The Waste Authority was pleased to see the release of the Waste and recycling in Western Australia 2019-20 report on the Waste Authority website in September 2021. A Waste and recycling snapshot 2019-20 is also available.
Some of the data presented in the waste and recycling report is available in interactive dashboards. The Waste Authority received a presentation on the online data capabilities of the report, presented in two Power BI reports. The Recycler dashboard allows users to filter 2019-20 recycling data based on waste streams, region, destination and material category. Statewide waste sector recycling trends are also presented. The Domestic waste and recycling dashboard allows users to filter waste and recycling data based on local government area, waste service types and regions.
The Waste Authority approved an updated Construction and Demolition (C&D) Rollout Plan for stakeholder consultation. A C&D Reference Group, comprising of peak industry bodies and state and local government will be established shortly, to provide expert advice on projects identified in the plan.
The Waste Authority was pleased to see the release of the FOGO rollout plan 2021–22 and the 2020-21 FOGO Rollout Plan report on the Waste Authority website. The 2021-22 FOGO Rollout Plan focuses on facilitating market development actions for FOGO derived products, matching processing capacity with projected FOGO generation rates and providing support to key stakeholders in planning and implementing FOGO services. The plan considers a rollout schedule of local government FOGO services, projected FOGO collection rates, processing capacity and outputs to inform planning.
The Waste Authority noted that as part of the WasteSorted toolkit, additional content has been developed to support the uptake of FOGO systems and reduce kerbside bin contamination. The campaign materials are anticipated to be finalised in October 2021 and will be provided to local governments for their use in communicating with residents.
A Step-by-Step guide to support planning, implementation and monitoring of better practice FOGO services is under development as a key resource to support local governments and others with the FOGO rollout. The Step-by-Step guide is expected to be released in 2021.
The Waste Authority noted progress on a report providing the impacts and benefits of kerbside collection systems within the Perth and Peel region. The report will assist in assessing various kerbside services, with variables including system costs, recovery rates and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Waste Authority considered Guidelines for local government vergeside and drop-off services. The guidelines provide principles and guidance for better practice vergeside collection services and better practice drop-off services. The guidelines will assist local governments to help plan and implement vergeside and drop-off services provided to their communities and assist in preparing and updating their waste plans. The guidelines complement the Waste Authority’s Better Practice FOGO Kerbside collection guidelines and are anticipated to be available on the Waste Authority website in 2021.
The Waste Authority received a presentation from the Chair of the Program Risk and Performance Committee (PRPC), Kaylene Gulich, on key outcomes of the recent meeting of the PRPC held on 10 August 2021. The PRPC provides oversight and guidance to the Waste Authority on risk management, program evaluation and financial reporting.
An update on the recycling infrastructure modernisation WA project was noted by the Waste Authority. In February 2021, the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments announced a joint investment of $70 million for nine projects in Western Australia to reprocess plastics, tyres, paper and cardboard.
The Waste Authority approved the E-Waste Material Flows Analysis report which determines the quantities and types of e-waste in Western Australia. The report will assist in preparing for implementation of the Western Australian Government’s decision to ban e-waste from being disposed of to landfill by 2024. The report will be published on the Waste Authority website.
The Waste Authority considered its draft 2020-21 Waste Authority Annual Report. The 2020-21 Annual Report will be provided to the Minister for Environment for tabling in Parliament and then made available on the Waste Authority website in 2021.
The Waste Authority noted work underway by the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE) to deliver an industry-wide national accreditation scheme for Australian recyclers. The Australian Recyclers Accreditation Program is intended to support the recycling and resource recovery sector by raising industry standards to best practice and enhancing public perception and confidence in the industry.
DAWE has engaged the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) and their project partners Equilibrium, to deliver this important industry-wide national scheme. DAWE has also commissioned the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) to develop an up-to-date set of national standards and specifications for recovered resources (including sorting, primary and secondary processors). Both the ACOR and NWRIC projects will contribute to National Waste Policy Action Plan commitments.
The next meeting of the Waste Authority will be held on 10 November 2021 in Albany, to coincide with the Great Southern Waste Summit in Albany on 11 November 2021.