Insidewaste___PREBIND_LR August 2016 | Page 71

Q&A Hai Linh Truong, Flickr CC. NSW EPA Chair and CEO Barry Buffier. AWRE SPEAKS TO BARRY BUFFIER What do you think has been the impact of the Waste Less, Recycle More (WLRM) initiative so far? WLRM is making a significant contribution to the NSW government’s goal of establishing a modern, efficient and leading edge waste management system to meet the current and future needs of NSW. To date, WLRM has injected $286 million into waste management in NSW, which will divert more than 1.9 million tonnes of waste from landfill each year. These funds are supporting more than 800 projects and generating more than 700 jobs. WLRM is making it easier for businesses and householders to recycle, increasing the supply and processing capacity for food and garden waste, and delivering 1552,669 newAM green bins MetalSortingAd.qxp_Layout 7/6/16 9:12 Page 1 and kitchen caddies Metal Sorting & Fluid Recycling Equipment Eriez recycling equipment sorts and separates all types of ferrous and nonferrous metals, and our Sump Cleaners recycle used or spent coolants in machine tools. Take a closer look by visiting our AWRE stand B26! Eddy Current Separators Stand B26 Sump Cleaners homes around the state. It has provided $1.45 million to support food charities to redirect surplus edible food away from landfill to those in need. WLRM is introducing a network of 101 new drop-off centres for problem wastes to make it easier for householders to dispose of common household problem wastes, such as paint and gas bottles. It is also funding a comprehensive range of programs aimed at tackling litter and illegal dumping. What role will the EPA play for businesses over the next five years? The EPA would like to see recycling at businesses become as commonplace as recycling at home. A $35 million Business Recycling Fund was established through the WLRM initiative to help business reduce waste and increase recycling. We have set a recycling rate target of 70% for commercial and industrial waste. The closer we get to that target the harder it is to recycle the remainder. This is because the material that is easy to collect, the “low hanging fruit”, is already being recycled and we now have to work harder to find the remaining materials. Circulate, the EPA’s Industrial Ecology program, helps medium to large sized businesses identify ‘waste’ outputs that may be of value to another business as an input. Working with specific materials and region by region, Circulate facilitators aim to match businesses and their materials with each other for mutual benefit. Waste streams being targeted include plastic, timber, building operational waste, packaging and logistics, the food supply chain and building products manufacturing waste. The Bin Trim program funds more than 150 assessors to work with small and medium sized business to help them reduce waste and increase recycling. So far they have provided free waste assessments to more than 18,000 businesses across the state who are improving their recycling rates by 12% on average. What are the big priorities for the EPA over the next 12 months? Our next step will be to evaluate all the different programs under Waste Less, Recycle More to identify where we can best build on achievements and address gaps. Broadly though, our focus will remain firmly on tackling litter to achieve a 40% reduction in the volume by 2020, which is a Premier’s priority; combating illegal dumping and rogue waste operators; facilitating the development of further waste and recycling infrastructure to return materials into the economy and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill; and supporting councils to deliver regional strategies and implement local fit-for-purpose solutions. We welcome the input and feedback of our stakeholders on the progress and future directions of the Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. Magnetic Separators Available Online at en-au.Eriez.com!  10 Call 61-3-8401-7400 Barry Buffier is the NSW EPA’s Chair and CEO. AWRE.COM.AU