Cradle Coast Waste Management Group, Author at Re-Think Waste

Kerbside Recycling Bin Assessments in the Cradle Coast region

Starting: 17 September 2018
Location: Circular Head, Waratah-Wynyard, Burnie City, Central Coast, Devonport City, Latrobe and Kentish Council areas.

Kerbside Recycling Bin Assessments are coordinated by the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group on behalf of its member Councils and take place a couple of times a year in North West Tasmania.

The assessments help tell the Group whether landfill diversion education campaigns are working and where it might need to focus more attention.

If your kerbside recycling bin is randomly selected for assessment, the assessor will check the contents of your bin before it gets collected by the truck. They’re looking for non-recyclable materials, known as contaminants.

The assessment is a great opportunity for you to receive advice on some of the more confusing aspects of recycling such as:
– Foam meat trays can NOT be recycled in your kerbside bin, even if they feature the plastics identification code triangle.
– Paper towel and paper tissues can NOT be recycled in your kerbside bin, they break apart and reduce the quality of other recyclables by sticking to them and causing contamination.
– Foil food bags can NOT be recycled in your kerbside bin, these are made of plastic not aluminium and should be placed in your rubbish bin.
– Soft plastics such as shopping bags, bread bags and biscuit wrappers can NOT be recycled in your kerbside bin. Take soft plastics to participating supermarkets’ collection bins for recycling.

Bins included in the assessment will have a tag placed on their handles, advising of the assessment results and some friendly do’s and don’ts relevant to your kerbside recycling bin contents.

For more advice on what can and can’t be recycled via your kerbside recycling bin, check out this handy guide:

A-Z of Waste & Recycling in North and North West Tasmania

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Beauty and the Bees – how this Tasmanian is turning waste avoidance into a business advantage

From humble beginnings selling handmade natural skincare products on a card table at Salamanca market 25 years ago, Jill Saunders’ persistence is really paying off.

Jill is the founder of Beauty and the Bees, a Tasmanian business that prides itself on using Earth friendly packaging and edible ingredients, which are continuing to grow in popularity. It is thanks to this ethos that Jill estimates that Beauty and the Bees has helped save about 1 million plus pieces of plastic from being discarded in landfill.

Jill has taken a back-to-basics approach to making skincare products from high quality food ingredients, with the business commencing from her home kitchen. After outgrowing a number of locations and factories, the retail outlet for Beauty and the Bees product is now based in Salamanca – a return to the place that got everything started.

Seeing the damage plastic was making in places like South East Asia, Jill set out from the start to use as little plastic as possible.

And while admitting that “it’s been very, very hard” to find alternatives, Beauty and the Bees products are typically housed in glass, tin, paper and cardboard containers. The business shreds second-hand cardboard with its own shredder for use when packing orders. It also uses biodegradable corn-starch spoons instead of plastic with its creams. And while there are some plastic lids used on some products, Jill is confident there will be more alternatives coming onto the market in the next five years.

By rethinking the way her business views waste, this persistence is delivering benefits not only to Beauty and the Bees customers, but to all Tasmanians.

Download the Beauty and the Bees case study here:

Business Case Study in Waste Reduction - Beauty and the Bees

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Community Based Recycling Initiatives – Cradle Coast Grants Program 2018/19

Funding of up to $3,000 per organisation is available to community and not-for-profit groups in North West Tasmania to assist with recycling and waste disposal. The total value of grants to be awarded in this 2018/19 program is $15,000.

The Cradle Coast Waste Management Group in North West Tasmania includes the municipal areas of Burnie City, Central Coast, Circular Head, Devonport City, Kentish, Latrobe and Waratah-Wynyard.

The funding will provide organisations with an opportunity to improve their ability to recycle and manage waste, divert recyclable materials from landfill, and implement environmentally friendly practices.

To apply, complete an application form and return by 31st October 2018 by email to [email protected] or by post to PO Box 46, Devonport, TAS, 7310.

Cradle Coast Community Based Recycling 2018/19 - Grant Program Application Form

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If you would prefer to discuss your idea before beginning the application form, you are welcome to contact Dulverton Waste Management’s Environmental Officer, Alison Holmstrom, on 6424 7344 or email a query to [email protected]

Resource Recovery and Waste Minimisation Grants: Northern Tasmania 2018/19

Applications are open between 27 August and 3.00pm on 25 September 2018 for The Northern Tasmania Waste Management Group Resource Recovery and Waste Minimisation Grants program.

