CASE STUDY – IMPROVING RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRES Mount Scobie (Kyabram) Transfer Station Overview Recyclable items accepted › garden organics (green waste) › gas bottles/fire extinguishers (empty) Located approximately five kilometres › batteries west of the small regional town of › bricks › mattresses Kyabram, the Mount Scobie (Kyabram) › concrete › mobile phones (includes batteries Transfer Station provides resource and other mobile accessories) › cardboard recovery services to the region and › motor oil (up to 20 litres) is owned and operated by the Shire › chemical drums (empty) › paint tins (empty – up to 20 litres) of Campaspe. › e-waste and electrical devices › paper › clothing The transfer station opened to the › plastic (other than commingled public in 2000 and forms part of › commingled recycling recycling) the Goulburn Valley region’s waste › scrap metals (ferrous and non-ferrous › silage wrap management infrastructure. Recently, – including water tanks bed frames, it has undergone significant upgrades, bikes, roofing iron, copper, aluminium, › timber which were completed in November 2015. brass, fencing wire) › tyres The upgrades included construction of › fluorescent lights › whitegoods. a large shed in which to separate and store recyclable material. The shed also includes a large area for the drop-off of resalable materials and items, which are sold back to the community. Waste and recycling items SNAPSHOT accepted TONNES PROCESSED NUMBER OF OPERATORS REQUIRED The transfer station provides the towns of Pre-transfer station upgrade: One to two. Kyabram, Stanhope, Girgarre, Tongala and Approximately 1,100 tonnes of FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES their surrounding districts (an estimated waste sent to landfill per annum. population of 13,000) with a dedicated › introduction of new recycling facility to source separate and drop-off Post-transfer station upgrade: services, such as soft and a number of recycling material streams, › Approximately 900 tonne of waste polystyrene plastics as well as some general waste items. sent to landfill per annum (18% › installation of weighbridge and reduction to landfill recorded). electronic reporting and invoicing The site does not accept asbestos, grease system trap waste, industrial food waste, dead › An estimated 200 tonnes per animals and offal, night soil or sewerage, annum additional recycling, › education area and display area, hazardous toxic substances, liquid wastes including a 4% overall increase in similar to that in place at Echuca (except approved oils) or logs and stumps recovered commingled recyclables. Environment Centre in excess of 300 millimeters in diameter. NUMBER OF STREAMS RECYCLED 22 › installation of covers over the skip bins. TYPE Transfer station and resource recovery, via recycling and resale drop-off locations within main shed, and platform drop-off for bulk items. CASE STUDY Mount Scobie (Kyabram) Transfer Station Continuous upgrades towards Since the upgrade, a number of positive Management of the facility impacts have been realised, including: best practice The Transfer Station is owned by the The objectives of the recent significant › Immediate decrease in the tonnes Shire of Campaspe and managed under upgrade to the site were to: of waste to landfill and skip bin contract by Ellwaste. The Transfer Station movements. Council is confident these is currently managed by one Ellwaste › significantly improve the effectiveness reductions experienced in the short employee per shift, with operating hours and efficiency of the site amount of time the upgraded facility being 8:00am to 12:00pm Tuesdays to › significantly increase the number of has operated will be increased upon Fridays and 8:00am to 3:45pm Saturdays recyclable material streams accepted throughout the year, as more initiatives and Sundays. The following are key at the site are implemented and residents management principles that contribute understand how the site operates and › create controlled traffic flows and all- to the transfer station’s success: what materials can be recovered. weather access to improve the sorting, › The undercover drop-off area for › Greater efficiencies and improvements separating and storing of materials customers and operators has: to the separation of loads and material › create a space to implement recycling movements. A large volume of material – increased OH&S for both customers initiatives such as a re-sale shop, is being diverted to the re-sale shop and transfer station employees similar to that in place at the Echuca and stillages, with drop-off locations – provided customers with an Environment Centre strategically organised and separated all-weather location to sort, › improve site security and surveillance to allow customers to recognise where separate and drop-off recyclables equipment to place various materials. – helped reduce contamination of › allow the closure of Kyabram, Tongala › Improved traffic flow and a reduced recycling streams and Stanhope landfills. risk of traffic accidents. – enabled the acceptance of a higher number of recycling streams. Council commenced preparation and › Signage improvements, which have design works for the infrastructure resulted in improved materials › The installation of a gatehouse within upgrades in August 2014, with physical recovery and education of users. the shed has: works completed in November 2015 › Positive feedback from users, who have – enabled greater visual surveillance after a three-month build time. The total indicated the site is now neater, more by operators and reduces the need cost for the project was $748,400, which aesthetically pleasing and easier to use for additional employees per shift included a contribution of $206,890 from and that they are recognising the need to – increased the site security and Sustainability Victoria. be cognisant of their behaviour toward enables easier inspection of loads. waste management and to separate The project’s works included: › A good relationship with a well- materials before coming to site. managed and local recycling contractor › construction of a large shed › Council is pleased with the outcomes has provided the council with access with concrete floor of this project so far and is looking to a nearby materials recovery facility › upgraded site roadways and forward to further economic and (MRF) in Echuca for the processing improvements to the hardstand environmental outcomes. or the site’s commingled and other recycling steams. › improvements to site security. › The provision of free mulch collection to the local community is sourced from green waste dropped off at the site by residents and processed on-site by a mulching contractor from Melbourne on an as needs basis. The mulch is available to residents for self-loading when the transfer station is open, as well as via loading by transfer station staff operating the site’s front-end loader once a month. The mulch is also used for site and landfill rehabilitation and site beautification. CASE STUDY Mount Scobie (Kyabram) Transfer Station However, provisions were put in place during construction to assist installation at a later date). › Undertaking media and promotional activities, including providing an education area and display similar to that in place at Echuca Environment Centre, to maximise people taking responsibility for and separating their waste. › Installing covers over the skip bins. Key learnings for similar extensive upgrades Key learnings from certain components of the upgrades were as follows: › Extensive planning phase and design for over-capacity A lengthy planning phase was one of the Site layout Equipment most important elements in enabling the success of this project. Conducting The transfer station layout enables The main equipment utilised by the an extensive planning stage ensures effective source separation and drop-off transfer station is a large front-end the design and operation of the site for the customers, with the following loader with an attached backhoe. meets the project’s aims and objectives, process occurring: and designing for over-capacity assists This is used to assist in manoeuvring with the transfer stations being able to 1 Customers enter transfer station and material at the site, as well as accommodate greater forecasted volumes, stop at the main shed gatehouse. compacting waste and recycling within and keeps the site neat and tidy minimising bins/areas (i.e. general waste). safety issues. Designing for over-capacity 2 Gatehouse employees determine the also enables further improvements and fee for the load based on: Future opportunities additions to be implemented after the – the vehicle or trailer volume and if it major construction finishes. is waste Future opportunities identified by council – the type of load (i.e. general waste for the transfer station include: › Construction of a large shed to house load, furniture) recyclables and resale items › Continually introducing recovery – the amount of recyclable material able Construction of a large shed assisted to be separated within the load (i.e. pathways for additional materials, such in mitigating challenges of remoteness plastics, metals). as soft and polystyrene plastics, through and low population densities. As larger the introduction of new services. facilities can store greater amounts of 3 Customers drive through the transfer › Installing a new weighbridge and recyclables, this enables lower collection station and drop-off waste into the electronic reporting system to accurately frequencies by waste