sustainability in actionTowards Zero Waste Strategy

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© The State of Victoria 2005

The original document is printed on recycled paper.

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The Bracks Government is committed to shaping a better quality of life byensuring our society, environment and economy, are developed in a balancedway. Victoria is being increasingly recognised as a world leader inenvironmental sustainability through policy initiatives such as Growing VictoriaTogether, Melbourne 2030, the Victorian Greenhouse Strategy and OurEnvironment, Our Future: Victoria’s Environmental Sustainability Framework.

Changes are being made to the way we manage greenhouse issues, energy, urbandevelopment, water and waste. Significant improvements have occurred. Our waterconsumption, for example, has dropped 19 per cent; more than 40,000households are using electricity from renewable sources; and over 50 per cent ofwaste is now being recycled, compared to 26 per cent 10 years ago.

The Towards Zero Waste Strategy is an important adjunct to these achievements.As another key element of the environmental sustainability jigsaw, it issues a callto action for all Victorians to become more mindful and innovative in the waywe design, manufacture, choose, consume and discard products and materials.By doing so, we all stand to benefit, through a more sustainable communityusing its resources more wisely. The 10-year plan has been developed inconsultation with business, industry, local government and the community, andfocuses on our everyday industry and community waste materials which are notprescribed wastes.

Towards Zero Waste is an integrated approach which engages and involves allsectors of the community. As there is no single magic fix for tackling the wastechallenge, coordinated partnerships are required and every Victorian has a roleto play.

This document details how we will progress towards becoming a zero wastesociety within the next decade. In accomplishing the initial targets, we will havemoved significantly closer to ensuring Victoria’s environment and resources areprotected for current and future generations.

John Thwaites MPMinister for the Environment

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Statement fromthe Minister forthe Environment

1 Introduction 3

2 Towards Zero Waste – The Vision 4

3 The Solid Waste Challenge and Need for Change 6

3.1 The Effects of Solid Waste 7

4 The Victorian Waste Management & Resource Recovery Framework 10

5 The Strategic Approach 12

5.1 Guiding Principles 13

5.2 Strategic Tools 13

6 Statewide Objectives and Targets 16

6.1 Objectives and Targets 18

6.2 Benefits and Costs 20

6.3 Stimulus to Investment and Innovation 21

7 Statewide Priorities 22

8 Municipal Sector 26

8.1 Municipal Solid Waste Target 28

8.2 Strategies for Achieving the Municipal Waste Target 28

8.3 Costs and Benefits 32

9 Business Sector 34

9.1 Commercial and Industrial Waste Target 34

9.2 Construction and Demolition Waste Target 35

9.3 Strategies for Achieving the Commercial and Industrial Waste and Construction and Demolition Waste Targets 36

9.4 Costs and Benefits 41

10 Working in Partnership 44

10.1 Strategic Partners 44

10.2 Essential Partners 46

11 Measuring Performance 48

12 Glossary 50

13 Acronyms 54

14 Further Reading 55

15 Appendices 56

Appendix 1 – Summary of Targets and Actions

Contents

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Growing Victoria Together establishesa framework for a sustainable

Victoria which encompasseseconomic, health, education, social

and environmental goals.

Towards Zero Waste establishes thegoals and directions for Victoria’s

solid waste management andresource recovery framework.

Our Environment, Our Future:Victoria’s Environmental Sustainability

Framework1 is the VictorianGovernment’s call to all Victorians to

take responsibility for reducing theirimpact on the environment. The

government is committed to assistingpeople to make choices which are

better for the environment, as well asthe economy and society.

The Environmental SustainabilityFramework establishes threedirections, which Victoria must pursuein moving towards becoming asustainable state. These are:

• Maintaining and restoring ournatural assets

• Using our resources more efficiently

• Reducing our everydayenvironmental impacts.

The targets and strategies of TowardsZero Waste cover all aspects of solidwaste management in Victoria,ranging from households to businessesand schools, and are aligned with theobjectives of the EnvironmentalSustainability Framework.

A new statutory authority,Sustainability Victoria, will support thedelivery of the framework andcoordinate the implementation ofTowards Zero Waste. It will act as acatalyst for change by assistingindividuals, businesses, governmentsand communities to behave in amore environmentally sustainableway, as well as by supporting thedevelopment of technologies andprocesses which will produce change.

Towards Zero Waste, together withMelbourne 2030, the VictorianGreenhouse Strategy and Our Water,Our Future, help to achieve theenvironmental sustainability goals ofGrowing Victoria Together and TheSustainable State.

Its development was assisted throughopinion sought from business,industry, government and communitystakeholders, including some 500representatives who attendedconsultation forums throughoutVictoria during 2003 and 2004.Several research studies were alsoundertaken. These included ananalysis of solid industrial waste; anenvironmental life cycle assessment ofwaste and resource recovery options;

a triple bottom line assessment; anda community attitudes survey. Furtherinput was provided by an externalspecialist advisory committee.

Towards Zero Waste provides acompelling case for stemming theincreasing tide of waste and itsdisposal and outlines more productiveways to use the valuable resourcescurrently being dumped in landfills.

This strategy contains a range ofinitiatives to be implemented inVictoria during the next decadeaimed at minimising the amount ofwaste we generate and maximisingopportunities for reusing materials.

It focuses on solid waste arising frommunicipal and business activities, (ie,waste materials which are non-hazardous and non-prescribed) andprovides detailed information abouthow the municipal, commercial andindustrial, and construction anddemolition sectors, will help meet thestrategy’s objectives.

Towards Zero Waste is a call to actionfor Victorians to become more awareand innovative in the way we design,manufacture, choose, consume anddiscard products and materials. Bydoing so, we all stand to benefit froma more sustainable use of resources.

The strategy will be monitored andupdated as part of an ongoingconsultation and evaluation process.Stakeholders will continue to beengaged during the strategy’simplementation and an inclusiveprogress review will be undertaken in2009-10.

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1.Introduction

1 Our Environment, Our Future: Victoria’s Environmental Sustainability Framework. State Government of Victoria (April 2005).

TZWDuring the past two decades therehas been growing recognition of theenvironmental impacts of waste,along with community demands forchange. The focus on recycling hasincreased and there is more concernabout maintaining highenvironmental standards at landfills.

While recycling is an important stepin sustainability; it has had littleimpact on the growing trend of wastegeneration. Without a substantialchange in our thinking aboutresources and waste, in the nextdecade, we are likely to have anadditional three million tonnes ofsolid waste to manage.

Worldwide, cost pressures andincreased use of non-renewablenatural resources indicates we needto seriously rethink how to extend andmaximise the life of products andmaterials in the context of a full lifecycle approach.

Greater emphasis needs to be givento the entire life cycle. This willrequire some behaviour changesfrom businesses and communities, aswell as innovations in design,manufacturing and the way wemanage our waste. These initiativesmust be considered within the contextof continuing to build a vibrant andgrowing economy.

The strategy’s vision is for Victoria tobe well advanced along the pathwayof becoming a low waste society by2014.

2.Towards

Zero Waste – The Vision

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A range of important outcomesresulting from the strategy areexpected to contribute to this vision.This includes:

• The amount of waste generated willbe substantially reduced. There willbe less squandering of recoverablematerials and our valuable naturalresources will be protected. Therewill be less greenhouse gasemissions, pollution and litter andour environment will be cleaner andhealthier for all Victorians. This willbe achieved with a net economicbenefit to the state.

• There will be significantimprovements in the way we design,manufacture, consume and disposeof goods, as well as greateropportunities for designing outwastage. Where this is not possible,recovering and reusing differentproducts and materials will beencouraged.

• Victoria will become a flagship forprogress in resource recoverytechnologies, services andinfrastructure. Strategic investmentdecisions by industry over the nextdecade will spur the development ofefficient facilities to process mixedresidual waste for resource recovery.

• Landfills will continue to have a rolein Victoria for the foreseeable future,but over time, these sites will mainlybecome repositories for largely inertmaterials, from which, resourceshave been recovered. The strategywill facilitate this transition throughan emphasis on processing all wastestreams for reuse and recycling by2014.

• Consumers will make moresustainable purchasing decisionsbecause they will be better informedabout the broader effects of theirpurchasing options.

• Industry and business will berewarded for innovation in design,manufacture and reuse of materialsand products.

• Recycling and efficiency in resourceuse will be improved. This will beachieved by understanding the fullcost implications of waste to thebusiness bottom line, as well as anidentification of environmental costs.The development and introductionof innovative solutions and newtechnologies will be a key elementin this quest.

TZWPer capita, Australia is one of thehighest waste generating countries inthe world and, despite its excellentrecord for recycling, Victoria ranks asone of the nation’s largestcontributors of solid waste.

In the past decade, as Victoria’spopulation has grown andconsumption of goods and serviceshas increased, our solid waste streamhas increased 60 per cent, reaching9.6 million tonnes in 2003-04 (seeFigure 1). This equates toapproximately 1900 kg per person2

in a single year.

Fortunately, growth in recycling hasgiven much of this waste a secondlife. Between 2003-04, 5.1 milliontonnes of material were recovered ie,53 per cent of the total solid wastestream and more than triple thequantity since 1993. More than 90per cent of this material wasreprocessed locally, reinforcingVictoria’s status as a leadingAustralian recycling state.

3.The Solid

WasteChallenge

and the Needfor Change

2 Figure generated from the following data sources – EPA Victoria landfill levy returns 2003-04, EcoRecycleVictoria’s Annual Survey of Victorian Recycling Industries 2003-04 and ABS Cat No. 3101.0 Australian

Demographic Statistics June 2003.

Figure 1: Trends in solid waste generation and management – Victoria1993-94 to 2003-04

Data sources: EPA Victoria landfill levy returns and EcoRecycle Victoria annual industry recyclingsurveys. Landfill figures prior to 1996-97 are extrapolated from metropolitan data.

1993- 1994

1994- 1995

1995- 1996

1996- 1997

1997- 1998

1998- 1999

1999- 2000

2000- 2001

2001- 2002

2002-2003

2003- 2004

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8.0

6.0

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Waste generation

Landfilled solid industrial waste

Landfilled municipal solid waste

Recycled material

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3 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2002 Fact Sheet 6, Australian Greenhouse Office, April 2004.4 Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy – report prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria by The Allen Consulting Group, January 2004.

3.1The Effects ofSolid WasteWhy divert waste from landfill?

• Manufacturing products fromrecycled materials uses less energythan manufacturing from virginmaterials. This means moreefficient industries and lessgreenhouse gas.

• Manufacturing products fromrecycled materials also means lessair and water pollution frommining, processing, andmanufacture from virgin materials.

• Avoiding waste in the first placemakes our businesses moreefficient and saves money.

• Diversion of organic wastes fromlandfill will reduce methaneemissions and has the potential togenerate soil conditioning, waterconservation and renewable energyproducts.

• Communities value and feelempowered by recycling and beingable to purchase recycled products.

• When waste in landfill is notproperly managed, it can polluteground and surface waters, causegreenhouse gas emissions andaffect the wellbeing of nearbyresidents through odour, dust, litterand noise. Even well operatedlandfills require ongoing riskmanagement.

Solid waste presents some significantsustainability challenges. If changesare not made, solid waste willcontinue to deplete our resources(including uncontaminated landthrough disposal of wastes at landfill)and erode Victoria’s natural capital.Three important impacts of increasedsolid waste are:

Greenhouse gas emissions

Methane emissions from theanaerobic decay of organic materialin landfill account for some 3-4 percent of Australia’s total greenhousegases. From 1990 to 20023 suchemissions increased by 11 per cent.There are additional greenhouseimpacts associated with emissionsfrom energy and other resourcesused to make products. Thegreenhouse impacts of waste andlandfill can be reduced by:

• Capturing and oxidising landfill gas,preferably with energy recovery fromthe gases. (Note: very high levels ofgas recovery and efficientconversion to energy are requiredto make methane emissions fromlandfills over their life ‘greenhouseneutral’ and these levels are nottypically achieved from landfills asthey are currently managed.)

• Diverting degradable organics fromlandfill into compost or for otheruses, including energy recovery.

• Using recycled, rather than virginmaterial, in manufacturing.

• Reducing waste and using goodsand services produced with fewermaterials and less energy.

Implementing the strategy, throughaddressing the impacts listed above, willresult in a net reduction of greenhousegas emissions equivalent to around 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.4

TZW8

Litter

Litter is the most visible manifestationof environmental pollution. As well asbeing a blight on the landscape, it isa waste of many reusable materials.Litter harms marine and wildlife andputs the community’s health andsafety at risk. It also blocks drains,which in-turn increases the risk offlooding and the resultant damage tobuildings and other infrastructure.The social and economic effects aresignificant. Bushfires caused bydiscarded cigarettes, along withactivities required to clean up ourcommunities, amount to tens ofmillions of dollars of public fundseach year.

Landfills

By sending rubbish to landfill wesacrifice part of the environment towaste management. It degrades thesites where waste is deposited andreduces the value of surroundingland. As well as being widelyregarded by the community asundesirable, this approach is a wasteof valuable resources which mightotherwise be recycled and reused.

When waste in landfill is not properlymanaged, it pollutes ground andsurface waters, causes greenhousegas emissions and can affect thewellbeing of nearby residents throughodour, dust, litter, noise, fire andvermin. The environmental risksposed by landfills not operating tohigh standards can extend fordecades, or sometimes centuries,after the sites have closed. Even wellmanaged landfills will require themanagement of risks associated withpollution of groundwater andemissions of landfill gases for manydecades after closure.

Under the most optimistic wastereduction scenarios, landfills will berequired for many years to come.Well managed landfills can be usedto rehabilitate former quarries whereenvironmental and social risks can bereduced to meet communitystandards. This requires takingaccount of the economic andfinancial costs of minimisingenvironmental risks, as well as thelocalised environmental and socialcosts. It is desirable to have fewer,well located and managed landfills,rather than many smaller ones whichwould not be commercially viable ifthey had to meet the standardsrequired to protect the environment

and the community. In most areas ofVictoria, existing sites providesufficient capacity for at least the next10 to 20 years, but in some regionsthere is a shortage of suitable space.It makes economic andenvironmental sense to use existingcapacity as efficiently as possiblethrough waste reduction strategies.

By international comparison ourlandfill costs are low, but areexpected to increase during the nextdecade. These cost increases areconsistent with other Australian statesand OECD countries and occurbecause of the implementation ofbest practice standards designed tomitigate future environmental risks.

The strategy assumes increases inwaste production; however,increasing landfill costs and growth inrecycling will result in a net reductionin the amount of waste going tolandfill. This will also help to prolongthe life of current landfills – fewermaterials are deposited, so thelandfills take longer to fill. Victoria iswell on the way with 30 milliontonnes of waste materials recycledover the last decade, half of thisoccurring in the last four years alone(see Figure 1).

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Growing Victoria Together articulatesa 10 year vision for Victoriaencompassing economic, health,education, social and environmentalgoals. Our Environment, Our Future:Victoria’s Environmental SustainabilityFramework5 is the state government’scall for all Victorians to takeresponsibility for reducing theirimpact on the environment. Thegovernment is committed to assistingpeople in making choices which arebetter for the environment as well asthe economy and society.

Towards Zero Waste, together withMelbourne 2030, the VictorianGreenhouse Strategy and Our Water,Our Future, helps to achieve theenvironmental sustainability goals ofGrowing Victoria Together,Environmental SustainabilityFramework and the Sustainable State.

Towards Zero Waste provides thedirection for Victoria’s wastemanagement and resource recoveryframework (see Figure 2). Within theframework, actions and initiatives areplanned for specific places and/orwaste streams, for example:

• Metropolitan Waste and ResourcesRecovery Strategic Plan for allwaste streams in metropolitanMelbourne

• Solid Industrial Waste ManagementPlan for all solid waste from industry

• Regional Waste Management Plansfor non-metropolitan municipalsolid waste for regional groupingsof councils.

4.The Victorian

WasteManagementand Resource

RecoveryFramework

5 Our Environment, Our Future: Victoria’s Environmental Sustainability Framework. State Government of Victoria (April 2005).