Financial support up to $70,000 will be provided for eligible project costs associated with procuring infrastructure or educational materials necessary to improve waste management practices in the northern Tasmania area.

Eligible organisations:

Schools (primary schools, high schools and senior colleges)
Not-for-profit community organisations registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
Sole traders, small, medium and large businesses, local governments and local government organisations, and state government organisations (including hospitals and tertiary education institutions).

Eligible organisations must:

Be based and operate in the northern Tasmania area as defined by the council boundaries of Break O’Day, Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands and West Tamar councils.
Be seeking to minimise waste to landfill from either their operations or activities in the northern Tasmanian community.

Application Process:

Read the guidelines

Northern Tasmania Waste Minimisation Grant Guidelines 2018/19

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Check your organisation & project eligibility
Complete the application form, including any supporting documents such as cost estimates

Northern Tasmania Waste Minimisation Grant Application Form 2018/19

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Email your completed application to [email protected] before 3.00pm on the 25th of September 2018.

Applications will be assessed by a panel of experienced practitioners from the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group and other relevant expert organisations against the following criteria:

Community benefit – how the project benefits the northern Tasmanian community;
Project duration – how long the project will provide a benefit to the Tasmanian community;
Commitment – the applicant’s commitment to improving waste management and recycling;
Landfill diversion – how the project leads to an improvement in resource recovery or waste minimisation;
Value for money – the financial value of the project compared to the expected benefits;
Cash contributions to the project, and;
Where bin infrastructure is to be installed, assessment that the bins meet the Australian Standards for bin colours (AS 4123-2006 part 7).

Northern Tasmania: Waste NoT Awards 2018

2018 Awards are now closed for entries….. stay tuned for announcements of the winners and for 2019 Award details!

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Have you, your school, or your business made an effort to change the way you manage your waste?

The Waste NoT Awards 2018 is now open to schools, individuals and organisations who have improved their waste management practices during the 2017/2018 financial year.

From recycling to re-invention, upcycyling, and education initiatives, the Waste NoT Awards recognise and reward your efforts.

Review the Award Guidelines for full details:

Waste NoT Awards 2018 Application Guidelines

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Complete and return the Application Form:

Waste NoT Awards 2018 Application Form

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Encourage others by displaying a Waste NoT Awards 2018 poster at your workplace,, school or other public noticeboard:

Waste NoT Awards 2018 Poster

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Entries open 2nd July and close at 5.00pm on 10th August 2018.

Plastic Free July: take the challenge or make a change

Plastics are a major cause of litter and pollution, especially in our waterways and oceans. The Plastic Free July initiative started in Western Australia and is now catching on worldwide, with more than 1 million people making a positive change last year.

Take the challenge or make a change in whatever way you can to avoid or reduce single use plastic, for this month or forever!

Say ‘no thanks’ to plastic shopping bags, single use water bottles, plastic straws, plastic food wrap and take away coffee cups and lids.

Bring your own reusable shopping bags or choose a box. Refill your drink bottle. Buy and store food in reusable or compostable containers. Choose to refuse plastic straws or use metal or paper alternatives.

And remember… you can often recycle what can’t be avoided. Plastic recycling in Tasmania includes via your kerbside recycling bin and your Waste Transfer Station for some plastics such as milk and soft drink bottles and margarine containers. There are also soft plastic collection bins in major supermarkets and even printer cartridge recycling via Planet Ark.

Take the Plastic Free July challenge at www.plasticfreejuly.org or simply make a change at home, at work or at school in whatever way possible.

If we each do a little, together we can achieve a lot!

Follow Rethink Waste Tasmania on Facebook for inspirational ideas throughout July and let’s all have a go at reducing or avoiding single use plastic as often as we can!

A Guide to Preparing an Event Waste Management Plan

The Guide to Preparing an Event Waste Management Plan shows how Tasmanian events can reduce or avoid creating landfill rubbish and recover more resources for recycling and reuse.

