Waste management initiatives in Queensland» A four-year research project to increase the uptake of crumbed tyre rubber in various road applications. The project involves EHP, the

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection

Waste management initiatives in Queensland

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The Queensland Government is working hard to foster growth in the recycling and resource recovery industry in Queensland, and at the same time address concerns over the impact of waste and litter on our environment.

In the forefront of this work, the government is implementing a beverage container refund scheme and will ban the supply of single-use plastic shopping bags in order to reduce the impact of plastic litter under a co-ordinated plastic pollution reduction plan.

The impact of litter on our environment is, rightly, the subject of considerable community concern. Research bears out that Queensland is the most littered mainland state, and that the increasing amount of litter on Queensland beaches and in waterways is putting the future of turtles, seabirds and other fauna at risk.

Of equal importance is the need to build up Queensland’s resource recovery sector to create opportunities for employment and growth.

The waste and resource recovery sector is an important, multi-million dollar industry for Queensland. The sector encompasses small-to-medium enterprises, not-for-profit social enterprise organisations, local governments, and multi-national companies involved in the collection, transfer, sorting, reprocessing, remanufacturing and disposal of waste.

However, trends since 2008 show that increasing amounts of waste are being generated, while the overall recycling rate has plateaued. Unlike Victoria and New South Wales, Queensland is still disposing of the majority of waste to landfill. This outlook is challenging but presents significant opportunities for improvement and growth in the sector. The government is therefore investing in industry development through delivery of robust compliance, regulatory reform, and the development of state-wide and regional waste infrastructure plans to provide future security for the location of waste infrastructure in key areas of the state.

The government is also working at both state and national levels to find solutions for difficult to manage wastes, and the wastes that the community has high expectations that government does something about. In particular, Queensland is leading national work to develop product stewardship arrangements for batteries and tyres, and I see this work gaining significant dividends for Queensland in terms of recognition and future business opportunities.

The government is also focussed on initiatives to divert specific wastes—such as organic waste and tyres—from landfill into feedstock for recycling and, also emerging bioindustrial ventures in support of Queensland’s Biofutures Roadmap under the Advance Queensland initiative.

The examples in this publication illustrate the government’s cohesive waste management agenda, encompassing both regulatory and voluntary approaches. Together, they provide a firm platform for advancing resource recovery in Queensland.

We can reduce environmental impacts and at the same time create employment by redirecting waste from landfill disposal to resource recovery. These sorts of initiatives are far-reaching and will benefit present and future generations.

Dr Steven Miles MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef

Message from the Minister

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This document outlines a selection of waste management and resource recovery initiatives undertaken by the Queensland Government.

Waste management actions have focussed on mitigating the impact of contaminants on the environment, providing regulatory reform for industry to stimulate future infrastructure investment and jobs growth, and an ongoing commitment to improving the recovery of priority waste streams.

Collaboration with industry and partnerships that deliver on-ground initiatives has been vital in achieving successful outcomes to date.

Both at the national and state levels, a range of wastes has been identified as priority issues. Key projects focus on the most problematic wastes with a high level of environmental impact and community concern, especially those for which collection and recycling presents domestic business opportunities.

The government’s actions on implementing a container refund scheme and banning plastic shopping bags are outlined in this document.

Other key projects include: » Trialling the collection of power tool and emergency / exit lighting as part of

Queensland’s work in leading the development of a national hand-held battery product stewardship scheme.

» Conducting a comprehensive state-wide needs assessment of waste and resource recovery infrastructure.

» Establishment of a Waste Industry Compliance Investigation Taskforce to deliver ‘Operation TORA’, a coordinated program to enhance compliance and stamp out unlicensed waste management operators in Queensland.

Emerging priorities in resource recovery are also identified. This work reflects the increasing focus in coming years on directing high-volume wastes such as tyres and organics into higher-value recovery processes or biotechnologies. At this stage, several initiatives have been scoped that will identify potential feedstocks and the optimal policy settings to direct these wastes into the production of biofuels and other bioproducts.

