Attachment 1

Discussion Paper

City of Monash – Waste Management Strategy

1. Introduction

PLC Consulting Pty Ltd (PLC) has been engaged by the City of Monash (Council) to prepare a Waste Management Strategy for Council that will guide the way Council manages waste in the municipality over the next ten years.

There have been a number of significant changes since the last strategy was prepared approximately 20 years ago including:

Growth in the number of Multi Unit Developments (MUDs);

The recent introduction of Rate Capping and its effect on services;

The impending implementation of the comingled green / organics bin;

Closure of local landfills;

The increasing cost of the EPA landfill levy; and

Separation of the waste organic stream into green, recyclable and residual wastes each requiring separate management.

In addition, the Metropolitan Waste Resource Recovery Group is having an increasingly active role in the industry and is actively driving a number of initiatives including collective contracting for waste services and the introduction of Food Organics Green Organics (FOGO) which is an initiative to divert domestic organics from landfill and instead incorporate this into the existing green organics waste stream.

The objectives of the Waste Management Strategy (WMS) are to:

• Comply with Government policies;

• Decrease waste generation (council and community);

• Increase resource recovery rates and diversion from landfill;

• Optimise opportunities for community engagement;

• Incorporate the Community’s vision into future waste services and cost options;

• Promote discussion in the community regarding a separate waste charge option; and

• Facilitate the introduction of Food Organics Green Organics (FOGO).

The scope of the WMS) is summarised below:

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Table 1 Scope

Scope Detail

Infrastructure Transfer Station / Resource Recovery centres;

Pit upgrades including automated waste loading and

separation; and

Consolidation points.

Existing and proposed residential

and Commercial collections Recyclables;

Organics;

Hard waste & prunings;

Residual waste (for landfill);

MUDs; and

Litter & recyclable street collections.

Services Litter Management;

Dumped Rubbish;

Street sweeping;

Engagement and education;

Customer service; and

Internal Services-Green waste disposal;

High pressure cleaning of public places;

Drain cleaning and graffiti; and

Engagement with Monash Pride volunteer group

Data Waste stream quantities;

Population;

Trends;

Areas of concern; and

Areas of savings.

Challenges and opportunities Rate capping;

Organics;

MUDs;

Monash University end of year hard waste dumping;

Aged Residential units;

Commercial/Industrial properties (level of service);

Introduction/promotion of Waste Charge option;

Maintain post closure of landfills;

Natural disasters; and

Climate change.

Waste Transfer Station services Accepted materials;

Cost structure;

Challenges with the limited size of the site; and

Waste recycling arrangements.

Strategic framework Council Plan, Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2015

and other policies;

Victorian Government; and

Commonwealth Government.

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Challenges include:

Combining food with green waste collections (proposed for 2019);

Changes arising from the South Eastern Regional Green Organics Contract;

Population growth arising from an increase in Multi Unit Developments (MUD’s);

Improving participation in a Culturally and Linguistically diverse (CALD) community;

Alternative Collection arrangements for MUD’s;

Further landfill closures on the South Eastern side of Melbourne (specifically Fraser Road Landfill and ultimately Hallam Road Landfill) forcing council to transport waste to the west of Melbourne;

No new landfills proposed in regional Victoria;

Increased landfill compliance and Landfill levy costs passed on from landfill operators;

Hard waste collection changes with the proposed E-Waste and mattress collection costs and the option of an additional user pays at-call collection or other delivery options; and

Increasing community expectations for environmental sustainable waste management practices.

Opportunities include:

Collective procurement contracts with other Councils;

Increasing opportunities for resource recovery and increased landfill diversions;

New opportunities to engage with community (more willing to listen); and

Opportunity to restructure waste-related budgets in Council.

2. Vision and Goals

Innovation opportunities New technologies such as organics processing

Costing Introduction of the Waste Charge option

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The Monash Council Plan 2013-2017 states the following vision, mission and key directions:

Key Directions:

Ensuring our city has inviting places and spaces;

Achieving a healthy and active Monash;

Fostering confident, connected communities; and

Taking action for our future.

3. Priorities and Objectives

Council’s policy documents do not contain specific objectives relating to waste management. However, to implement Council’s stated objectives there are aspects of waste management to be considered.

Table 2 Council Objectives

Vision: An inviting City, diverse and alive with activity, designed for a bright future

Mission: Making a difference through community commitment, expertise and leadership

Key Objective Actions to Achieve Objective

Enhanced parks, open

spaces and trails across

Monash

Reduced litter in open spaces; and

Lowered impacts on climate change through improved waste

management.

Increased use of our parks,

spaces and leisure facilities

Reduced litter in open spaces;

Street sweeping services; and

Community behaviour change programs.

Our natural and built

environment is protected

Sustainable waste management is implemented;

Increased waste recovery and recycling (soft plastics);

Lowered impacts on climate change through improved waste

management; and

Less waste sent to landfill.

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Council’s objectives address only environmental and social considerations. Actions to address Council’s objectives to be incorporated into the WMS include:

Environmental

Access and safety needs are

attended

Equitable access to waste services;

Planning for future waste service needs;

Improved infrastructure to support growing population;

Reduce manual handling of bins; and

Ensure bin locations are accessible and safe.

