Issue: November 2019

Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Hinchinbrook hosts LAWMAC August workshop and AGM

Wednesday 21 August 2019, a wonderful afternoon to commence the LAWMAC three (3) day workshop and conference, with 30 guests including; members, visitors and guest speakers undertaking a field trip at the Wilmar Victoria Sugar Mill. The Regional Operations Manager Mr Adam Douglas provided an insightful and attention-grabbing tour and presentation on Waste Management in Sugar Manufacturing and Co-Generation Opportunities. Members, visitors and guests viewing Wilmar Sugar facilities

Wilmar Mill Tour – Workshop and Site Visit

Hinchinbrook Shire Council Cr Lancini inside Victoria Mill

Full Day Workshop Members, visitors and guests’ in-front of Victoria Mill

Thursday 22 August 2019, a picturesque morning for 52 members at the TYTO Conference Centre, a

facility which offers the unexpected discovery of art, culture, nature and knowledge. The workshop was a

positive display of diverse and captivating presentations exploring resource recovery challenges and opportunities.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

Hinchinbrook Shire Council Cr Milton with members, participating in a group based task

Lucinda Foreshore dnner and evening entertainment event

The Honorable Trevor Evans MP – Assistant Minster for Waste Reduction\and Enviornmental Management participing in a group based task.

Dinner and Evening Entertainment – Lucinda Jetty

Thursday evening following the full day workshop a sunset beach dinner party with evening entertainment was hosted on the foreshore of Lucinda Jetty. The sunset made for a relaxing atmosphere with fine dining and a live band before Sample of the delicious food on offer Friday’s AGM and general meeting.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

Isaac and Central Highlands For CHRC, the evaluation team consisted of the General Manager Communities, Manager Councils Planning and Environment, Coordinator Procurement, Kavney Consulting with the probity New Waste Collection Contract advisor role being fulfilled by Preston Law.

On 28 May 2019, both Isaac Regional Council All tenderers were required to attend an interview (IRC) and the Central Highlands Regional Council with each council and give a presentation of their (CHRC) awarded the contract for kerbside waste data reporting systems, which are a collection services to North Resource requirement of the contract specification and to Recovery (Cleanaway) for a period of seven years discuss any departures or areas which each with the option of three 12-month extensions. Council requested further clarity on.

The contract will offer a saving over current costs. Both Councils are currently working through the The new contract will feature new trucks across all mobilisation process with joint meetings being held services. The new side lift trucks will be Euro VI with Cleanaway at Clermont, which is equidistant specifications which will offer safer, cleaner, more from the two Councils’ Headquarters at efficient and quieter operation. and Emerald.

After securing approval from the Australian The cost savings of the new contract for the Competition and Consumer Commission, the Central Highlands Regional Council reflect a procurement process was carried out jointly with saving of $2.45m over the term of the contract both Councils using the services of Kavney based on the current 2019 contract. For Isaac Consulting to provide support across a number of Regional Council this is a saving of $2.25m. areas. The intention to procure jointly, was to enable savings through economy of scale and shared costs with both Councils’ current contracts expiring simultaneously in October 2019. In the procurement process, a discount was requested should the contractor be awarded both contracts. This collaborative process also resulted in each Council having separate contracts to the successful tenderer.

The evaluation process was very rigorous, with an evaluation team which at IRC comprised the Manager Waste Services, Projects Co Ordinator Waste Services, Chief Finance Officer and Kavney Consulting, and which evaluated the non-price elements of tenders, making up 60% of the final scores, before considering the prices. Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes with Cleanaway General Manager of Northern Brad Gornall

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

Each Council would like to thank JJ Richards & Sons Pty Ltd for their service over the past 10 years and is looking forward to the new contract, cost savings and the opportunities that a new service provider will bring to the region during a time that waste is on the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Central Highlands Regional Council new collection truck

Isaac Regional Council

Mobilisation of New Kerbside

Central Highlands Regional Council displays their first collection truck Collection Trucks Unveiled – 2/10/19 7 October 2019

A tonne of work in the kerbside collection space is now rolling toward reality as the new contract is set to wheel out from Monday morning across the . The seven-year $17 million contract will see nearly 5 million residential wheelie bin pickups and 40,000 bulk bin pickups over its life.

