2012
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About this report
The Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities commissioned Hyder Consulting to conduct an analysis of opportunities to take precinct or place-based approaches to commercial and industrial (C&I) waste. The study was commissioned to support work under the C&I, C&D (construction and demolition wastes) and Governments Working Group of the National Waste Policy: Less waste, more resources.
This report will assist Australian governments and industry to implement place-based approaches that can reduce the generation of C&I waste, improve its recovery and minimise flows to landfill. The report finds that each type of place-based approach has benefits and barriers to implementation. Whilst no single type of approach will work in all local circumstances, place-based restrictions on landfill disposal have the potential to divert the largest amounts of C&I waste from landfill.
The C&I waste stream in Australia offers significant opportunities for reduced disposal of waste to landfill and improved recovery of resources. In 2006-07, 44% of Australia's C&I waste was sent to landfill, with C&I making up around a third of national waste generation. Patterns of C&I waste generation, recovery and landfill disposal can vary a great deal from place to place. For this analysis, 'place' ranges in scale from a single building up to that of a city.
The report identifies seven general types of place-based approaches to C&I waste:
- Precinct or place-based licensing
- Place-based direct investment
- Place-based restrictions on direct landfill disposal
- Waste catchment analysis
- Waste matching initiatives
- Minimum recovery / recycling standards
- Opportunities to enhance the uptake of National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) waste.