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Various state and local agencies haveresponsibilities and key functions forparticular components of theVictorian waste management andresource recovery framework.

State Agencies

Several Victorian Governmentagencies form the institutional andadministrative arrangements for wastemanagement and resource recoveryin the state:

• Department of Sustainability andEnvironment – coordinates portfolioand government strategies forenvironmental sustainability.

• EPA Victoria – administers theEnvironment Protection Act 1970and its instruments, works inpartnership with SustainabilityVictoria to reduce waste andfacilitate the development ofproduct stewardship programs.

• Sustainability Victoria – responsiblefor environmental sustainability,including the planning andmanagement of solid wastethroughout Victoria. SustainabilityVictoria will lead theimplementation of the Towards ZeroWaste Strategy. This will involvedeveloping many of the strategy’sprograms, assisting partners andmeasuring and reporting onprogress through annual businessplans.

Local Government and WasteManagement Groups

Towards Zero Waste sets challengesfor driving Victoria to new levels ofresource recovery which will takeadvantage of new generations ofwaste processing and resourcerecovery technology. Localgovernments are key agents inachieving more sustainable outcomesfrom municipal solid waste. Kerbsidecollection systems are a cornerstoneof systems for diverting importantresources from landfill and ensuringthese assets are recovered.

Successful waste management andeffective resource recovery requires co-ordinated planning and action at local,regional and state levels. WasteManagement Groups – RegionalWaste Management Groups outside ofthe metropolitan area and theMetropolitan Waste ManagementGroup – provide the co-ordination andfacilitation of waste management andresource recovery services at regionallevel. Waste Management Groupsoperate as partnerships betweenVictoria’s 79 municipal councils andthe Victorian Government to achievecommon goals.

The Metropolitan Waste ManagementGroup implements Towards ZeroWaste for municipal solid waste inmetropolitan Melbourne. This groupcombines the buying power of 30metropolitan councils to give it thecapacity to facilitate the establishmentof advanced waste technologies.

Regional Waste Management Groupsprovide regional planning for themanagement of municipal solidwaste for their member councils.There are 12 Regional WasteManagement Groups covering the49 non-metropolitan Melbourne localgovernment areas of Victoria.

Solid IndustrialWaste

ManagementPlan

(SIWMP)(Statewide)

MetropolitanWaste andResourcesRecovery

Strategic Plan(Municipal,

Commercial andIndustrial)

Non-MetroRegional Waste

ManagementPlans

(Municipal)

Non-Metro RWMGS

•TZW and non-metroplan implementation formunicipal solid wastewithin respectiveRegion

•Regional planning formunicipal solid waste

•Facilitation of regionalwaste managementcontracts, whereapplicable

Sustainability Victoria

•Statewide strategy(TZW) and planning forsolid municipal waste(metro) and industrialwaste (statewide).

•Statewide educationprograms for municipaland industrial sectors

•Funding programs -priorities identified inTZW, SIWMP andMetro WasteManagement Plan

Metropolitan WasteManagement Group

(MWMG)

•TZW and MetroWaste ManagementPlan implementation formunicipal solid waste

•Multi-Council Contractmanagement (withback to back contractswith local government)

Metropolitan LocalGovernmentsWaste Forum

•Local governmentreference group forMWMG

•Appoints membersto MWMG

TOWARDS ZERO WASTE STRATEGY (TZW)

EnvironmentProtectionAuthority

•Approval of WasteManagement Plans

•Works approvals

•Statutory WasteM’gt Policies

Figure 2: The Victorian waste management and resource recovery framework

Responsible agencies and key functions

TZWTowards Zero Waste has beendeveloped in consultation withgovernment, business, industry andcommunity stakeholders.

The initiatives described in Towards ZeroWaste are shaped by a set of guidingprinciples and strategic tools which willdeliver significant waste reduction andresource recovery outcomes, asdescribed by the strategy’s targets.

Figure 3: The Waste Hierarchy

5.The Strategic

Approach

Avoidance

Reuse

Recycling

Recovery of energy

Treatment

Containment

Disposal

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5.1Guiding PrinciplesTowards Zero Waste was developedon the principles the strategy will:

• Be achievable and implementedover the next decade

• Maximise the net benefits to allVictorians, taking account ofenvironmental, economic andsocial issues

• Not impose unnecessary financialcosts on the community, industry orbusiness

• Take into account the views ofindustry, business, all sectors ofgovernment and the generalcommunity

• Be a shared responsibility throughpartnerships with industry, business,all sectors of government and thegeneral community

• Build on existing successful programs

• Take note of national andinternational trends in policy,industry, environmentalmanagement approaches andwaste management technologyinnovations

• Recognise the different challengesin metropolitan, regional and ruralareas

• Be consistent with existing federaland Victorian Government policycommitments

• Encourage business developmentand build sustainable domestic andexport markets.

5. 2 Strategic ToolsSeveral strategic tools haveinfluenced the development of thestrategy and form a significant part ofthe approach to implementation.These include: the waste hierarchy,product stewardship (throughsustainability covenants and theNational Packaging Covenant),engagement and education,partnerships with industry andgovernment, funding and support,and, regulatory tools.

Primarily, strategic tools are used toprovide incentives for improvingoutcomes. These tools will be used ina flexible and facilitative way duringthe implementation of the strategy.

The Waste Hierarchy

A key criterion underpinning thestrategy is the Victorian wastehierarchy, established under theEnvironment Protection Act 1970.The hierarchy (see Figure 3) providesa framework aimed at minimisingresource consumption and theconsequent environmental andeconomic costs associated withresource extraction and harvesting, aswell as in the processing,manufacture, transport and disposalof materials.

Towards Zero Waste aims to modifypractices, technologies andbehaviours to produce results as highup the waste hierarchy as possible.

Product Stewardship

The core principle of productstewardship, introduced throughamendments to the VictorianEnvironment Protection Act 1970 in2001, is a shared responsibility byproducers, users and government, forthe environmental impacts ofproducts throughout their life cyclesfrom design and manufacture, to useand end-of-life management. Productstewardship forms a key link betweenthe community, brand owners andlocal government.

Consumers can have influencethrough informed, responsible,purchasing decisions and making useof available recycling options whendisposing of products. However,manufacturers, brand owners andretailers are often in a far strongerposition than consumers to reduce theenvironmental impacts of productsenabling consumers to make betterchoices (see Figure 4 below).

Figure 4: Shared Responsibility for theProduct Lifecycle

End-of-life Manager

BrandOwner

DesignerSupplier

Manufacturer

Retailer

Consumer

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Shared responsibility by manufacturers,brand owners and retailers includes thecollection, resource recovery and reuseof products, at the end of their usefullife. It also entails designing outsignificant environmental, toxic andwaste impacts, and developing andmarketing products which reduceenvironmental impacts throughout thelife of the products. They can do this by:

• Making products which keepconsumption and input of materialsto a minimum

• Making products which last longer

• Designing products so materialscan be continuously cycled throughindustrial or natural systems – forexample, reuse, recycling,remanufacture, biodegradable

• Developing and participating inproduct take back and recyclinginitiatives.

Shared responsibility approachesacross the product life cycle may besupported by formal agreementsbetween industry and government,such as sustainability covenants andby voluntary industry agreementsunderpinning regulatory legislation.

Sustainability Covenants

Sustainability covenants wereintroduced through amendments to theVictorian Environment Protection Act1970 in June 2002. The covenantsare flexible, voluntary agreementsbetween EPA Victoria and a covenantpartner (which can be a company,industry association, supply chain, orother organisation).

These covenants provide the basis forproactive commitment to increaseresource efficiency and reduce theecological impacts of products andservices. There is a legislative safetynet ensuring responsibilities arecarried equitably among industrywaste generators.

The National PackagingCovenant

The National Packaging Covenant(NPC) is an example of sharedresponsibility for the management ofpost-consumer waste under a productstewardship model. The NPC willcontinue to build upon industry’scapacity to reduce these impacts bydesigning products and serviceswhich use materials more efficiently.Product life cycle relationships arecentral to this approach.

A strengthened covenant was madein July 2005, following an extensiveprocess of review and publicconsultation. The covenant andassociated National EnvironmentProtection Measure enables thesustainable management ofconsumer packaging by:

• Encouraging industry to optimise theuse of resources in the design andmanufacture of consumer packaging

• Facilitating ongoing improvementsin recycling systems both atkerbside and at away from homevenues, such as shopping centres,major events and institutions

• Requiring transparent public reportingin relation to the production andrecycling of packaging materials.

The covenant sets a target to increasethe amount of post-consumerpackaging recycled from its current rateof 48 per cent (2003 baseline data) to65 per cent by 2010. Packaging madefrom specific materials will make acontribution to the target as follows:

• Paper and Cardboard – 70-80%(currently 64%)

• Glass – 50-60% (currently 35%)

• Steel – 60-65% (currently 44%)

• Aluminium – 70-75% (currently 64%)

• Plastics – 30-35% (currently 20%)

In addition, the covenant has setnational targets for:

• No additional packaging waste tolandfill above 2003 levels

• An increase in the recycling ofmaterials which are currentlyrecycled at low rates (such as plasticscoded 4 to 7 and non-recyclablepaper and cardboard) – to increasefrom 10 per cent (2003 baselinedata) to 25 per cent in 2010.

Engagement and Education

Engagement and education arefundamental to achieving behaviourchanges which will translate into lastingsustainability practices. The mostconvincing outcomes arise fromprograms focusing on strong coremessages, with local level engagementand participation, and linked to theprovision of supporting infrastructure,particularly at the household level.

Local government has developed manyinnovative community educationprograms to promote the ‘reduce,reuse, recycle’ message to householdsand the wider community. Most councilshave Waste Wise education strategies inplace or under development, supportedby Regional Education Officers. Abroader approach to sustainable living,such as Port Phillip City Council’sSustainable Living at Home Programand “Sustainability Street”6, havedeveloped active partnerships inlearning and behaviour change withlocal communities.

6 Developed by environmental educators Vox Bandicoot.

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Sustainability Victoria’s Waste WiseProgram, engages people at home,work, school and play, through activeinvolvement to identify and take stepsto reduce waste and littering.Community and business membersare assisted in identifying their wastestreams, devising action learningprograms and communicating theirplans to maximise success. Theprogram encompasses schools,businesses, government andcommunities, working in partnershipwith Waste Management Groups,councils and environmental educators.

Partnerships with Industry andGovernmentStrategies to reach across theConstruction and Demolition (C&D)and Commercial and Industrial (C&I)sectors require the support of leadingindustry associations and keygovernment agencies, including theDepartment of Innovation, Industryand Regional Development (DIIRD).Successful examples to date in theC&D sector include consultation andproject partnerships with bodies suchas the Housing Industry Association(HIA) and the Master BuildersAssociation of Victoria (MBAV).Similar partnerships have beenestablished with the Plastics andChemicals Industry Association(PACIA) and the Australian IndustryGroup to work with their members toimprove knowledge and the practicesof reducing C & I wastes.

These initiatives provide a soundbasis for developing moreencompassing partnershipagreements with these sectors toreduce and recover waste.

Funding and SupportThere will be substantial assistanceprovided through the landfill levy tohelp manage the transition toimproved practices in wastemanagement. The landfill levy is a

two-fold incentive. As well asdiscouraging the disposal of waste tolandfill through higher disposal fees,funds from the levy are directed tothe development of recyclinginfrastructure and other initiatives,including education programs.

In addition to funding programs ofEPA Victoria, Sustainability Victoriaand Waste Management Groups, partof the funds collected through thelandfill levy are allocated to theSustainability Fund. The SustainabilityFund has been established to providea resource to support projects andinitiatives which foster theenvironmentally sustainable use of ourresources and best practices in wastemanagement. It is also designed tohelp build the capacity of Victorianbusiness, local government, non-government organisations and thebroader community to harnessopportunities engendered by Victoria'ssustainability agenda. The initialdistribution from the fund in 2005provided approximately $7 million fora range of projects and initiatives.

The landfill levy operates atsignificantly higher rates for industrywaste than for municipal waste. Thislevy is legislated to increase to $15per tonne for solid industrial waste inlarger Victorian centres by July 2007.This will discourage the disposal ofwaste to landfill as well as providingfunds to support innovation, marketdevelopment, infrastructure and otherimprovements in efficiencies, forwaste avoidance and recycling andbroader sustainability initiatives.

Regulatory Tools

Victoria’s approach to environmentprotection and its environmentalmanagement systems and practicesare underpinned by the provisions ofthe Environment Protection Act 1970(the Act).

The Act includes statutory powers,

instruments and measures to:

• Manage environmental quality

• Establish environmental standardsand criteria

• Regulate emissions, discharges andwastes

• Prevent and clean up pollution

• Impose and enforce environmentalrequirements.

Amendments to the Act in 2002introduced the waste hierarchy, sharedresponsibility, product stewardship andother principles of environmentprotection. The Act also addresses theprevention and control of litter.

Some of the most important instrumentsfor environmental management includestate environment protection policies(for example: used packagingmaterials), waste management policies(for example: the siting, design andmanagement of landfills), regulations,works approvals, licenses, environmentimprovement plans, sustainabilitycovenants and enforcement tools suchas pollution abatement notices.

The Act establishes EPA Victoria andWaste Management Groups (WMGs)and defines the powers, duties andfunctions of each statutory body. Italso provides the financial basis formany of Victoria’s waste managementinitiatives through the landfill levy.

Local government’s wastemanagement responsibilities areestablished under the LocalGovernment Act 1989, theEnvironment Protection Act 1970 andother legislation providing direction onissues such as health and planning.

Health, safety and welfare in theworkplace are administered by WorkSafe Victoria under theOccupational Health and Safety Act 1985.

TZWTowards Zero Waste sets overall targetsfor waste reduction and resourcerecovery in Victoria. In addition,Towards Zero Waste sets targets andidentifies strategies and actions for thethree main waste streams:

• Municipal

• Commercial and Industrial

• Construction and Demolition.

The targets contained in Towards ZeroWaste were developed followingsystematic research, consultation,modelling and analysis of solid wastestreams, trends in solid wastegeneration, current levels of resourcerecovery, sectoral waste management,emerging waste technologies, and,spatial analysis. This information isencapsulated in the TZW Waste Model.

The TZW Waste Model is designed totrack and project future solid wasteflows over the life of the TowardsZero Waste Strategy (ie, up until2014). It also estimates thegreenhouse abatement associatedwith waste reduction and recovery.The foundation of the model is theconstruction of a waste profile builtupon data from EPA landfill levyreturns, EcoRecycle surveys (annualLocal Government Data Collectionand Annual Survey of VictorianRecycling Industries) and landfillcomposition estimates. Futureprojections have been establishedunder two scenarios:

• The base/‘business as usual’ case:where Towards Zero Waste does notexist and there are no new programsor innovations in materialsefficiency/solid waste management

• The strategy case: the preferredapproach for the futuremanagement of waste in Victoria –implementing the actions/strategictools/new programs consistent withTowards Zero Waste

6.StatewideObjectives

and Targets

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The targets have been derived fromthe strategy case and progresstowards their achievement will bemeasured through comparison withthe base case.

The targets are aimed at minimisingthe amount of waste we generateand maximising opportunities forreusing materials. They will stronglyinfluence the planning processes andactivities of Waste ManagementGroups and local government, andbe a leading input into VictorianGovernment waste initiatives.

Rural and Regional Victoria

It is recognised that local outcomesvary considerably and will continue todo so in the future due to differencesin waste generation patterns,transport logistics, processing andtreatment options, and disposal andresource recovery options. Suchdifferences are most apparentbetween low population density ruralareas and the more denselypopulated urban areas of Melbourneand provincial cities.

In deriving the strategy’s targets it isexpected urban areas will outperformagainst the targets, while rural andregional Victoria are expected to sitbelow the targets in terms of resourcerecovery parameters. As such, thetargets represent aggregated wastereduction and resource recoveryoutcomes across the whole of Victoria.

