SHIRE BERRIDALE NSW Small population within this shire. This council uses a 240L Nylex plain bin for green waste which is collected weekly. The waste bin is also 240L collected weekly with a 30L recycling bin collected fortnightly CITY OF MOSMAN - NSW City of Mosman has had a green waste collection for approximately five years. The Sulo 240L bins are the vented type and residents apply for the service at a cost. Bins are full for collection but weight is not available. Feedback from the residents is that they prefer the vented bins as old ones caused problems. Waste bins are a variety of 80, 120 and 240L bins (user pays) on weekly pickup. Recycle bins are 2 x 140L collected fortnightly and currently there are 2 bulk collections per year CITY OF BOROONDARA - VIC Green bins are supplied to residents of Boroondara Council on a user pays system. Therefore approximately 35,000 households out of 65,000 representing 60% currently participate in green waste collection. Households are permitted extra bins if required. Due to voluntary participation the level of contamination is less than 2%. The Nylex 240L bins are of plain variety and green waste collected for year is approx 15,000 tonnes. Council implemented the program in 1997 with brochures and newspaper advertisements. City of Boroondara waste collection is weekly using 80, 120 and 240L bins. Recycling is also weekly with 120 and 240L bins. The is only one hard waste collection per year. Residents can take additional green waste to the local transfer station free of charge CITY OF MOONEE VALLEY - VIC City of Moonee Valley has had a green waste collection operating since The Nylex 240L bins have a bio insert and are collected fortnightly. Residents pay for green service and currently 23,000 out of 45,000 households participate. Tonnes of green waste produced varies seasonally, however annually the City collects 5,000 tonnes. Due to voluntary participation the level of contamination is low at 1-2%. Education has been through billboards, press articles and yearly booklets. The council originally commenced with monthly pickups then changed to fortnightly due to political pressure. The waste collection is 120L weekly and recycling is 120 or 240L collected fortnightly. One hard waste collection each year with two bundled branch collections each year. The local transfer station accepts e-waste and additional recyclables free of charge CITY OF BROKEN HILL - NSW The City of Broken Hill introduced green waste collection in 2001 using a 240L Sulo bin with a rack insert. Approx 10,000 households have been issued with one bin each which is collected fortnightly. Residents are happy with the service. Bins are approximately 15kg in weight when collected but can vary seasonally. The City also has a 240L waste bin collected each week and no recycling bins. There is no kerbside collection within this city CITY OF CANADA BAY - NSW The City of Canada Bay introduced a 240L bin with bio insert in Approx 90% of households participate in green waste collection and the contamination rate is low. Bins are collected fortnightly after changing from monthly collections due to public demands. The Council also has a 120L waste bin collected weekly and 240L recycling bin collected fortnightly. Bowman and Associates Page 18 of 37

19 CITY OF TEA TREE GULLY - SA Tea Tree Gully first trialed the green waste collection in a selected area before committing to the scheme. They embarked on education of the public with brochures, newspaper ads and shopping centre stalls. This is a voluntary service and at present 60% of 38,000 residents participate. As a result contamination is less than 1%. The average weight collected per bin is 19.5kg. Residents initially supplied their own bins and Cleanaway fitted bio inserts to them. The green waste is collected on a four week basis. There are some complaints from residents requesting a fortnightly service, however Council stand fixed on 4 weeks due to low participation rate. Tea Tree Gully also has a 240L waste/recycle split bin collected weekly. Hard waste collections are on call services CITY OF RYDE - NSW Green waste collections were introduced to Ryde residents in Approximately 90% of residents participate with green waste bins. Residents have one 240L vented bin which is collected fortnightly. There is a 90% participation rate with a low level of contamination. Education of residents was via leaflets, DVD, newspaper ads and shopping centre stalls. Waste bins are 140L collected weekly, recycling bins are 240L collected fortnightly and currently there are five hard waste collections per year CITY OF WAVERLY - NSW The green waste collection has only just been introduced. Bins are being distributed to residents on request and collections will commence fortnightly in July Properties within this council are on smaller blocks and residents have a choice of either 80L 140L or 240L bin. There are four bins in total 2 x recycling collected fortnightly and 1 x waste collected weekly. It is too early to announce participation rates or annual tonnage. City of Waverly have completed an extensive education program through radio, local newspaper and shopping centres CITY OF HUNTERS HILL - NSW City of Hunters Hill have a 240L vented Sulo bin which is collected weekly. Residents have four bins per household consisting of the green waste 240L bin, a 120L garbage bin collected weekly, 2 x 120L recycle bins collected fortnightly and 2 bulk collections each year. Bowman and Associates Page 19 of 37

20 12. THE RESIDENT SATISFACTION SURVEY A telephone survey of the City of Nedlands residents was carried in February 2008 to gauge the community opinion on the three bins system. The three bin system had been in operation for 15 months. The survey consisted of 193 phone calls and resulted in the completion of 80 surveys. When prompted for a response on their opinions of the three bin system 80.1% of respondents rated the system in a positive light. Furthermore, 36.3% thought that the new three bin system was an excellent innovation and only 2.5% were not happy with the service. 65% of respondents did not believe they received enough information on the new waste and recycling service however 97.5% did understand why the bins had different coloured lids. This finding presents an opportunity to increase the volume of educational material distributed to the community. When questioned on the green waste MGB 92.5% of respondents reported using the bin and 81.3% put it out for collection every fortnight. The uptake of the green waste MGB is a significant result as only 21.3% of respondents had a commercial garden bag service prior to the introduction of the three bin system. Bowman and Associates Page 20 of 37