CASE STUDIES
The following councils have been selected as case studies as they
represent a particular type of council i.e. urban or rural or use
a leading-edge technology. Click on each to find out more.
If you are a council and you would like to be
profiled on the Cansmart website or in the Cansmart News or both
please contact the Cansmart team on 1800 073 713 or info@cansmart.org
Gosford
City Council – Winners of the SCRC Challenge 2005
Gosford City Council was the winner of the Steel Can Recycling
Council’s Local Government Challenge 2005. How have
they achieved such impressive results and what are the learning
points for other councils?
With a 286% increase in steel can recycling over the past
three years, Gosford City Council has collected
a massive 561 tonnes of steel packaging from the 108,000 tonnes
available nationally for recycling. This equates to 3.45kg
of steel packaging from each of their residents this year,
which falls above the national average of 3.05kg per capita.
Gosford City Council attribute the huge increase
in their steel can recycling rate to their extensive education
programme – Lets Get It Sorted - that
has helped to raise awareness amongst residents. Council has
been working closely with the SCRC and other industry players
promoting the benefits of recycling steel through their domestic
waste system and free drop-off facilities. |
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Communications
through the local media, including full page colour advertisements
in local newspapers, regular radio advertisements, television
and shopping centre displays have kept the messages prominent
amongst residents. The Coles Cares for the Environment shopping
centre displays, for example, attracted over 700 people to the
Gosford stand over a two day period. Hampers, generously donated
by many of Australia’s leading food manufacturers who
use steel as a packaging material, were given away as prizes.
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Melton
Shire Council - Achieving a recycling rate above the national
average recycling rate!
Located 35 kilometres North West of Melbourne and covering an
area of approximately 530 square kilometers, Melton Shire Council
boasts an extraordinarily high steel can recycling rate. Melton
Shire Council’s population in the region of 76,000 people
are clearly committed to their environment and, with a steel
can recycling rate more than double the national average, they
should be applauded.
The national average steel can recycling rate per capita is
1.77kg per year but Melton Shire Council returns a rate of 6.52kg
per capita per year. So how do they do it?
Says Waste Education Officer, Kendall Billington, ‘through
our continued education program and constant reminders to residents
we just don’t let them forget. What we have found in the
past is that when you take your foot off the pedal the recycling
rate goes down but as long as you keep up a constant stream
of information the recycling rate remains steady.’
Using Ecorecycle’s best practice model of a 240 litre
MGB for recyclables collected fortnightly, Melton Shire Council
ensures that residents can easily recycle their packaging waste
and contamination has been reduced dramatically from the previous
split bin system.
Says Kendall, ‘we implemented a new kerbside bin system
in late 2003, which has seen our recycling rates increase exponentially.
The new system was implemented in response to a residents’
survey undertaken in 2003. We have gone from one 240-litre MGB
for both garbage and recycling (split bin) to a garbage bin,
recycling bin and a green waste bin.’
To further extend Melton’s recycling efficiency Council
recently endorsed ‘It Starts with Zero’
the new Waste Management Strategy. A ten-year strategy, using
the slogan – “Start with Zero – Reduce
Reuse Recycle”, it aims to educate residents,
education, business, community and Council sectors. The slogan
has been used throughout 2004 and 2005 and promoted to all sectors
of the community to identify ways in which they can further
Reduce Reuse and Recycle.
‘ Whilst, Council has developed and driven the implementation
of this strategy, it is the residents of the shire who should
be congratulated for accepting and embracing it.’ |
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Nebo
Shire Council - A small rural council who never rests!
Nebo Shire Council in the mid-west of central Queensland is
an example to us all. With a population of only 2094 and three
towns located approximately 1 hour apart, it would be easy to
bury all their waste and forget about it. But the residents
of Glenden, Coppabella and Nebo, are avid recyclers and never
rest on their laurels when it comes to disposing of waste.
