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) [email protected] Website: APPLICANT: BOWMAN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD 5.3. OTHER STAKEHOLDERS 8/288 High Road Riverton, WA 6148 MOB: FAX: [email protected] 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

21 12.1. SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS Number of Calls Made 193 Surveys Completed 80 No. Questions Responses Percent "Yes" "Yes" % "No" "No" % 1 Which of the following responses best sums up your opinion of the new three bin system? a Excellent innovation % b We have adapted to the new three bin service % c Bin capacities are adequate for our needs 6 7.5% d Bin capacities are not adequate for our needs % e Not happy with the new service 2 2.5% What are the main reasons for your response at question 1? Response In your opinion have you received enough information on the new waste and recycling service? Y/N Do you and your family understand why the bins have different coloured lids? Y/N Refer next page 0.0% % % 0.0% % 2 2.5% 5 Do you use the green waste bin? Y/N 0.0% % 6 7.5% Do you put that bin out for collection each fortnight? Y/N In your opinion what can you place in that "green waste" bin? Response Do you have a commercial garden bag service? Y/N Did you have a commercial garden bag service prior to the introduction of the three bin system? Y/N 0.0% % % leaves, lawn clippings, prunings, branches, cuttings 5 6.3% % % % Bowman and Associates Page 21 of 37

22 12.2. RESPONSES TO QUESTION 2 OF SURVEY Glad to recycle would like weekly collection for recycling & green waste greenie - loves recycling good idea & have adapted like the 3 bins only 1 person - good service bins adequate - good idea lots of trees produce too much litter have 2 recycle bins would like more verge collections each year like the bins shouldn't have to pay for bins, considering the amount of rates we pay adequate services only 1 person - good service green waste should be weekly collection for big blocks green waste bin fortnightly not enough for big blocks only 2 in house 4 children in family, rubbish too small, recycle weekly collection please only 2 in household - bins are adequate services our needs - OK rubbish too small for family - green bins are great only 2 people in house and bins are adequate recently moved in - not sure about 3 bins didn't think it would work at first but happy with service because we have 3 bins - happy new system - trying to do our bit produce plenty of green waste each week garbage & recycle only - no green bin in complex happy with service 3 green bins in complex - could do with 4 all aware of recycling and doing their share bin sizes OK for 2 people rubbish bin too small reminder to be sustainable green bin should be collected weekly only 2 in house - bins OK use all 3 bins bins adequate use recycle & rubbish in unit complex helps the environment small bin for rubbish good for small house bit of getting used to - but we like it suits our needs big block - green bin to be collected weekly overflow goes into rubbish bin happy with service - but garbage could be bigger in summer we use all bins- family is conscious of recycling Bowman and Associates Page 22 of 37

23 rubbish bin too small bins adequate for family have 4 x 240lt bins for 5 people (2 recycle bins) although rubbish bin too small lives by herself - bins adequate big garden - green bin not collected enough uses 2 green bins each fortnight bins adequate green waste not adequate - please collect more often best for council - unit complex happy different lids easily identified lots of garden in Regent Park - Tuart trees produce lots of leaves adequate for needs functioning well for our family environmentally friendly, green waste not mixed in with rubbish works well for us happy to recycle have to adapt - what council gave us lives in triplex by herself - nowhere to store 3 bins green bin good idea suit me OK adapted to new service sensible idea green bin & recycle bin excellent, small bin no good for rubbish doesn't know about green bin 1/4 ac block produces too much green waste for bin no problems with rubbish happy to know waste is going to recycle facility large recycling & green bins good more recycling days - fortnight not enough think about how much rubbish is generated helps to service needs don't use green bin regularly great idea - congratulations Bowman and Associates Page 23 of 37

