From waste to wealth - Zero Waste

Western Sydney Waste Board
From waste
to wealth
Business
opportunities for
a resourceful Western Sydney
A network of
resource recovery facilities

From waste
to wealth
Business opportunities for a
resourceful Western Sydney
The Western Sydney Waste Board (WSWB) has a vision to give Western Sydney a
sustainable, waste-free future. A sustainable future that will create business
opportunities, employment and a better environment for the region simply by
managing waste materials, not as waste, but as re-usable resources.
What we know as waste comes in many forms — from what goes into the garbage
bin at home to commercial quantities of discarded materials, and most of it ends up
in landfills. Our program will put an end to the dumping of these wastes in landfills
by developing alternative resource recovery facilities.
This booklet outlines seven key infrastructure programs which provide an
economically viable supply of secondary resources for re-use by industry. They are
programs in which we need the cooperation of Government, business and the wider
community in order to make them succeed.
We hope you will join with us in developing these business, employment and
environmental opportunities for the benefit of Western Sydney.
Yours sincerely,
Maggie Deahm
Chairman
Western Sydney Waste Board
The Western Sydney Waste Board is a statutory body formed under the
Waste Minimisation and Management Act, 1995 to plan and manage
non-hazardous solid waste streams generated in Western Sydney.

1
Executive Summary
vast amount of materials from the domestic,
A commercial/industrial and construction/
demolition sectors are thrown away each year.
Materials such as discarded whitegoods, old
furniture, carpets, batteries, paints, household
waste and chemicals, surplus food, timber, paper
and glass.
The benefits for Western Sydney are enormous.
Planned infrastructure and flow-on benefits will
stimulate sustainable investment and promote
job growth, establishing the region as a major
resource provider for the economy of Sydney.
These materials all have value but simply end up
in landfill or are discarded into the wider
environment.
A one way
street
Our current methods of ‘waste management’ in
a world of finite resources are unsustainable.
They are certainly not designed to extract the
value from discarded material.
As a consequence our landfills are filling up and
disposal costs are increasing to account for the
cost of external factors. These costs create an
economic burden on our society – the cost of
physical landfilling, the hidden costs to the
environment and the missed opportunity cost of
burying valuable materials.
Western
Sydney’s
opportunity
!
The land filling of mixed waste
will soon be a thing of the
past. The Western Sydney
Waste Board’s plan is to develop
facilities which will re-process
waste materials into re-usable
resources. The plan offers
significant opportunity for
Western Sydney business.
The Western Sydney Waste Board has developed
a comprehensive strategy designed to massively
reduce all mixed waste dumping to landfill. The
key lever to achieve this aim is the establishment
of systems and infrastructure that provide the
means to use discarded materials as resources.

2
Current Situation
urrent waste practices are wasteful and
C unsustainable. They are based upon a oneway
flow – beginning with raw virgin materials,
extending through manufacturing and
consumption to discarding and burying of
products as mixed wastes.
Whilst the recycling of many materials is
increasing, the one-way flow of materials to
landfill is still the practice for the vast majority
of products.
!
The WSWB region includes
Bankstown, Baulkham Hills,
Blacktown, Hawkesbury,
Holroyd, Fairfield, Liverpool,
Parramatta and Penrith. It has a
population of 1.4 million – about
one third of the population of
greater Sydney.
Under current waste management
practices, shown below, the vast majority
of products are discarded to landfill.
disposal
natural
resources
waste
handlers
manufacture
consumers
retailers

3
Resource Management
not Waste Management
he Western Sydney Waste Board has a
T philosophy that there is no such thing as
waste-only wasted resources. Its focus is therefore
about planning and managing wastes so
that they become resources. In this respect the
Board is not really about waste management
but resource management.
The WSWB strategy is therefore about developing
systems and practices that will re-use and
recycle waste (resources) through the implementation
of an integrated infrastructure action plan.
The WSWB action plan is about the development
of a suite of ‘resource recovery facilities’ that will
replace traditional landfills. Resource Recovery
facilities have the capacity to manage all
materials accepted so that they are re-used and
recycled.
Managing wastes as resources, will keep these
materials in the economy and provide significant
economic benefits to the region.
disposal
systems and
infrastructure
natural
resources
resource
handlers
manufacture
consumers
retailers
Western Sydney Waste Board
– creating solutions to bridge the gap

