ISSUE 116 | OCT/NOV 2023
29 E-waste issues 34 Cardboard bans 42 Politician wish list
Medical waste – a solvable problem By Inside Waste
Is the resource recovery sector regressing? By Inside Waste
Australians like to recycle He found that in his experience, most Australians think recycling is very important, with most people making the effort to ensure they recycle correctly. He said there is now a set of challenges that are becoming prominent due to such things as more multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) being built. These issues include insufficient facilities to cater for the amount of waste being produced, or the various bins are not labelled clearly enough in terms of what should be put in them. Product design was also high on his agenda in terms of what the country needs to address if it wants to ensure it gets the recycling and resource recovery outcomes it wants. Khoury then brought up a topic that has resonated throughout many panels at the various waste expos over the past couple of years – the need for a united national front instead of various legislations in the states and territories. “Let’s start with six states and two territories – all with different waste and recycling laws,” he said. (Continued on page 21)
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ON the back of Inside Waste’s August/ September issue on the lack of infrastructure, a panel at the Australian Waste and Recycling Expo took a deep dive into the resource recovery system as a whole. What followed was a robust debate on the state of the industry. Leading the charge was outgoing Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association of NSW executive director Tony Khoury. Joining him on the panel was his replacement at the association, Brett Lemin, representing the Victorian Waste Management Association; Alison Price from the Waste Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ); lawyer Ross Fox from Fishburn Watson and O’Brien; and representing both SA and NT was Adam Gray, the CEO and executive officer respectively of those areas’ Waste & Recycling Industry Associations. Khoury chaired the panel and didn’t pull any punches in his opening address. “In my view, recycling – and the view of many others – should be a relatively simple exercise. It should not be complex,”
he said. “Over the years I’ve been in the industry; we’ve made it more complex. And the success of recycling depends on the actions of everyday people – people in kitchens, people in bathrooms, people working in business.” Guidance on how to recycle comes in many guises, including “little notes on packaging material”. In some cases, the advice is great. In others, it is not so helpful, according to Khoury. He also pointed out that some of the labels offer conflicting messages when it comes to recycling. Additionally, in many cases, a product has not been designed to achieve a good recycling outcome. “It gets mind-boggling for the end user,” he said. “If those in the industry get a little confused sometimes, spare a thought for the consumer. “Sometimes, the product says it is recyclable, but it’s just not recyclable in a bin with the yellow lid. I’ll give you examples of products that are eminently recyclable, but they’re just not recyclable in the bin with the yellow lid. Polystyrene. Aerosol cans. Shredded paper. Plastic bags and batteries.”
MEDICAL waste is a special category all on its own. While there are challenges in all waste streams, due to the nature of medical waste, it must be handled correctly and safely at all times. There are needles, bodily fluids as well as literally body parts that have to be disposed of safely and hygienically. Despite these challenges, getting a circular economy up and running in the industry is not as hard as you think. However, getting it up and running, and everyone on board is another, according to Renae McBrien. McBrien was the MC at one of the seminars held at the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo held at the ICC in Sydney during July. McBrien is a radiographer by profession based in Queensland. About five years ago she realised a lot of medical waste was going to landfill, when if disposed of correctly, it could be diverted from such a fate. Joining McBrien on the panel to discuss how far along medical waste has come were an eclectic group of people from around the country. Sarah Almeroth is a registered nurse but is also a sustainability and environmental officer for the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network. Dr Mana Sitthiracha, is a senior product sustainability engineer for Resmed, also based in Queensland, while Jason Rijnbeek is the BDM for Medcycle from Melbourne. Finally, there was Danni Munro, from Circmed, also from the Sunshine state. (Continued on page 26)
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