WasteMINZ 2007 – Hamilton

Awapuni Sustainable Development Centrea paradigm shift from waste disposal to waste minimisation

Chris Pepper – Water and Waste Services Manager

Palmerston North City Council

Agenda

1. “Going Greener” Sustainable Development

2. Landfill Closure Plan

3. Awapuni Sustainable Development Centre

4. Energy Plan, Renewable Energy Projects and Carbon Credits

5. Awapuni Recycling Industrial Park

6. Other Projects

“Going Greener” Sustainable Development

• “Going Greener” is an over-arching sustainable development strategy for Palmerston North and the surrounding region.

• Develop a sustainable development philosophy for Palmerston North “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

• “Going Greener” is a long-term philosophy that aims to achieve a balance of economic, community and environmental factors.

• Green is the already the colour for the Manawatu Province. “Go Green” is a popular catch-cry for local sports teams.

Palmerston North is steadily “Going Greener” Palmerston North is “Going Greener” “Going

Greener”

Landfill Gas ProjectsEco Park

Revised Waste Management Plan

Energy Efficiency Optimisation

Materials Recovery Industrial Park

Wind Farm Centre of NZ

“Go Green”

Turitea Mini Hydro

WWTP Biogas

Wind Generation

“Going Greener” Components

Palmerston North•“Going Greener”

•Sustainable Development

Eco Park•Conservation

•Recreation•Eco Tourism

RenewableEnergy•Wind Power

•PNCC Energy Cluster •Decrease Greenhouse Gases

•Self Sufficient

TBL Management•TBL Analysis

(Financial, Community and Environment)

WasteManagement

•Landfill Closure•Recycling

•Awapuni Recycling Centre Footprint

Transport•More Cycling

•More Public Transport•Less Cars

SustainableDevelopment

•Water Conservation•Solar Power

•Energy Savings

“Going Greener” Targets

• Awapuni Landfill is closed and transformed into Awapuni Sustainable Development Centre – Resource Recovery, Renewable Energy and Recreation.

• Domestic recycling rate of kerbside and drop-off material inorganic material is increased from the current 30% to 50% by 2012.

• Generate 2.5MW of electricity and be self sufficient from renewable energy by 2010.

• Further 15% energy saving by 2010 (A 10% cut has been achieved in last two years).

• Reduce the carbon footprint of the Council and Palmerston North. (Targets still need to be set)

Awapuni Landfill Development Plan

Awapuni Landfill

• Operating for over 50 years

• Closed 31st January 2007

• 2 parts

• 2,500,000 tonnes of refuse

• Major components (2/3rds) are paper, plastic and organic material

• Estimation of up to 500 m3/hour of methane for up to 20 years – up to 1.8MW electricity and heat available.

Awapuni Sustainable Development Centre

Made of 3 parts:

1. Awapuni Resource Recovery Industrial Park including Awapuni Recycling Centre and Visitors Centre.

2. Awapuni Renewable Energy Centre.

3. Awapuni Mountain Bike Park

“Going Greener” Goals

1. Generate 100% energy needs from renewable sources by 2010.

2. Reduce our energy consumption by another 15% by 2010.

Awapuni Renewable Energy Centre

• The target is to generate 2.5MW of electricity from renewable sources by 2010: Landfill Gas Biogas Wind Hydro Other

• PNCC is currently at around 45% of the target from LFG and Hydro

• Wind testing has started at the Awapuni and Turitea Reserve sites

• A Biogas project with Massey University and Mighty River Power has started at the existing WWTP.

• Won a EECA commendation award in 2006 and is a finalist in the 2007 EECA awards (1st November)

Existing Generation

Generation Plan

Palmerston North

“Going Greener”Awapuni Renewable

Energy Cluster

Solar and Wind•Mini WindFarm(0.5MW) – MRP

•Solar on Council Flats•Promote Solar scheme

•Long Term from Turitea WF

Landfill Gas 11MW – Carbon Credits (149,000)

35% WWTP12.5% Higgins

12.5% recycling40% Local grid

WWTP Digester•Currently 50m3/hour methane

(150kW)•Upgrade to 500kW

EnergyFrom Waste

•Waste Wood•Tyres

•Mixed Waste•(Total – 0.5MW)

Landfill Gas 2•1MW (2 x 0.5MW)

•Carbon Credits (150,000)•Lido Heating•Glass Houses

•Local Grid

Turitea Mini-hydro•Upgrade 120kW to 200kW

•Hardie Street•Lower Dam

Carbon Credits and Carbon Finance

• The cogeneration plant was made possible from sale of 149,000 carbon credits for the period 2008 to 2012.

