Best practice resource recovery and recycling
From a cutting edge Alternative Waste Technology facility, to smaller localised waste management solutions, Waste Service NSW works with customers to help them achieve their resource recovery goals. We have over 30 years’ experience reliably serving the greater Sydney area through Australia’s largest integrated waste management network. Below are some examples of how we have used our depth of skills and knowledge to responsibly provide ecologically sustainable solutions that deal with waste locally.
The Eastern Creek UR-3R Facility
Maximising recovery, minimising impact
We can now uniquely offer our customers access to a world’s best practice Alternative Waste Technology (AWT) through the Eastern Creek Urban Resource – Reduction, Recovery and Recycling Facility (UR-3R). On 8 September 2004 we launched Sydney’s first AWT facility for household waste with our foundation partner, Fairfield City Council, delivering the first truckload of waste to the facility.
Until now, only a limited range of household garbage has been able to be recycled. But the Eastern Creek UR-3R Facility can recover, recycle and renew around 80 per cent of all the domestic waste brought to us by participating councils. It transforms waste into valued resources including metals, glass, paper, green electricity and high quality compost. That’s around 80 per cent less waste going directly into landfill, and a whole lot better for our environment.
The Eastern Creek UR-3R Facility:
- Will initially process 175,000 tonnes of waste a year, or up to 11 per cent of Sydney’s household waste. Its capacity can be expanded to 260,000 tonnes a year or 16 per cent of Sydney’s household waste.
- Captures 100 per cent of bio-gas produced.
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking nearly 50,000 cars off the road each year.
- Recovers an extra 23,000 tonnes of recyclable materials every year.
- Produces 23,500 tonnes of high quality compost each year.
- Produces green electricity equivalent to providing 2,250 homes with year round green power.
The Eastern Creek UR-3R Facility is a public private partnership between Waste Service NSW and Global Renewables.
“We were looking for innovative and cost effective solutions that incorporated sustainable world’s best practice technologies to link waste disposal to our corporate vision of ‘a clean and green Fairfield’,” said Councillor Nick Lalich, Mayor of Fairfield City
” We believe we have found that in Waste Service NSW.”
Jacks Gully – better recycling recovery rates
The recovery of recyclable materials including paper, glass, metals and plastics at our Jacks Gully Waste Management Centre has increased substantially over the past year following a $350,000 upgrade of the facility. Higher levels of resource recovery mean that more recyclable materials are kept out of landfill and natural resources are conserved.
The operational overhaul of Jacks Gully commenced in October 2003 and, in December, we installed automated machinery to replace the old manual system that had been in place at the site since 1997.
With the local population on the rise due to new developments in the area, it was also necessary to ensure that the facility would be able to process greater quantities of recyclables than in the past. Since the upgrade, the percentage of materials being recovered for recycling has increased to 83 per cent, and it is anticipated that this figure will increase even further over the next year to around 90 per cent.
“This is great news for the environment and for the local community,” said Ken Kanofski, Chief Executive Officer, Waste Service NSW.
“The new equipment has resulted in greater amounts of recyclables being diverted from landfill, and more valuable resources being recovered and, ultimately, made into new products”
For more information please contact Waste Service NSW on 1300 651 116 or visit www.wasteservice.nsw.gov.au.
Helping Gosford City improve resource recovery
Gosford City Council’s two landfills at Kincumber and Woy Woy were quickly running out of capacity. Waste Service NSW undertook a trial to demonstrate that a resource recovery program would extend the life of Council’s existing landfills by recovering resources and separating dry waste from putrescible waste.
The trial also provides more time to consider pursuing development of alternative waste technology and exploring other innovative recovery solutions. The initial two week trial was so successful that it was continued. We are now recovering a large amount of Gosford City Council’s organic, construction and demolition waste, diverting that away from landfill and processing and on-selling the resources recovered to commodity markets. So far the resource recovery initiatives at Gosford have kept many tonnes of green waste, steel, untreated timber and cardboard out of landfill.
We are now working with the Council to trial options for the reuse of the untreated timber and green waste that has been recovered, including rehabilitation of the ash dam at Vales Point Power Station, and biofuel trial for the generation of electricity.
“The two week trial conducted by Waste Service NSW at the Kincumber landfill in May was highly successful,” said Colleen Worthy-Jennings, Director of Development and Health, Gosford City Council.
” It demonstrated that the waste input to the landfill can be reduced by 65 per cent, which will extend the life of the landfill by at least three years. Further, the trial proved that the implementation of resource recovery operations at Council’s waste management centres is a financially viable long term option. Staff and customers were pleased with the design, operation and outcomes of the trial…the changes in activities provided at the Kincumber landfill will improve the service offered to Council’s customers and deliver better environmental and financial outcomes to Council.”
