#2023EFW
WORKSHOP

THE ROLE OF EFW IN MANAGING RESIDUAL WASTE

Government at all levels have committed to recovering 80% of resources by 2030.  Whilst we continue to pursue the ‘nirvana’ of products being placed on market that are designed to be reused, repaired and refurbished, the reality is we will have ‘residual’ materials and products that achieve none of these goals and will need to be managed at end of life far quicker than is ideal.  

As such, councils and businesses will be required to provide a ‘red bin’ service until well after 2030.  So where do we take this material?  Despite claims by some that EfW has the ability to cannibalise recycling, evidence from overseas has demonstrated that those countries that take a systems-based approach to material management, and have energy recovery as part of their facility offerings, have higher municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling and lower disposal rates. 

While in some states we face the real possibility of running out of landfill, the answer is not to simply build more.  Australia needs to move the paradigm and incorporate systems thinking and energy recovery into how we manage residual material. This will require new models of thinking and partnerships that enable the delivery of these facilities across the nation.

Australia has over 550 LGAs and each of them has its own unique set of challenges.  While everyone has heard about Energy from Waste, not everyone understands what it can (and can’t) do to help. This interactive workshop was designed to offer practical insights and learnings from here and overseas – from crunching the numbers, recognising the challenges for local government, understanding the different types of EfW that exist, through to waste contracting strategies, policy and regulatory settings, and more.

Chaired by:
Ed Nicholas - Executive Director, Tribe Infrastructure Group
Gayle Sloan - CEO, WMRR

Click on the word 'Presentation' under the speakers name to download a PDF of their slides.