Dig in for a waste-led recovery

Tasmania can make money by recycling its building and e-waste, says Pam Allan

WHEN we think about new infrastructure, roads, bridges, light rail and social housing are top of the agenda, but now is a good time to think about waste processing and recovery facilities in the post-COVID Tasmanian economy.

All states are talking up infrastructure to get their economies moving. Before COVID-19, some states were working on strategies for waste infrastructure investment. These road maps have been announced and fit neatly with infrastructure plans under consideration.

NSW has announced a paper/cardboard processing plant to tackle chronic stockpiles of recycled paper. It is sometimes difficult to get waste projects approved because of community opposition. To lure investment, NSW is promising a 20-year statewide planning approach with streamlined approvals. NSW is also nominating organics, waste to energy, e-waste recycling and smarter landfills as priorities.

South Australia has a new strategy that includes waste processing and recovery. It is thinking about end-of-life solar panels, lithium batteries and electronic equipment.

WA has implemented its container refund scheme after a COVID delay and providing $3.5m for its infrastructure.

Victoria Infrastructure released a report after widespread consultation that nominated six areas for investment: plastics, paper and cardboard, glass, organics, tyres and e-waste. Statewide, 87 sites were nominated for new or upgraded facilities. Following its ban on e-waste to landfill, the Victorian government has allocated $15m to ensure the ban is effectively implemented.

Tasmania is launching a major boost to its infrastructure economy. While we welcome as many shovel (and screwdriver) ready projects as possible, we will need a facility to process a good amount of construction and demolition waste, a byproduct of development. In the past Tasmania has lagged most states in valuing construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Apart from convict bricks and other heritage salvage, we have largely landfilled C&D waste and imported new (and recycled) construction materials from the mainland. Waste and recycling experts have nominated five areas where public and private investment can deliver: REGIONAL commercial composting facilities could upgrade organics recovery from expanded kerbside FOGO collections. CONSTRUCTION and demolition facilities to divert from landfill and recover usable building materials. SMARTER material recycling facilities at waste depots. INVESTMENT in plastics recycling to process kerbside plastics and soft plastics. Tasmania has some cutting edge plastics recycling (eg national award-winning Envorinex in George Town). We could increase reprocessing of plastics rather than exporting it. Finally E-WASTE. Tasmania has even less e-waste recovery than other states, which are prioritising the issue. We could build e-waste facilities to divert materials from landfill and build a recovery industry similar to government’s tyre recycling investment strategy.

The state government is working on a Waste and Recovery Infrastructure Plan and has begun planning the Container Refund Scheme with its mini-infrastructure collection points.

Some funding for waste infrastructure will come from the waste levy which the government has signalled for this year. Mainland states have applied levies to waste sent to landfill for decades but only recently meaningfully used the revenue to reinvest in waste infrastructure. Levies generally increase costs to companies but they only pay it if waste is landfilled. There is a real incentive to recycle.

A waste levy is another opportunity for shovel-ready waste projects.