The strategy encourages ruralcouncils and Waste ManagementGroups to establish workable targetswhich demonstrate continuousimprovement and linkage with theTowards Zero Waste direction. Ruralcentres have already demonstratedresourcefulness in achieving localrecycling solutions. In particular, localgovernment has lead the way inkerbside and public place recyclingand litter prevention, contributing

significantly to Victorian householdersbeing among the leaders in recyclingacross Australia. A range of initiativeswill be available to rural and regionalVictoria to support the alignment withTowards Zero Waste direction,consistent with the strategies,priorities and actions outlined insections 8 and 9 of this document.

Concentrations of population andindustrial activity make Melbourneand other major provincial urbancentres a priority for the key initiatives(see Figure 5). This is because theeconomies of scale and concentrationof waste generation make alternativewaste technologies more viable thanin less densely populated areas.

Figure 5: Estimated Solid Waste toLandfill by Locality, Victoria 2003-04

Data source: EPA Victoria landfill levy returns 2003-04

Infrastructure and Innovation

Beyond geographic considerations,the targets allow flexibility in theinfrastructure and systems which maybe used to deliver the resourcerecovery targets. The development ofinnovative waste managementtechnologies, their accessibility andperformance in recovering resources,will be key factors in meeting thestrategy’s targets.

While the strategy provides thisflexibility, it is likely mixed wasteprocessing will play a necessary rolein recovering resources from theC&D, C&I and municipal sectors toachieve its targets. This willparticularly apply in metropolitan andother larger population centres.

Progress Review 2009-10

The strategy’s progress review in2009-10 will analyse Victoria’sprogress towards achieving thetargets and actions. The review willassess the multitude of approachesand technologies and their respectiveeconomic, environmental and socialcosts.

The assessment as to whether thestrategy’s targets require adjustmentwill be a key feature of the reviewprocess. Similarly, the review will alsoassess the suitability and performanceof the existing mix of regulations,targets, levies and other regulatoryinstruments, such as potential landfillprohibitions for key waste typesand/or streams.

Geelong, Ballarat,Bendigo

14%OtherAreas12%

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6.1 Objectives and Targets These targets represent aggregatedoutcomes for Victoria as a whole.While some geographic areas willperform above these levels (forexample, metropolitan Melbourne)the expectation for others is they willperform below these levels.

Objective 1 – Generating lesswaste from our activities.

Target 1 – A 1.5 milliontonne reduction in theprojected quantity of solidwaste generated, by 2014.

This target represents a projecteddecrease in the quantity of solidwaste generated as a result ofimplementing the actions containedin this strategy. Cutting waste by thisamount is equivalent to a 12 per centreduction in the waste expected underthe base case – that is, if economicgrowth averaged 3.5 per cent perannum and no new waste reductionprograms were undertaken. This alsoentails a reduction from 44 to 34tonnes per million dollars of grossstate product (GSP), as shown inFigure 6, below.

It is anticipated the C&I sector willsignificantly contribute to theachievement of this target withmoderate contributions from themunicipal sector. Innovation and lifecycle design, along with behaviourchange of both industry and thecommunity, will be the primary factorsdriving their contributions.

Objective 2 – Increase thesustainable recovery ofmaterials for recycling andreprocessing.Recycling and reprocessing are wellestablished activities in Victoria. Thereprocessing industry recovers morethan 30 specific secondary usematerials from the waste stream forconversion into new products.Materials are sourced from all sectors(municipal, commercial and industrial,and construction and demolition).

The quantity of materials recycled inVictoria has seen a continuing upwardtrend over the past decade. Duringthe last 10 years Victorians haverecycled 35 million tonnes of wastematerials. Today, we are recyclingnearly four times more per year thanin 1993. In 2003-04, Victoriansrecycled a record 53 per cent of thetotal solid waste stream; giving muchof our waste a second life.

A particular challenge in theachievement of this objective will bethe development of ecologically andeconomically sustainable systems forthe recovery of organic material.

Increasing the recovery of materialsthrough recycling and reprocessingwill not only significantly contribute tothe Victorian economy in terms ofemployment and investment, but alsogenerate a host of environmentalbenefits for the state. Using recycledmaterials reduces greenhouse gasses,saves water and energy, cuts airpollution and conserves resourcesand landfill space.

Facts and Figures 2003-04:

• 393,000 tonnes of recyclables(containers and paper/cardboard)and 167,000 tonnes of greenorganics were recycled fromVictorian households

• Victorians recycled an average of222 kilograms per householdduring the year

What were the benefits of thisrecycling?

• Saving 7,320 mega litres of water– enough to fill 2,928 Olympic-sized swimming pools

• Preventing 237,000 tonnes ofgreenhouse gases – equivalent totaking 40,000 cars off the road

• Saving 237,000 tonnes of solidwaste – enough to fill 259 quarteracre blocks with garbage

Data source: EcoRecycle Victoria’s Local GovernmentData Collection 2003-2004

Figure 6: Waste Generated per Million Dollars GSP – Victoria

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Target 2 – 75% by weight ofsolid waste recovered forreuse, recycling and/orenergy generation by 2014.

Currently, the most significantmaterials landfilled, by weight, are:fill materials; food;concrete/brick/asphalt; garden waste;timber and, paper/cardboard. Thesesix classes of materials make upapproximately 80 per cent of alllandfilled wastes (by weight).

Despite high rates of recovery ofconcrete/brick/asphalt,paper/cardboard and metals,significant quantities of thesematerials still remain in the landfilledwaste stream. As a result, these andother materials have been identifiedas priorities for action for theirpotential to be recovered from landfilland achieve the target (see section 7).

The following graph (Figure 7) showsthe projected trends in solid wastegeneration resulting from theachievement of the targets, ascompared to the base case.

The Municipal, Commercial andIndustrial (C&I), and the Constructionand Demolition (C&D) sectors areconsiderably different in their patternsof waste generation and wastemanagement systems. Resourcerecovery targets have been derivedseparately for each of these from theTZW Waste Model.

Target 3 – Sectoral targetsachieved in accordance withFigure 8 by 2008-09 and2014.

The targets reflect the outcomeswhich can be achieved throughadoption of cost-effective andavailable resource efficiencymeasures. They have beendetermined by using the TZW WasteModel with scenarios which includethe range of actions contained in thestrategy.

Material recovery rates are typicallyhigher for C&I and C&D waste thanfor municipal solid waste. C&I andC&D waste makes up about twothirds of landfill and is largelyhomogenous making it more easilyrecycled when systems andinfrastructure are in place.

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Figure 8: Sectoral Targets

Data source: EPA Victoria landfill levy returns 2002-03, EcoRecycle Victoria’s Annual Survey of VictorianRecycling Industries 2002-03 and Nolan ITU, Solid Industrial Waste Plan Data Report (report prepared forEcoRecycle Victoria, 2002)

Recovery rate (by weight) 2002-03 2008-09 2014 Progress TargetTarget

Municipal Waste 35% 45% 65%

Commercial & Industrial Waste 59% 65% 80%

Construction & Demolition Waste 57% 65% 80%

All solid waste streams 51% 60% 75%

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Objective 3 – A reduction indamage to the environmentcaused by waste disposal.

Reducing damage to the environmentcaused by waste disposal isunderpinned by the Victorian WasteHierarchy. Long-term protection ofthe environment will be mosteffectively achieved by focusing onwaste avoidance in the first instance.

Litter is one of the most visible signs ofirresponsible and wasted resource use.Clean (unlittered) environmentsmaximise opportunities for successfulpublic recycling in the short term anddemonstrate responsible resource usein the long term. The focus of this targetis a movement away from cleaning uplitter, to preventing it occurring in thefirst place. Prevention will reduce costsand improve the amenity of both thenatural and built environments.

Historically, there has been a lack ofmeasurement tools to assess changein behaviour related to littering. In2003, the Victorian Litter MonitoringProtocol (VLMP) was piloted alongwith the Clean CommunitiesAssessment Tool (CCAT)methodology. The continued use ofthese tools will enable improvementsin littering behaviour to be identified,measured and tracked.

Target 4 – A 25%improvement, from 2003levels, in littering behavioursby 2014.

This target will be achieved through:

• Implementation of best practiceapproaches (education,infrastructure and enforcement) withkey stakeholders engaged indeveloping solutions andpromoting change. This will occurthrough building capacity andcommunications facilitated at astatewide level and appliedconsistently across Victoria.

• Introduction of improved collectionsystems for problematic materialssuch as green waste and e-waste.

• Improved practices in public andprivate places. For example,industry sectors where waste andlitter is not contained,environmentally preferredpackaging and collection,packaging and improved disposalaway from home.

The National Packaging Covenantand the role of industry will have amajor influence in achieving thetarget by moving the focus beyondindividual responsibility for litteringbehaviours, especially in relation toconsumables.

The covenant also addresses thephasing out of plastic bags. TheVictorian Government supports thecurrent major retailers’ target of 50per cent reduction in plastic bag useby the end of 2005 and the goal ofphasing out plastic bags by allretailers by 2008.

6.2Benefits and Costs Independent economic and triplebottom line analysis of the strategy,undertaken by The Allen ConsultingGroup, indicates the fiscal andenvironmental benefits will exceed itscosts, with up to $500 million worthof benefits expected to flow toVictoria as a result of its initiativesand outcomes (based on moderatemodelling scenarios).7

It is expected that benefits of thestrategy will also flow to jobs in thewaste management industry –particularly in reprocessing. In 2003-04, there were more than 1400people (based on full timeequivalence) directly employed in thereprocessing industry.8 Through thestrategies of Towards Zero Waste, it isexpected many more jobs will begenerated in this industry.

Assuming there is a take-up ofresource recovery services byVictorian businesses and localgovernments to deliver the strategy’stargets, the assessment has shown aninsignificant overall macroeconomiceffect. The strategy acknowledgesthere may be some cost differencesbetween landfill disposal andresource recovery which may bepassed on to households and industryand sets out funding support andinitiatives to manage these impacts.

Greenhouse gas savings are among thelargest projected benefits with more than3 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent peryear expected by the end ofimplementation, reaching a cumulativetotal of nearly 16 million tonnes overthe10 year life of the strategy.

7 Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy – report prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria by The Allen Consulting Group, January 2004.8 Reported by 45 reprocessing businesses (approximately half of the industry) in EcoRecycle's Annual Survey of Victorian Recycling Industries 2003-04.

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These savings will make a significantcontribution to the VictorianGovernment’s commitment to managingclimate change within the VictorianGreenhouse Strategy framework.

Towards Zero Waste aims to achievethis through:

• Diversion of organic wastes fromlandfill, particularly household gardenand food organics, and timber andfood wastes from industry. This willreduce methane emissions fromlandfill and have the potential togenerate soil conditioning, waterconservation and renewable energyproducts which will reduce otherenvironmental pressures.

• Reduced energy use through the re-manufacture of metals, plastics,paper and other recovered materials.

• Organic waste processing toreduce methane emissions fromputrescible wastes disposed tolandfill and recovered resources forrecycling, with the potential forenergy recovery.

• Reduced wastage of raw materialsand products, along with lowerassociated environmental impactsfrom their manufacture.

The environmental benefits fromreductions in air and water pollutionand lowered resource impacts areeven greater than the greenhousegas savings, as shown in Figure 9below.9

These benefits largely arise from:

• Reductions in leachate, other waterand airborne pollutants fromlandfills associated with thebreakdown of putrescible wastes,such as garden and food wastes.

• Avoidance of polluting andresource-depleting manufacturingprocesses through expandedrecycling and waste reduction.

Further environmental savingsthrough the use of composts andmulches from recycled organics areyet to be fully captured in theevaluation of the strategy’s impacts.Research suggests substantial benefitsas a result of water savings, reducedfertiliser and pesticide use, andcarbon sequestration in soils.

6.3Stimulus to Investmentand InnovationAssistance will be provided forinfrastructure, the development of newmarkets, education and other initiativesto help meet the strategy’s targets.

Over $1 billion has been invested inVictoria by the waste managementand resource recovery industries inthe past decade to enable theprocessing of recovered materials.The strategy’s framework and targetswill assist in continuing to buildconfidence within the wastemanagement industry to invest inareas identified by the VictorianGovernment as priorities.

In addition to the direct benefits toVictoria of these services, the capacityand expertise developed by Victorianwaste management and resourcerecovery industries can allow them tocompete in international markets.

Landfill levy funding will stimulatefurther capital investment forexpanded and innovativetechnologies to process residualwaste. This will help attract privatesector investment and boost thedevelopment of best practice andinfrastructure to manage waste inVictoria. A significant proportion ofthis capital investment is expected toflow to the development of large-scale reprocessing facilities forrecovered organics and residualwastes from both households andindustry. The balance, in the next 10years, will be shared across C&I andC&D processing infrastructure.

Investment in technology andinfrastructure will be monitored,particularly in the progress review totake place in 2009-10. The pace atwhich systems are adopted will hingeon decisions by local government andother stakeholders on the capacity ofnew technologies to cost-effectivelymeet the expectations of theircommunities. The VictorianGovernment will actively promote theenvironmental, social and neteconomic benefits of thesetechnologies, and provide fundingand other support to reduce the short-term economic costs to communitiesof adopting more sustainable wastemanagement systems.

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Figure 9: Incremental Environmental Benefits of Strategy Implementation

9 Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy – report prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria by The Allen Consulting Group, January 2004.

TZWThe strategy assigns priority acrossindustry sectors, regions, materialsand products, to focus efforts onareas with the greatest need andcapacity for improvement. Thesepriorities are reflected throughout thestrategy, particularly in the sectionsaddressing individual sectors (seeSections 8 and 9). While they reflectthe current situation and knowledge,changing circumstances or newintelligence may be catalysts for afuture review.

Priority Areas

Priority will be given to areas with thegreatest need and potential toachieve cost effective improvementsin the recovery of solid waste duringthe next 10 years.

These areas are the greatermetropolitan Melbourne, Geelong,Ballarat and Bendigo, where about90 per cent of Victoria’s solid waste isgenerated; and areas with a shortageof landfill capacity (eg, the cities ofLatrobe, Seymour and Hamilton).

Support will also be provided toenhance waste management in ruralVictoria, including the establishmentand/or upgrade of resource recoveryand waste transfer facilities.

For each sector, the strategy also listsspecific priorities for infrastructure inmetropolitan Melbourne, majorregional centres and rural areas. TheVictorian Government will encourage,and where practicable, provideassistance for the development ofthese types of infrastructure.

Priority Industry Sectors

Priority sectors have been selected asrepresenting the major generators ofwaste, particularly the prioritymaterials identified below. They are:

• Construction and demolition

• Food services, food retail and foodmanufacturing

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• Machinery, equipment, automotiveand metal product manufacturing

• Timber products and furnituremanufacturing

• The CBD office sector, including theVictorian State Government

• Small and medium size enterprises(which account for more than 90per cent of Victorian businessesand are the source of large anddispersed quantities of waste).

The way the Victorian Government willwork with these industries to reduceand recover waste is addressed insection 9 of this document.

Priority Materials and Products

The strategy assigns priority to a rangeof waste types offering significantcapacity for improved resourcerecovery and/or reducedenvironmental harm when disposed of.

Priority materials were selected basedon:

• Quantities of waste disposed atlandfill now and predictions for thefuture

• The adequacy of current systemsfor recycling

• Environmental impacts arising fromdisposal (including toxicity)

• Cost to the community and recyclingindustry of managing discardedproducts and opportunities forimproved management.

This criteria also applies to priorityproducts. However, there is additionalemphasis on shared responsibilityacross the product life cycle – fromproducers through to retailers andconsumers. Hence, additionalconsiderations in assigning priorityproducts as the basis for productstewardship approaches are:

• The adequacy of current systems notonly for recycling, but also inmanaging environmental impacts fromproduction through to consumption

• Environmental and health impacts(including toxicity) from disposal, aswell as production and other stagesof the life cycle. Impacts may arisefrom manufacturing, or through theemission of toxic substances orgreenhouse gases leaching fromproducts when disposed to landfill

• Existing federal and statejurisdictional priorities.

Table 1 summarises priority materialsand products by the sector which willhave the most influence in addressingthem through the strategy.