Progress has been made in many areas by furthering important regulatory reforms, investing in strategic partnerships to improve the management of the priority wastes identified for the most urgent action, and meeting national commitments to improve management of priority hazardous wastes.

Collectively, these initiatives and achievements address the expectations of industry and the community, mitigate the impact of waste generation on the environment, and harness waste as a useful input for the bolstered resource recovery sector in Queensland.

This document also includes an update on recent outcomes and actions from recent Meetings of Environment Ministers (MEM).

Overview

Plastic pollution and litter reduction Littering is a major problem in Queensland. There is considerable community concern about this issue and an expectation that government will take concerted action to reduce the plastic pollution which is affecting the environment and threatening our marine fauna.

The government is committed to reducing the impact of plastic pollution on the Great Barrier Reef and other waterways. The government has a dedicated anti-litter and illegal dumping team, but is also looking at the right policies to keep litter out of the environment in the first place.

Two important initiatives to help reduce the amount of plastic and litter in the environment are due to start in Queensland in 2018.

A ban will see the supply of lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags, including biodegradable shopping bags, to consumers cease from 1 July 2018.

Bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags are already in place in South Australia, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania.

The introduction of Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme on 1 July 2018 will help reduce the amount of litter in the environment and increase the recycling of beverage containers. It will also give people without recycling services the ability to recycle.

Plastic pollution comes from many sources, including agricultural activity. The sugarcane fertiliser bag collection trial is one example of how improving the management of a particular waste can deliver environmental gains while creating regional employment in waste collection and recycling, and assisting farmers in one of Queensland’s most important rural industries.

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Container refund scheme

The action: » Queensland to introduce a container refund scheme for Queensland on 1 July 2018.

Expected outcomes: » Reduced beverage container litter. » Increased resource recovery, particularly in local government areas without a kerbside

recycling service. » Increased engagement with social enterprise and community organisations and

potential employment opportunities for the sector.

Plastic shopping bags

The action: » Queensland to introduce a ban on lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags. » Work with the retail sector to raise awareness about the ban among retailers.

Expected outcomes: » Reduced plastic bag litter. » Reduced marine pollution and threats to wildlife.

Love Queensland. Let’s keep it clean

The action: » Progress the implementation of the Love Queensland. Let’s keep it clean campaign

across Queensland. » Engage stakeholders and seek their input into the campaign to enable its broader

application. » Create awareness of major littering and illegal dumping sites around the state. » Increase awareness of the economic, health and social impacts of littering and illegal

dumping on Queenslanders and Queensland’s environment. » The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) has implemented a

number of campaigns to: » identify areas targeted for illegal dumping » keep drink containers, food packaging and cigarette butts in the car until the next

stop where the rubbish can disposed of in a bin » encourage the public to report incidences of littering and illegal dumping.

Expected outcomes: » Reduced roadside litter. » Reduced instances of illegal dumping in natural areas. » Increased public knowledge of, and reporting through, the department’s Litter and

Illegal Dumping Online Reporting System (LIDORS). » Strengthened baseline data to inform decision-making.

Sugarcane fertiliser bag collection trial

The action: » A sugarcane fertiliser bag recycling pilot was conducted in North Queensland. » Fertiliser companies Incitec Pivot and Impact Fertilisers funded the collection and

recycling of these bags. » EHP partnered with Farm Waste Recovery to fund the communication and promotion

of the pilot. » Eleven local governments in North Queensland provided collection points. » Sugarcane fertiliser bags were also collected from resellers and on-farm.

Outcomes: » Approximately 217 tonnes of plastic (80,000 bags) were collected and recycled

between September 2015 and February 2016. » Plastic processing infrastructure in North Queensland has been established. » Ongoing commitment from the two fertiliser manufacturers to continue collection of

their fertiliser bags, including non-cane bags. » Continued reduction in disposal through sugarcane fertiliser bag recycling.

Funding contribution: » $50,000.