The five new recycling and waste trucks will do more than 150,000 km each year – about the same as travelling round the world four times – across the Isaac region.

Isaac Regional Council Acting Mayor Kelly Vea Vea said Cleanaway has made a fundamental commitment to ensure the company keeps jobs local as a top priority.

Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes with the Cleanaway team and council representatives

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

“We’re proud to be working in close partnership with Isaac Regional Council to deliver a safe and reliable service to the local community.”

There will be an improved service change for residents in St Lawrence, Greenhill, Ilbilbie, Carmila, Clairview, Nebo and Glenden, thanks to a new special dual-purpose truck. There are no changes to schedules in Clermont, Dysart, Middlemount and Moranbah.

Council will also have a dedicated recycling truck that will be used across the region in towns such as Dysart, Middlemount and Moranbah. Cleanaway General Manager of Northern Australia Brad Gornall and Isaac Regional Council Acting Mayor Vea Vea with Cleanaway and council team members

“We are very grateful to the service JJ Richards has provided our region for the past 10 years and we look forward to the service Cleanaway will provide to our region from Monday onwards for the next seven years,” she said.

“Ensuring household rubbish and recycling is picked up outside residents’ homes in the Isaac region is very much part of our core business.

“The average family of two adults and two children usually throws out up to 10kg each week in the red-top bin and another 4-5kg in the yellow top bin each fortnight.”

Cleanaway General Manager of Northern

Australia, Brad Gornall, said they are looking Isaac Regional Council Collection Trucks Launch forward to starting services to homes and businesses in the Isaac region from 7 October.

“I’m pleased that we’re investing in the local community by providing local employment, and using local suppliers, and that through our custom built Cleanaview on-board management system, we’re able to provide council with more accurate data and a clearer view of service levels across the life of the contract,” Mr Gornall said.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

The new seven-year contract with the option of three 12-month extensions will see almost 5 million residential wheelie bin pickups each year.

The new contract is expected to save councils between $200,000 and $350,000 each year while employing the local community. So far 14 local residents have been employed to support the contract with Cleanaway committed to keeping jobs local.

The fleet is fitted with state-of-the-art Cleanaview technology, which gives the councils access to an online portal to view the location of vehicles, near real time collection and scheduled pickup

Isaac Regional Council Collection Trucks on Display information, and importantly – they will be able to resolve more queries from residents on the first call.

The fleet of 13 is expected to do more than 150,000 km each year which is equivalent to travelling around the world four times over.

Cleanaway will service approximately 21,000 residents across 58,000km2 in Moranbah under Isaac Regional Council as well as 30,000 residents across 60,000km2 in Emerald, Central Highlands Regional Council.

Cleanaway General Manager of Solid Waste Services Northern Australia, Brad Gornall, said, “We are excited to have started providing services

Isaac Regional Council Acting Mayor Kelly Vea Vea in the driver’s to homes and businesses in both the Isaac and seat with Cleanaway Branch Manager Matthew Walsh Central Highland regions. I’m pleased that we continue to invest in the local community by providing employment and using local suppliers, Cleanaway partner with Isaac and and that through our custom built Cleanaview on- Central Highlands Regional Council board management system, we’re able to provide for a sustainable future councils with more accurate data and a clearer view of service levels across the life of the On 7 October 2019, Cleanaway commenced contract. We’re proud to be working in close kerbside general waste and recycling services with partnership with both councils to deliver a safe and Isaac and Central Highlands Regional Council. reliable service to the local community.”

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

LGAQ Study Tour The Study Tour will include: (Melbourne)  Gaining experience on the use of waste and recycled materials in municipal operations and assets Recycled content in roads and infrastructure 26-28 Nov 2019  Identifying standards and norms to be adopted and constraints that could be a Program Overview - The Victorian government barrier has supported the use of recycled content in roads  Establishing networks and potential and infrastructure for over a decade. In Melbourne, partnerships to expedite decisions for industry and local government asset owners have change. embraced this opportunity and actively included these products into their normal operations.