24 13. THE MGB WASTE AUDIT The City of Nedlands appointed Bowman & Associates to conduct the waste audit on a representative sample of households. The aim of the audit was to establish the weight, various waste streams and contamination level of waste, recycling materials and green waste being deposited in the MGBs by householders. To obtain a representative sample, whilst not alarming residents to the audit, complete streets were collected utilising normal collection vehicles on scheduled collection days. This did, however, result in a larger than specified sample mass, 738 MGBs in total. For consistency and comparative results the selected streets were the same streets audited by the City in 2004 and in the Satisfaction Survey. The Waste Audit of Nedlands Three Bin System was conducted over ten consecutive weekdays from 5 th to the 16 th November The audit period included one recycling week and one green waste collection. The collected materials were all taken to the Perthwaste facility in Bibra Lake for weighing and sorting. Collections for the audit were scheduled when there was no school or public holidays due and did not coincide with any verge collection of bulk waste. The residents residing in the streets selected were not informed of the bin audit to ensure that disposal behaviour was not changed or modified. The main differences between the 2004 and the 2007 audits were: 2004 audit was conducted in September whereas the 2007 audit was conducted in November. The audits were conducted by different consultants using different methodology. The 2004 targeted 100 residential properties whereas the 2007 audit requested 200 properties but covered approximately 290 properties. The streets audited were the same streets audited in the 2004 audit in order to facilitate comparison between the two differing types of waste collection services. The streets selected had a variety of blocks sizes, social / economic demographics and mixed ratio of single and multiple dwellings. The properties are occupied by various groups of people ranging from single to family unit households. The streets audited were: Area 1 Monday Lantana St and James Rd Area 2 Tuesday Martin St and Baird St (Nos. 1-29) Area 3 Wednesday Grove End Ridge, Norfolk Rise, Charles Lane, Hamilton Gardens and Mooro Drive Area 4 Thursday Leopold St and Bulimba Rd Area 5 Friday Sutcliffe St and Davies Rd The MGBs were collected in the normal side load collection vehicle owned be the City s waste collection contractor Perthwaste. In this way no alarm was raised by the residents and waste disposal habits throughout the two week period were not compromised. In addition the cumulative collection of MGBs using a waste collection vehicle ensured confidentiality to residents. Bowman and Associates Page 24 of 37

25 All three waste streams were taken to the Perthwaste facility in Bibra Lake for receival and weighing. The separate waste streams were placed into portable bunkers for sorting and classification. Audit Sorting Area Bags and MGBs to Collect Streams for Weighing The recycling materials were sorted into the various streams and weighed. An electronic scale was used capable of weighing to 500kgs in 100gm increments. Bowman and Associates Page 25 of 37

26 The municipal garbage was sorted using pitch forks to identify greenwaste and recyclables present. Plastic bags identified as containing greenwaste and recyclables were opened and the contents added to the audit. Greenwaste was tipped on a clean area of the floor and forked over to identify and remove contamination MGB WASTE AUDIT COMPARISONS (2004 & 2007) WASTE AUDIT SUMMARIES Recycling Waste Green Waste Total Year Weight per Bin (Kgs) /wk 30.7/wk Participation Rate 80.0% 100.0% 95.0% 79.0% Diversion landfill from 97.8% 90.0% 0.0% 0.0% 99.3% 40.3% 65.6% Recycling 97.80% 90.07% 14.56% 7.33% 0.18% Waste 2.20% 9.60% 44.08% 87.99% 0.59% Green Waste 0.32% 41.36% 4.68% 99.23% RECYCLING MGB AUDIT The participation rate for recycling was 100%. Two collection days showed more recycling MGBs collected than allocated to the street. It can be concluded that a contributing factor to the high recorded participation rate is that there are recycling MGBs with residents that are not recorded within the City s data system. As the recycling MGBs were not reconciled at the start of the current collection contract Council records may not to be up to date. The reconciliation was only carried out on the new waste and greenwaste MGBs that were introduced as part of the new contract. The additional recycling MGBs in service suggest that there are residences with recycling service that may not be billed through Council Rates system. The weight per MGB of recyclables has increased from 2004 and the level of contamination has increased. This could be due to several factors: Differing auditing methodology from that used in Waste being placed in the wrong MGB due to the smaller capacity of the new waste MGB. Contamination included plastic bags, broken glass, paper and other potentially recyclable materials that were not of suitable quality to be classified as recyclable. Contamination also consisted of bagged waste from kitchen tidies; this waste was clearly placed in the wrong MGB. Other contamination was household items and utensils such as electrical appliances, CDs, rope and packaging. Wood, concrete and batteries were other contamination identified in the bins and contributed to the overall weight of contamination recorded. Bowman and Associates Page 26 of 37