• The net proceeds were about $1.3million with a 240,000 EUR up-front payment from the Austrian Government.

• 11,000 “grey credits” from 2006 are to be sold on the Chicago Climate Exchange for around net $40,000after expenses.

• The PNCC has some unique expertise to assessing and implementing carbon credit projects.

• It is expected that some future projects will have some carbon credits available from either the New Zealand or international markets – biogas, LFG2, wind etc.

Biogas Project

WWTP Biogas Project (300kW)

• Existing 150kW from anaerobic digester• Collaboration with Massey University to

use existing anaerobic digester asset to generate methane from industrial bio-solids in the region.

• Started 2006• Achieved triple methane production at lab

levelNext Steps• Double sustainable methane at WWTP

level by 2008• Biogas pipeline• Use cogeneration heat at WWTP

“Going Greener” Goals

1. Establish recycling industrial park powered by renewable energy.

2. Increase domestic recycling rate from 30% to 50% by 2012

3. Implement Waste Minimisation Plan

Resource Recovery – Awapuni Recycling Centre

• The Awapuni Recycling Centre was built between May and December 2006

• Opened on 4th December 2006

• Partnership of PNCC, Fullcircle and local recycling businesses to increase recycling in Palmerston North and Surrounding Region

• Recycles paper, cardboard, plastic, steel and , aluminium

• Glass recycling is handled in a separate stream. It is currently crushed in a 5% aggregate.

• It is planned that the Awapuni site will expand to a regional centre as there are benefits of economies of scale

Construction of Awapuni Recycling Centre

August 2006 December 2006June 2006

The Awapuni Recycling Centre and Recycling Industrial Park is built on the closed Awapuni Landfill.

Awapuni Recycling Centre

Awapuni Resource Recovery Industrial Park

• The hub is the Awapuni Recycling Centre

• The Awapuni Site is a specialised industrial site for resource recovery

• In 2007 the following operations will join: Composting Scrap Metal dealer Tyre recycling Oil and Paint Recycling

• The Awapuni Recycling Centre and Industrial Park is powered by burning the methane in the landfill gas from a project funded by carbon credits.

Visitors Centre and Education

• Aims to increase the awareness of sustainable development issues in Palmerston North and the surrounding region.

• Focus on resource recovery, renewable energy and climate change issues.

• In the future this centre will be a focus for a regional shared services education program.

• Building won local Master Builder “House of the Year” award in the commercial project category and it won a national Bronze.

• This visitors centre has had over 2,000 visitors since February 2007 from Palmerston North and the surrounding region.

Visitors Centre and Education

Over 2,000 visitors since February 2007

Highest Point is “Mt Cleese”

Environmental Education

• Need to get sustainability message across

• Best way of doing this is through schools EERST programme.

• Essential component of this is that the teachers are effectively delivering the correct message

• It is expected that this will increase our recycling volumes by 20 to 50% over the long term and will replace most of our advertising expenditure.

Regional Education Facility

Awapuni VisitorsCentre

Regional Education Facility•Sustainable Development

PNCCExisting

Resources

HorizonsGreen

Rig

RegionalShared

Services

EERST•61 primary and intermediate

schools

Massey UCOL

Recreational Opportunities

• The target is to develop recreation area by 2009:

Established Mountain Bike jump park

Establish 2km mountain bike loop for beginners and more advanced cyclists in partnership with the Manawatu Mountain Bike Club

Develop house riding track in partnership with Awapuni Racecourse

Develop horse riding stables for the Awapuni Racecourse

Possible link to city walkway and cycle systems

Awapuni Mountain Bike Jump Park – Phase 1

Phase 2 is to connect the Awapuni site with the main river track network

Tōu Ao, Tōku Ao. Kākāriki, Kawea Ake!

"Its your world, its my World and our collective responsibility to take care of the environment into the future"