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Some waste products at end-of-life are of national concern. The Australian Government issues an annual list of the highest priority wastes to be addressed. Queensland, along with other jurisdictions contributes to this work by helping to develop national arrangements to take care of the waste products once their useful life is over.

Queensland is currently leading national work to develop product stewardship arrangements for waste batteries and tyres. These waste products are high volume and present particular management challenges. At the same time, they have resource value and diversion from disposal into collection and recovery creates business opportunities.

National priorities and collaboration


Emergency and exit lighting batteries

The action: » EHP funded a Lighting Council Australia to start a program in Queensland to divert

emergency and exit lighting batteries from landfill.

Expected outcomes: » Information from the program to help inform the development of a national

rechargeable battery product stewardship program.

Funding contribution: » $80,000

Power tool battery recycling

The action: » EHP funded and partnered with the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative to undertake a

power tool battery recycling pilot through hardware stores in the Brisbane metro area.

Outcomes: » More than 1700kg (3000 batteries) of power tool batteries collected during the pilot. » Approximately 380kg of hazardous materials, such as cadmium, prevented from

going to landfill. » 1100kg of valuable resources, such as lithium, recovered. » Results will inform the development of a national rechargeable battery

stewardship program.


Rechargeable battery recycling trial

The action: » Trial the collection of rechargeable batteries in a ‘green field’ area to test consumer

acceptance and understanding of a scheme for rechargeable batteries only. » Test different collection locations and methods in Toowoomba between June and

August 2016.

Expected outcomes: » To help inform the design and implementation of a national product stewardship

program for rechargeable batteries.


Packaging

The action: » Continued participation as a signatory in the Australian Packaging Covenant—a

strategy to minimise the environmental impacts arising from the disposal of used packaging and to promote improved design of packaging to reduce use of resources.

Outcomes: » The recycling rate for packaging is close to 70 per cent. » On-ground co-funded infrastructure, including the installation of state-of-the-art glass

implosion equipment in Rockhampton and Mackay.

Tyres—turning tyres into roads

The action: » A four-year research project to increase the uptake of crumbed tyre rubber in various

road applications. The project involves EHP, the Department of Transport and Main Roads, the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) in Queensland.

» Year 1 has been completed and demonstrates promising outcomes for the potential use of the crumbed tyre rubber in spray seal road applications.

» The focus of the second stage of the project is on the use of crumbed tyre rubber in open-graded asphalts.

» The Queensland Government also co-leads a project with the Victorian Government and in partnership with Western Australia, New South Wales and TSA to prepare a national market development strategy for used tyres.

Expected outcomes: » Development of a Queensland crumb rubber specification for open graded

asphalt applications. » National market development strategy for end-of-life tyres.

Funding contribution: » Total EHP Year 2 Queensland research project funding—$100,000 » National market development strategy EHP funding—$25,000

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Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) 28 July 2017 updateEnvironment Ministers from the Commonwealth and each Australian state and territory meet throughout the year to discuss strategic issues and agree cross-government actions to improve Australia’s environment. The 28 July 2017 meeting outcomes and actions follow.


Voluntary phase-out of department store plastic bags

The action: » Queensland will lead work with national department store retailers to identify actions

for the voluntary phase-out of thicker department store style plastic bags.

Expected outcomes: » A voluntary phase out of department store style plastic bags is achieved within an

agreed timeframe. » Increased consumer and retailer awareness around the environmental impacts of

plastic bags, and suitable alternatives to plastic bags.


National tyre market development

The action: » Queensland is co-leading, with the Victorian Government, the preparation of a national

market development strategy for end-of-life tyres. » Ministers endorsed the framework and the establishment of an implementation working

group to progress work on the use of tyres in road, rail and civil engineering applications.

Expected outcomes: » Engagement of stakeholders in the respective identified market sectors, and new

markets developed and existing markets expanded.


Rechargeable battery product stewardship

The action: » Queensland will continue to lead work with the battery industry to develop battery

stewardship programs for power tool batteries and for other rechargeable batteries. » Regulatory options to address free-riders will be explored should participation in

voluntary programs not reach an acceptable level—as identified by the industry.

