Recovering More Plastic From Kerbside Recycling Circular Economy Plastic Manufacturing Webinar
Participant List • Anders Hallgren, NSW Circular • Grahame Aston, Plastics Industry • Keith Monaghan, NSW Circular • Ryan Collins, Planet Ark Manufacturing Association • Annie Walker, SSROC • Loredana Guisa, Sutherland Council • Sally Hill, NSW Circular • Hazel Storey, The Storey Agency • Austen Ramage, Martogg • Louie Leung, SSROC • Stephen Webster, Integrated Recycling • Helen Bradley, Inner West Council • Belinda Barnard, VISY • Mandy Allemann, City of Canterbury • Susy Cenedese, LGNSW • Helen Sloan, SSROC Bankstown • Belinda Koytz, City of Canada Bay • Talebul Islam, Randwick Council • Helene Forsythe, SSROC • Marjia • Beth Kasumovic, Waverly Council • Tania Lalor, LGP Sustainable Choice • Ivon Sebastian, City of Canterbury • Mei Li Quah, SSROC • Colin Barker, Newtecpoly • Tiffany Correggia, NSW EPA Bankstown • Monica Barone, City of Sydney • Dane, ThinkPlace • Tony Khoury, WCRA • Jason Tune, City of Sydney • Natalie, ThinkPlace • David Clancy, Cleanaway • Veena Sahajwalla, UNSW SMaRT Centre • Jenny Gustafson, SSROC • Narelle Bowly, City of Canterbury • David Eckstein, City of Sydney • Wendy Xing, WSROC • Jeremy Biggs, Curbcycle Bankstown • David Kuhn, City of Sydney • Jodie Larsen, City of Sydney • Neil Henderson, Astor Industries • Delphine Anatole, City of Sydney • John Carse, NSROC • Omar Roxas, Socially Plastic • Farshid Pahlevani, UNSW SMaRT Centre • John Whelan, Inner West Council • Paul Abram, Integrated Recycling • Flavia Evans, Inner West Council • Jonathan Wood, DPIE • Peter Brisbane, APCO • Gayle Sloan, WMRR • Justin Bonsey, SSROC • Rey Behboudi, WSROC • Graham Knowles, iQRenew • Justin Koek, NSW DPIE • Richard Collins, Arcadis
Agenda Overview 11:05am 11:15am 11:30am 12:15pm 12:30pm Welcome Research Panel Q&A Summary Close Findings Increasing and Next Recovery of steps Recovering Kerbside More Plastics Plastics from Kerbside Recycling Dane Galpin ThinkPlace Sydney General Manager
Welcome Monica Barone Chief Executive Officer at the City of Sydney
Research Findings: Recovering Plastics From Kerbside Recycling Annie Walker SSROC
Increasing recovery PP HDPE PS & EPS Polypropylene High density Polystyrene and polyethylene Expanded polystyrene
Collection Sorting Plastics recovery Needs analysis Plastic recyclers and Councils need: Sorting facilities need: manufacturers need: Clean feedstock • Data Contamination • • No PVC • Contamination No PVC, PS & EPS • • Prefer single polymer • Recycling Recycling • • streams campaigns campaigns Consistent quality • Packaging designed Packaging designed • • Price of recycled • for recyclability for recyclability plastic Buy back products Shorter planning • • Purchasing demand • made from approval kerbside processes. recycling.
Barriers 02 03 01 Quality of the Contamination Low value of of recycled plastic recycled plastics plastics 04 05 06 Availability of Limited end Current licensing end markets markets for and regulations coloured plastics
Opportunities Preferencing recycled plastic from Australian Post consumer HDPE stormwater pipes. Car bumps made from recycled plastic. Source: The Green Pipe Source: Closed Loop sourced feedstock Shade structures with recycled plastic. Hand sanitiser station. Source: Replas Source: Integrated Recycling
Opportunities 02 03 01 04 Supply chain collaboration Trial Trial on Recovering PP Trial aggregating aggregating kerbside PP for pot plant collection of PS collection of use in containers & EPS from soft plastics remanufacturing. from council council drop off from council nurseries, milk locations. drop off & bread crates locations. from the clean up stream.
Opportunities 01 02 03 Education and advocacy Recycling campaigns Incentives for State/national packaging companies recycling campaigns to design for recyclability.
Guest Speaker Panel Veena Sahajwalla Director for SMaRT Centre at UNSW Director for NSW Circular Director ARC Green Manufacturing Hub Grahame Aston Tony Khoury Justin Koek Peter Brisbane President, Plastics Industry Executive Director at Waste Director, Circular Economy Government Partnership Manufacturers of Australia Contractors and Recyclers Policy and Markets at NSW Manager at Australian Association of NSW Department of Planning, Packaging Covenant Industry and Environment Organisation
Panel Discussion Summary Recycled polypropylene: General Commentary (From the chat box): There is increasing demand for recycled polypropylene (PP) from some plastic • manufacturers, and that there should be applications where even coloured PP from The use of coloured materials is really dependant on the application. Our kerbside recycling could be used. experience at Integrated Recycling is that • Discussion on how a lot of MRFs are not currently capable of separating PP as its often charcoal is our most popular colour that permits use of coloured materials. Many sorted into mixed plastic bales so some form of secondary processing /sorting is needed of our applications are for landscaping and someone needs to bear that cost. and infrastructure and less for architectural uses. Coloured plastics: I don’t think consumers necessarily understand the plastic code numbers. • Whilst there are challenges with coloured plastics (can be streaky and hard to replicate exact copies and may have more limited end uses) it all comes down to the design and But this is why it’s important to have better symbols and design for application needs of the recycled plastic product. recyclability. Even if the customers would understand Labelling and consumer education: the codes properly, each code in different products/packaging may have different • Different messages across Australia leads to confusion and poor recycling outcomes, we recyclability features. need consistent messaging nationwide. Education is a key once clear, tested Launch of national consumer education campaign in October that APCO, Planet ark and • and valid guidance is existing out Horizon Communications will be running funded by the federal government. there. • Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is used by currently 400 companies and hopefully that will increase.
Panel Discussion Summary Collection systems: General Commentary: Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) – cleaner streams has helped create some good supply • CDS works, because of the incentive, chain agreements. but has the effect of changing behaviour, particularly children. There are challenges with increasing source separation in kerbside recycling (creates • Would including aseptic containers in cost for rate payers and the practicalities of housing extra bins), so drop off collections CDS create the necessary incentive for where it is feasible are practical. food businesses and consumers to If there are robust end markets it can offset the costs of additional source separation • separate them, and create a higher volume of clean containers for however, the markets for some recycled polymers are still developing. processors and remanufacturers to use Discussion on whether CDS should be expanded beyond beverage containers to other • as feedstock? types of recyclable packaging. CDS works well because there are clearly defined types of Interested in the cost trade off in products that can be recycled, consumer awareness of the types of polymers that can reducing volume of commingled in a "premium recycling" configuration be recycled may be a barrier to address if CDS was expanded. (higher collection costs per unit) versus the reduced contamination/residual at the MRF. Net win or loss? Reusable take back packaging: Woolworths is trialing a reusable packaging scheme called Loop, in some areas. Using Designing drop-off options for plastics • is part of the nudge toward higher quality packaging that can be washed and reused again and is part of the home normalisation of new behaviours. The delivery service. designed drop-off is the engagement and education. It will take a few years to normalise, and sort contamination - but we can't wait for consumer education on plastics to land without linking to actions.
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