Recycled asphalt, glass, crumb rubber from tyres Planned Meetings with Industry & AAPA have for many years been actively included in Members roads and infrastructure. The recent additional attention to plastics has added another opportunity to extract value from this waste stream leading to Alex Fraser greater diversion from landfill.  Feedback on experience, practice, The "Study Tour to Melbourne" provides economic benefits and key points for participating councils the opportunity to hear from use in Qld, issues to address in the experts about technologies creating sustainable collection and processing of glass uses for recycled content. Participants will be able Provide details of glass use in road to capture this Victorian practice and experience,  base and the specifications for the and in conjunction with industry, to rapidly transfer glass used. this to Queensland. Boral Objectives and outcomes  Based on local practice and West Through meetings with key stakeholders in Australian activities as reported at Victoria including local and state government, AAPA Conference Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) Members, contractors, engineers and waste Colas/SAMI managers, participants will gain a clear  Factory manufacture and distribution of understanding on what has been done, what can Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM), be transferred, best practice and the highest emulsions. priorities for Queensland. Downer

 Presentation at Hume City Council to cover value, sustainability, experience, performance and liability concerns.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

 Include the value addition to recycled Central Highlands Regional construction and demolition materials (bricks, concrete, old base course, Council sprayed seals) built back into foam- stabilised material for use in road base, drumMUSTER Footprint Increases pothole repair. The Central Highlands Regional Council is increasing the number of drumMUSTER sites in the region. Fulton Hogan Rolleston and area farmers will now  Extract details of the local activities have ongoing access to deliver drums at the local plans for greater use of recycling, waste sites. Both sites are having compounds rubber & waste constructed in the new site refurbishments.  Review potential of foam-stabilised These two sites will complement other depots at crushed recycled construction and Capella, Lochlees and . All sites will demolition materials receive drums during open hours giving clients the  Provide details of the St Kilda, Mozart best opportunity to deliver drums for recycling. Street project. Central Highlands Regional Council farmers have Puma delivered over 232,000 drums since the program commenced. Uptake in recent years has been  Crumb Rubber field and factory consistent and the new sites will add the blended products opportunity for increased participation and higher returns. TyreCycle & TSA

 Crumb Rubber manufacture and use in Australia & Queensland

 Review operations, size, output capacity, processing truck & passenger tyres

 Options available for processing and collection in Queensland

 Impact of local government demand on the market.

Recycled content in roads and infrastructure study tour to Melbourne

Graph showing the number of containers collected over the period

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

The construction of the Hervey Range Tip Shop has supported 10 jobs.

Work at the Hervey Range Tip Shop is expected to commence in February next year, pending council approval and the award of contract.

Townsville City Council How residents use their bins with a waste audit conducted Hervey Range Tip Shop Townsville City Council is wheelie putting the Townsville City Council is in the final stages of focus on how residents use their bins with a waste engaging a contractor for the Hervey Range Tip audit conducted across the city. Shop. AECOM were engaged to conduct a review of how The shop will be part of the new Resource waste and recycling bins are used across the city Recovery Centre (RRC) and is part of a significant and the results show that recycling education will Council investment into the Hervey Range Waste help alleviate pressure on Council’s waste Management Facility. facilities.

Townsville Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said the audit is Russ Cook said the Hervey Range Tip Shop important for Council as it looks to improve waste adopted the principles of a circular economy. involvement in this.

“The shop creates a chance for household goods “The key findings of this report really show that we that would normally go to landfill to find a new can do a few things to improve what is ending up home and be reused,” Cr Cook said. in our rubbish bins but that our biggest opportunity “These are things like unwanted couches, is education.” televisions and other household items.” Townsville Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Councillor Mark Molachino said there were plenty Russ Cook said one of the biggest challenges of reasons for residents to take full advantage of facing Council is ensuring residents are putting the shop. their waste in the right bins.

“Taking your items into the Tip Shop means fewer “This report identified that across the city residents quality items end up in landfill,” Cr Molachino said. are on average filling roughly a fifth of their bins with the wrong type of waste which is big “It also gives residents and visitors the chance to opportunity for us,” Cr Cook said. buy a variety of high-quality second-hand goods at one convenient location.” “If we can get our residents recycling properly this has flow-on benefits for the economy as recycling creates more jobs and fills less space in our landfills.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

 On average 20.8% of the sorted waste stream falls into the recyclable’s category (leakage) and could be recovered at the Materials Recovery Facility if it was in the correct bin. The proportion of leakage varied between 13-35%. Vincent had the highest percentage of leakage in the waste stream and Burdell the lowest.