Expected outcomes: » Voluntary stewardship programs for rechargeable batteries developed within two years. » Broader engagement and awareness of the stewardship approach among battery

manufacturers and brand owners, as a result of coordinated and supported working groups.


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The government has been working to provide the waste and resource recovery industry with the right settings to encourage opportunities for growth and investment in this sector.

A robust and streamlined regulatory environment is needed to provide industry with confidence to invest. In particular, there has been a renewed focus on ensuring that processes are in place to reduce instances of unlawful operations compromising licensed operators.

Industry development


REGULATORY REFORM

Environmentally relevant activities and regulated waste

The action: » The review has been completed and a Regulatory Impact Statement released

for consultations.

Next steps: » Continue engagement with key stakeholders. » Make necessary regulatory amendments.

Landfill disposal bans

The action: » Investigate the feasibility of introducing landfill disposal bans.

Outcomes: » Stakeholder workshop held to discuss specific application of bans. » Feasibility report and further work on specific end-of-life products identified.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Queensland waste infrastructure

The action: » Conduct a needs assessment of Queensland waste infrastructure. » Convene stakeholder workshops to discuss infrastructure needs, challenges

and opportunities.

Outcomes: » Needs assessment and gap analysis report. » An interactive map of licensed private and local government landfills, transfer stations,

metal recovery, battery recycling and organics processors that receive waste from the public published on the EHP website.

» Develop state and regional waste infrastructure plans to guide planning and investment.


COMPLIANCE

Operation TORA

The action: » Establishment of the Waste Industry Compliance Investigation Taskforce by the

Queensland Government and the waste management industry, including the Waste Recycling Industry Association Queensland.

» Conduct Operation TORA, a coordinated program to enhance compliance and stamp out unlicensed waste management operators in Queensland.

Outcomes: » 86 investigations into alleged unlicensed waste industry operations. » Three targeted compliance projects. » Twenty-five enforcement actions against waste operators.

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Emerging priorities in resource recovery As part of government’s Advance Queensland agenda a suite of projects will investigate opportunities for developments and improvements in waste infrastructure and resource recovery. Ultimately this work will support the diversification of Queensland’s economy and the creation of jobs in new, high-technology industries.

As part of delivery of the government’s 10 Year Biofutures Roadmap, reviews will be undertaken into both potential feedstocks and optimal policy settings that will maximise diversion of wastes into recovery.

The food waste recycling pilot already underway on the Gold Coast is just one example of an innovative approach to diverting potential biological feedstock from landfill and into resource recovery.

From these beginnings, the acceleration of this work program will lead to the development of new, modern infrastructure for recovery of organic waste, and creation of associated jobs in the recycling and biofutures sectors.


Implementing actions under the Biofutures Roadmap

The action: » Undertake a review of wastes in Queensland that may be suitable for diversion from

disposal to higher-order and more sustainable uses. » Investigate policy and market development opportunities to encourage re-use of

waste currently going to landfill.

Expected outcomes: » Potential pathways to advance Queensland in areas such as generating energy from

waste and alternative waste treatment facilities. » Options to develop a policy environment to direct high volume waste-based

feedstocks—such as organic waste and tyres—away from landfill or export and into the production of biofuels and other bioproducts.


Recycling of food waste

The action: » Conduct a pilot program with the City of Gold Coast, for the segregation and

collection of commercial food waste from hospitality precincts in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

» Create a pathway for the development of new, modern infrastructure for recovery of organic waste, and creation of associated jobs in the recycling and biotechnologies sectors.

Expected outcomes: » The trial findings will inform the establishment of a larger scale collection proposed

for the region, as well as a system for the Commonwealth Games. » In the longer term, other metropolitan councils may introduce similar food waste

recycling programs. Queensland will benefit through reduced organics in landfill and a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.


Documents

Waste management initiatives in Queensland» A four-year research project to increase the uptake of crumbed tyre rubber in various road applications. The project involves EHP, the