27 The City s website advises residents to dispose of batteries in the waste MGB. This suggests that the City should consider updating its web based advice to residents relating to waste disposal options WASTE MGB AUDIT Presentation rate was 95%. Unlike the recycling service the waste presentation rate is an accurate indication of the participation in the service as the MGBs in service are reconciled. The 2004 audit indicated that the 240L waste MGB while containing 18.7kgs of waste was only 70% utilised. The 2007 audit revealed that the 120L waste MGB contained 12.8kgs of waste indicating that the 120L MGB is in most cases are fully utilised. This would suggest that overflow from the full waste MGBs was being placed in the recycling bin. This is confirmed from the amount of household waste identified in the recycling MGBs during the audit. The amount of recyclables in the waste MGB has reduced from 3.2kgs per MGB in 2004 down to 0.9kgs in This improvement can be attributed to the smaller capacity of the 120L waste MGB and increased resident awareness regarding recycling waste. The makeup of the recyclables is consistent with that of the recycling MGBs suggesting these materials have been placed in the wrong MGB. The amount of greenwaste in the waste MGB has reduced from 8.2kgs in 2004 down to 0.6kgs in This improvement can be attributed to both the reduced capacity of the waste MGB and the introduction of the greenwaste MGB service. But even with these improvements 12% of the capacity of the 120L waste MGB is still consumed by recycling and greenwaste thus adding significantly to the overfilling of waste MGBs GREENWASTE MGB AUDIT Presentation rate for the greenwaste at 79% was the lowest of the three MGB services. The number of greenwaste MGBs is reconciled continuously but this presentation rate should not be considered as an indication of the participation rate as many residents will be participating only in the week following a personal garden tidy up. The telephone survey revealed that 92.5% of respondents used the MGB and it was also noted that residents tend to present the MGB for collection in the week following a personal garden cleanup. The greenwaste audited, in general, appeared fresh indicating that it had only been in the MGB for a short time. This reinforces the assumption that residents are presenting the MGBs for service following a gardening exercise. The aeration capability of the greenwaste MGB also allows residents to use the MGB as a green waste storage vessel. The residents would reuse the greenwaste for their own purposes. The greenwaste processed during the audit displayed very low levels of contamination (0.77%). Contamination included bagged green waste which cannot be processed by conventional means, hessian bags, coir mats, plastic bags, flower pots, wood rope, plywood, beverage containers, steel and concrete. Contamination was reasonably consistent across all the five collection days. The beverage containers, such as soft drink bottles and beer bottles, most likely resulted from a hard day in the garden. Small quantities of newspaper and cardboard, although able to be processed within the greenwaste, were removed as contamination in the audit. Bowman and Associates Page 27 of 37

