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| Issue
19 |
August/September 2009 |
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RDN WASTE WATCH |
| 1.
Message from the Secretariat |
Dear Waste Colleagues,
We hope you will find some interesting reading in this latest edition of RDN Waste Watch. You can help us by sending details of news or events from your organization or your country which you think others may wish to know. Likewise, if you’re undertaking newsworthy waste or recycling projects please send them to the secretariat.
The Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) recently hosted a delegation from Malaysia consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Department of National Solid Waste Management, the Corporation of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management and the Waste Management Association of Malaysia (WMAM).
Malaysia is currently federalizing their formerly decentralized solid waste management sector, spearheaded by two new national bodies, the Department of National Solid Waste Management and the Corporation of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management. The delegation was here to gain an insight into Australian systems and processes with a view to developing and expanding their own solid waste management sector.
In Australia for one week, the group visited facilities in Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra and met with WMAA members and government representatives to discuss training and competencies for their own industry. Practical experience with state of the art SWM is currently limited in Malaysia, held back by a lack of available resources. Cooperation with foreign partners is therefore considered an important avenue for rapid fulfillment of the ambitious expectations for the country’s competency and training systems.
The group was impressed by the commitment from the Australian government and businesses, ensuring high levels of recycling and the consequent fast uptake of appropriate technologies. Vocational training systems in SWM in Australia also yielded keen interest, a field in which activities have not yet taken off in Malaysia.
At the conclusion of their visit, the delegation expressed a desire that this visit would be first step in a long-term cooperation between the two countries in the transfer of knowledge and skills |
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| 2.
Updates from ISWA |
Three new reports available:
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| 3.
RDN / ISWA Member Contacts |
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| 4. JOIN NOW - ISWA Online Membership |
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Join ISWA now as an online member for only €53 and you will immediately receive the following benefits:
- Easy and fast access to professional knowledge within Solid Waste Management
- Free monthly newsletters sent directly to your e-mail account
- Free subscription to Waste Management World – official news magazine within waste management
- Online abstracts from articles in Waste Management and Research - the leading journal within scientific studies
- 25 % discount on all ISWA publications – to be downloaded from the ISWA website
- Link to ISWA Regional offices in South America, Asia and Pacific and the Middle East
- Links with waste professionals around the world
- Links to international organisations such as UNEP, the WHO, the World Bank and the European Union institutions
- Access to ISWA Working Groups as a Corresponding member
- Access to waste information and technical reports
- Access to ISWA regional websites
- Access to the members only section on ISWA website
To access the membership form, CLICK HERE |
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EVENTS |
| 5. WasteMINZ Conference & Expo 2009 |
WasteMINZ Conference & Expo 2009
14, 15, 16 October 2009
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch, New Zealand |
WasteMINZ 2009 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Christchurch, provides a not-to-be-missed opportunity to keep up-to-date with new technology, management skills and current issues. Delivering a great line up of speakers, sessions include the new Waste Minimisation Act; Landfill; Contaminated Land; Carbon & Emissions Trading and Construction & Demolition Waste. Special interest sessions will cover behavioural change; health and safety and organics.
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6. ISWA/APESB World Congress 2009 (Lisbon, Portugal) |
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12 - 15 October, 2009
Lisbon, Portugal |
Lisbon is pleased to welcome you to the ISWA/APESB World Congress 2009 that will take place at the Cultural Centre of Belém, from 12th to 15th October 2009.
This year’s theme: “Turning Waste Into Ideas” says much about what you are about to experience. Portugal is famous for its warm sun and its open friendships to its visitors. From its role in historic times as a trade center and a base for explorers, Lisbon provides an intriguing venue for all of us to discuss and examine the ideas that will drive the future of waste management in a world with competing needs and challenges. Importantly, APESB has succeeded by linking the links, and connecting us in a manner where we can leverage this meeting opportunity for the benefit of our respective missions and goals.
- For more information on the Technical Program, please click here.
- To register for the conference click here.
REGISTER ONLINE NOW!
For more information about the congress please visit www.iswa2009.org |
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| 7. China Solid Waste Management Summit 2009 |
24 - 25 September 2009
Shanghai, China |
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China’s BIGGEST solid waste management summit — China Solid Waste Management Summit 2009 will consist of more than 200 top professionals from the global solid waste fraternity including environment & solid waste authorities, solid waste operators, solid waste treatment plants, engineering consulting companies, technical solution suppliers, equipment & software providers, CDM project developers, investors and accounting and legal firms.
This time, the high-profile event will highlight site tours, flue gas (dioxin) purification, landfill gas-to-energy and waste-to-energy projects, landfill leachate biosafety treatment, soil remediation, biomass gasification technology, food waste-to-energy projects, recycling, pre-treatment and operational expertise and CDM projects development.
