2016-03-07 General Committee - Item 1 - Draft Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan - ATTACHMENT 1

;                     NOOSA COUNCIL WASTE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
                            ASSESSMENT

8.0      RECOMMENDATIONS
There are no stand-alone options which will achieve Council’s objectives and be balanced, from a
sustainability perspective, across all of the environmental, social, economic and technical dimensions. Ideally
Council's Towards Zero Waste Strategy will bring together a number of the waste management options
assessed through this report, which in combination will work towards achieving Council’s and the local
community's waste management objectives and desires for Noosa.
From a sustainability perspective, options involving education or engagement of the community to in
Council’s waste management objective, are likely to be more balanced and higher scoring across the four
dimensions. These options would likely be more robust in their outcomes through being in partnership with
other options.
Further, the options of assisting in implementing home and commercial composting will result in a low cost to
Council and may through time result in an increased diversion of organic waste to landfill, although these
diversion rates will not be as high as those which would be seen through Council operating a bulk
composting facility. The provision of subsidised composting units and workshops, as well as a cultural
emphasis on composting, will be vital in the success of home composting. It should be further noted the cost
to commercial businesses in purchasing composting units could be a barrier in the success of this option in
the commercial and hospitality sectors.
Alternatively, the establishment of a three bin system to collect organics and compost these in bulk at a
Council facility would assist in removing a current waste stream, being likely to achieve up to a 40%
diversion rate for green waste alone or 47% for both food and green waste. These diversion rates will be
reliant on community segregating waste appropriately, which will likely require education programs.
The establishment of a MRF would likely improve recycling rates to increase the rate of diversion of
recyclable materials in a minimal to moderate degree. Considering economic outcomes, it is likely the
establishment of a MRF, which also receives waste from Gympie RC will hold the greatest potential to
generate revenue for Council. This revenue could then potentially be re-invested in other waste management
options. This option, however, does not involve engagement of the community and may in fact take away
from such current engagement. Programs to continue to engage community in Council's waste management
strategies would likely be pivotal in avoiding the community's disengagement.
An alternative to establishing an MRF to enhance recycling rates is to provide enhanced segregated waste
collection services to commercial and industrial facilities Again, education of commerce and industry will be
fundamental in enhancing source-segregation and avoiding contamination of these waste streams to thereby
increase diversion rates and the quality and value of products produced from these recovered waste
streams.
Other options are likely to contribute in a cumulative way to increased diversion of wastes to landfill. The
option to blend double-grind recycled green waste sourced mulch with soils, though having a small-scale
impact in reducing pressure on landfill capacity, is generally balanced across moderately beneficial
environmental, social and economic outcomes (with neutral technical outcomes) and should be considered.
Further, an alternative hard waste collection service may allow for materials to be collected on a steady and
lower-volume basis, therefore making it easier to manage and sort for recycling or resale throughout the
year, as opposed to requiring crushing and landfill disposal as currently occurs. This will result in fewer
materials destined to landfill, but service delivery may be at a marginally higher cost.

14 November 2014                                                                          Pi coicer
Report No. 147618030-R-004-RevA                    107                                         Associates