Environmental and
Economic Benefits
he plan being delivered by the Board will act
Tas a catalyst producing significant regional
economic and environmental benefits.
Economic benefits will come from investment in
infrastructure, an increase in employment, to a
flow-on effect in developing spin-off industries.
Environmental benefits will come from substantial
decreases in greenhouse gases and a reduced
dependency upon virgin and imported raw
materials.
Economic
A new economy based on the use of secondary
resources will stimulate investment into the
region of over $350 million and provide over
1,000 construction jobs. Revenue streams of
$60 million per year will create hundreds of new
permanent jobs.
As an example, one facility to reprocess mixed
household waste has the potential of directly
creating revenue streams in excess of $280
million over 20 years. The facility will employ 50
people and many more in associated spin-off
industries.
In addition, the saving of vast amounts of
materials from being wasted only adds to the
environmental invoice. The more materials reused,
the less virgin resources are needed.
!
The materials we discard
every year:
• 350,000 tonnes of wood
and timber
4
Another example is the building of nine Drive-
Thru Recycling Centres in the region which will
provide the opportunity for a $15 million
specialist electronic scrap facility to be built.
Environmental
Traditional landfilling of mixed wastes not only
impacts upon the immediate surrounding
environment but produces significant amounts
of greenhouse and other gases. It is estimated
that by avoiding this practice, we will reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in Western Sydney by
450,000 tonnes per year.
• 80,000 tonnes of paper
• 400,000 tonnes of domestic
waste
• 6 million tyres
• 175,000 tonnes of food
• 235,000 tonnes of construction/
demolition material
• 450,000 tonnes of waste from
the commercial sector

5
Key Programs
he WSWB has identified seven key infrastructure
programs in the region as offering
T
significant opportunity for business in Western
Sydney. These are:
1 The development of Pre-treatment Facilities
for mixed household waste
2 The establishment of a network of
Drive-Thru Recycling Centres
3 The development of
Wood Recycling Facilities
4 The building of Food Re-processing
Facilities
5 The development of
Tyre Recycling Facilities
6 The development of Electronic/Complex
Scrap Recycling Facilities
7 The establishment of Construction/
Demolition Material Recovery Facilities
!
Resource recovery creates
more jobs for urban
communities than landfill.
“Just sorting, collecting
recyclable material sustains 10
times more jobs than landfilling.
However, making new products
from old offers the largest
economic pay off. Recyclingbased
manufacturers employ
even more people. Recycled
plastic product manufacturers
employ 60 times more people
than landfills. If half the durable
goods now discarded to landfill
in America were reclaimed
through re-use more than
100,000 new jobs would be
created.”
I.L.S.R. (US) Report 1996)

Program 1
Pre-treatment
urrently in Western Sydney 400,000 tonnes
Cof domestic waste is sent to landfill. The
Western Sydney Waste Board intends to develop
five pre-treatment facilities in the region to
reduce the volume and convert mixed domestic
waste into resource streams.
In pre-treatment, mixed domestic waste is
deposited into large receival drums and
mechanically pulverised for a period of time.
This process breaks mixed waste into three
types, organic, plastic and inert.
Inert waste, usually rubble and broken glass is
used for land remediation. Plastic waste is used
for energy recovery and as Refuse Derived Fuel
(RDF). Organic waste can be used in anaerobic
digestion, for composting or for energy recovery.
A typical Pre-treatment receival drum
The Pre-treatment process will allow most mixed
domestic wastes to be re-used rather than
landfilled.
!
The Western Sydney Waste
Board region receives most of
the waste generated in the
NSW Waste regions. It receives
45% of the domestic, 44% of the
construction/demolition and 51%
of the commercial sectors wastes.
New business opportunities
6
• The WSWB plan calls for the construction of five
pre-treatment facilities in Western Sydney, built,
owned and operated by the private sector

