Waste

The Draft Western Australian Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan 2023 is out and open for comment until 23 June 2023. This is a significant milestone and a valuable template for other States.  

We keep hearing and reading (what we think are) “waste myths” on-line and in on mainstream media. Mike Ritchie has decided to dispel those myths in this "Waste myths" series of articles.

We keep hearing and reading (what we think are) “waste myths” on-line and in on mainstream media. Mike Ritchie has decided to dispel those myths starting with the longest lived and most pervasive one.

We have a national average contamination rate in the yellow lid bin of about 12%. 

The Auditor General’s Report on the effectiveness of the National Waste Policy Action Plan has found that it sets the right targets but is poorly enacted at all levels of government.

By: Mike Ritchie, MRA Consulting Group In 2019, Australia’s environment ministers and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) agreed to the National Waste Policy and Action Plan (NWPAP). For the first time, all Governments were committing to collective action on recycling, waste management and the creation of a more Circular Economy. Our governments finally agreed […]

The NSW EPA has released the draft Climate Change Policy and Action Plan that aims to set the framework for halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (from 2005 levels), zeroing emissions by 2050, and improving NSW’s resilience to climate change impacts.

Even if you are a waste expert, you can never be sure what can go into a specific council’s recycling bin without first looking it up.

Australia’s National Plastics Plan 2021 was released a year ago. Sadly, it looks like most of its targets will be missed. Nevertheless, the Plan provides a strong foundation for tackling plastic waste in Australia.

Sydney has three options to avoid a looming waste crisis – boost recycling by increasing the waste levy to $200, build new landfills, or allow more energy recovery projects, says Mike Ritchie of MRA Consulting Group.

By: Mike Ritchie, MRA Consulting Group Lily soon found the Australian Microplastics Assessment Project (AUSMAP), a nationwide citizen science initiative run by Dr Michelle Blewitt from Total Environment Centre along with Dr Scott Wilson from Macquarie University. Their methodologies aligned well. Basically, you lay out a frame and collect a depth of sand from the beach, then spend […]

The 2022 Coffs Waste Conference has come and gone and with everyone back at the office, we managed to have a quick debrief. What everyone agreed on was that it was great to physically be back in a room with all our peers.