For registration or enquiries, please contact Ms. Rachel Yang
Tel: 86-21-51615339
E-mail: Marketing@igvision.com
Web: www.solidwastesummit.com |
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| 8. AUSTRALIA: Enviro 2010 Submit your abstract now |
The Enviro Conference and Exhibition is the premier national assembly of Australian environment and industry stakeholders. To be held in Melbourne from 21 to 23 July 2010, the conference will bring together industry innovators, business and policy makers in a fertile cross pollination of ideas and opportunities.
Keynote speakers will addresses pivotal issues: sustainable resource management, climate change, developing sustainable infrastructure, business and supply chains, innovation and new technologies. The conference will run concurrently with the Enviro 2010 Exhibition where more than 100 exhibitors will display the latest in environmental innovation.
Enviro2010 invites papers focusing on water, waste, resource recovery and energy. Core issues to be covered are Implementing Change; Sustainable Resource Management; Responding to Climate Change; Developing Sustainable Infrastructure; Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chains; Sustainable Cities and Innovation and Ne Technologies.
Abstract submission closes Wednesday 4 November 2009. |
Please click here to go to the Enviro 2010 website |
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| 8. Coming Events Calendar |
| September |
22 - 24 September 2009
WASTECON 2009
Longbeach Convention Centre, California, USA
wastecon.swana.org
28 - 29 September 2009
Waste Management, Waste Recovery & Waste to Energy 2009
Bangkok,
Thailand
www.ceerd.net |
| October |
5 - 9 October 2009
12th International Waste
Management & Landfill Symposium
Sardinia, Italy
www.sardiniasymposium.it
12 - 14 October 2009
ISWA/APESB 2009 World Congress
Turning Waste into Ideas
Lisbon, Portugal
W: www.iswa2009.org
14 - 16 October 2009
WasteMINZ 21st Annual Conference &Trade Exhibition
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.wasteminz.org.nz
25 – 27 October 2009
BIR Autumn Convention
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
W: www.bir.org
27 - 30 October 2009
Entsorga Trade Fair
Cologne,Germany
W: www.entsorga-enteco.com
28 – 29 October 2009
Canadian Waste & Recycling Expo
Vancouver, Canada
W: www.cwre.ca |
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NEWS |
| AUSTRALIA National Waste Policy |
A draft of Australia’s National Waste Policy is due to be debated at the next meeting of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council in November.
The discussion paper, the draft National Waste Policy Framework, will form the backbone of the Waste Policy. Public submissions to the draft Framework closed at the end of July and DEWHA (the federal government’s Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) is currently evaluating feedback received in time for the Council meeting.
Fundamental goals of the Policy will be to avoid the generation of waste, reduce the amount of waste for disposal, manage waste as a resource and ensure that waste disposal is done in a safe, scientific and environmentally sound manner.
The framework sets out a 10-point “vision by 2020,” including the promise of national targets to reduce the amount of waste and the goal that “product stewardship/extended producer responsibility is adopted for business operations, embraced by the community and drives improvements in product design, longevity, efficiency of re-use and consumption choices”.
Source: Environmental Management News |
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| 11. AUSTRALIA Innovative Waste Treatments |
BioWiSH TEchnologies is a Sydney-based biotechnology company producing and marketing microbial, enzymatic products. (Enzymes are proteins produced by living organisms and function as biochemical catalysts.) The biotechnology harnesses the catalytic properties of the enzyme and provides a significantly accelerated rate of biochemical activity. Applications include odor and emission control, water treatment, waste management and bio-remediation.
Thai scientist Dr W Chantawichayasult originally developed the enzyme based technology during a decade-long research project where he studied water sanitation in natural environments and the mangrove plant’s unique ability to remove a wide range of pollutants from urban run-off.
BioWiSH has teamed up with local governments across Australia working to minimize landfill stress and greenhouse emissions through its commercial composting technology, as well as reducing environmental impacts of waste water treatment. A recent project involved working with Bathurst Regional Council in NSW to reduce the energy required for aeration in sewage treatment and cuts the volume of biosolids.
Source: Environmental Management News
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| 12. HOLLAND Materials separation uses magnetic liquid |
A company in Eindhoven, Holland, has developed an innovative separation unit able to recover the various components from mixed material streams with a high degree of purity. The separation unit, called the Magnetic Density Separator, was developed by Bakker Magnetics and uses a magnetic liquid to recover constituent components from mixtures in a single operation. The waste streams can comprise anything from aluminium and copper to a mix of plastics or shreds of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) contaminated with pebbles and metal and glass particles.
