Landfill

By Mike Ritchie – Director, MRA Consulting Group The decision to increase the levy to $103/t over 4 years will send a strong pricing signal to recyclers and waste generators in South Australia. To recyclers it is a signal to invest in new services and infrastructure and to grow jobs. To waste generators it is […]

By Ron Wainberg – Technical Director, MRA Consulting Group Energy from Waste (EfW) is very well established overseas, but in Australia it has yet to get off the ground. The reasons for this are to be found in a complex combination of different historical factors: adequate landfill capacity, poor financial incentives, unfavourable public perceptions and lack […]

Over the last few months the national debate around a ban on microbeads has picked up. Last November, MRA argued the need for a national ban on microbeads. We said they were pernicious and a pollutant that should never have been permitted in the first place. It is nice to know US President Obama reads […]

Published by Sustainability Matters What do you see as the single biggest challenge facing your industry in the year ahead, and why? The biggest challenge for recyclers is the mixed government market price signals around recycling, waste management and carbon. Some States are pushing ahead with strategic approaches to waste management by setting targets, establishing […]

The Source Separated Organic Waste Method has been approved and is available for use. There is still time to register a project for the next auction under this method and claim credits for your abatement effort. The next ERF auction is to be held on the 27 and 28 April 2016. To be eligible to […]

Last November, MRA argued the need for a national ban on microbeads. We said they were pernicious and a pollutant that should never have been permitted in the first place. It is nice to know US President Obama reads The Tipping Point. He has just announced a federal ban on microbeads across all American States, […]

As you are no doubt aware, Australia, along with the global community, has finally committed to limit anthropogenic global warming to less than a 2 degree increase (with a 1.5 degree increase as an aspirational target). Australia has a chequered history in respect of climate change policy and it is a brave person who would […]

Plastic, in all its forms, can be a pain in the neck for waste managers. It is light, voluminous and not worth very much. But, small bits of plastic like microbeads found in common cosmetics such as face washes, exfoliants and toothpastes, have been really wreaking havoc on waterways and soil systems across the world. […]

The Clean Energy Regulator has today announced the results of the second Emissions Reduction Fund auction held on 4 and 5 November 2015. These contracts secure the delivery of 45.5 million tonnes of abatement at an average price per tonne of abatement of $12.25. The second Emissions Reduction Fund auction saw 129 carbon abatement contracts […]

The second Emissions Reduction Fund auction is just around the corner. Who will be the big winners this time around? A total of $1.89 billion in funds remains in the ERF to be spent over the crediting period to 2020. Competition in the second ERF auction is potentially greater with 330 projects registered under the […]

The second Emissions Reduction Fund auction has been announced for the 4th and 5th of November 2015. This means that industry and local government have another opportunity to register their (new) projects under the ERF and to obtain funding for their abatement efforts. In the first auction, 43 participants secured 107 contracts worth $660m at […]

The NSW EPA has released four new grant programs under the $465.7 million NSW Government Waste Less Recycle More program. The new grants provide a one off opportunity to a range of eligible applicants within NSW, including local governments, businesses, industry and the community. The new grant rounds are summarised below. Grant Streams Maximum funding […]