Community concerns about

personal safety are positively

addressed

Community engagement with council planning;

Management of hazardous wastes in public places (e.g. syringe

disposal); and

Regulating tools (i.e. litter officer)

Our local economy is more

resilient

Generation of more jobs through new/improved waste and

recycling industry; and

Increased recycling to make use of valuable waste which would

otherwise go to landfill

Impacts of the density of

residential developments are

monitored and manage

Better management of MUDs waste servicing;

Better access to MUDs collection bins;

Review of bin sizing for more effective waste collection;

Better communication between service providers and

residents of MUDs; and

Revised and implemented policies which govern waste

planning in new developments.

Innovation and adaptability

is cultivated

Innovation in RRC/TS to promote higher recycling rates and

less waste to landfill;

Support the introduction of new technologies,

Removal of regulatory barriers to new technologies; and

Innovation in the conversion of organics to energy.

Activity Centres across

Monash remain vibrant

Increased waste collection at Activity Centres by ensuring

recycling bins are present.

A stronger sense of

community is fostered

within local areas

Reduced litter in public spaces to foster sense of community;

Community engagement within council plans; and

Community education reinforcing values in parallel with waste

diversion messages.

Investment in our children

and young people is

continued

Creating a more sustainable waste industry by reducing waste

to landfill and increasing recycled materials; and

Creation of jobs through an improved and increased waste and

recycling industry.

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Sustainable waste management:

• Increased recovery and recycling / diversion from landfill;

• Support implementation of new technology (e.g. Energy from Waste); and

• More collection opportunities.

Reducing litter in open/public spaces:

• Street sweeping:

Impacts on drainage; and

Streets not swept by VicRoads.

• Management of hazardous waste (e.g. syringes).

Lowering impact on climate change.

Social

Community behaviour change programs:

• Engagement;

• Education; and

• Regulation.

Equitable access to waste services;

Planning for future waste disposal needs;

OHS management for waste management activities;

MUD waste management;

Employment opportunities; and

Services to commercial sector, particularly restaurants for food recovery.

Financial

Discussions with Council staff indicates a major consideration is finance. The introduction of rate capping means Council needs to decide whether they will continue the current approach of not listing waste charges on the rates notice thereby bringing waste charges under the rate cap. Council has the option to separate out waste charges on the rates notices which excludes these charges from the capping constraints. Council is concerned that this may generate unnecessary concerns within the community. Council values community satisfaction very highly however escalating costs and rate capping may require reduction in services if charge is not introduced.

Options for the waste charge may include:

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Linking to Capital Improved Value;

Common charge to every serviced property;

Environmental charge; and

No charge.

4. Waste and Resource Recovery in the City of Monash

The total waste profile is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Domestic Waste Tonnages

4.1 Household Waste Services

Household waste services operate under a number of different contracts, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Waste Service Contracts

Service Contractor Contract

Number

Commencement

Date

Period

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Domestic waste tonnages are presented in Figure 2.

Domestic and

Commercial

Garbage

SOLO Resource

Recovery

Wyndham Council

Landfill from Dec

2015

CF 2010

122A

1 April 2011

7+1+1 years.

April 2020

Assumed food waste in

green waste collection

for next contract

Recycling

Collection

SOLO Resource

Recovery

CF 2010

122B

1 April 2011 7+1+1 years

Recycling

Disposal

VISY Recycling CF 2010

122D

1 April 2011 7+1+1 years

Green Waste

Collection

SOLO Resource

Recovery

CF 2010

122D

1 April 2011 7+1+1 years

Green Waste

Disposal

MWRRG South East

Organics contract

April 2017 15 years

Assumed food waste in

green waste collection

for next contract

Annual Hard

Waste Collection

WM Waste

Management

CF

2014049

(August-

September)

2014/15

3+1+1 years

Annual Hard

Waste Disposal

MWRRG SE

Regional Contract

April 2017

July 2017 Options currently under

consideration

Manufacture and

Supply of Bins

and Spare Parts

Trident Plastics Pty

Ltd

CF 2015

093

April 2015 2+1 years

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Figure 2 Domestic Waste Tonnages

4.1.1 Kerbside Residual Waste

Council pays the collection contractor by the number of bins they emptied (bin lifts). Over the ten years from 2006 to 2016 the number of bins in circulation increased by approximately 6% but the number of times they were emptied (bin lifts) increased by approximately 10%. This indicates that the increase in the number of lifts is only partly driven by the number of bins in circulation. The remainder is likely to be that residents are putting bins out more regularly.

Over a corresponding period the tonnage of residual waste increased by 8%. Collection costs increased by 22% which may be due in part to increased travel distances. Disposal costs have been highly variable resulting from changes in the landfill sector (Figure 3). Disposal costs in the last financial year were lower than at any time in the preceding 10 years due to favourable contracts. It is considered that the landfill market will continue its volatility for the foreseeable future.