Program 2
Drive-Thru
Recycling Centres
he Western Sydney Waste Board has plans
T for a network of Drive-Thru Recycling
Centres (DTRC’s) throughout the region.
The Centres will enable householders, small
businesses and local Councils to deposit a range
of goods including garden clippings, white
goods, dry recyclables, brown goods, clothing
and hazardous materials like old batteries and
unused paints. The Centres will collect and reuse
the materials deposited or will make
arrangements for their recycling.
A View of a Drive-Thru Recycling Centre
!
Coca Cola have established a
PET reformation plant in
Western Sydney. Purchasing
used PET bottles from local
councils and recyclers, the plant
has recycled over 13,000 tonnes
of PET in its first year of
operation. Recycled PET is used
to manufacture new Coke bottles.
New business opportunities
• The WSWB plan calls for the construction and
operation of nine Drive- Thru Centres in Western
Sydney
• Material collected will need to be re-processed by
the recycling and resource recovery sector
• Manufacturers can access recycled materials for
their products
7

Program 3
Wood Waste
here are about 350,000 tonnes of wood
T waste disposed to landfill annually in the
Greater Sydney Region.
As part of a NSW Waste Board program the Board
is undertaking a Wood Waste Trial at the Kurnell
Landfill in Sutherland Shire to establish processes
and markets for wood waste.
This will process available wood waste into
various resource streams, including direct reuse,
feedstock for engineered timber products,
agricultural applications or as refuse derived fuel.
!
Two key Western Sydney Waste
Board programs will create over
200 new jobs and generate
revenue of $19 million per year.
The flow-on for the region over the
next 20 years is expected to
exceed $500 million.
New business opportunities
• Wood waste reclamation facilities will need to
be established in Western Sydney
8
• Spin-off industries can take advantage of a new
economically viable source of reclaimed wood
materials

9
Program 4
Food Waste
ost food waste from the manufacturing/
Mcommercial sector is disposed of to
landfill – about 160,000 tonnes per year. This is
a pure organic material stream – perfect for reuse
but currently wasted.
The Board is assisting Earthpower, an energy
company, in the development of an anaerobic
digestor in Parramatta. When fully operational
this digestor will process 110,000 tonnes of
commercial food waste in Sydney converting it
into methane gas and high-grade fertiliser. The
gas will be fed directly to a neighbouring
manufacturing facility, providing their total
energy requirements and completely replacing
their dependency on natural gas.
!
This is the first such facility of
it's kind in Australia, although
12 similar facilities operate in
Europe and North America. The
plant will significantly reduce
greenhouse gas emissions –
potentially by 125,000 tonnes p/a.
New business opportunities
• The Earthpower plant will take materials from
large food waste generators. Additional
digestors/processing plants will need to be
established to take food waste from small/medium
generators.
• Collection and transport services will need to be
developed to supply these facilities.
• The methane and high grade fertiliser produced is
another source for Western Sydney business

Program 5
Tyres
urrently over 55,000 tonnes of tyres are
C disposed to landfill each year in NSW.
Technologies to crumb and re-process used tyres
have been developed. These technologies can
provide recycled rubber product to a range of
new applications such as automotive parts,
drainage, flooring and sport playing surfaces.
Lower grade rubber materials being used as an
alternative energy source to oil, gas and coal.
The technology developers are currently looking
to build facilities. Western Sydney, as a major
receiver of used tyres, would be an appropriate
location.
!
Landfilling of tyres cost
$100 per tonne, giving a
negative value of $5.5M.
However, these tyres have a
resource value in excess of $37M.
New business opportunities
• Facilities to re-process tyres will need to be
established. These facilities will be run by the
private sector
10
• Spin-off industries will benefit from a new
economically viable source of products