 Garden organics (27.2%), food organics (18.4%) and other waste (7.6%) made up the top three components of a waste bin.

Residential recycle bins:

 On average recycling bins each weigh 10.5kg/fortnight.

 On average 19% of the sorted recyclables fall into the waste category (contamination). The proportion of non- recyclable items in the recycling stream ranged from 3.88% to 29.94%. Black River had the highest proportion of recycling contamination.

 Recyclable glass (31.9%), recyclable cardboard (21%) and recyclable paper (15.6%) made up the top three components of the recycling bin.

Kerbside Audit Kerbside Hard Waste Update “From this report, Council can now look at developing education programs targeted at Townsville has kicked their rubbish to the kerb with improving recycling across the city.” over 23,700 households taking up this year’s kerbside collection. Stats and facts: The annual kerbside collection is wrapping up this Residential waste bins: week in time for the cyclone season and Council crews have picked up over 2,850 tonnes of waste.  On average waste bins each weigh Townsville Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr 13.7kg/week. Russ Cook said 330 tonnes picked up by Council staff had been recycled.

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LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

“This year, we were able to recycle 330 tonnes of the waste that was placed on the kerbside across the city,” Cr Cook said.

“This means that we are able to redirect that rubbish away from landfill and recycle it instead which is important for sustainable waste practices.”

Cr Cook said this year’s kerbside collection went extremely well and that residents really followed the instructions well.

“Last year was the first time in more than a decade that Council had delivered a kerbside collection program and there was some smoothing out that we needed to do. Kerbside Hard Waste Collection “This year we were able to condense the schedule for the pick-ups and residents knew what to Stats and figures: expect.  23,705 properties have presented waste and had it collected,

o That is out of 69,181 properties who have had the service pass through their suburb

o This gives a presentation rate of 34%

o Magnetic Island will be completed in October and see the conclusion of this years’ service

 A total of 2,849 tonnes of waste have been collected o Of which 333 tonnes have been recycled o This equates to an average pile weigh of 120kg/presenting property Kerbside Hard Waste Collection

 The service is now 97% complete. “Over 23,700 properties put out their rubbish for collection which may have been impacted by the kerbside collection completed just after the monsoon earlier in the year.”

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

Emma Atkins, Senior Program Manager of DES Waste Reform, chaired the workshop discussion which was focused on past and present strategies adopted to tackle the problem of illegal dumping and potential strategies for future programs with the potential to improve compliance and investigative activities, learning and research, data collection, community education and engagement and training of local and state illegal dumping officers.

Kerbside Hard Waste Collection

Kerbside trash and treasure transformed into art by Magnetic Island photographer

Click on the link below to read the article:

Kerbside trash and treasure

Illegal Dumping around Townsville Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program

At the commencement of the newly formed Illegal Dumping Pilot Partnerships Program, Department of Environment and Science (DES) ran a workshop which focused on stakeholder introductions and discussion about the scope of the project.

The workshop was attended by representatives from state and local government departments including Council’s Waste Services, Environmental Services, Environmental Health, Media & Communications departments as well as DES Waste Reform, Environmental compliance and Litter and Illegal Dumping departments. Illegal Dumping Officer in the field

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

The Pilot Program discussion centred around Cairns Regional Council compliance activities and Glass Fines Story

Cairns residents may be closer to driving on roads made of glass bottles (recovered through kerbside collections) thanks to recent successful asphalt trials at Cairns Regional Council (CRC) facilities.

Cairns Regional Council in partnership with local company Pioneer have just completed trials using 18 tonnes recovered crushed glass to create more than 120 tonnes of Click on the link below where you can report asphalt for new roads installed across Council Littering and Illegal Dumping: facilities in Portsmith.

Report littering or illegal dumping Though large quantities of glass bottles and jars placed in yellow top kerbside recycling bins in Cairns are recyclable, a portion of this material is unsuitable for use in glass re-manufacturing due to the particles being too small or contaminated with ceramic, stoneware, pyrex and plastic. This material is known as glass fines. As part of the mechanical sorting process of waste sent to the CRC Materials Recovery Facility, glass fines are diverted through a crushing unit, which is able to crush the fine particles into varying sizes, to produce a sand like output.