28 In 2004 the greenwaste collected per MGB was 8.2kgs. This was similar to the 2007 audited content of the greenwaste bin of 17.1kgs per MGB. The greenwaste bin being collected fortnightly equates to 8.5kgs per MGB per week. It can be concluded that the greenwaste that previously was placed in the waste MGB is now being placed in the greenwaste MGB. The introduction of the greenwaste MGB has also reduced the use of commercial garden tidy up bag services. The resident survey indicated that prior to the introduction of the 240L green waste MGB 21.3% of residents used a tidy up bag service. This reduced to 6.3% following the introduction of the three bin system MGB WASTE AUDIT CONCLUSIONS The results of the audit showed that the participation rates for Recycling, Waste and Green Waste were 100%, 95% and 79% respectively. The audit also concluded that 65.6% of the City s MGB waste is being diverted from landfill. This figure does not include the City s bulk verge collections. Although the green waste MGB showed the lowest presentation rate of the three MGBs it was not considered as an indication of a low participation rate. The telephone survey had revealed that 92.5% of respondents used the MGB and it was also noted that residents tend to present the MGB for collection in the week following a personal garden cleanup. In addition to this the aerated feature of the MGB provided residents with a container that had greenwaste storage capabilities that allowed for the personal reuse of the green waste. Some of the key findings from the audit include: Some residents appear to have recycling MGBs that are not included within the City s records and therefore will not be charged. The City s contractor will be servicing these recycling MGBs without reward. The number of unauthorised recycling services has not been quantified within this audit. In most cases the 120 litre waste MGBs are fully utilised. Green waste in the waste MGB has reduced from 41.36% to 4.68%. 12% of the contents of the waste MGB is recycling and greenwaste. Contamination within the recycling MGB is due to overflow from the 120L waste MGB being filled to capacity. The A-Z Disposal Guide on the City s web site is due for an update. The green waste MGB contained very low levels of contamination (0.77%). Contamination in the greenwaste MGB appears to be a result of insufficient education MGB WASTE AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS Reconcile the number of recycling MGBs in service. Conduct further resident education to: o Reduce recycling and greenwaste in the 120L waste MGB, o Reduce waste in the recycling MGB, o Reduce contamination in the greenwaste MGB, and Update the City s A-Z Disposal Guide. Bowman and Associates Page 28 of 37

29 MGB AUDIT RESULTS WASTE AUDIT OF NEDLANDS THREE BIN SYSTEM Recycling Waste Green Waste Recycling Waste Green Waste Number of Bins Passed Weight per Bin (Kgs) Number of Bins Collected Participation Rate 100% 95% 79% Type % Weight (Kgs) % Weight (Kgs) % Weight (Kgs) Type % Weight (Kgs) % Weight (Kgs) % Weight (Kgs) Alloy 0.4% % % 0.1 Steel 1.3% % % 0.3 Glass (Total) 21.8% % % 0.2 Food cans 1.2% % % 0 Brown 3.2% % % 0.0 Other 0.2% % % 0 Green 12.7% % % 0.0 Green Waste 0.3% % % Clear 5.9% % % 0.2 Prunings 0.0% 0 0.8% % 0 Plastic (Total) 3.3% % % 2.0 Lawn Clippings 0.3% % % 0 PET (1) 1.2% % % 0.2 Other 0.4% % % 10.2 HDPE (Opaque) (2) 1.4% % % 0.0 Food 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 HDPE (Coloured) (2) 0.4% % % 0.0 Nappies 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Vinyl (PVC) (3) 0.0% % 0 0.0% 0.0 Textiles 0.0% % 0 0.0% 0 LDPE (4) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Wood 0.3% % 0 0.2% 5.6 Polypropylene (PP) (5) 0.2% % 2 0.0% 0.7 Rubber 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Polystyrene (PS) (6) 0.0% % % 0.0 Soil 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Unclassified 0.0% % 0 0.0% 1.1 Bricks 0.0% 0 0.1% 4 0.1% 2 Liquid Paper Board 0.4% % % 0.0 Concrete 0.1% % % 2.6 Paper (Total) 54.1% % % 2.2 Hazardous 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Newsprint 38.8% % % 1.7 Batteries 0.0% % % 0 Glossy Magazine 11.2% % % 0.5 Chemicals 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Office 4.1% % % 0.0 Oil 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Contamination 9.2% % % 9.8 Cardboard (Total) 8.7% % % 1.3 Totals 100.0% % % Mixed 8.7% % % % 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Bowman and Associates Page 29 of 37