11
Program 6
Electronic and
Complex Scrap
ll electronic products are useful resources
A and can be recycled. They contain many
valuable materials such as copper, lead, plastics,
mercury, ferrous metals and semi precious
metals. As a result the re-use and recycling of
electronic/complex scrap is becoming commonplace
around the world.
Facilities in Europe and the US shred and
separate all types of equipment into component
parts and base materials. These materials are
then returned to manufacturers for re-use or
sold on the open market.
To indicate the value of this resource against
disposal, a Victoria company has on sell markets
for the constituent materials that allow it to
purchase the electronic scrap for $100/tonne.
Throwing it away to landfill ends up as a cost,
not only directly but also environmentally. Land
filling also wastes a resource which then has to
be imported into Australia.
!
75% of the typical household
appliance is made of steel.
Recycling steel from old
appliances results in a:
• 74% energy saving
• 90% savings in virgin
resources
• 88% reduction in air emissions
US EPA
New business opportunities
• Facilities will need to be established
• Spin-off industries will benefit from a new
economically viable source of products

Program 7
Construction and
Demolition
Material Recovery
raditionally Western Sydney has been the
T quarry from which Sydney has been built.
Many of these disused quarries have later
become landfills receiving mixed wastes,
notably from the construction and demolition
sector. Western Sydney currently receives
around 250,000 tonnes of such waste annually.
In recent years, facilities have been established
that receive many of these wastes, separate and
recycle them. However, most of this material is
supplied from major construction/demolition
sites. Much of the waste from small/medium
sized sites is still discarded to landfill.
12
Recent State legislation (Waste Not DCP)
requires all builders and demolishers to provide
a Waste Management Plan as part of Development
Applications. Local authorities now
adopting the Waste Not DCP will expect Waste
Management Plans to include arrangements for
the increased recycling of building materials.
The development of facilities to separate and
process these materials from the small building/
home renovator sector will allow that sector to
meet their legislative requirements.
Facilities are already in operation overseas
which cater to this market. Small loads of mixed
materials are accepted and separated using a
combination of machinery and hand sorting.
The resultant materials being on-sold to existing
re-use markets.
!
Collectors of skip bins from the
small building sector estimate
that no more than 20% of
materials collected are recycled.
WSWB Regional Waste Plan
New business opportunities
• Facilities will need to be built and operated by
the private sector
• Spin-off industries will benefit from a new
economically viable source of products

A New South Wales Government initiative
From waste to wealth
Business
opportunities
for a resourceful
Western Sydney
This document has been designed to outline
seven programs that demonstrate that by
rethinking the way in which we manage waste,
it becomes a valuable resource.
Reusing such valuable resources represents an
opportunity for business, government and the
community of Western Sydney to benefit from
this new approach.
The WSWB is actively seeking discussions and
partnerships with other government agencies
and Western Sydney business organisations to
develop these significant opportunities for
Western Sydney.
Acknowledgments
Published by Western Sydney Waste Board ©
Contributors: Einion Thomas, Jane Pretty,
Gia Underwood, Matthew Warnken, Tim Ah
Young-Shelton, Mohan Ayyar, Mark Glover,
Tracy Chalk, Deanna Waters, Toby Hutcheon
and Michelle Flew.
With assistance from Western Sydney Waste
Board Directors.
Editors: Toby Hutcheon, Michelle Flew
Design: Wendy Farley, anthouse
Photography: Michelle Flew, Matthew Warnken
Printing: NCP Printing
Stock:
110 gsm Plantation. An alternative fibre source
product made in Australia from 100% waste
material.
For more
information contact:
Western Sydney Waste Board
PO Box 1101
Blacktown NSW 2148
Ph: (02) 9676 6299
Fax: (02) 9676 6363
Email: team@wswaste.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.wswaste.nsw.gov.au
Western Sydney Waste Board
Managing resources for our future