Government and commercial construction of roads require large volumes of sand, this material mostly sourced from quarries in the Barron River Delta, Cairns Tablelands and from dune sites. As an alternative to this material being excavated out of the environment, Cairns Regional Council has demonstrated that

Illegal dumping - image courtesy of LGAQ large volumes of this glass sand could be used as a substitute. Staff of Pioneer North Queensland noted that during the trial pour (and after final quality inspection had been made) that ‘there was no noticeable difference in terms of its placement and performance versus normal sand/asphalt'.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

Staff involved in the trial also commenting “There A lesser known fact, that though Australia is far is no doubt that recovering glass for this use helps from the most populated nation on earth that we protect our local Cairns environment, in having are still one of the largest contributors to municipal less dependency on virgin material, but also (household) solid waste globally each year and shows that material traditionally sent to landfill can with something of a crisis currently facing our instead be used as a resource”. recycling industry we all need to reboot our thinking towards waste. This is a time when government and industry can re-think waste, implement more sustainable recycling methods

right here in , projects that repurpose glass sand and other waste products for roads & non-structural concentre requirements are clearly a great place to start.

Thankfully government and industry have many more waste recovery projects in the pipeline, let’s

continue to play our part in the rethinking of waste as a resource, achieving a more circular local economy while taking greater responsibility in reducing the waste we send to landfill each day.

From this Mandalay Technologies

Managing residential and To this commercial collections Data in a council environment

A perspective from Mandalay Technologies by Darren North

Councils traditionally focus on the removal of waste as an environmental and aesthetic concern, and while this remains a valid reason for carrying out these services, the focus is now shifting to also include the commercial, social and circular economy outcomes you produce from performing those activities.

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au

Issue: November 2019

As a company specialising in data capture we quite With a little investigation it becomes readily apparent often see a myriad of missed opportunities where that the lack of information and control creates a data simply isn't being captured and in reality, it could significant risk for exploitation or fraud. and should be. I propose that there are two key aspects required to This gap in information will often lead to commercial achieve significant and ongoing improvement to or domestic service users consuming more services savings and fraud reduction. than they are entitled to or have paid for, just to name Firstly, changing the mindset/role of a traditional one example. Waste/Garbage Manager to that of a Modern For commercial/business customers or even Resource Manager who captures, manages and residential upgrades, there are a number of solutions utilises data to continuously improve efficiencies with varying degrees of success currently employed whilst continuing to ensure the core essentials of the by councils to try and ensure payment, entitlement service are achieved. Secondly, ensuring the and collections align. I have seen many solutions Manager and Teams have access to the tools, time, such as stickers, different bins, driver run sheets and resources and systems needed to manage and even nothing at all to manage ‘paid for’ collections. In deliver the services in an efficient manner. some instances, even domestic waste services have Combining these two key components and utilising absolutely no controls over who or how many bins real-time data in user friendly dashboards will save are put out for collection. Just as long as the waste is Councils and ratepayers significant money and removed, all will be ok. resources and will also ensure that the opportunities to exploit or defraud the services at the cost to Within many Councils there are also a vast range of ratepayers is minimised. spreadsheets, driver run sheets, customer records, rates and fee payments associated with managing Mandalay will further explore the topic of data capture bin upgrades or additional fee services. Most of these through an upcoming Webinar series where we will ‘tools’ live in isolation from each other and where dive deeper into the existing structure of there are Waste Managers that try and proactively collections and collections data, your relationship with ensure entitlements and collections align, there are customers (commercial entities and residents) and usually painful processes that coagulate data into a the role that data can play in providing improving single spreadsheet with only a mediocre amount of performance for your community and ratepayers. accuracy. I’m not trying to tar everyone with the same To participate, click on the link below to register: brush but, those that can relate a dedicated unique bin to a single customer, income and collections data Gathering and Managing Waste Data seem to be quite rare.

The actual size and scale of the problems are, for most Councils, relatively unknown as very little data exists to identify the issue in the first place. In fact the lack of data becomes the reason and the roadblock to improved performance. This lack of data has allowed these and other similar issues to continue largely unnoticed as the streets are clear and no one is complaining. .

LAWMAC Secretary: Mary Field - PO Box 47, Manunda QLD 4870 mobile: 0409 536 379 email: [email protected] web: www.lawmac.org.au