30 14. GREEN WASTE AUDIT ON FIVE LOADS An audit was also conducted on five loads of greenwaste selected at random to access the level of contamination within the green waste system. The methodology was to isolate at random five loads of greenwaste, one from each collection day at the transfer station and separate contamination to ascertain the quantity and type of contamination observed. The resultant contamination was to be expressed as a percentage of contamination within the green waste service. At the time of preparing the scope of works for the project the waste contractor Perthwaste was using Greenwaste Services in Rockingham to process the greenwaste collected. Greenwaste Services utilised mechanical measures to separate contamination from greenwaste. As a result a large amount of greenwaste was included in the waste going to landfill. Below is a photograph taken of the waste collected from the Nedlands MGB green waste at Greenwaste Services in March Bowman and Associates Page 30 of 37

31 Following is a photograph of the green waste collected in the greenwaste MGB in March Following is a photograph of the compost made from Nedlands MGB greenwaste. During 2007 Perthwaste commissioned its new waste and recycling transfer station in Bibra Lake and began transferring the MGB greenwaste to Custom Compost at Neerabup. Perthwaste was then able to separate contamination at the transfer station rather than relying on composting facilities to carry out the separation. The percentage of recorded waste in the MGB greenwaste has greatly reduced as a result. Bowman and Associates Page 31 of 37

32 This was confirmed in the audit carried out by Bowman & Associates during November The audit on the five loads of greenwaste collected from 1,801 MGBs displayed a contamination rate of 1.1% confirming the MGB audit result from 199 MGBs of 0.8%. Following is a photograph taken during the five load audit. The greenwaste was tipped in a clean separate area within the Bibra Lake transfer station building and sorted using hand implements. This is also the usual approach now taken by Perthwaste to remove contamination from greenwaste. Contamination generally related to gardening activities and included flower pots, gloves, fertiliser bags and bagged greenwaste. Bowman and Associates Page 32 of 37

33 14.1. TRUCK AUDIT RESULTS Type Recycling Weights (%) Weight Type Weights (%) Weight Category (Kgs) (Kgs) Alloy 0.00% 0.0 Steel 0.00% 0 Glass (Total) 0.00% 0.0 Food cans 0.00% 0 Brown 0.00% 0.0 Other 0.00% 0 Green 0.00% 0.0 Green Waste 98.85% Clear 0.00% 0.0 Prunings 0.00% 0 Plastic (Total) 0.00% 0.0 Lawn Clippings 0.00% 0 PET % 0.0 Other 0.00% 0 HDPE (Opaque) % 0.0 Food 0.00% 0 HDPE (Coloured) % 0.0 Nappies 0.00% 0 Vinyl (PVC) % 0.0 Textiles 0.00% 0 LDPE % 0.0 Wood 0.00% 0 Polypropylene (PP) % 0.0 Rubber 0.00% 0 Polystyrene (PS) % 0.0 Soil 0.00% 0 Unclassified 0.00% 0.0 Bricks 0.00% 0 Liquid Paper Board 0.00% 0.0 Concrete 0.00% 0 Paper (Total) 0.00% 0.0 Hazardous 0.00% 0 Newsprint 0.00% 0.0 Batteries 0.00% 0 Glossy Magazine 0.00% 0.0 Chemicals 0.00% 0 Office 0.00% 0.0 Oil 0.00% % 0.0 Contamination 1.15% Cardboard (Total) 0.00% 0.0 Comments Totals % Mixed 0.00% % 0.0 Bowman and Associates Page 33 of 37