Table 1: Summary of Priority Materials and Products by Sector

Municipal Commercial & Industrial Construction & Demolition

- Garden organics - Food organics - Timber- Food organics - Paper / cardboard - Concrete, bricks, asphalt- Paper / cardboard - Timber - Fill material - Timber - Garden organics

- Electrical and electronic - Electrical and electronic - Treated timberappliances (including appliances (including - Industrial / transport televisions and mobile televisions and mobile packaging including filmphones) phones) plastics

- Computers and - Computers and peripheral IT equipment peripheral IT equipment

- Tyres - Tyres- Consumer packaging - Consumer packaging- Paint - Paint- Mercury-containing lamps - Mercury-containing lamps

including fluorescent lamps including fluorescent lamps- Treated timber - Batteries- Batteries - Industrial / transport - Plastic shopping bags packaging including - Motor vehicles film plastics

- Office paper- Treated timber- Motor vehicles - Oil and household chemicals

and related packaging

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Achieving SustainableManagement of Organics

A major challenge to theachievement of Towards Zero Wasteobjectives is developing ecologicallyand economically sustainablemanagement of organic wastes.

Garden and food wastes make up anestimated 30 per cent by weight, orover 1.3 million tonnes per year, oftotal landfilled waste from all sectors.Timber, which can be managed inways similar to garden and foodorganics, contributes another 10 percent, or 470,000 tonnes per year, tolandfill.

In 2002-03, around 230,000 tonnesof food waste, 280,000 tonnes ofgarden waste and 180,000 of timberwere diverted to recycling, withunquantified but large amounts ofmaterials, being managed outside ofconventional waste managementsystems (eg, home composting,firewood, waste used as animal feed).

Organic waste in landfill hassignificant environmental risks andimpacts, which current landfillpractices typically fail to fully contain.In particular, the anaerobicdecomposition of ‘wet’ garden andfood organics generates the potentgreenhouse gas methane, andcreates conditions which promotegreater decomposition of other ‘dry’organics such as paper, cardboardand timber. With few exceptions,current landfill management does notadequately manage landfill gas andlandfills remain net producers ofgreenhouse gases. Decomposition oforganics in landfills also generatesleachate containing pollutants andorganic compounds, which help tomobilise other pollutants such asheavy metals. These pollutants enterground water or are partiallycaptured and treated.

The organics in the landfilled wastestream are potentially a valuableresource, but markets for productshave not been fully developed.Organics can be converted intolandscaping, soil conditioning, andfertiliser products and are also apotential source of renewable energy.

Garden and food waste make up anestimated 50-60 per cent by weightof landfilled waste from householdsand almost 10 per cent of industrialwastes. Major industrial sources oforganics are the food manufacturing,food services and retail sectors, andgarden maintenance businesses.

Recovering organics from householdsand small businesses is a challengeand cost-effective collection systemsneed to be developed. Processingtechnologies for organic streamscontaining food waste and residualwaste streams containing organics toproduce valuable products, need tobe developed as part of sustainableorganics management programs.

Although around 300,000 tonnes ofgarden and food organics wererecovered into landscaping and soilconditioner products in 2002-03,markets for these products areperiodically oversupplied. Effectivemarkets need to be developed forrecycled garden and food organics.This will require greater productdevelopment and differentiation, aswell as increased confidence ofmarkets that products can reliablymeet their needs.

The role of energy recovery from wastescontaining organics as a means ofreducing the negative impacts of thiswaste and preventing marketoversupply of recycled organicsproducts, also needs to be exploredand developed. More adequate energyrecovery from landfill gas recovery andthe integration of landfill gasmanagement with other energyrecovery and/or co-generation facilities,will also be a theme of sustainableorganics management programs.

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TZWLocal government plays a key role inthe delivery of waste managementand recycling services to thecommunity. It has led the way inkerbside and public place recyclingand litter prevention, contributingsignificantly to Victorian householdersbeing among the leaders in recyclingacross Australia.

Municipal waste comprises recyclableand non-recyclable materials fromhouseholds, along with materialsgenerated from activities by localgovernments such as parks andgardens maintenance. As well askerbside collected materials, aportion of municipal waste arisesfrom transfer stations, and resourceand material recovery facilities.

Achievement of the municipal solidwaste targets will be achieved overtime in partnership with localgovernment and the community. Thetargets apply to Victoria as a whole,but it is expected the greatest gainswill be made in metropolitan andprovincial centres due to economiesof scale and concentration of wastegeneration, making alternative wastetechnologies more viable than in lessdensely populated areas.

Victorian households contribute abouta quarter of the total waste streamand close to 40 per cent of wastedisposed to landfill. Garden and foodwastes represent around 50 per centof the weight of household garbage.Diversion of organic materials tomarketable soil conditioning, waterconservation and renewable energywould reduce greenhouse emissionsand provide environmentallybeneficial products. Currently, onlyabout 20 per cent of municipalorganics are recovered.

Recycling activity by households hasreaped substantial benefits. Inaddition to preserving resources andlandfill capacity, research by RMIT

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University in 200310 indicatedrecycling saves Victoria more than8000 megalitres of water per year –equivalent to the consumption of 22million people for one day. It alsocuts greenhouse gas emissions by thesame amount as removing 50,000cars from the road.

Recent rates of recycling by differentsources are shown in Figure 10,below. Although this is encouraging,there is still potential to improverecovery rates from household waste.This includes considerable possibilityto improve recycling of non-organicgarbage amounting to severalhundred thousand tonnes of plastic,paper, cardboard and metal. Overall,industry sources give rise to almostthree-quarters of the total wastestream and two-thirds of waste sentto landfill. Despite having one of thehighest rates of municipal recovery inAustralia, Victoria’s municipalrecovery rate of 35 per cent is thelowest of the three sectors.

Household recycling services havevastly improved in recent years andthis is leading to growth in recoveryrates. The costs of furtherimprovements to recycling servicesare an important and sensitiveconsideration. While manyhouseholds are willing to pay morefor recycling services11, localgovernment experiences considerablepressure to reduce rates.

The prevalent community attitude torecycling is that it is an essentialservice.12 Equally, there is a need tofocus education on waste avoidanceif Victoria is to meet the long-termsustainability challenge. Surveys13

indicate the public is not convinced itcan play a strong role in this task.The community looks to industry toprovide goods and services whichminimise waste and relies on localgovernment as a prime source ofadvice and assistance on wastemanagement issues.

The decisions councils make incontracting waste services have hadconsiderable impact in improvingrecycling services. This is likely tocontinue as they progressively makethe transition to more advancedsystems for processing organics andother waste streams.

Sustainability Victoria’s Guide toPreferred Service Standards forKerbside Recycling in Victoria,WorkSafe Victoria’s ‘no-lift’ policyand funding support through theNational Packaging Covenant, hasdriven the transition by many localgovernments to the commingledcollection of recyclables in one bin,with separate bins for green organicsand garbage. Such ease of use hasan important bearing on householderparticipation and recycling yields,along with efficient technologies tosort recyclables by material type.

Although contracts and managementsystems for household waste aretraditionally based on singlemunicipalities, they can sometimes bemore cost effective where they arefacilitated on a regional basis. Longercontract periods than those generallyused also offer scope for costefficiencies, especially for alternativewaste management technologies.

The contracting of services isregarded as critical where financialand other forms of governmentassistance can support councils andWaste Management Groups inplanning and implementing efficient,sustainable, municipal wastemanagement services.

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10 Grant T, James KL, Partl H (2003) Life Cycle Assessment of Waste and Resource Recovery Options including Energy from Waste. Prepared by the Centre for Design at RMIT

and Nolan-ITU for EcoRecycle Victoria. One person consumes 380 litres of water each day. 11 2004 Household Attitudes Survey undertaken by EcoRecycle Victoria.12 2004 Household Attitudes Survey undertaken by EcoRecycle Victoria.13 2004 Household Attitudes Survey undertaken by EcoRecycle Victoria.

Figure 10: Recycling Rates by Sector 2002-03

Data sources: EPA Victoria landfill levy returns 2002-03, EcoRecycle Victoria’s Annual Survey of VictorianRecycling Industries 2002-03 and Nolan ITU

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8.1Municipal Solid WasteTargetTarget 5 – A 65% recoveryrate (by weight) of municipalsolid waste for reuse andrecycling by 2014. An interimtarget of 45% is establishedfor 2008-09. (Note: Recoveryrate achieved in 2002-03was 35%).

Victorian households contribute abouta quarter of the total waste stream andclose to 40 per cent of waste disposedto landfill. Achievement of this targetwill mean realising opportunities for therecovery of food and garden organics,and dry recyclables from landfill.

8.2Strategies for Achieving theMunicipal Waste TargetA range of strategies, actions andpriorities have been identified toachieve the Municipal solid wastetarget and will guide the developmentof the implementation program forachieving Towards Zero Waste.

Improved Waste ManagementSystems and InfrastructureDuring the lifetime of the strategy,municipal waste managementinfrastructure will be enhanced in linewith the established priority materialsand products.

Separate bins for recyclables,organics and garbage will be thepreferred system where practicable,though inner urban metropolitanareas may opt for two bin systems.

Single bin household collection systemsare not envisaged to have a role inVictoria.14 In rural areas, wastecollection and infrastructurearrangements will be established takinginto account local circumstances.

Local government and WasteManagement Groups, particularly inMelbourne and provincial cities, willbe encouraged and assisted toprovide householders witheconomically efficient and innovativewaste management services andexpanded recycling and resourcerecovery services. These may includeadvanced waste processing systemswhich treat organic materials orextract usable resources from mixedgarbage. Such processing facilitiesare, in general, more capitalintensive than current technologies(eg, open windrow composting orlandfill) and have optimal scales ofoperation requiring the wastecollections from a number of councilsto be viable. These factors mean longterm contracts, involving a number ofcouncils, are required to supportprivate sector investment anddevelopment of such facilities.

The Metropolitan Waste andResources Strategic Plan forMelbourne, to be developed bySustainability Victoria, will identifyopportunities and priorities for theestablishment of waste processingfacilities for the Melbournemetropolitan area. Regional WasteManagement Plans may also identifysuch opportunities for provincialcities. Both metropolitan and regionalWaste Management Groups areresponsible for facilitating theestablishment of these facilitiesthrough public private partnershipsinvolving local government andprivate sector service providers.

The Victorian Government will workclosely with local government, WasteManagement Groups and industry tofacilitate more effective approachesfor contracting of recycling services –eg, through long-term contractscovering larger populations to delivereconomies of scale, improved servicestandards and minimisation of risk.

Action 1 – Sustainability Victoria,Waste Management Groups andlocal governments will identifyopportunities for resource recoveryservices, as appropriate throughrelevant planning processes.Waste Management Groups willfacilitate contractual arrangementsbetween local governments andthe private sector for the provisionof these services.

The Victorian Government will workwith local government and industry todevelop recycling solutions which donot compromise worker orcommunity health and safety.

Local government will be encouragedto extend standard kerbside recyclingservices to commercial and industrialsectors where viable and practicableto do so. These services should lead tosubstantial gains in resource recoveryfrom small to medium enterpriseswithin local communities. Councils willnot be expected to subsidise therecycling of commercial waste.

Local government will be asked toreview planning processes to ensurerecycling is supported in the design ofnew residential buildings andinfrastructure, and during theconstruction phase, wasteminimisation and litter preventionplanning will become a standardrequirement for obtaining permits.

14 SKM Economics (2003) Materials Efficiency Strategy and Solid Industrial Waste Management Plan Options Assessment. Prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria.

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Landfill levy funding will be used tosupport the development of processinginfrastructure to replace landfill as thepreference for waste disposal.Investment will be encouraged foroperations and technologies suited todifferent materials, sources andgeographic locations, and which areof sufficient scale to attract thenecessary viable investment.

Sustainability Victoria and EPAVictoria will work with WasteManagement Groups to implementgovernment policy which minimisesthe development and use of landfills.

Municipal InfrastructurePriorities for Melbourne andMajor Regional Centres

Priorities include:

• Infrastructure to process gardenand food organics into soil andmulch products; potentially withenergy recovery.

• Infrastructure for processing of wastewhere environmental risks in landfillcan be reduced, or where additionalresource value can be practicablycaptured (eg, where significant levelsof food and garden organics,and/or hard recyclables remain inthe waste stream).

• Expanded capacity for the recoveryof other priority materials andproducts eg, timber.

• Expanded capacity for drop off andload consolidation for recyclingthrough transfer stations andresource recovery facilities.

• Recycling infrastructure in line withSustainability Victoria’s Recycling inPublic Places Program.

Municipal InfrastructurePriorities for Rural Areas

Priorities include:

• Waste reduction and recoveryinitiatives which will significantlyreduce the need for new landfills,particularly in areas where existingmajor landfills are approachingclosure, such as the city of Latrobe,Seymour and Hamilton.

• Expanded capacity for the recoveryof (other) priority materials andproducts, eg, timber.

• Improved siting, design, operationand rehabilitation of landfills (inaccordance with Victoria’s WasteManagement Policy – Siting, Designand Management of Landfills) andnew transfer station and resourcerecovery facilities (in accordancewith Sustainability Victoria’s Guideto Best Practice at ResourceRecovery and Waste TransferFacilities) to replace smallerlandfills which do not meet modernenvironmental standards.

• Infrastructure at landfills andresource recovery facilities servingpopulations of more than 5000people, to enable the drop off ofmetals, timber, construction anddemolition waste, cardboard andpaper, commingled containers, oiland chemical containers, silagewrap, plastic mulches, etc.

• Infrastructure for dropping offrecyclables (ie, containers andpaper/cardboard) at landfills andresource recovery facilities servingpopulations between 500 and5000 people.

• Infrastructure at resource recoveryfacilities to enable compacting andbaling of materials to achievegreater transport efficiencies.

Product Stewardship

Product stewardship agreements willbe established with industry and localgovernment to reduce end-of-lifewaste for priority products frompriority household wastes, enhancingtake back options, recycling andresource recovery options,sustainable packaging andaddressing litter. These agreementswill underpin Victorian Governmentassistance towards marketdevelopment, infrastructure and otherneeds, for priority products.

Where appropriate, co-regulatoryarrangements will be developed toensure Commonwealth/stateregulatory consistency and domesticproducers and importers are includedto ensure a level playing field.

Action 2 – Sustainability Victoriawill facilitate the establishment ofproduct stewardship arrangementssupported by appropriate toolssuch as regulatory underpinninglegislation or sustainabilitycovenants for TVs, computers, ITequipment, other electrical andelectronic products, tyres,consumer packaging (includingplastic bags), paint and mercurycontaining lamps.

Action 3 – Sustainability Victoriawill facilitate the establishment ofproduct stewardship arrangementssupported by appropriate toolssuch as regulatory underpinninglegislation or sustainabilitycovenants for batteries (domesticand portable equipment), motorvehicles and treated timber.

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Action 4 – Sustainability Victoria,with industry participation, willfacilitate the establishment ofproduct stewardship arrangementsfor responsible disposal ofdomestic chemicals and relatedpackaging, to increase removalfrom kerbside collection andlandfill during the life of thisstrategy. Domestic chemicalsinclude motor and farm oil andother chemical products.

Strengthening Markets forRecycled Products

Local government will play a key rolein strengthening existing markets forrecycled products through a range ofinitiatives. Local governmentpurchasing of recycled and otherenvironmentally preferred productswill be encouraged throughSustainability Victoria's partnershipwith ECO-Buy. ECO-Buy will seek toexpand the commitment andparticipation of Victorian localgovernment in its initiatives.

Action 5 – Local government, theMunicipal Association of Victoriaand other bodies includingSustainability Victoria, will establishbenchmarks and targets forrecycled-content purchasing(based on ECO-Buy data).

Recycling industry assistance will belinked to market development activitiesidentified through product stewardshipagreements and priority materials.Markets for composts and mulchesmade from recycled organic productswill be developed closely with industry.

Action 6 – Sustainability Victoriaand Waste Management Groupswill work closely with industry overthe next three years to:

• Ensure recycled organicproducts are of a consistentlyhigh standard and matchedto market demands (fit-for-purpose)

• Enhance and develop marketsfor recycled organic products.

Biological treatments of organicwastes, including those which recoverenergy, will be preferred over thermalapproaches, but if markets fail togrow sufficiently, greater priority willbe given to energy from wastetechnologies, landfill gas capture,and/or composting of organics priorto land filling (to reduce greenhousegas emissions from landfills).