Figure 3 Domestic Residual Waste Costs

4.1.2 Kerbside Recycling Collection Service

The decrease in income is attributed to trends of light-weight packaging and a reduction in print media which is reducing the tonnage collected (Figure 4). This is an industry-wide trend. Contamination rates within recycling bins are below 4%, with the main contaminants

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being plastic bags. Plastic bags are classified as ‘soft plastics’, and cannot be accepted by some recyclers. This is an industry-wide problem.

Figure 4 Domestic Recycling Costs and Income

4.1.3 Kerbside Green Waste Collection Service

Green waste tends to fluctuate more than other waste types due to weather patterns and seasons which affect plant growth. This fluctuation directly affects the disposal costs, which also shows the increasing cost of collection for green waste (Figure 5).

Figure 5 Domestic Organics Disposal and Collection Costs

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4.1.4 Annual Hard Waste

Monash Council undertakes one annual hard waste collection between August and September each year, and suburbs receive their collection at a scheduled time over this six-week period.

Figure 6 Hard Waste Tonnages

The recent increase in scrap metal, shown in Figure 6, is attributed to a decrease in scavenging rates because of lower metal prices. The income from sale of scrap metal also offset disposal costs for that collection (Figure 7)

Figure 7 Cost of Annual Hard Waste Service

Council wishes to consider options to other arrangements such as an At Call Service, additional collections for Monash University students and rental properties.

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4.1.5 Change Drivers and Impacts

Increasing population densification:

• Greater proportion of waste stream coming from MUDs; and

• Increased volumes of waste to dispose.

Increasing intervention by MWRRG:

• Levelling out of contractual variations through collective contracting.

Further landfill closures:

• Increased transport (therefore collection) costs;

• Increased disposal costs (may be countered by collective contracting); and

• Disposal to alternative disposal facilities (e.g. Energy from Waste).

Increasing waste levy resulting in increasing disposal costs;

Introduction of food waste in green organics bin (FOGO):

• Possible changes to collections (e.g. residual fortnightly, organics weekly);

• Odour management issues; and

• Diversion of most organic waste from landfill.

Community behaviour change programs:

• Community expectations of sustainability;

• Council may need to subsidise waste diversion if commercial options are not available;

• Changes to Transfer Station to increase diversions; and

• Increases in Transfer Station fees due to landfill costs potentially driving increase in illegal dumping.

Change to At Call Hard Waste:

• Decreased participation rate;

• Increased value of materials recovered; and

• Increased collection costs

Option to introduce a waste charge on rates notices:

• Increased community focus; and

• Demand for smaller bins.

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4.2 Commercial Waste Services

Commercial properties are provided a 240L mobile bin for waste collection and are given the option to receive a recycling service at an additional cost. Many commercial properties also utilize private commercial waste collections.

Currently there are differences in the level of service provided to commercial properties across the municipality (legacy of historic Council amalgamations) but Council is actively working to address this.

Figure 8 Actual Number of Commercial Bins in Operation

The number of weekly bin services for residual waste shows a decline since 2013 (Figure 8). This suggests that the weekly collection service is not sufficient for commercial tenements and so they are opting for a private waste service. However, for the twice weekly service in Waverley, the bin numbers are increasing, as are the numbers of recycling bins. The recycling service tonnages reflect the lack of services to these tenements (Figure 9).

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Figure 9 Commercial Waste Tonnages

4.2.1 Change Drivers and Impacts

Increasing population densification:

• Increased volumes of waste to dispose;

Lack of adequate recycling collections for commercial properties;

Potential to include large cardboard recycling bins in key locations;

Further landfill closures:

• Increased transport (therefore collection) costs; and

• Increased disposal costs (may be countered by collective contracting)

4.3 Waste Transfer Station

The Monash Waste Transfer and Recycling Station is located at 380 Ferntree Gully Rd, Notting Hill and open 7 days a week. The transfer station services residents and businesses as well as Council contractors. The number of customers has been steadily increasing with the exception of a downturn attributed to the GFC (Figure 10).

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Figure 10 Transfer Station Customer Numbers

The tonnages of major categories of materials received by the Transfer Station is presented in Figure 11.

Figure 11 Transfer Station Waste Composition 2015/16

4.3.1 Changer Drivers and Impacts

Increasing population densification:

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• Increasing MUDs, fewer trailers – decrease domestic portion of transfer station waste; and

• University students.

Further landfill closures:

• Increased transport (therefore collection) costs; and

• Increased disposal costs (may be countered by collective contracting).

Community expectations of sustainability:

• Changes to Transfer Station to increase diversions; and

• Increases in Transfer Station fees potentially driving increase in illegal dumping.

Change to At Call Hard Waste:

• Decreased participation rate; and

• Increased value of materials recovered;

Smaller blocks (less access to larger vehicles or utes).

5 Consultation, Engagement and Involvement Process

1. Initial notification via Monash’s newsletter.

a. Invite those interested to contact liaison officer

2. Community survey

a. On-line through Council website

b. At festivals and parks (undertaken by Council officers)

3. Workshop 1 Council Stakeholders

4. Workshops 2-4 Community workshops (respondents to earlier communications) at Council venue

5. Environment Advisory Committee