34 14.2. TRUCK V S MGB AUDIT COMPARISON Truck Bin Truck Bin Number of Bins Passed Unknown 253 Weight per Bin (Kgs) Number of Bins Collected 1, Participation Rate 79% Type % Weight (Kgs) % Weight (Kgs) Type % Weight (Kgs) Alloy 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.1 Steel 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.3 Glass (Total) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.2 Food cans 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Brown 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Other 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 % Weight (Kgs) Green 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Green Waste 98.9% % Clear 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.2 Prunings 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Plastic (Total) 0.0% 0 0.1% 2.0 Lawn Clippings 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 PET (1) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.2 Other 0.0% 0 0.3% 10.2 HDPE (Opaque) (2) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Food 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 HDPE (Coloured) (2) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Nappies 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Vinyl (PVC) (3) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Textiles 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 LDPE (4) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Wood 0.0% 0 0.2% 5.6 Polypropylene (PP) (5) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.7 Rubber 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Polystyrene (PS) (6) 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Soil 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Unclassified 0.0% 0 0.0% 1.1 Bricks 0.0% 0 0.1% 2 Liquid Paper Board 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Concrete 0.0% 0 0.1% 2.6 Paper (Total) 0.0% 0 0.1% 2.2 Hazardous 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Newsprint 0.0% 0 0.1% 1.7 Batteries 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Glossy Magazine 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.5 Chemicals 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 Office 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Oil 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0 Contamination 1.1% % 9.8 Cardboard (Total) 0.0% 0 0.0% 1.3 Totals 100.0% % Mixed 0.0% 0 0.0% % 0 0.0% 0.0 Bowman and Associates Page 34 of 37

35 15. DIVERSION FROM LANDFILL The MGB waste audit conducted over 11.8 Tonne of waste and recycling showed a diversion from landfill of 65.6%. This is a vast improvement on the 2004 audit result of 40.3%. This is based only on the materials collected in the mobile garbage bin system. To ascertain the City s true diversion from landfill all waste streams within the City need to be considered including: Waste, recycling and greenwaste in MGBs, Bulk greenwaste, hard waste and metals, Contamination within the recyclables going to landfill from processors, and Greenwaste and hard waste from others sources such as illegal dumping. A review of the City s waste generation statistics produced the diversion percentages in the following chart. Diversion From Landfill (Actual Tonnes) 50.00% 45.00% 40.00% 35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% The introduction of the three bin system has lifted the diversion from landfill from around 32% to 46.9%. This being still short of the City s target of 50% could be improved by education provided to ratepayers as the removal of the recyclables and greenwaste from the waste bin would increase the diversion from landfill from 46.9% to 51.7%. Bowman and Associates Page 35 of 37

36 16. REFERENCES Bowman & Associates City of Nedlands Resident Phone Survey. Bowman & Associates Waste Audit of Nedlands Three Bin System City of Nedlands Waste Minimisation Strategic Plan Western Australia Waste Management Board Organics Strategy: Draft for public comment. City of Nedlands Waste Minimisation Strategic Plan Objectives and Actions City of Nedlands Domestic Waste Classification Audit 2004 Waste Management Board Website Statement of Strategic Direction for Waste Management in Western Australia WMB Sept 2004 City of Nedlands Website City of Nedlands Waste Minimisation Systems 2004/2005 Biogas, (visited ) Beginners Guide to Biogas, (visited ) Basic Information on Biogas, (visited ) P. Vandevivere, L. De Baere and W. Verstraete. Types of anaerobic digesters for solid wastes. In Biomethanization of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes, Editor(s): J. Mata-Alvarez, September Pages: 336. IWA Publishing. E. Archer et al. (2005) Mechanical-Biological-Treatment: A Guide for Decision Makers Processes, Policies, & Markets. Juniper Consultancy Services Ltd. Version 1. National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Committee. (2006) Australian Methodology for the Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 2006: Waste. Department of Climate Change. AGO Factors and Methods Workbook. Department of the Environment and Heritage. December Recycled Organics Unit (2007). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Composting Facilities. Recycled Organics Unit, internet publication: Recycled Organics Unit (2000). Recycled Organics Industry Dictionary & Thesaurus: standard terminology for the NSW recycled organics industry. Recycled Organics Unit, internet publication: (visited ) US EPA (1998). Greenhouse gas emissions from management of selected materials in municipal solid waste. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Internet publication: Zero Waste New Zealand Trust. Wasted Opportunity: A Closer Look on Landfilling and Incineration. (visited ) US EPA. Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (accessed ) WALGA Western Australian Local Government Directory. Bowman and Associates Page 36 of 37

37 17. APPENDICES INTERSTATE COUNCIL SURVEY RESULTS Excel spreadsheet following Bowman and Associates Page 37 of 37