Community Engagement andEducation

Local government will be encouragedto promote recycling and broadersustainability messages throughcommunity engagement andeducation programs. Programs willfocus on ensuring infrastructure andsystems work together to make it aseasy as possible for people toparticipate. Local government isregarded as the key source ofinformation and guidance to thecommunity on managing waste. Theeducation programs will continue tosupport and develop localgovernment’s key role with thecommunity to further improverecycling rates in the household andto extend this into other spheres ofliving. New emphasis to encouragesustainable consumption will focus onpurchasing and waste reductionactions which achieve lasting change.

Local government will be encouraged towork collaboratively with SustainabilityVictoria, EPA Victoria, water authoritiesand environmental educators, to buildcapacity in sustainable production andconsumption, waste reduction andrecovery, customised to reach thecommunity including the educationsector.

Sustainability Victoria will work tobuild and share knowledge aboutlitter between all stakeholders and thebroader community, coordinatedthrough the Victorian Litter ActionAlliance. Programs will be favouredwhich incorporate each of the vitalelements of education, infrastructure,incentives, communication,partnerships and enforcement.

Sustainability Victoria will continue towork with local government and WasteManagement Groups in developingand delivering successful outcomessuch as the Waste Wise Program.

Away from Home Recycling

Sustainability Victoria’s Recycling inPublic Places Program, as part of the‘Away From Home’ recyclinginitiatives of the National PackagingCovenant, will make recycling visiblein major sporting and commercialvenues, events, gathering points andtourist spots, as well as all Victorianmunicipalities. This will be supportedby advice in program planning andimplementation, with emphasis onconsistency of infrastructure andcommunications across Victoria.Funding, to pilot and support theintroduction of public recyclinginfrastructure and communications,will be a priority in the early years ofthe strategy.

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Action 7 – Through the Recyclingin Public Places Program,Sustainability Victoria will provideincreased assistance to localgovernments, Waste ManagementGroups, land managers, majorevents and venue managers, toprovide efficient and accessiblerecycling services away fromhome.

Regulation and Enforcement

Processing of municipal waste forresource recovery prior to disposal tolandfill is expected to play asignificant role in achieving thestrategy’s targets. The developmentof viable alternative wastemanagement technologies, theiraccessibility and performance inrecovering resources, will be keyfactors in the analysis of thepracticability and likelihood ofmeeting the targets.

Action 8 – EPA Victoria willinvestigate the practicability oflandfill bans for municipal wastetypes and/or streams. Theimplementation of any such ban,where considered necessary,would need to be in place withsufficient lead-time to assist inmeeting the strategy’s objectivesfor 2014.

During these investigations, EPAVictoria will undertake broadconsultation with relevantstakeholders with regard to:

• Environmental risk

• Practicability of avoidance, reuseand recycling

• Existing and potential secondarymarkets

• Technical, logistical and financialconsiderations

• The potential to meet the strategy’sobjectives by 2014.

Local government, (as well as othergovernment instrumentalities) willcontinue to enforce penalties onlittering and dumping under the litterprovisions of the Environment ProtectionAct 1970 and local laws. A keyapproach will entail building capacitywithin local government to develop,disseminate and train local officers inbest practice litter enforcement.

Local government, Waste ManagementGroups and EPA Victoria, will continuetheir efforts on the strategic planningand management of unlicensed landfillsites.

Victoria’s regulatory framework for wastewill maintain monitoring standards andexpectations for the operation oflandfills, as well as specific recyclingoperations including composting.

EPA Victoria will persist in promotingcontinuous improvement in the siting,design, operation and rehabilitation oflandfills, through the implementationof best practice measures. Financialassurance will be required for alllicensed landfills.

The Metropolitan Waste andResources Strategic Plan forMelbourne and Regional WasteManagement Plans for outside of themetropolitan area will providestrategic guidance on landfills tomeet Victoria’s future needs for safeand secure residual waste disposal, inaccordance with environmentprotection requirements and land useplanning provisions.

Raising the Standards of WasteManagement

Through WorkSafe Victoria, theVictorian Government is responsible

for ensuring the adoption of safepractices in the workplace, includingthe municipal sector.

Established accreditation programsfor waste sorters and processors haveprovided an effective means ofimproving performance within themunicipal sector and the ongoingdevelopment and review of theseprograms will be maintainedthroughout the life of the strategy.

Funding and support

There will be assistance for localgovernment through the landfill levyto help manage the increases in costto households arising from thestrategy. The scale of this assistancewill reflect the significantenvironmental benefits flowing fromthe diversion of household organicsfrom landfill and from the treatmentof mixed municipal waste prior todisposal to landfill.

Victorian Government support will beprovided for assisting theestablishment of efficient andinnovative systems and infrastructureto receive, sort and process waste,particularly organics and mixedwaste. Support for these approacheswill be closely tied to product quality,the development of sustainablemarkets and the reduction ofenvironmental risks from landfills.This in turn will help drive efficientservices for households and localgovernment as markets andtechnologies mature.

Support will be provided for locallytargeted education programs whichfoster sustainable consumption,recycling behaviours and enhancedlitter management.

Support will also be provided toindustry partnerships to developsystems and schemes for priorityproduct take back.

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The Victorian Government will alsobuild on the National PackagingCovenant framework, to ensureindustry works with local governmentto manage the costs and impacts ofconsumer packaging.

Measuring Performance

Action 9 – Sustainability Victoriawill work with EPA Victoria, WasteManagement Groups, localgovernment and the wastemanagement industry to improvethe quality of municipal datacollection, management andreporting, throughout the life ofthe strategy.

This will support local governmentand Waste Management Groups inmonitoring progress towards targetsand the effectiveness of localstrategies. GIS modelling will beincreasingly used as a means ofanalysing data.

Action 10 – Sustainability Victoriawill develop materials efficiencymeasures to gauge theperformance of the Victorianeconomy in relation tosustainability by 2006-07.

Action 11 – EPA Victoria andSustainability Victoria will evaluateand encourage the uptake ofbroad sustainability indicators suchas the Ecological Footprint to buildcommunity understanding ofresource efficiency.

8.3Costs and Benefits Environmental Benefits

In 2001, RMIT University indicated thatrecycling saves Victoria over 8000megalitres of water per year – equivalentto the amount of water consumed by 22million people in one day.15

Greenhouse emissions rank highlyamong the projected environmentalsavings. Most overall greenhousesavings will occur thanks to betterhousehold recycling of organics andother materials, residual wasteprocessing and waste reduction.Modelling indicates greenhousebenefits arising from the strategy willreach more than 3 million tonnesCO2 equivalent per year by the final

year of its implementation.

Within the framework of Victoria’sGreenhouse Strategy, which isestimated to deliver annualgreenhouse savings of between 5and 8.3 million tonnes CO2 -equivalent within 10 years, municipalwaste is clearly expected to play aleading role in the state’s progress ofmanaging climate change.

Further environmental benefits includeimprovements in reduced air andwater pollution and lowered resourceimpacts. These mainly arise through:

• Preventing putrescible wastes suchas green organics, paper andtimber from entering landfills, thusavoiding the emission of air andwater-borne pollutants includingleachate as materials breakdown.

• The manufacture of products suchas metals, paper/cardboard,plastics and glass from recycledmaterials, requiring less energy,water and other resources thantheir equivalent production fromvirgin materials.

• Reduced wastage of raw materialsand products, along with lowerassociated environmental impactsfrom their manufacture and disposal.

Analysis by The Allen ConsultingGroup shows the municipal sector isexpected to deliver the strategy’sgreatest environmental gains, asdescribed above.16 Taking into accountthe economic costs of implementationand ascribing financial values toenvironmental benefits, there is anestimated net benefit from themunicipal sector alone valued at over$400 million for the period of thestrategy, or $256 per household.

Costs to Households ofImplementing the Strategy

While the strategy does not imposeany mandatory or regulatoryrequirements on local governmentson how they dispose of their waste,current trends and policies of councilsare to deliver resource efficiencyoutcomes consistent with TowardsZero Waste.

Currently, kerbside waste services(garbage, recycling, garden organicsand hard waste) represent around 4per cent of total local governmentexpenditure.17

15 One person consumes 380 litres of water each day. Grant T, James KL, Lundie S, Sonneveld K (2001) Stage 2 Report for Life Cycle Assessment for Paper andPackaging Waste Management Scenarios in Victoria. Centre for Design at RMIT, Melbourne; EcoRecycle Victoria, Local Government Data Collection 2002-03;Water

Smart, Victorian Government, 21st Century Melbourne: a WaterSmart City, Strategy Directions Report (May 2002, p 69) - http://www.watersmart.vic.gov.au/16 Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy – report prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria by The Allen Consulting Group, January 2004.

17 MAV estimates, as cited in Local Government Data Collection 2002-03.

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The impacts of implementing thestrategy have been modelled throughseveral studies.18 Some cost increaseswill occur as councils make thetransition to more extensive systems ofhousehold recycling. For example, forbin-based garden organics services, theoverall impacts on households are notlikely to be significant over the period ofthe strategy.19 In addition, localgovernment has some flexibility tomanage these costs for their community.

Some of the anticipated costs areassociated with a transition to mixedwaste treatment systems. This would beexpected to be implemented in the latterstages of the strategy and only whenfacilities with appropriate technologiesand end markets have been developed.Some local governments may be ableto achieve the strategy’s targets throughthe use of source separated recyclingservices.

Opportunities for further resourcerecovery gains lie in the processing ofresidual wastes (or garbage) throughalternative waste treatmenttechnologies, particularly inmetropolitan Melbourne. The gapbetween these technologies andlandfill is currently around $50 pertonne. On average, each householdin metro Melbourne generates 535kgper annum.20 Accordingly, the costs ofmoving to alternative waste treatmenttechnologies would be, on average,$27 per household per year, or justover 50 cents a week. The transitionto such technologies would not beimmediate, and would be expected tooccur progressively over the life of thestrategy as new plant is contracted forand commissioned, with likely leadtimes of between 3-4 years.

The strategy’s progress review,undertaken in consultation with localgovernment in 2009-10, will considerthe performance and efficiency ofthese emerging technologies,including their impacts on costs tohouseholds. This will be consideredas the review assesses theappropriateness of the strategy’stargets, including those establishedfor municipal waste recovery.

18 SKM Economics (2003) Materials Efficiency Strategy and Solid Industrial Waste Management Plan Options Assessment. Prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria. The Allen ConsultingGroup (2004) Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria. The Allen Consulting Group (2003) Benefit-Cost Analysis ofVictoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria.19 Bill, A and Harding, A (2003) Research on incomes of Victorian households for EcoRecycle Victoria, National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, University of Canberra.20 EcoRecycle Local Government Data Collection Survey 2002-03.

TZW9.1Commercial andIndustrial Waste TargetCommercial and Industrial (C&I) wasteis generated by large scalemanufacturing, service-basedbusinesses, small to medium enterprises(SMEs) and the government sector.

The C&I sector accounted for 2.8million tonnes, or about a third ofVictoria’s solid waste in 2002-03.Sixty per cent of this is recycledannually. This high recovery ratereflects industry’s production of large,homogenous streams of materials,such as metals, which have beentraditionally recycled. Large quantitiesof resources still end up in thegarbage stream, demonstrating thatsome systems and infrastructure inthis sector are inadequate.

The business sector has the greatestpotential to benefit financially fromavoiding the production of waste and isoften the greatest control over themeans to achieve this. Despite this, thefinancial gains of reducing waste areoften overlooked in business.Accounting systems often do little morethan identify the costs of waste disposal.Businesses which have examined theirwaste streams have found disposalcommonly represents as little as 10 percent of the total waste costs. Adding inthe broader costs of foregone rawmaterials, energy and labour, canprovide a powerful stimulus forreducing waste and investing inimproved resource efficiency.

The reasons for these wasteful outcomesinclude the lack of regular andconsistent recycling services for small tomedium industries, while, for somebusiness leaders, perceived costs andrecycling are not seen as a pressingissue.

9.Business Sector

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Clearly, waste services for the C&Isector are not coordinated in thesame way as municipal services. Itsrecovery occurs through privatecontractors, municipal facilities andfrom small businesses throughcouncil-managed kerbside collectionsor commercial bin services.

Despite these challenges, there is arange of potential initiatives toincrease resource recovery from thissector. A number of facilities arecurrently being built or upgraded inMelbourne and regional centres whichwill improve the cost and efficiency ofresource recovery. There are alsoopportunities to build upon existingcontracts for municipal waste throughthe addition of suitable C&I materials,particularly from those small tomedium enterprises which can makeuse of municipal collection systems.

Manufacturers and their supply chains– there are a number of existinggovernment programs to encourageindustry to reduce its waste, energyand emissions with good results.Companies which upgrade toenvironmentally preferabletechnologies and systems, often dothis with a strong payback. Otherdividends can follow including loweroverheads, better productivity andpreferential entry into some markets.

As most waste and inefficiency islocked in at the design phase of aproduct and is generated in thesupply chain, companies whichengage designers and suppliers cansignificantly reduce life cycle impactsand the costs of production.

The government sector itself alsoneeds to continue to reduce its wasteand improve its recycling record. Inrecognition of this, the VictorianGovernment has introducedEnvironmental Management Systems(EMS) to all its departments. Thisrequires public servants to develop

environment improvement plans, setwaste reduction targets, comply witha Green Purchasing Policy and reportannually on their environmentalperformance. Such practicesdemonstrate the VictorianGovernment is committed to movingwith business and the community onthe journey to sustainability.

Target 6 – An 80% recovery(by weight) of C&I solidwaste for reuse andrecycling by 2014. Aninterim target of 65% isestablished for 2008-09.(Note: C&I recovery of 59%was achieved for 2002-03.)

As with other Towards Zero Wastetargets, these targets have beendetermined through analysis of theTZW Waste Model and other relevantinformation about the Commercialand Industry waste streams. Thetargets reflect the outcomes whichcan be achieved through adoption ofcost-effective and available resourceefficiency measures. They have beendetermined by using the TZW WasteModel with scenarios that include therange of actions contained in thestrategy.

Towards Zero Waste does not imposeany mandatory or regulatoryrequirements on Victorian businesses.Delivery of the strategy’s actionswhich focus on commercial,industrial, construction and demolitionwaste streams, aim to providebusinesses with options for reducedwaste generation (eg, through cleanerproduction initiatives) and for cost-competitive waste disposal involvingincreased resource recovery.

Applications of cleaner productiontechniques by Victorian businesseshave resulted in significant costsavings in addition to the

environmental benefits of resourceefficiency. Examples include a majorfood processing business which hasreduced its waste disposal to landfillfrom 2600 tonnes per annum in2002, to 650 tonnes per annum in2005, with a reduction in annualwaste management costs from$257,400 (2002) to $64,340 (2005).

An analysis of the contribution ofwaste management costs to totalmanufacturing costs has concludedwaste disposal costs are a minorcomponent of total wastemanagement costs, which inthemselves, are only a very minorcomponent of total manufacturingcosts. While implementation of thestrategy will aim to deliver cost-competitive options to landfilldisposal, the apparent absence ofsignificant sensitivity to waste disposalcosts will provide some tolerance tominor cost variations.

9.2Construction andDemolition Waste TargetConstruction and Demolition (C&D)wastes emanate from large buildingprojects to residential renovations.

In 2002-03 the C&D sectoraccounted for 3.75 million tonnes ofwaste, representing about 40 percent of all solid waste generated inVictoria. Around half of this wasrecycled, including about 900,000tonnes of concrete processed intoaggregate. Other recycled materialsincluded rock, sand, metals, timber,asphalt and plasterboard. Recyclingthese materials helps to preservequarry resources and landfill space,as well as reducing emissions fromprocessing virgin resources.

C&D recycling rates have improvedsignificantly in recent years, with

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some projects achieving rates greater than 90 per cent. This is theresult of leadership by majorcompanies in establishing infrastructureto enable the recovery of largehomogeneous waste streams. Forexample, asphalt and concreterecycling have become establishedpractice across the industry.