So how does it all work? Charles Smeeman, from the Eindhoven-based company, explains. “In the separating unit, the magnetic liquid flows over a large magnetic plate. We then scatter the mixture into this liquid using a divider. The lightest components float in the liquid towards the rim of the container where they are collected, while the heavier components sink. These components are then removed on a conveyor belt that runs at an angle to the direction of the flow of the liquid and is designed to separate the components that float at various depths in the liquid. At a supply rate of five tons an hour we now achieve excellent results, both with a mixture of aluminium and copper and with a stream of PET shreds contaminated with pebbles and metal and glass particles. We can recover the components from both mixtures with very high levels of purity.”
The technology is suitable for recovering materials with clear market value, such as non-ferrous metals and plastics. Higher yields, such as pure non-ferrous metals, compensate for the separation costs of lower yields. The company has signed its first contract with the Dutch company AKG Polymers, and are building a unit that will process 25,000 tons of mixed polypropylene and polyethylene.
This article was extracted from Made in Holland, October 2008 from “Material Separation Using Magnetic Liquid” by Peter Jujin. For more information go to http://www.hollandtrade.com/vko/home.asp |
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| 13. NEW ZEALAND New compost consent conditions guide |
The Waste Management Institute of New Zealand (WasteMINZ) has recently published their Consent guide for composting operations in New Zealand. The Guide provides an overview of the key features of commercial composting operations in the context of the resource consent process, to assist with the development and implementation of appropriate and effective resource consent conditions for composting facilities. It does not eliminate the need for a detailed development of site-specific consent conditions. While examples of consent conditions are provided, these are not intended to be copied verbatim or adopted without consideration of their applicability on a case-by-case basis.
A brief review of a range of consents for composting operations in 2007 indicated there was wide variation in the level of detail required for consent applications and consent conditions imposed with participants at a WasteMINZ workshop for council staff and compost operators in mid-2007 agreeing that a guide would be useful The Consent guide for composting operations in New Zealand has been prepared in response to those concerns, with funding provided by WasteMINZ, the Ministry for the Environment and composting operators around New Zealand.
Copies of the Guide (2.7 MB) can be downloaded from WasteMINZ's website at: http://www.wasteminz.org.nz/sectorgroups/compost/ Compost%20NZ%20Consent%20Guide.pdf |
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| 14. CHINA Beijing upgrades waste facilities |
Authorities in Beijing, China, have announced the building or renovation of more than 40 waste disposal plants by 2015 to cope with the increasing amount of waste produced in the city. Plans include five domestic waste incineration plants, five kitchen waste disposal plants and eight domestic waste comprehensive treatment plants, according to a government report.
The new facilities are expected to handle 30,000 tons of waste per day. The need for extra waste facilities has been pressing, as the city's waste increases by 8% every year, and in 2008 stood at 18,000 tons of MSW per day. Figures are expected to reach 25,000 tons in 2012 and 30,000 in 2015.
The city's current facilities are capable of processing 10,400 tons of waste a day, but in reality are handling more than 17,400 tons per day. 'With rapid urbanization, industrialization and modernization, the city's urgent task is to enhance full-scale garbage treatment and recycling work," the report said.
Source: Waste Management World |
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| 15. VIETNAM Medical waste health risk |
Only four of the 22 hospitals in central Quang Nam Province were equipped with waste treatment facilities, and only one had a standard incinerator, Vietnam News reported recently, posing a severe threat to the environment and residents’ health.
The head of the province’s Environment Police Department said that three general hospitals were using low-quality incinerators to burn medical waste, while six others in the province were simply burying untreated solid waste, including dangerous waste, on hospital grounds. Many hospitals discharged untreated wastewater into surrounding rivers and canals due to a shortage of treatment systems, polluting residential areas nearby, Vietnam News said.
The problem appears an old one, with many hospitals lacking the funds to build adequate medical waste treatment facilities. The province’s biggest hospital houses the a medical waste incinerator but it has been overloaded for eight years and is now downgraded, with dust, ashes and terrible smells from the machine’s chimneys having annoyed residents for many years.
The incinerator, built to international standards, had been confirmed as an environmentally-friendly product. For more on the province’s medical waste woes click here.
Source: Vietnam News Agency |
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| 16. THAILAND Energy from waste teething problems |
The Bangkok Post reported Thailand's leading private power producer feared the government's goal of turning waste into energy would never materialize unless a single body was formed to encourage producers.
Sakul Pochanart, executive vice-president for project management at Egco Group told the Post, "The Energy Ministry should take a pioneering role and collaborate with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to create a single unit that sets waste management policy." Speaking at the Euromoney Conference held in June, the executive of the SET-listed power producer said that the idea of turning municipal waste into energy would only make it to the drawing board if a government body acknowledges major problems.