EVENTS - Guide to Preparing an Event Waste Management Plan

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This free guide can be customised to suit any event size or format, with event managers able to copy the plan sections most relevant to their function. It encourages organisers to consider all aspects of their event and to find ways to minimise waste, whether that be from simply asking for RSVPs to minimise over catering and food waste through to establishing an on-site container deposit scheme to reward the return of reusable and recyclable items.

The guide is a result of ongoing collaboration between Waste Strategy South and the Cradle Coast and Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Groups and has been designed as both a practical checklist and a framework for event managers to easily create their own Event Waste Management Plan.

Chair of the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group, Sandra Ayton said that when creating the guide, the three Groups drew upon the extensive experience that their 26 local council members had in hosting public functions.

“There was a lot of direct experience we could tap into ranging from small public meetings to large, multi-day and multi-venue festivals,” said Ms Ayton.

“Every event can integrate zero waste principles into their function plans. The intention of the guide is to prompt event organisers to think in advance about ways to avoid or reduce waste – from promotion through to pack up.”

“Event patrons are increasingly aware of sustainable waste management practices and appreciate steps to separate waste for recycling. Events are starting to take it even further by adopting policies to avoid single use plastics such as straws or embracing compostable packaging.”

“Having a waste management plan in place before the event begins can save event organisers time when it comes to event clean-up and can also save money.”

“Waste disposal can be costly, especially for large events, so finding ways to reduce or avoid waste altogether can assist with the financial viability of an event too,” said Ms Ayton.

Household battery recycling drop-off points

Household dry-cell batteries including alkaline, lithium, watch batteries and cordless drill batteries can be recycled in Tasmania, just not through your kerbside recycling bin.

When mixed in your kerbside bin, they cannot be easily separated and can contaminate the other recyclables. They also pose a fire risk within the bin and the collection trucks.

Instead, special drop-off points have been set up in many local Council offices and Waste Transfer Stations.

Batteries are collected by Toxfree, sorted and safely shipped to processors who recover materials from the different battery types as inputs to new products.

So when your household batteries are going, going, gone; give them a second life by recycling at your nearest drop-off point:

Cradle Coast Region: Burnie, Devonport, Central Coast, Latrobe, Kentish, Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Council offices, plus some Waste Transfer Stations.

Northern Region: Launceston, West Tamar Council (Riverside and Beaconsfield offices), Break O Day, Meander Valley, George Town and Dorset Council offices, plus major Waste Transfer Stations. In the Northern Midlands, the battery recycling point is at the Longford Waste Transfer Station.

Southern Region: Hobart Council Centre, McRobies Gully Waste Management Centre, Resource Work Cooperative Tip Shop (31a McRobies Rd), Battery World (cnr Argyle and Warwick St), Eastern Shore Batteries (Clarence St), Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station, Jackson Street Waste Management Centre (Glenorchy), Oatlands Waste Transfer Station, Campania Waste Transfer Station and Dysart Waste Transfer Station (Southern Midlands), Peppermint Hill Tip (Derwent Valley), New Norfolk and National Park Waste Transfer Station (Derwent Valley), Southbridge Waste Transfer Station (2899 Huon Highway), Kingborough Council Civic Centre, and Barretta Waste Management Facility (Channel Hwy, Kingston).

What is the China Green Sword policy and what does it mean for recycling?

The Green Sword policy is a ruling introduced by China to reduce the volume and contamination levels of recyclable materials it imports for reprocessing.

Twenty-four types of recyclables have been banned (ceasing of import licenses) across both industrial and household categories. Those most relevant to Tasmanian recycling services are household plastics and waste paper recycling. Banned plastics include scrap PET, scrap polyethylene, scrap PVC and scrap polystyrene.

Paper and cardboard waste types are still imported but have to meet lower contamination levels of 0.5%, down from the previous 1.5% contamination rate.

This news understandably raises questions about how Tasmanian recycling will be impacted. There are also stories emerging about recycling in Queensland now going to landfill; this is not the case in Tasmania.

Here’s the current situation for Tasmania:

Q. Are my recyclables going to landfill?
No. Currently there is no change to the recycling processes of Tasmanian kerbside recycling services which successfully diverts non-contaminated recycling from landfill.