Through Sustainability Victoria’s WasteWise Program and other initiatives, theVictorian Government has providedtools and assistance to encouragerecycling from building sites. Providinginformation, referrals and resourcescan be an effective means ofencouraging recycling behaviours.Engagement with councils is alsoimportant in raising the profile of wasteminimisation and litter prevention atthe planning stage when issuingpermits to builders and renovators.

Substantial further increases in levelsof recycling remain possible,especially from small to mediumsites. A key challenge is persuadingdeadline-constrained builders andcontractors to separate materials onsite. An alternative solution becomingmore prevalent is the use of mixedwaste services supported by efficientsorting facilities.

The C&D sector is already achievinghigh levels of recycling, so stipulatedtargets for recovery appear lessdemanding than for the municipalsector. However, there is a need toensure the continuation of largematerial flows arising from the C&Dsector. A key challenge is to achievebetter results from the vast number ofsmaller C&D projects operatingacross Victoria.

Other C&D related issues to beaddressed include the role ofplanning and design to minimisewaste, litter and storm-water pollutionfrom construction, as well as ensuringbuildings have adequate space andsystems to facilitate efficient wasteand recycling collections.

Target 7 – A recovery rate of80% (by weight) of C&Dsolid waste for reuse andrecycling by 2014. Aninterim target of 65% isestablished for 2008-09.(Note: C&D recovery of 57%was achieved for 2002-03.)

As with other Towards Zero Wastetargets, these targets have beendetermined through analysis of theTZW Waste Model and other relevantinformation about the constructionand demolition waste streams. Thetargets reflect the outcomes which canbe achieved through the adoption ofcost-effective and available resourceefficiency measures. They have beendetermined by using the TZW WasteModel with scenarios that include therange of actions contained in thestrategy.

9.3Strategies for Achievingthe Commercial andIndustrial Waste Targetsand Construction andDemolition Waste TargetsImproved Waste ManagementSystems and Infrastructure

Landfill levy funding will be used tosupport the development of processinginfrastructure to replace landfill as thepreferred option for waste disposal.

Investment will be encouraged for arange of operations and technologiessuited to different materials, sourcesand geographic locations, and at asufficient scale to attract the necessaryviable investment.

Action 12 – Sustainability Victoriaand WorkSafe Victoria will workwith the C&I and C&D sectorsduring the life of this strategy todevelop systems and infrastructurewhich do not compromise workeror community health and safety.

Planning processes will be reviewedto ensure recycling is supported in thedesign of new buildings andinfrastructure and that during theconstruction phase, wasteminimisation and litter preventionplanning become a standardrequirement for obtaining permits.The Victorian Government will alsoengage in broader collaboration withindustry to improve the design of newand renovated buildings for wasteminimisation and recycling duringtheir period of occupancy.

C&I Infrastructure Priorities forMelbourne and Major RegionalCentres

The processing of C&I waste forresource recovery prior to disposal tolandfill is expected to play asignificant role in achieving thestrategy’s targets for C&I waste andthe associated environmental gains.Priorities are as follows:

• Infrastructure to process mixed C&Iwaste streams which have not beenseparated at source

• Infrastructure to process foodorganics into soil amendment andmulch products, and/or potentialfor energy recovery

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• Infrastructure for processing thegarbage stream whereenvironmental risks in landfill canbe reduced and/or whereadditional resource value can bepracticably captured (eg, wheresignificant levels of food organics,and/or hard recyclables remain inthe garbage stream

• Expanded capacity for the recoveryof other priority materials andproducts eg, timber

• Expanded capacity for drop off bySMEs and load consolidation forrecycling through transfer stationsand resource recovery facilities.

Municipal waste transfer andresource recovery facilities are likelyto play a role in accepting someindustrial waste streams, as well asdedicated C&I recovery facilities.

C&D Infrastructure Priorities forMelbourne and Regional Centres

The following are the priorities forinfrastructure for recovering resourcesfrom the C&D sector. Municipalresource recovery and waste transferfacilities are likely to play a role inaccepting some C&D waste streams,as well as dedicated C&D recoveryfacilities. Priorities are as follows:

• Infrastructure to process mixedC&D waste streams

• Expanded capacity for theprocessing of priority materials(including timber into mulchproducts and/or potential for energyrecovery) and priority products

• Expanded capacity for drop off bySMEs and load consolidation forrecycling through transfer stationsand resource recovery facilities

• Where viable, infrastructure forstock-piling fill materials forappropriate re-use.

C&I Infrastructure Priorities for RuralAreas

In rural areas, C&I waste collectionand infrastructure arrangements willbe established taking into accountlocal circumstances. The priorities are:

• Waste reduction and resourcerecovery initiatives to significantlyreduce the need for new landfills,particularly in areas where existingmajor landfills are approachingclosure, such as the city of Latrobe,Seymour and Hamilton

• Infrastructure to process foodorganics

• Expanded capacity for the recoveryof (other) priority materials andproducts eg, timber andconstruction material packaging

• Infrastructure at landfills andresource recovery facilities servingpopulations of greater than 5000to enable provision for drop off ofa range of materials includingmetals, timber, construction anddemolition waste, cardboard andpaper, commingled containers (oiland chemical containers), lowtoxicity domestic chemical productsand packaging such as oil, paint,car batteries and aerosols, silagewrap and plastic mulches

• Infrastructure for dropping offrecyclables (ie, paper/cardboard,steel) at landfills and resourcerecovery facilities servingpopulations between 500 and5000 people.

C&D Infrastructure Priorities for RuralAreas

In rural areas, C&D waste collectionand infrastructure arrangements willbe established taking into accountlocal circumstances. Priorities are:

• Waste reduction and resourcerecovery initiatives to significantlyreduce the need for new landfills,particularly in areas where existingmajor landfills are approachingclosure, such as the city of Latrobe,Seymour and Hamilton

• Infrastructure to process C&Dstreams

• Expanded capacity for theprocessing of priority materials(including timber into mulchproducts and/or potential forenergy recovery) and priorityproducts

• Improved siting, design, operationand rehabilitation of landfills andnew resource recovery facilities toreplace smaller landfills which donot meet modern environmentalstandards

• Infrastructure at landfills andresource recovery facilities servingpopulations of greater than 5000,to enable provision for drop off ofa range of materials includingconstruction and demolition waste

• Infrastructure for dropping offrecyclables at landfills and resourcerecovery facilities serving populationsbetween 500 and 5000 people

• Infrastructure at resource recoveryfacilities to enable compacting andbaling of materials to achievegreater transport efficiencies

• Where viable, infrastructure forstockpiling fill materials forappropriate reuse.

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Product Stewardship

Product stewardship arrangementswill be established to reduce end-of-life waste from priority C&I and C&Dwastes, improve resource use andwaste avoidance through design,enhance recovery and address litter.Agreements will underpin VictorianGovernment assistance towardsmarket development, infrastructuredevelopment and other needs forpriority products. Where appropriate,agreements will be established inconjunction with the Commonwealthand other states to promote nationalconsistency including both domesticproducers and importers to ensure alevel playing field exists.

Action 13 – Sustainability Victoriawill facilitate the establishment ofproduct stewardshiparrangements, includingparticipation from industry,supported by appropriate toolssuch as regulatory underpinninglegislation or sustainabilitycovenants, for TVs, computers, ITequipment and other electricaland electronic products, tyres,consumer packaging (includingplastic bags), paint and mercurycontaining lamps.

Action 14 – Sustainability Victoriawill facilitate the establishment ofproduct stewardshiparrangements, supported byappropriate tools such asregulatory underpinning legislationor sustainability covenants, forbatteries (domestic and portableequipment), motor vehicles,treated timber office paper andindustrial/transport packaging.

Strengthening Markets forRecycled Products

Strong markets exist for manymaterials collected from C&I and C&Dwaste streams such as timber, plasticsand cardboard. As recovery programsdevelop and new material challengesarise from product take-back initiativesand the collection of commercial foodwaste, market gaps are expected todevelop. The strengthening anddevelopment of these markets forrecycled products is critical toachieving target recovery rates.

Action 15 – Where identifiedneeds exist, Sustainability Victoriawill help to develop markets forrecovered C&I and C&D materialsthrough grants, partnerships andother initiatives, over the life of thestrategy.

Industry assistance will be linked tomarket development activitiesidentified through product stewardshipagreements and priority materials.

Action 16 – Sustainability Victoriawill work closely with industry toenhance markets for recycledorganic (mulches, composts andother solid conditioner/fertiliserproducts, including horticultureand viticulture, domestic /commercial / public spacelandscaping and landrehabilitation) and renewableenergy products derived fromprocessing clean organic andresidual materials streamscontaining organics.

This will involve ensuring recycledorganic products are of a consistentlyhigh standard and matched to marketdemands. If markets for recycledorganics composts and soilenhancement products fail to growsufficiently, greater priority will begiven to energy from wastetechnologies, treatment of residualmaterials containing organics prior toland filling, and/or more effectivelandfill gas capture (to reducegreenhouse gas emissions fromlandfills). Biological treatment oforganic and residual wastes will bepreferred over thermal approaches.

Sustainability Victoria has identifiedthe following priorities for its organicsprogram:

• The development andimplementation of a detailed marketgrowth and promotions strategy

• The provision of an incentiveprogram for the processing oforganic material using controlledenvironment technology

• The establishment of demonstrationand field trials of compost in avariety of industries.

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Action 17 – Sustainability Victoriawill further investigate, and whereappropriate, promote resourcemanagement options whichrecover energy from residual andclean organics wastes from theC&I and C&D sectors where nohigher resource value recovery isviable.

Sustainability Victoria will help todevelop markets for recovered C&Dmaterials through grants, partnershipsand other initiatives. Industryassistance will be linked to marketdevelopment activities identifiedthrough product stewardshipagreements and priority materials.

Business Engagement andAwareness Raising

Government programs will focus onbuilding capacity within prioritywaste-generating industry sectors tomeasure and reduce waste, andcontinue to encourage businesses byhighlighting recycling opportunitiesand the benefits of recycling andwaste avoidance.

Action 18 – The VictorianGovernment will develop closercoordination of governmentbusiness assistance programs forindustry, including a focus on leanmanufacturing, cleaner productionand waste recovery.

Victorian Government departmentsand agencies will lead by example inwaste reduction, recycling andenvironmental purchasing. Wastereduction initiatives will be linked withother strategies for workflowefficiencies, including the use ofinnovative electronic recordsmanagement systems.

Action 19 – Sustainability Victoria,through its Waste Wise Program,will continue to work with thebusiness sector to assist it withavoiding, reusing and recyclingwaste, as well as recognising thepotential financial benefits ofmaterials efficiency.

Action 20 – The VictorianGovernment will work with thewaste collection and disposalindustry to encourage practicaland commercially driven servicesto foster waste avoidance andresource recovery. A voluntaryagreement may be sought withthe waste collection and disposalindustry encompassing:

• Assistance to clients (fromlarge manufacturers to SMEsetc) regarding wasteavoidance and resourcerecovery

• Standards for recyclingsystems

• Pricing systems whichencourage clients to reducewaste and to recycle (eg, payby weight)

• Collection and reporting ofwaste data.

The potential outcomes of thisapproach include greater efficienciesand incentives for the uptake ofrecycling services by the C&I andC&D sectors.

Action 21 – The Victorian LitterAction Alliance, local governmentand the Department of PrimaryIndustries will work with thebusiness sector to build awarenesswithin industry to address litter.Targeted industry groups includethe hospitality, building, agricultureand farming sectors.

Action 22 – The VictorianGovernment will encourage localgovernment to provide recyclingservices to C&I sectors, particularlythose small to medium enterpriseswithin their communities, whereappropriate and viable, but willnot be expected to subsidise therecycling of commercial waste.

Action 23 – The VictorianGovernment will ask localgovernment to review planningprocesses to ensure recycling issupported in the design of newcommercial and industrialbuildings and infrastructure, andthat during the construction phase,waste minimisation and litterprevention planning become astandard requirement forobtaining permits.

Action 24 – The VictorianGovernment, in partnership withindustry, will over the life of thestrategy, enhance C&I and C&Dwaste management infrastructurein line with established prioritymaterials and products (seeSection 7).

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Some C&I waste streams are bettersuited to bulk sorting or processing,rather than separation at source.Processing of mixed industry wastestreams is supported where waste canbe effectively sorted for relatively lowcosts and where careful planning canlead to the collection of fairlyhomogenous wastes. The sorting ofmixed construction and demolitionwastes is already achieving goodrecovery rates. These approaches areespecially valid for the many C&I siteslacking space for multiple bins.

Action 25 – Priorities for expandedC&I and C&D waste managementinfrastructure will be integratedinto EPA Victoria, SustainabilityVictoria and Waste ManagementGroup initiatives, to implementgovernment policy to minimise theuse and development of landfills.

Regulation and Enforcement

The development of viable alternativewaste management technologies,their accessibility and performance inrecovering resources, will be keyfactors in the analysis of thepracticability and likelihood ofmeeting the strategy’s targets.

The processing of C&D waste forresource recovery prior to disposal tolandfill is expected to play asignificant role in achieving thestrategy’s targets for C&D waste andthe associated environmental gains.

Action 26 – EPA Victoria willinvestigate potential landfill bansfor C&D waste types and/orstreams.

Action 27 – EPA Victoria willinvestigate the practicability oflandfill bans for C&I waste typesand/or streams.

During these investigations, EPAVictoria will undertake broadconsultation with relevantstakeholders, with regard to:

• Environmental risk

• Practicability of avoidance, reuseand recycling

• Existing and potential secondarymarkets

• Technical, logistical and financialconsiderations

• The potential to meet the strategy’sobjectives by 2014.

Victoria’s regulatory framework for wastewill continue to monitor standards andexpectations for the operation oflandfills, as well as specific recyclingoperations including composting.

EPA Victoria will continue promotingcontinuous improvement in the siting,design, operation and rehabilitationof landfills through theimplementation of best practicemeasures. Financial assurance will berequired for all licensed landfills.

Raising the Standards of WasteManagement

Through WorkSafe Victoria, theVictorian Government is responsiblefor ensuring the adoption of safepractices in the workplace, includingthe C&I and C&D sectors.

Action 28 – Establishingaccreditation programs for wastesorters and processors has beenan effective means of improvingperformance across other areasincluding the municipal sector. TheVictorian Government will adaptsimilar programs for the C&I andC&D waste collection andreprocessing sector.

Funding and Support

There will be substantial assistancethrough the landfill levy to assist thestrategy’s objectives for the businesssector. Victorian Government supportwill be provided:

• To assist the establishment ofefficient, innovative systems andinfrastructure to receive, sort andprocess waste streams includingorganics and mixed C&I and C&Dwastes. Support for this approachwill be closely tied to the expansionof sustainable markets for recycledmaterials and the reduction ofenvironmental risks from landfills.This in turn will help drive efficientservices for industry as markets andtechnologies mature.

• To build capacity within the C&Iand C&D sectors to measure andreduce waste and to continue toencourage businesses byhighlighting recycling opportunitiesand the benefits of recycling.

• To make recycling more efficientand accessible to industry throughclose collaboration with the wastemanagement industry.

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Measuring Performance

The Victorian Government willmaintain the development ofenvironmental accounting tools andsystems for uptake by commerce andindustry. This will be supported bypilot trials, collaboration withaccounting industry leaders on theefficacy of current accountingstandards, and training inenvironmental accounting expandedthroughout accountancy curricula.

Businesses will be encouraged to usebroad sustainability indicators such asthe Ecological Footprint. EPA Victoriawill help implement these practicaltools across commerce and industrythrough ongoing evaluation andcommunications initiatives.

Sustainability Victoria and EPAVictoria will seek to work closely withthe waste management industry tocapture improved data on C&I andC&D waste generation, recycling anddisposal. This will help focusgovernment assistance on the industrysectors where the need and currentimpacts are greatest. The wastemanagement industry will also benefitthrough the long-term planning ofinfrastructure and services. GISmodelling will increasingly be used asa means of analysing data.

