Waste

Where are we today, and what will be game changing in resource recovery? First, the facts. Australia generates 48 MT/year of waste (latest National Waste Data Report 2014). Despite steady increases in the rate of recovery (average 52%), the waste generated between 2002 and 2009 grew by 40%, while population increased by only 10% (SoE […]

The Australian waste industry is a rapidly changing space, with surging waste volumes and new government policies creating both opportunities and challenges. Improving the efficiency of collection, transport and recovery of waste and recyclables is critical to maximising resource recovery, a critical factor in the environmental footprint of our economy. But waste generation has been […]

With Sydney waste transfer stations set to cross the $275 per tonne barrier for the first time, it’s time to ramp up resource recovery. The drivers The effect of the NSW landfill levy, carbon pricing and compliance obligations on landfills and transfer stations, will push up pricing from 1 July 2012 by $35/t and possibly […]

On paper the new waste strategy to be implemented in WA over the next 20 years looks good, but will it boost recovery of business waste, wonders Mike Ritchie. In its review of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste in WA released last year my company, Mike Ritchie and Associates (MRA), found the state continued to […]

Who are Australia’s leading consultants in the waste and recycling industry? To answer this question, Inside Waste asked industry and government exactly that. The inaugural Inside Waste Consultants Survey was established to gauge the market. It first asked organisations which waste consultancies had completed the largest volume of projects and the highest value of contracts with them in the last two […]

Here we are at the end of a 6-year negotiation that began with the CPRS and NGERS and has finished with the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (CPM) and the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). There has been scarce communication from the Commonwealth as the issues have been free flowing, subject to ongoing negotiations at both the specialist […]

Many of us are conscientious recyclers who use our council bins, compost waste and say no to plastic bags. However, as KAREN SHAW finds out, there’s still so much more to be done. Read more  

By Mike Ritchie – Landfill charges in Sydney are going to increase from $200 a tonne to $300 in the next four years, courtesy of the landfill levy, rising landfill costs and inflation. The same trend is happening in Victoria, Queensland and other major cities as a result of government policies, particularly levies, stricter environmental […]

By Mike Ritchie, MRA Consulting Group Global warming is the problem  Global warming, due to anthropogenic (your and my) emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), is a reality that all but a few fringe dwellers, now accept. In a natural system plants photosynthesis CO2 from the atmosphere, expire oxygen and take up soil nutrients. Plants are […]

By Mike Ritchie – The WMAA has moved to strengthen the voice of the waste industry in forming a National Carbon Committee. It is important that potential contribution from the waste industry is recognised in any scheme and is not lost in the debate about the major emitters like power stations. The waste industry has the ability to produce, at relatively […]

As levies rise throughout Australia, here are the essential tips on how to get the best waste collection service possible. Industry veteran Mike Ritchie gives the low down. Companies regularly ask for advice on the ‘best’ and most cost-effective recycling and waste management systems, particularly in a rapidly changing market with lots of innovation going […]

Efforts to “demystify” the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme dominated early discussions at the WasteQ conference in Brisbane. Delegates heard from a range of speakers, who raised almost as many questions as they answered. The take home message for councils was there remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding carbon regulation, and they need to […]