Remote waste

management best practise

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Overview

CAWMWG

Challenges

Why Change

What changes are we making

New Issues

Why Separate

Moving Forward

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Central Australia Waste

Management Working Group

The working group was formed in 2012 with members including; BRC, CDRC, MRC, NT Department of Environmental Health, NTEPA, DHCD, NT Worksafe and LGANT.

Aim to work together to develop sustainable and best practise waste management for remote communities in the Central Australia.

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Communities

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CAWMWG

services 33

remote

communities

Populations

range from

approx. 100 to

800 people

Best Practise

We are trying to achieve Environmental Sustainability by;• Maximising resource recovery and waste

to landfill is minimised.

• By meeting Occupants service requirements satisfactorily.

• Achieving statutory obligations of any predicted waste streams.

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Councils waste Budgets

include the following services Providing bins where required including;

Households

Businesses & Government buildings

Public Places

Emptying the bins

Effectively dispose of the waste to comply with statutory requirements.

Landfill Management

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Extras not fundedInclude;

Picking up Litter from community events

Remediating illegal & legacy dumping sites

Removal of car bodies from yards

Storage of car bodies

Leading Community clean ups projects

Maximising resource recovery

Community litter education beyond the levels of other state councils

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Challenges Limited Income (rates cover only 2% approx. of costs)

Limited waste infrastructure or cost effective access to markets for recyclables.

Staff retention is a challenge because of the remote nature of the jobs.

The vast distances and poor road conditions between communities (towns) restricts viable opportunities to remove and transport recyclables and hazardous wastes to appropriate facilities.

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Challenges cont. Landfill are generally designed below minimum

standards for environmental protection.

Few regional councils can afford the cost of relocating or redesigning existing landfills to achieve best practise standards.

And the selection of land can be impeded by the need for landowner consent, and the complexities with identifying appropriate custodians of the land.

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Why was change needed

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Poor waste management

practises

Issues

Contamination of groundwater & soil

Dust

Vermin & Bacteria

Fire & smoke

GHG production

Runoff into water bodies

Weeds

Odour

Community and Environmental Effects

Infection & Disease

Long term health

problems

Deterioration of drinking

water quality

Environmental degradation

and destruction

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Why Change

COMBINE

Best waste

practises

Reducing

Smoking

improved

personal and

household

hygiene

improved diet

RESULT

Tidy Towns

Clean environment

Better quality of life for residents

Bridging the gap in indigenous life expectancy

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How are we making the

change

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Upgraded Procedures

Ongoing training for

staff

Updated Facilities

Create Recycling Facilities &

Opportunities

Upgrade Procedures &

Providing Training & Direction

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Upgrade Facilities

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Improving waste separation

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Installing Public

Drop Off Bays

Locking Council Compounds

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Limiting Public &

contractor access

Creating Clean

recyclable stockpiles

Proper Burial of General Waste

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Improved pit

design

• Stepped sides

• Bund walls around perimeter

• Ramped entrance

• Clean fill stockpile

Better Signage

Standardised landfill signage

• Colour coded

• Pictures for drop off bays

• Pit and stockpile signage

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Progress in 5 Years

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New Issues

Stockpiles are growing (metals in excess of 480 tonnes)

5500 Vehicle stockpiles at community landfills & growing

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What Markets are currently

availableSCRAP METALS &

VEHICLES CONTAINER DEPOSIT

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What markets are currently

availableTyres

Alice Tyres

Beaurepairs

Ewaste

Techcollect

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Issues with getting product to

market

Industry require councils to complete all the work and wear the costs. Bale and transport to sealed road for collection.

Pay well below market rate or charge to collect.

The cost to Freight or no interest from transport companies to backload waste material in food transport vehicles.

Industry inability to send staff or plant to community.

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Why continue to separate &

stockpile?

Because waste volumes will continue to increase.

Metal is worth approx. $400 plus per tonne to industry.

Councils could see an income ($100-$150) per tonne to finance the removal of metals and other stockpiles.

There’s a cost to bury waste is upwards of $200 m3.

Industry costs to service our communities will only increase! (So its cheaper now!)

It’s poor environmental management not to!

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Game plan to get recyclables

off Communities

Combine recyclable volumes as a working group/s

Create centralised depots at identified remote community landfills which are close to sealed roads e.g. Alice Springs Hermannsburg, Imanpa, Ti Tree, Tennant Creek to store recyclable materials.

Transport material to depots utilising existing plant operations (e.g. back loading or during towns visits)

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Game plan cont.

See materials as a commodity (e.g. scrap

metal) and use this income to fund other

materials and transport to markets.

Seek funding for equipment to bale and

transport materials

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Moving forward

Much better community buy in

Assistance from government

Grants (e.g. Regional Recycling group)

Know our volumes

Understand our waste management costs

Amend charges to improve budgets

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Thank You

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