Q. Should Tasmanians keep recycling?
Yes! Recycling is still the right thing to do – it saves energy, resources and reduces greenhouse gases.
The introduction of the Green Sword policy is likely to lead to a direct stimulus of the recycling and resource recovery industry in Australia which would be a welcomed and much needed development.

Q. Does Tasmanian recycling go to China, and if so, what will happen to it now?
Tasmania has a relatively low volume of plastic recycling recovered via the kerbside recycling and waste transfer station services. Owing to the low volumes, Tasmanian processors such as Veolia, SKM and JJ Richards are able to find domestic buyers for plastic materials, but these domestic buyers are also influenced by international price changes.

Paper and cardboard waste is subject to much tighter contamination controls. Paper and cardboard is still being accepted and processed by Tasmanian contractors, but owing to the more rigorous screening and actions needed to remove contaminated waste paper, the costs of these services are likely to increase.

Tasmanian Councils are working together via the three regional Waste Management Groups (Cradle Coast and Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Groups and Waste Strategy South) and LGAT to consolidate their negotiating power with the state-based recycling processors.

Q. What does this mean for my kerbside recycling service and its cost?
The list of recyclable items and frequency of recycling services has not changed in Tasmania.

Local Councils are currently in negotiation with recycling contractors regarding the increased costs being incurred for screening recyclables and finding alternative commercial markets. These negotiations are being strengthened by the Councils working together via their regional Waste Management Groups and LGAT to consolidate recycling volumes and influence.

Local Government is also in discussion with the State Government regarding the need for financial assistance to support the transition of recycling processing and potential for higher local processing costs.
Depending on the outcome of negotiations and the commercial demand from Australian and international markets for recyclable materials, the cost of processing recyclables may increase resulting in increased costs borne by Councils and their communities.

Q. How can Tasmanian communities help?

Avoid, reduce and reuse waste as much as possible.
Support the broader recycling industry by choosing to purchase items that are made from high recyclable content. Examples include eco-deck, Replas boardwalks, outdoor furniture and paper and cardboard products made from 100% recycled input stock.
Increase the chance of recyclables being accepted for reprocessing:
– Ensure recyclables are contaminant free.
– Follow local council instructions. These instructions can change over time with changes in markets. Refer to the A-Z guides for tips.
– Follow the rule: ‘when in doubt, throw it out’. If an item is not clearly listed as an accepted material for recycling collection, err on the side of throwing it away. Non-recyclable items decrease the effectiveness of the system and reduce the value of other recyclable materials.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to rethink waste in Tasmania!

Helping Tasmanian industries to recover more resources

Tasmania’s construction and demolition industry is facing a big opportunity to reinforce the state’s ‘clean green’ reputation and increase the amount of resources recovered from the 44,000 tonnes of waste generated by the sector each year.

The industry’s performance in resource recovery is the lowest in Australia with only 1% of construction and demolition waste currently recycled or reused in Tasmania, a rate 63% below the national average.
It’s a situation Tasmania’s three regional waste management groups are working to improve.

Chairman of the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group, Shane Eberhardt said that improvements in recovery rates would not only reduce pressure on landfills and the environment but could also deliver financial benefits to Tasmanian industries willing to act on the growing national and international interest in circular economies.

“Businesses that change on-site work practices and purchasing procedures with the goal of reducing waste can find that they also reduce business operating costs or generate new sources of income,” Shane said.

Tasmania’s distance to mainland markets and processing facilities and the relatively under-developed local resource recovery industry contribute to Tasmania’s national standing, but Shane noted that there was still much that could be done today to improve the situation.

“Salvaging materials, using off-cuts, choosing materials that don’t require pre- or post-treatment and designing with waste in mind are all steps that can be built in to business operations.”
“Industry associations and local business networks can also assist by connecting businesses where the by-products of one could be the input stock for another,” said Shane.

“It’s also relatively quick to find online information on product take-back programs. Take advantage of programs that accept unwanted materials including plasterboard, paint and pallets. It’s clearly not sustainable to have resources that still hold value ending up in landfill.”

Waste Strategy South and the Cradle Coast and Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Groups have collaborated to publish two reference guides to help improve resource recovery in the construction and demolition and commercial and industrial sectors.

The free guides are accessible from the ‘At Work’ page and outline how businesses can identify and improve their capacity to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle what may otherwise be considered as waste.

About Cradle Coast Waste Management Group