Each municipality is responsible for waste management in its own area using its preferred method, with energy developers facing different processes resulting in different conditions of waste and costly waste management. "With these various practices, there are too many obstacles to develop a power plant from municipal waste," he said.
The adder tariff offered by the Energy Ministry is considered a supportive incentive, but problems with municipalities are holding back investors from the alternative energy project. "Thailand will also likely face increasing waste management issues in the future as the volume of waste grows drastically yearly," the Post reported.
Source: Bangkok Post |
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| 17. PHILLIPINES Coal ash dump planned for beach |
The EcoWaste Coalition has condemned a plan by the provincial government of Cebu to set up a dump by the beach for coal combustion waste or what is commonly known as coal ash, the Manila Times reported. The Coalition said the local government of Cebu is planning to dump coal ash at the government-owned Balili Beach Resort in Naga City.
In a letter faxed to the provincial governor, EcoWaste Coalition expressed its “profound objection” against the planned dumping. “We urge the government of Cebu to learn from the unfolding health and environmental problems in the US due to the toxic releases from coal combustion waste dumps and landfills, some of which have been declared as superfund sites or toxic waste sites requiring costly cleanups,” EcoWaste President Manny Calonzo said.
The dumpsite is intended for the tons of coal combustion waste from the expanded 200-megawatt coal power plant of the Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) in Naga City, set to open by February 2011. Kepco will pay $1 million to the provincial government for the permit to dump.
The EcoWaste Coalition explained that coal combustion byproducts can contain dangerous levels of chemicals, such as arsenic, boron, cadmium, cobalt, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nitrates and selenium, all associated with cancer and non-cancer risks.
The Coalition also questioned the capability of the provincial and city authorities to monitor, regulate and mitigate the adverse effects of coal ash dumping to ensure the long-term health and safety of the Cebuanos, the water supplies and the marine resources.
Citing a report released in March 2009 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EcoWaste Coalition emphasized that disposal of coal ash, especially in unlined ponds, results in alarmingly high risks of cancer and diseases of the heart, lung, liver, stomach and other organs. It can also seriously harm aquatic ecosystems and wildlife near disposal sites.
Source: Manila Times |
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| 18. INDIA C & D plant for New Delhi |
Disposal of construction waste in New Delhi will soon be easier with the opening of a plant recycling building materials, the Times of India reported recently.
The Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Plant in north-west Delhi, the first of its kind in the city, is expected to process 500 tonnes a day. It is sorely needed in the national capital, which generates around 2000 metric tonnes of waste every day.
The project is being undertaken on a public-private- partnership basis and, if successful, three more plants will be built. Commissioner KS Mehra said the plant would save money otherwise spent transporting debris to landfill sites. “This project will go a long way in addressing Delhi's solid waste disposal problems,” he said recently.
Source: Times of India |
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| 19. UGANDA - New recycling plants |
NINE municipalities across the country have acquired waste management plants to recycle garbage. Under the project, town authorities will produce organic manure which will then be sold to farmers to boost agricultural production. The multi-million dollar project that is nearing completion was funded by a World Bank loan acquired through the National Environmental Management Authority. The beneficiaries included Fort Portal, Jinja, Mbarara, Kasese, Kabale, Mukono, Mbale, Soroti and Lira municipalities. Dr. Henry Aryamanya-Mugisha, the environment watchdog’s executive director, said recycling garbage was an effective move to curb environmental degradation in the country.“These plants will sort out metals and kaveera (polythene) from the rest of the garbage. Each of these will be recycled. This will help preserve our soils and environment,” said Aryamanya.
Source: The New Vision |
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| 20. TANZANIA Energy from sisal waste |
Tanzanian sisal company, Katani Limited has successfully trialed power production from sisal waste at its sisal estate in the Tanga region of the country.
The Citizen reported the company produces 150kw of electricity, with sisal decorticating machines operating on 12 hour continuous shifts. The general manager of the plant said their aim was to produce a megawatt of electricity of which two thirds would be on sold to the national grid.
The Hale sisal waste energy plant is now one of the 12 Tanzanian projects that are in the pipeline for getting the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) status, which was established under the Kyoto Protocol on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: The Citizen |
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WasteWatch is a production of ISWA and the Waste Management Association of Australia
WMAA: Ph: +61 (0)2 8746 5000 • Fax: +61 (0)2 9701 0199 • Email: iswa@wmaa.asn.au |
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| Disclaimer: This Email is only for general information and is not to be taken as a substitute for specific advice. Views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent ISWA or the WMAA. No reproduction of any articles permitted except with permission from the author. WMAA may use virus scanning software, but makes no representation or warranty regarding the virus free status of this message or of any attachment. The opening of any attachment is at the recipient's risk and WMAA shall not be responsible for any consequences of so doing. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter please email: enquiries@wmaa.asn.au |
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