9.4Costs and BenefitsEnvironmental benefits

The C&D sector accounts for thelargest share of materials recycled inVictoria by far, reaching 2.1 milliontonnes for 2002-03. However, a lackof available life cycle data regardingthe environmental benefits ofrecycling C&D materials, meansthese benefits could not be costed infinancial terms.21

Modelling indicates the C&I sectorwill contribute significantenvironmental benefits over theperiod of the strategy. Analysis by TheAllen Consulting Group shows that,taking into account the economiccosts of implementation andascribing financial values to theenvironmental benefits, the projectednet benefit from this sector alone isvalued at more than $160 millionover the life of the strategy.

The value of underlying greenhouseand other environmental savings areestimated to be more than eighttimes the cost of implementation.Significantly, the modelled benefits donot factor in additional financialsavings which are expected to flow tobusinesses as a result of improvedresource recovery.

It is likely enhanced waste reductionand recycling within the businesssector will lead to significantenvironmental gains through:

• Greenhouse savings from recycling,the benefits of which markedlydepend on the end uses into whichC&D materials are recycled. Theremay be some economic benefitderived from any carbon creditsgenerated.

• Diverting putrescible wastes such asfood organics and timber fromlandfill avoiding the emission of airand water-borne pollutantsincluding methane (with 21 timesthe greenhouse potential of carbondioxide) and leachate as materialsbreak down. As well as moreconventional forms of resourcerecovery such as soil conditionersand mulches, there is also thepotential for energy from waste tooffset more greenhouse intensivesources of electricity.

• The manufacture of products suchas metals, paper/cardboard,plastics and glass from recycledmaterials, requiring less energy,water and other resources thantheir equivalent production fromvirgin materials.

• Reduced wastage of raw materialsand products, along with lowerassociated environmental impactsfrom their manufacture and disposal.

21 Allen Consulting Group (2004) Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria.

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Costs to the C&I Sector ofImplementing the Strategy

While the strategy calls for changesin waste management practices, thestrategy’s actions which focus oncommercial, industrial, constructionand demolition waste streams aim toprovide businesses with options forreduced waste generation (eg,through cleaner production initiatives)and for cost-competitive wastedisposal involving increased resourcerecovery. There is no mandatory orregulatory control requiring resourcerecovery in place of waste disposal.

Where businesses choose resourcerecovery options, the overall costimpact on businesses is not expectedto be significant. Recent industrysurveys indicate waste managementdoes not represent a significant costto business. This is borne out by asurvey undertaken of the foodprocessing sector in Victoria in 2000,which found waste disposal costs(including solid, liquid and prescribedwastes) fell within a range of 0.1 percent to 2.2 per cent of totalmanufacturing costs.

Modelling undertaken as part of thestrategy’s development indicates likelysavings in the cost of disposing ofsome waste streams. In someinstances there may be higher costsfor mixed waste streams unless sourceseparation can take place on site.22

Higher disposal costs may occur asthe C&I sector makes the transition tobetter standards of wastemanagement. This will entailexpansion in recycling, as well as theprocessing of residual wastes prior todisposal to landfill. Waste avoidance,system innovation and engagingsupply chains, offers the possibility ofoffsetting such costs.

An early priority will be the recoveryof timber, food and green organicsfrom the C&I sector. Whilecompetitive sorting facilities for someC&I waste streams are already beingdeveloped in Victoria, the processingof more complex mixed garbagestreams for resource recovery,potentially including energy, remainsa challenge.

The strategy’s progress review willconsider the performance andefficiency of these emergingtechnologies, including their costimpacts. The comprehensiveprocessing of residual C&I wastestreams will only be implemented inthe latter stages of the strategy andwhen facilities with appropriatetechnologies have been developed.

This will be considered as the reviewassesses the appropriateness of thestrategy’s targets and timelines,including those established for C&Iwaste recovery.

Costs to the C&D Sector ofImplementing the Strategy

The dominance of the C&D sector inrecycling in Victoria illustrates thecompetitiveness of current recyclingservices, even relative to low currentlandfill disposal rates for solid inertmaterials.

Of all the sectors, the C&D industrygenerally has the smallest gap tobridge between costs of disposal tolandfill and the costs of recycling. Thecost of recycling C&D waste is oftenclose to, or less than disposal tolandfill. In many cases there aresavings to be made, particularly inmanaging large, homogenous C&Dwaste streams.

Gate fees are expected toprogressively increase over the periodof the strategy, while more efficientsorting and processing technologieswill emerge through the efforts of theprivate sector and VictorianGovernment funding incentives. Asthese drivers continue, it is expectedthe strategy will lead to cost savingsfor most of the C&D sector inmetropolitan Melbourne andprovincial cities.

22 Allen Consulting Group (2004) Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria.

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TZW10.1Strategic PartnersThe Victorian Government

The Victorian Government, andspecifically the Department ofSustainability and Environment (DSE),has an important role in bringingtogether a wide range of partners toensure successful implementation ofthe Towards Zero Waste Strategy.DSE coordinates portfolio andgovernment strategies forenvironmental sustainability.

Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria is the stategovernment agency responsible forenvironmental sustainability, includingthe planning and management ofsolid waste throughout Victoria.Sustainability Victoria will lead theimplementation of the Towards ZeroWaste Strategy. This will involvedeveloping many of the strategy’sprograms, assisting partners andmeasuring and reporting on progressthrough annual business plans.

10.Working inPartnership

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Environment ProtectionAuthority Victoria

EPA Victoria administers theEnvironment Protection Act 1970 andits instruments, including policies,works approvals, licences,environment improvement plans,sustainability covenants andenforcement tools. EPA Victoria andSustainability Victoria work inpartnership to reduce waste andfacilitate the development of productstewardship programs. EPA Victoriawill facilitate, and where necessary,use regulatory powers to protectbeneficial uses of the environmentand ensure resources are usedefficiently. EPA Victoria closelymonitors prescribed industrial wastesbecause of their potential adverseimpacts on health and theenvironment. (Liquid and trade wastesare considered separately from solidnon-prescribed wastes).

Local Government

Local government plays a pivotal rolein providing waste and recyclingservices to households; often leadingthe way in kerbside and public placerecycling and litter prevention.Councils spend about $258 million ayear on waste management, of which,approximately $170 million goes tothe delivery of kerbside waste services,recycling and garden organicsservices. Their role in major wastecontracts is recognised as animportant catalyst for the developmentof infrastructure and systems neededfor improved resource recovery. Thestrategy acknowledges the rolecouncils have in communityengagement and education. Thanks tolocalised initiatives, Victorianhouseholds are among the leaders inrecycling across Australia.

The Towards Zero Waste Strategy willprovide support to local governmentthrough funding incentives, thecontinuing development of bestpractice standards, and support forlocalised programs.

Department of Innovation,Industry and RegionalDevelopment

DIIRD is the Victorian Government'slead agency for economic andregional development, responsible forbuilding an innovative state. DIIRD isa key partner in addressing wastemanagement challenges, particularlyin the C&I sector.

Waste Management Groups

Victoria’s Waste ManagementGroups (WMGs) carry primaryresponsibility for planning for themanagement of municipal solidwaste. Each group produces aregional plan to coordinate anddirect the activities of its membercouncils. As part of the Towards ZeroWaste Strategy, these plans will beupdated for consistency with thestrategy’s objectives.

WMGs will share responsibility forfacilitating and implementing many ofthe strategy’s programs, especially theplanning for enhanced infrastructureneeds and local level communityengagement programs. SustainabilityVictoria will assist WMGs and localgovernment to plan towards systemtransition and provide incentivestowards adopting preferred systems.

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10.2Essential PartnersCommunity

The wider community hasdemonstrated that when providedwith good reasons and systems, theywill support change. Recycling inhouseholds is a well supported,everyday activity. Extending recyclinginto the workplace and public placesrequires community, business andgovernment leadership, clearcommunications of the benefits,supported by sound infrastructure tomaximise participation.

Moving to sustainable consumptionand lifestyle change to reducematerials usage is a greater challenge.The wider community will rely onindustry and governments to developproducts and packaging frameworkswith lower environmental impacts.

Community leadership will requiresupport and assistance to makechanges at the local locality,workplace or school level. Communityleaders across all sectors will becrucial in leading and promotingchanges to existing thinking andpractice. Environmental championsare located in every sector and theTowards Zero Waste Strategy willprovide a basis for translating thebroader goals and targets toindividual and group actions.

Waste Management Industry

The waste management industrycovers collection, sorting,reprocessing and disposal activities.Operators within this industry sectorvary greatly in size and scope, yet allare responding to moves towardsmore sustainable management ofwaste with new technologies andmethods being developedcontinuously for managing discardedmaterials and recovering resourcesfrom waste materials.

Collection and sorting services alongwith landfill operators, havecontributed greatly to the growth ofkerbside recycling and materialsrecovery. Ongoing investment inplant, infrastructure and triple bottomline reporting, have all been a part ofthis contribution. As part of a muchlarger industry sector, these playershave continued and sometimes driventhe move toward quality assurance,financial and environmentalmanagement systems. Collectors,sorters and landfill operators are wellplaced to make a strong contributionto the goals set in the Toward ZeroWaste Strategy. The reprocessingindustry is of key importance to therecovery of materials from theVictorian waste stream. Thereprocessing industry is wellestablished in Victoria, with 51 percent of waste generated in Victorianow being recycled.

Victoria’s waste management industry isvital to the achievement of the targetsset in the Towards Zero Waste Strategy.

Business Community

The business community is animportant partner across every aspectof the strategy, influencing the designof products in the market, theavailability of services, end-of-lifeproduct management and thepurchasing and recycling behaviour inoffices and service areas such as retail.

In response to business sectorfeedback, the strategy emphasisesthat product stewardship approacheswill operate fairly across markets,engaging whole supply chains andaddressing imports. A legislativesafety net assures responsibilities arecarried equitably among industrywaste generators.

The Towards Zero Waste Strategy willcontinue to provide strong support forproduct stewardship across the entirelife cycle. Its effectiveness in reducingwaste will be important in evaluatingthe need for landfill prohibitions overthe period of its implementation.

Manufacturers

The manufacturing sector is crucial toVictoria’s economy, influencing theefficiency with which resources areused and the fate of generatedwastes. The strategy’s outcomes andimplementation programs will supportgreater efficiencies in this sector, aswell as in the recovery ofmanufacturing waste intocommodities for reuse. Thepartnership with the manufacturingsector, especially those manufacturersinfluencing key supply chains, iscritical for success. Major companiesand key associations such as the AIGand PACIA will be engaged to morebroadly realise and communicate thebenefits of the strategy to businessand manufacturers.

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TZWSustainability Victoria will prepare anannual assessment of progress inachieving the strategy’s targets.Results will be communicated to allstakeholders via internet and otherchannels. The assessment will drawupon a range of VictorianGovernment and industry sources,including annual surveys of therecycling industry and localgovernment, landfill data collected byEPA Victoria, and informationcollected from the waste managementindustry and other sectors.

During 2009-10, SustainabilityVictoria will undertake a formalprogress review, in consultation withstakeholders, to assess progress inachieving the strategy’s targets. Thiswill provide opportunity to monitorachievements to date, adjustprograms and activities, and reviewthe appropriateness of the targets.

The review will include an analysis ofhow technologies includingalternative waste processing havedeveloped to confirm ongoingdirections for the processing ofresidual waste streams fromhouseholds and industry. The reviewwill also provide important input intoEPA’s assessment of the feasibility ofpotential landfill bans for particularwaste types and/or streams.

11.Measuring

Performance

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TZWAnaerobic digestion: A process ofbiologically degrading organicmaterials in the absence of oxygen,yielding methane gas (which may becombusted to produce energy) andstabilised organic residues (whichmay be used as a soil additive).

Best practice facilities: Facilities withhigh levels of environmentalmanagement consistent with EPA andSustainability Victoria Best PracticeEnvironmental Managementguidelines. In the case of materialsprocessing facilities, best practicealso implies high levels of productquality management.

Best practice landfill management:Adoption of measures established inBest Practice EnvironmentalManagement – Siting, Design,Operation and Rehabilitation ofLandfills (EPA.) This document givesdirection through required outcomesand suggested measures on the mainaspects of landfill management.

Biosolids: Nutrient rich organicmaterials derived from wastewatersolids (sewage sludge) which havebeen stabilised through processing.

Composting: A process of biologicallydegrading organic materials in thepresence of oxygen, yielding carbondioxide, heat and stabilised organicresidues, which may be used as a soiladditive.

Clean Community Assessment Tool(CCAT): A tool used to provide ameasure of cleanliness in relation tolitter. A score is derived from equallyweighted criteria (context, facilitiesand attitudes and perceptions), whichgives a measure of cleanliness. Thescore is on a 5 point scale where ‘0’reflects not clean and ‘5’ representsvery clean. In 2003, approximately300 sites were assessed for litteringand a CCAT score of 3.7 wasreported for Victoria.

12.Glossary

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Eco-buy: Formerly the LocalGovernment Buy Recycled Alliance. Apartnership of local governmentscommitted to purchasing policies andpractices which promote the use ofrecycled products across operationsand services. It is a joint initiative ofSustainability Victoria and the MunicipalAssociation of Victoria (MAV), with theDepartment of Sustainability andEnvironment joining the partnership in2002, to broaden the program tocover green purchasing.

Eco-design: An approach tosustainable production andconsumption which addresses the linkbetween a product and theenvironment, recognising the criticalinfluence of the design of a producton its life cycle impacts.

Ecological footprint: The impacts ofhuman consumption on the Earth’secosystem, expressed in terms of thearea of land used to supply theseresources.

End-of-life waste: eg, end-of-lifevehicles. Products such as cars, whichhave reached the end of their usefullife and become wastes. This term isoften used in the context of productstewardship responsibilities ofmanufacturers and brand-owners forwastes discarded by consumers.

Energy from waste: Processingtechnologies which use waste as afeedstock for generating energy usedfor heat or for generating electricity.

Environmental accounting: Adiscipline for measuringenvironmental costs which may beapplied to the areas of managementaccounting, financial accounting andnational accounting. The reference toenvironmental accounting in the draftstrategy relates to its application forinternal organisational decisions, ormanagement accounting.

Environmental management system(EMS): A business tool forsystematically measuring andimproving environmental performance.

Fill material: Soil (being clay, silt andsand), gravel and rock, all beingnaturally occurring materials, havingchemical contamination levels belowthat specified in Table 2 of EPApublication 448. Materials exceedingthe minima set in Table 2 must beclassified as either low-levelcontaminated soil or contaminated soil.

Food organics: Food wastes fromhouseholds or industry including foodprocessing waste, out-of-date or off-specification food, meat, fruit andvegetable scraps. Excludes liquid wastes.

Garden organics: Organics derivedfrom garden sources eg, grassclippings, tree prunings.

Gasification: Advanced thermaltechnology which converts organicmaterial into combustible gases bypartial oxidation under the applicationof heat, leaving an inert residue.

Greenhouse gas (emissions): Gasessuch as carbon dioxide and methanewhich trap heat in the Earth’satmosphere, with impacts on weatherand climate.

Landfill: A site for the disposal ofwaste.

Landfill levy: A levy applied atdifferential rates for municipal,commercial and industrial andprescribed wastes disposed of atlicensed landfills in Victoria. Landfilllevies are used solely for thepurposes of environment protectionand fostering environmentallysustainable use of resources and bestpractice in waste management. Theyfund the activities of WasteManagement Groups, SustainabilityVictoria and EPA Victoria, in helpingto establish waste management

infrastructure, industry wastereduction programs, educationprograms, regulatory controls andenforcement regimes. Levies alsoprovide an incentive to minimise thegeneration of waste, and send asignal to industry that the governmentsupports efforts to developalternatives to disposal to landfill.

Landfill prohibition: The banning of acertain material or product type fromdisposal to landfills. The wastemanagement policy (Siting, Designand Management of Landfills) allowsfor the EPA to ban a material fromlandfill where a higher wastemanagement option is available.

Life cycle assessment (LCA): Anobjective process to evaluate theenvironmental burdens associatedwith a product, process, or activity, byidentifying energy and materials usedand wastes released to theenvironment, and to evaluate andimplement opportunities to affectenvironmental improvements.

