10-year Waste Strategy focuses on sustainability

Transforming Henderson Waste Recovery Park (HWRP) into a Resource Recovery Precinct for the sustainable long-term management of waste is the focus of the City of Cockburn’s Waste Strategy 2020-2030.

The future precinct could increase the current 8 per cent resource recovery rate to 70 per cent. Its features would include a modern community drop-off facility, reuse shop, education centre, weighbridge and administration centre.

It could also lease sites for complimentary waste businesses to assist reprocessing and reuse of recovered materials like steel, green waste, timber, cardboard, mattresses and electronic waste.

Existing landfill space would be filled in and the landfill cells capped, leading to closure of the landfill business. It is proposed that the areas will be used for renewable energy infrastructure such as solar array and wind turbines. hese may in turn provide an inexpensive power source for the generation of renewable hydrogen for refuelling the City’s waste collection and light vehicle fleets.

The strategy aligns with the City’s recently adopted Climate Change Strategy 2020-2030 which aims for zero non-hazardous waste going to landfill by 2030, and with the three key objectives of the State Government’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030:

Avoid – Generate less waste  Recover – Recover more value and resources from waste Protect – Protect the environment by managing waste responsibly. Ongoing community waste education, much like previous and current programs and practices such as sustainability workshops, the schools waste education program and bin tagging will meet the changing needs of the community and the waste sector.

The City will conduct further community consultation to investigate options for bulk verge waste collections, following research that shows pre-booked bulk waste collection services can reduce waste tonnages and increase resource recovery.

City of Cockburn Engineering & Works Acting Director Anton Lees said the strategy sought to help implement the City’s vision for sustainable, long term waste management.

“Our vision is to lead and support a community that avoids waste generation, reduces environmental impacts and considers waste a valuable resource for recovery, reuse and recycling using the latest technology,” Mr Lees said.

The City collects and disposes of waste from about 43,000 households, including general waste, green waste, junk waste and recyclables, and its current population of 112,000 is projected to increase to over 170,000 by 2036.

Waste generation per capita in Australia is increasing by 1 per cent each year, coinciding with an increasing landfill levy in WA and finite remaining landfill capacity.

The strategy outlines a new waste future following the City’s withdrawal from the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council, the transition to Energy from Waste for general waste from the kerbside red lid bin, a third bin for garden waste, the introduction of a 140L general waste bin across the City, and the incorporation of smart technology for improved efficiency of waste collections.

The projected capital works and operational cost of implementing the strategy in coming decades is in excess of $27.3m with the majority of reserve funds required to construct the proposed Cockburn Recovery Precinct, and cap and manage Henderson’s three uncapped landfill cells.

For more information, read the Waste Strategy 2020-2030 opens in a new window.