wastenot

In our recent article ‘Is it time for a landfill ban on polystyrene?’, we referenced New York City’s decision to ban single-use polystyrene foam containers and packaging. The decision meant the end of polystyrene throw away coffee cups. Unexpectedly, on 22 September, Justice Margaret Chan, of the New York Supreme Court overturned the ban citing […]

The Albury Wodonga region is the best in both NSW and Victoria for household recycling. That’s according to a recent audit of kerbside household waste, which shows that total diversion rates of the four councils that introduced a combined food and garden organics service this year was 82% on average. The councils that achieved this […]

You’ve seen it in nearly every movie set in a New York winter – the movie’s main character bundled in a coat, clutching a cup of hot “kwa-fee” – in a polystyrene foam cup. However, as of July 1st 2015, a ban on single-use polystyrene foam food and beverage containers (take away containers, food trays, […]

The NSW Government announced in February 2015 that it had a preference to introduce a container deposit scheme (CDS). That announcement was endorsed by the opposition. So what is the State of Play beyond NSW? The QLD government has said it will model its system on the NSW model; NT has now introduced its own […]

The rollout of new food and garden (FOGO) waste collection systems is stressful for many councils. MyWaste shows it does not need to be. For many residents, wheeling out and collecting their bins each week represents their most significant interaction with Council. This is a learned behaviour established over many years. Subsequently, changes to collection […]

From a media release by Noosa Council, originally published here. A waste industry heavyweight, Mike Ritchie, was one of two speakers Noosa’s community Jury heard from at its fourth meeting, held this week. Mr Ritchie, who has more than 25 years of experience in waste management, accepted the Jury’s invitation to present via video link from […]

Published by ResourceRecovery.biz The winners during the first Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) auction have been announced. Congratulations to those who succeeded in securing a Carbon Abatement Contract with the Federal Government and commiserations to those who missed out. But don’t despair: there are many more auctions to come. Under the ERF, the Federal Government is […]

If you stash a handful of plastic bags in the cupboard after your weekly supermarket shop, then this article is for you. The NSW Greens have announced an election pledge to ban the single use plastic shopping bag. Many other States and Territories have already gone down that path via bans or 10 cent fees. […]

Greenhouse Warming Potential (GWP) review will unlock up to 20% additional abatement potential for the waste sector – but only if accounted for accurately in project proponents’ ERF bid. Forecasting carbon abatement from waste activities can be very complex. Abatement is always defined against a hypothetical landfill emissions baseline that can be affected by a […]

The Northern Territory EPA has released its inaugural Waste Strategy. While the strategy is a great first step for the region, there is still much more to be done. But first, let’s talk about the context for the strategy. The NT has a number of characteristics which make it unique. It has a very a […]

Waste and environment consultancy MRA has launched a new service to help councils benefit from the Emissions Reduction Fund. The service will involve MRA acting on behalf of councils to help them prepare and make ERF bids for landfill abatement projects. Environment Minister Greg Hunt has high hopes for these sorts of aggregation schemes, which […]