Life cycle of a product: All stages of aproduct's development, from rawmaterials, to manufacturing, throughto consumption and ultimate disposal.

Materials efficiency: ‘Achieving morewith less’ by supplying products andservices, using fewer resources, andgenerating less waste to maintainquality of life.

Municipal solid waste (MSW): Solidwaste generated from municipal andresidential activities, and includingwaste collected by, or on behalf of, amunicipal council. As used in thisdocument, MSW does not includewaste delivered to municipal disposalsites by commercial operators or wastefrom municipal demolition projects.

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National Packaging Covenant (NPC):A self regulatory agreement betweenindustries involved in the packagingchain and all spheres of government.

Organics: Plant or animal matteroriginating from domestic orindustrial sources, eg, grass clippings,tree prunings, food waste.

Prescribed waste and prescribedindustrial waste: Those wastes listed inthe Environment Protection (PrescribedWaste) Regulations 1998 and beingsubject to requirements under theIndustrial Waste Management Policy(Prescribed Industrial Waste) 2000.EPA Victoria closely regulates thesewastes because of their potentialadverse impacts on human healthand the environment. Prescribedwastes carry special handling,storage, transport and often licensingrequirements, and attract substantiallyhigher disposal levies than non-prescribed solid wastes.

Processing (of waste materials): Bestpractice activities which recoverresource value from wastes andprevent harmful emissions fromresidual materials. Processing mayinclude sorting of mixed wastestreams for recycling; aerobic oranaerobic treatment to produceorganic soil enhancement materials;anaerobic or thermal treatment torecover energy; or on-site separationof materials for recycling to astandard such that residual materialscontain no significant resource value.

Product stewardship: A concept ofshared responsibility by all sectorsinvolved in the manufacture,distribution, use and disposal ofgoods and services.

Pyrolysis: Advanced thermaltechnology involving the thermaldecomposition of organiccompounds in the complete absenceof oxygen and under pressure and atelevated temperature.

Recyclables: While this term strictlyapplies to all materials which may berecycled, the term is generally used inthe strategy and supportingdocuments in reference to therecyclable containers andpaper/cardboard component ofkerbside waste, ie, not includinggarden organics.

Recycling: A term which may be usedto cover a wide range of activities,including collection, sorting,reprocessing and manufacture intonew products.

Regions: See Waste ManagementGroups.

Residual waste: Waste remaining afterany source separation of recyclablematerials including green waste.

Resource recovery: The process ofobtaining matter or energy fromdiscarded materials.

Re-use: The second-highest option inthe waste hierarchy – recoveringvalue from a discarded resourcewithout processing or remanufacture,eg, garments sold though opportunityshops strictly represent a form of re-use, rather than recycling.

Sectors, industry sectors: Groupingsof industries used to generalisepatterns in waste generation anddisposal, eg, construction anddemolition, food services, food retailand food manufacturing, small andmedium enterprises.

Solid industrial waste (SIW): Solidwaste generated from commercial,industrial or trade activities, includingwaste from factories, offices, schools,universities, state and federalgovernment operations andcommercial construction anddemolition work. Excludes MSW,wastes prescribed under theEnvironment Protection Act 1970 andquarantine wastes.

Solid waste: Non-hazardous, non-prescribed, solid waste materialsranging from municipal garbage toindustrial waste.

Source separation: The practice ofsegregating materials into discretematerials streams prior to collectionby or delivery to processing facilities.

State environment protection policies(SEPPs): Statutory instruments underthe Environment Protection Act 1970which identify beneficial uses of theenvironment which are to beprotected, establish environmentalindicators and objectives and defineattainment programs to implementthe policies.

Sustainability covenant: Under Section49 of the Environment Protection Act1970, a sustainability covenant is anagreement which a person or bodyundertakes to increase the resourceuse, efficiency and/or reduce,ecological impacts of activities,products, services and productionprocesses. Parties can voluntarily enterinto such agreements with EPA, orcould be required to, if they aredeclared by Governor in Council, onthe recommendation of EPA Victoria,to have potential for significant impacton the environment.

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Sustainable consumption, sustainableresource use: A change to society’shistorical patterns of consumptionand behaviour which enableconsumers to satisfy their needs withbetter performing products or serviceswhich use fewer resources, cause lesspollution and contribute to socialprogress worldwide.

Transfer station: A facility allowing thedrop off and consolidation ofgarbage and a wide range ofrecyclable materials. Transfer stationshave become an integral part ofmunicipal waste management,playing an important role in materialsrecovery and improvingtransportation economics associatedwith municipal waste disposal.

Triple bottom line (TBL): Referring to theideal that organisations are responsiblefor social and environmental as well asfinancial outcomes.

Victorian Litter Action Alliance (VLAA):Victoria’s peak body for littermanagement. Formed in April 2000,the alliance was created tocoordinate efforts made on behalf ofstate and local government agenciesand the voluntary and private sectorsto reduce litter in the Victorianenvironment to acceptable levels.

Waste avoidance: At the top of thewaste hierarchy, avoidance works onthe principle the greatest gains resultfrom efficiency-centred actions whichremove or reduce the need toconsume materials in the first place,but deliver the same outcome.

Waste generation: Generation ofunwanted materials includingrecyclables, as well as garbage, ie,waste generation = materialsrecycled + waste to landfill.

Waste hierarchy, waste managementhierarchy: A concept promoting wasteavoidance ahead of recycling anddisposal, often referred to incommunity education campaigns as‘reduce reuse recycle.’ The wastehierarchy is recognised in theEnvironment Protection Act 1970,promoting management of wastes inthe order of preference: avoidance,reuse, recycling, recovery of energy,treatment, containment, and disposal.

Waste Management Group (WMG): Astatutory authority established underthe Environment Protection Act 1970,responsible for planning formunicipal solid waste. WMGs coverall of the state of Victoria.

Waste management industry: A termvariously applied to collectors, sortersand processors of waste/resources.The term may also be used to includelandfill operators.

Waste Management Policy (WMP): Astatutory instrument under theEnvironment Protection Act 1970which provides the basis for themanagement of waste and can covergeneration, use, transport, storage,treatment, handling, recovery,recycling, reuse and disposal of waste.

Waste reduction: See wasteavoidance.

Waste stream: A classification used todescribe waste materials which areeither of a particular type (eg, ‘timberwaste stream’) or produced a particularsource (eg, ‘C&I waste stream’)

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C&D Construction and Demolition

C&I Commercial and Industrial

CO2 Carbon dioxide

DIIRD Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development

DPI Department of Primary Industries

DSE Department of Sustainability and Environment

EoL End-of-Life

EPA Environment Protection Authority Victoria

LCA Life Cycle Assessment

MAV Municipal Association of Victoria

NPC National Packaging Covenant

SME Small to Medium Enterprise

t Tonnes

TBL Triple Bottom Line

VLAA Victorian Litter Action Alliance

VLGA Victorian Local Governance Association

WMG Waste Management Group

WMP Waste Management Policy

13.Acronyms

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The references written for, or by EcoRecycle Victoria, are available fromEcoRecycle Victoria’s website at www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au, or after 1 October2005, from Sustainability Victoria’s website at www.sustainability.vic.gov.au

Allen Consulting Group (2004) Further Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s TowardsZero Waste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria.

Allen Consulting Group (2003) Benefit-Cost Analysis of Victoria’s Towards ZeroWaste Strategy, Report to EcoRecycle Victoria.

Centre for Design at RMIT and Nolan-ITU (2003) Life Cycle Assessment ofWaste and Resource Recovery Options including Energy from Waste. Availableon the EcoRecycle Victoria website.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2005) Annual Survey – Victorian Recycling Industries 2003-04.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2004) Annual Survey – Victorian Recycling Industries 2002-03.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2002) Annual Survey – Victorian Recycling Industries 2001-02.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2005) Local Government Data Collection 2003-04Kerbside Waste Management Services.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2004) Local Government Data Collection 2002-03Kerbside Waste Management Services.

EcoRecycle Victoria (2003) Local Government Data Collection 2001-02Kerbside Waste Management Services.

Envirowise (1996) Good Practice Guide GC25 – Saving Money Through WasteMinimisation: Raw Material Use. Available fromhttp://www.envirowise.gov.uk/envirowisev3.nsf.

Golder Associates (1999) Waste Profile Study of Victorian Landfills. Prepared forEPA Victoria. Available on the EcoRecycle Victoria website.

Grant T, James KL, Partl H (2003) Life Cycle Assessment of Waste and ResourceRecovery Options including Energy from Waste. Prepared by the Centre forDesign at RMIT and Nolan-ITU for EcoRecycle Victoria

Grant T, James KL, Lundie S, Sonneveld K (2001) Stage 2 Report for Life CycleAssessment for Paper and Packaging Waste Management Scenarios in Victoria.Centre for Design at RMIT, Melbourne.

MCEM (Monash Centre for Environmental Management 1997) Accounting forWaste as a Business Management Tool: A Best Practice Guideline. Prepared forEcoRecycle Victoria.

Bill, A and Harding, A (2003) Research on incomes of Victorian households forEcoRecycle Victoria, National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling,University of Canberra

Nolan-ITU (2002) Solid Industrial Waste Plan Data Report. Prepared forEcoRecycle Victoria.

SKM Economics (2003) Materials Efficiency Strategy and Solid Industrial WasteManagement Plan Options Assessment. Prepared for EcoRecycle Victoria(Executive Summary provided as Appendix F of this document).

TQA (2003) Solid Waste Strategy Research. Available on the EcoRecycle Victoria website.

14.Further

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Statewide Targets

Target 1 – A 1.5 million tonnereduction in the projected quantity ofsolid waste generated, by 2014.

Target 2 – 75% by weight of solidwaste recovered for reuse, recyclingand/or energy generation, by 2014.

Target 3 – Sectoral targets achievedin accordance with Figure 8, by2008-09 and 2014.

Target 4 – A 25% improvement inlittering behaviours, by 2014.

Municipal Sector Target

Target 5 – A 65% recovery rate (byweight) of municipal solid waste forreuse, recycling or energy generationby 2014. An interim target of 45% isestablished for 2008-09. (Note:Recovery rate achieved in 2002-03was 35%).

Business Sector Targets

Target 6 – An 80% recovery (byweight) of C&I solid waste for reuse,recycling or energy generation by2014. An interim target of 65% isestablished for 2008-09. (Note: C&Irecovery of 59% was achieved for2002-03).

Target 7 – A recovery rate of 80% (byweight) of C&D solid waste for reuse,recycling or energy generation by2014. An interim target of 65% isestablished for 2008-09. (Note: C&Drecovery of 57% was achieved for2002-03).

15.Appendix 1 –

Summary ofTargets and

Actions

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Summary of ActionsAction

1 Sustainability Victoria, WasteManagement Groups and localgovernments will identify opportunitiesfor resource recovery services, asappropriate through relevant planningprocesses. Waste ManagementGroups will facilitate contractualarrangements between localgovernments and the private sectorfor the provision of these services.

2 & 13 Sustainability Victoria willfacilitate the establishment of productstewardship arrangements, supportedby appropriate tools such asregulatory underpinning legislation orsustainability covenants, for TVs,computers, IT equipment and otherelectrical and electronic products,tyres, consumer packaging (includingplastic bags), paint and mercurycontaining lamps.

3 & 14 Sustainability Victoria willfacilitate the establishment of productstewardship arrangements, supportedby appropriate tools such asregulatory underpinning legislation orsustainability covenants, for batteries(domestic, car, and portableequipment), motor vehicles andtreated timber.

4 Sustainability Victoria, with industryparticipation, will facilitate theestablishment of product stewardshiparrangements for responsibledisposal of domestic chemicals andrelated packaging, to increaseremoval from kerbside collection andlandfill during the life of this strategy.Domestic chemicals include motorand farm oil and other domesticchemical products.

5 Local government, the MunicipalAssociation of Victoria, and otherbodies including SustainabilityVictoria, will establish benchmarksand targets for recycled-contentpurchasing (based on ECO-Buydata).

6 Sustainability Victoria and WasteManagement Groups will workclosely with industry over the nextthree years to:

• ensure recycled organic productsare of a consistently high standardand matched to market demands(fit-for-purpose)

• enhance and develop markets forrecycled organic products.

7 Through the Recycling in PublicPlaces program, Sustainability Victoriawill provide increased assistance tolocal governments, WasteManagement Groups, landmanagers, major events and venuemanagers, to provide efficient andaccessible recycling services awayfrom home.

8 EPA Victoria will investigate thepracticability of landfill bans formunicipal waste types and/orstreams.

9 Sustainability Victoria will work withEPA Victoria, Waste ManagementGroups, local government and thewaste management industry toimprove the quality of municipal datacollection, management andreporting throughout the life of thestrategy.

10 Sustainability Victoria will developmaterials efficiency measures togauge the performance of theVictorian economy in relation tosustainability by 2006-07.

11 EPA Victoria will evaluate andencourage the uptake of broadsustainability indicators such as theEcological Footprint to buildcommunity understanding of resourceefficiency.

12 Sustainability Victoria andWorkSafe Victoria will work with theC&I and C&D sectors during the lifeof this strategy to develop systemsand infrastructure which do notcompromise worker or communityhealth and safety.

15 Where identified needs exist,Sustainability Victoria will help todevelop markets for recovered C&Iand C&D materials through grants,partnerships and other initiatives overthe life of the strategy.

16 Sustainability Victoria will workclosely with industry to enhancemarkets for recycled organic(mulches, composts and other solidconditioner/fertiliser products,including horticulture and viticulture,domestic / commercial / publicspace landscaping and landrehabilitation) and renewable energyproducts derived from processingclean organic and residual materialsstreams containing organics.

17 Sustainability Victoria will furtherinvestigate, and where appropriate,promote resource managementoptions which recover energy fromresidual and clean organics wastesfrom the C&I and C&D sectors,where no higher resource valuerecovery is viable.

18 The Victorian Government willdevelop closer coordination ofgovernment business assistanceprograms for industry, including afocus on lean manufacturing, cleanerproduction and waste recovery.

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19 Sustainability Victoria, through itsWaste Wise Program, will continue towork with the business sector to assistit with avoiding, reusing and recyclingwaste, as well as recognising thepotential financial benefits ofmaterials efficiency.

20 The Victorian Government willwork with the waste collection anddisposal industry to encouragepractical and commercially drivenservices to foster waste avoidanceand resource recovery. A voluntaryagreement may be sought with thewaste collection and disposal industryencompassing:

• Assistance to clients (from largemanufacturers to SMEs etc)regarding waste avoidance andresource recovery

• Standards for recycling systems

• Pricing systems which encourageclients to reduce waste and torecycle (eg, pay by weight)

• Collection and reporting of wastedata.

21 The Victorian Litter ActionAlliance, local government and theDepartment of Primary Industries willwork with the business sector to buildawareness within industry to addresslitter. Targeted industry groups includethe hospitality, building, agricultureand farming sectors.

22 The Victorian Government willencourage local government to providerecycling services to C&I sectors,particularly those small to mediumenterprises within their communities,where appropriate and viable, but willnot be expected to subsidise therecycling of commercial waste.

23 The Victorian Government will asklocal government to review planningprocesses to ensure recycling issupported in the design of newcommercial and industrial buildingsand infrastructure, and that duringthe construction phase, wasteminimisation and litter preventionplanning become a standardrequirement for obtaining permits.

24 The Victorian Government, inpartnership with industry will, over thelife of the strategy, enhance C&I andC&D waste managementinfrastructure in line with establishedpriority materials and products (seeSection 7).

25 Priorities for expanded C&I andC&D waste managementinfrastructure will be integrated intoEPA Victoria, Sustainability Victoriaand WMG initiatives to implementgovernment policy to minimise theuse and development of landfills.

26 EPA Victoria will investigatepotential landfill ban for C&D wastetypes and/or streams.

27 EPA Victoria will investigate thepracticability of landfill bans for C&Iwaste types and/or streams.

28 Establishing accreditationprograms for waste sorters andprocessors has been an effectivemeans of improving performanceacross other areas including themunicipal sector. The VictorianGovernment will adapt similarprograms for the C&I and C&D wastecollection and reprocessing sector.