Waste Management Award
Sponsored by WSN Environmental Solutions
Covers initiatives for the effective recovery and management of recyclables and solid wastes (general wastes, garden organics, clean-up, parks gardens etc) generated and collected from householders and or managed through Council facilities. This includes council's waste minimisation and management plans, purchasing policies, education and training programs, and new infrastructure and technologies adopted to improve recycling and resource recovery for sustainable outcomes.
Division B - Winner
Leichhardt Council: Leichhardt's Gone Organic - Food Recycling Trial
Around 5,600 Leichhardt residents have gone organic after a permanent kerbside food recycling collection service was offered to Multi-unit dwellings in July 2008. Residents tested a number of different collection systems to separate their food for ease of use. A focus on food waste, rather than mixed food/garden organics makes the project significant in addition to the 46L kerbside wheelie bin, unique in Australia and suitable option for inner city households, with less space. Based on the quantities recovered during the trial, if implemented to all dwellings across the entire LGA almost 3,000 tonnes of food organics could be collected, equating to the equivalent in greenhouse gas savings per year.
Name: Cheryl Walker
Position: Resource Recovery & Waste Management Officer
Phone number: (02) 9367 9227
Email address: cherylw@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Division C - Highly Commended
Bankstown City Council: Waste Wise Australia Day Event 2008
The Waste Wise Australia Day Event 2007 was the first sustainable event held by Bankstown City Council and a reflection in the change in behaviour by both Council and the local community. Bankstown's Australia Day event is a premier event attracting up to 40,000 people in a one-day period. An event of such magnitude generates massive amounts of waste, utilises thousands of kilowatt-hours in electricity, and looses a substantial proportion of recyclable resources through a lack of recycling systems. Bankstown City Council teamed up with local community stallholders, Visy Recycling, and Climate Friendly to make Australia Day 2007 a truly sustainable event.
Name: Oliver Bradshaw
Position: Waste Project Officer
Phone number: (02) 9707 9562
Email address: oliver.bradshaw@bankstown.nsw.gov.au
Division C - Highly Commended
North Sydney Council: Commercial Food Waste Collection Trial
A cross section of Crows Nest commercial food retailers comprising of café/restaurants, fast food outlets, a fruit & vegetable grocer, caterer and a bakery participated in a four week food waste collection trial in May. The aim of the trial was to assess the quantity and quality of food waste generated by different food retailers with the intention of determining whether a long term food waste collection service would be viable. The trial was restricted to the Crows Nest area because it provided for an efficient collection run due to its abundant supply of food retailers. The foodwaste was processed at Earthpower facility at Camelia, a food waste to energy plant. It was determined from the outset that all food waste including meat and fish would be acceptable for the purposes of the trial and because of the technology used at Earthpower this was possible. The material was processed to produce green energy and organic fertilizer through anaerobic digestion technology.The green power is sold into the grid to Country Energy for distribution to their customers. The organic fertiliser pellets are distributed to the agriculture and horticulture markets.
Name: Bo Karaula
Position: Executive Environmental Health Surveyor
Phone number: (02) 9936 8321
Email address: karabo@northsydney.nsw.gov.au
Division C - Highly Commended
Willoughby City Council: E-Waste Collections
In 2005 Willoughby City Council (WCC) initiated a free annual E-waste Collection Event for the residents of the area. The aim was to divert hazardous material from landfill and recycle unwanted electronic equipment including televisions and monitors (maximum three per household), keyboards, VCR's, DVD's, computer mouse, computer cables, scanners, stereo systems, laptops, notebooks, hard drives, small printers, other computer parts e.g. circuit boards and old mobile phones.
At the time Willoughby was the first Council to host such a service resulting in many unforseen challenges (e.g. develop of the community awareness to participate, where and who to send the waste, and how to collect the waste safely). Since then the profile and success of the event has grown and has included a partnership with Lane Cove Council since 2006. Over the last four years a total 117 tonnes of electronic waste have recycled and diverted from landfill. The next event will be held in October 2008, and will be covered in a future National Geographic.
Name: Kristian Wynn
Position: Waste Strategy Co ordinator
Phone number: (02) 9777 7681
Email address: kristian.wynn@willoughby.nsw.gov.au
Division C - Highly Commended
City of Canada Bay: The" kNOw waste" Secondary Schools Education Program
The "kNOw waste" Secondary Schools Education Program - Development The City of Canada Bay Council and their waste collection contractor, TPI Cleanaway have been delivering the highly successful "kNOw waste" Primary Schools Education Program free since its development in mid 2005. In the last 3 years, over 5000 local primary school students have experienced explicit education about waste reduction and recycling focussed on the City's waste services, and achieving behavioural change with regard to waste production. In 2007 the City's waste staff identified the need to provide students leaving Primary School with continuing waste and recycling education. It was decided to create a program that supports explicit learning about waste reduction and recycling specifically within secondary school curriculum and meeting secondary schools key learning areas outcomes and indicators. As a result of this, the "kNOw waste" Secondary Schools Education Program was developed. The "kNOw waste" Secondary Schools Education Program improves student knowledge relating to waste issues, develops environmental values and encourages positive long-term environmental behaviours through implementation of 5 focus modules. The modules entitled Wastescapes; Worlds of Waste; Materials Matter; Earth Systems and Bin Wise will assist schools in meeting NSW Board of Studies outcomes and indicators for Geography and Science KLA's.
Name: Sharon Faulkner
Position: Waste Contract Coordinator
Phone number: (02) 9911 6418
Email address: Sharon.faulkner@canadabay.nsw.gov.au
Division C - Winner and Overall Category Winner
Hurstville, Kogarah and Rockdale Councils: St George Recycle 'IT' Collection and Awareness Project
This joint project aimed to increase residents' awareness of the effects of landfilling e-waste through providing a bulk collection and education program. The project also had provision for an informative 'Guide' to be produced which could be supplied to other Councils and organisations investigating e-waste issues which explains the background to e-waste, what Councils can do, how to do it and what to do with the results. The project was also to be used to lobby the State and Federal Governments into urgent action to tackle the disposal of e-waste using the results of the collection to support the great community need for such a scheme.
Name: Margaux Park
Position: Waste Project Coordinator
Phone number: (02) 9330 6155
Email address: mpark@hurstville.nsw.gov.au
Powerpoint presentation:
Margaux_Park_Hurstville.pdf (420KB)
