Insidewaste___PREBIND_LR August 2016

Official Publication of the ISSUE 73 | AUGUST 2016 www.BEN-global.com/waste Australia is said to be a leader among Antarctic nations in cleaning up historical waste in Antarctica. Its main focus is cleaning up former waste disposal sites near its Antarctic stations. More on page 40. (Adelie Penguins at Casey Station. Credit: Todor Iolovski/Australian Antarctic Division) INSIDE 19 S atisfying the recycling appetite 34 Fortune favours the brave 80 What’s on at AWRE Federal election 2016: parties talk waste and recycling Progress for WA energy from waste projects PP: 255003/07055 ISSN 1837-5618 PHOENIX Energy has nominated local company BGC Contracting as the preferred engineering, procurement and construction contractor for its $400 million Kwinana energy from waste plant. In April, the company confirmed that construction firm Posco E&C had been issued a notice of termination and would no longer be part of the project. It appeared there were differences over the extent of Posco’s planned use of subcontractors. Phoenix Energy said detailed engineering design for the plant, which would have the capacity to produce 32MW of electricity a year and would receive and process up to 400,000 tonnes of residual waste per annum, is nearing completion, adding that the technology would be supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environment and Chemical Co, and Martin GmbH. Phoenix Energy managing director Peter Dyson said BGC Contracting had been selected due to its expertise, strong track record in delivering projects, and local presence. The project has received development approval and all final environmental approvals required from the various WA government agencies to construct the plant. New Energy has also had a big win, scoring a 20-year waste contract with Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of WA to divert waste from landfill, recover energy, and return renewable energy to the town and industry. Mayor Kelly Howlett said the project would divert 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of waste from landfill to the new facility. As part of the contract, New Energy will manage the city’s residential and commercial waste streams and in an Australian first, renewable energy produced from the waste would be supplied back to the council via the Northwest interconnecting power grid. This is New Energy’s second long-term contract. In July 2015, the company was awarded a contract with the City of Karratha to manage its residential and commercial waste for 20 years. Construction of the plant will commence next year and is scheduled for completion in 2018. New Energy will use the Entech low temperature gasification technology developed in WA and already deployed across Europe and Asia. We can sort it out • We know waste • We understand the issues • We seek solutions • We work with you Call our expert team today 02 9907 0994 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aprince.com.au At time of press, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had claimed victory in the closely contested federal elections, with the Coalition securing 76 seats and Labor, 69. The Greens has claimed a seat while four went to Independents. Ahead of the elections, some parties discussed Australia’s waste and resource recovery sector, with The Greens throwing its support behind the Waste Management Association of Australia’s (WMAA) industry position statement. It agreed that national leadership was required in a number of areas and said it had a plan to provide up to an additional $75 billion in infrastructure funding over the next 10 years to fund “productive investments”. The Greens also agreed that a comprehensive national data set was necessary, adding “a National Waste Policy would provide for the harmonisation of data collection and calculation methods for waste and recycling across the state.” However, the party disagreed that the solid waste industry should be excluded from any carbon pricing scheme. Meanwhile, the Australian Labor Party took a more limited stand on supporting improved interdepartmental links and better communication between industry and levels of government to support the industry’s role in transitioning to a low pollution economy.