Since 1999 residents of Nebo Shire have increased the annual
amount of waste recycled from 22,500 kg to 42,360 kg, an increase
of around 95%! With split bins used in the towns and skips provided
for rural residents, their dedicated commitment to recycling
has resulted in an average of 14kg of materials recycled per
week against a national average of around 9.6kg.
Whilst the figures for steel can recycling have increased by
around 35% figures for steel can recycling per person are slightly
below the national average. However, through a number of targeted
activities under the management of recycling champion, Cr Wendy
Western, the Steel Can Recycling Council is looking forward
to seeing significant improvements in the future. Says Joe Stefano,
‘Nebo has such an impressive record for recycling and
with a little extra focus on steel cans there is no reason why
residents couldn’t overtake the national average.’
For further information please contact; Cr Wendy Western, Nebo
Shire Council on (07) 4958 9836 |
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Lord
Howe Island Board – Waste Management for an Isolated
Community
Lord Howe Island with a permanent population of 350 residents
and located 700kms due east of Sydney, provides a special
case in waste management due to their isolation. Prior to
July 2000, Lord Howe Island burned all their waste in a wire
cage with any residuals (such as steel cans) pushed through
holes in the bottom and landfilled.
Since then the Lord Howe Island Board has implemented a Waste
Minimisation and Management Strategy with the help of APrince
Consulting. The object of the strategy is to reduce landfill
by 86% by source separating into the following waste streams:
1. Reusables
2. Recyclables
3. Compostables
4. Residual Waste
With this strategy in place Lord Howe now recovers more than
85% of their waste and 97% of all steel cans. In addition
to their permanent residents, around 200 tourists visit the
island per week and on average around 120kg of steel cans
are collected per week. The cans along with other recyclate
are compacted and shipped to Maclean Shire Waste Transfer
and Recycle Station on the far north coast of NSW.
Key to the success of their strategy has been their education
program for both residents and visitors. For residents, the
Lord Howe Island School promotes and encourages education
about recycling and environmental awareness generally. For
visitors, the education process commences on the way over
on the plane through an information sheet. Once on the island
this process is continued by commercial accommodation providers
through their advice to visitors about appropriate disposal
of waste.
For more information about Lord Howe Island Board’s
Waste Minimisation Strategy please contact the Island’s
Waste Facility Co-ordinator, Geoffrey Thompson on 02 6563
2309 or lhib@bigpond.com
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Fairfield
City Council – Using groundbreaking UR-3R technology
With a population of 190,000 and one of Australia’s most
diverse population’s Fairfield Council has a huge job
ensuring residents are recycling as much as possible with low
contamination rates. Since the introduction of the revolutionary
UR-3R Alternative Waste Treatment Facility in September 2004,
Fairfield has increased their steel can recovery rate by 86%,
recycling a record 940.2 tonnes of steel cans in 2004/05. So
how do they do it? Council uses four different processes to
collect and process the steel element of their waste and recycling
streams.
1. Kerbside Recycling Service
Fairfield residents are provided with a 240l divided recycling
bin which are collected on a fortnightly basis. Steel is separated
from other recyclate via a magnetic process. The majority of
steel cans are recovered through this process.
2. UR-3R/AWT
Since September 2004 Fairfield’s Residential garbage,
collected weekly, has been processed by the new UR-3R Alternative
Waste Treatment facility at Eastern Creek Waste Management Centre.
At the UR-3R steel cans are removed from the garbage using a
mechanical magnetic process. The majority of steel cans left
in Fairfield’s garbage bins are recovered through this
service.
3. Recycling Drop Off Centre
The centre is open each weekend for Fairfield residents to drop-off
metal items (including large steel cans) that won’t fit
in their kerbside recycling bin.
4. Clean-up collection service
Some large steel cans are collected via this service.
“ Fairfield Council is leading the way in steel can recycling
through ground breaking services, infrastructure and education
specifically designed for Australia’s most diverse community,”
says Michelle McRae, Fairfield’s Environmental Education
Officer.
“ And today, the average Fairfield resident recycles 5.2kgs
of steel per year,” adds Michelle |
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