The City’s long term approach to waste management

News Update 4 October 2018

As a City we must think innovatively and in partnership with other local government authorities to develop long term waste management solutions.

It is no longer feasible to consider landfill as the long term solution to managing general waste. As our population continues to grow, the City must consider alternatives to landfill for the disposal of general household waste. 

In partnership with the Rivers Regional Council (RRC), Phoenix Energy and the Cities of Armadale, Gosnells, Mandurah and Canning, and the Shire of Murray, the City has been working towards the development of Australia’s first Waste to Energy (WtE) plant. 

The WtE plant will help the City significantly reduce its reliance on landfill disposal; making a step change towards achieving its zero waste objective.

Your waste will not go to waste

The average green bin placed on a verge for collection contains enough waste to produce up to 14% of a household’s weekly power needs.

WtE will use thermal processes to break down general waste into a fraction of its original size. This generates baseload renewable energy (such as steam), which can then be used to generate electricity.  
 
The advantages of Waste to Energy include:
  • Landfill avoidance: The City’s goal is to divert almost all of the residential rubbish which cannot be recycled through other means, to the WtE plant.
  • Energy recovery: in the form of clean renewable electricity generation. Unlike solar and wind generation, WtE plants are a unique source of continuous renewable energy.
  • Recycling: through the recovery of metals from the ash by-product, i.e. the capture of metals which are not recovered by kerbside recycling collection services.
  • Reprocessing and reuse: through the proposed conversion of the solid ash by-product of combustion into bricks and pavers and/or used as construction aggregate.

Why we are choosing Waste to Energy over three-bins

As traditional forms of waste disposal change, costs rise and landfill sites become scarce, the City is faced with increasing challenges in delivering effective and sustainable waste management.

Better Bins, commonly referred to as the three-bin system, is a State Government program which provides funds to local governments to support higher waste recovery, including general waste, co-mingled recycling and organic / green waste.

After assessing the Better Bins option, the City and its Rivers Regional Council partners determined it was not the preferred option for the following reasons: 

  • Despite financial support from the State Government, it presents a significant cost to ratepayers that does not appear, at this stage, to justify the environmental and social benefits gained – high cost - low benefit.
  • It provides increased capacity to generate more household waste at a time when households are are being encouraged to reduce household waste.
  • The lack of available space for some households to store an additional bin on their properties.

  • Additional truck movements in residential streets, creating a risk, and increasing wear on roads.

  • Increases transport carbon emissions. 

How the City is helping you manage your garden waste

The City’s green waste initiatives are taking your green waste and recycling it into free mulch for all residents to use on their gardens.

The City has a number of initiatives and services available to residents to manage the disposal and recycling of green waste.  

Reusable recycling bags: The City's Recycling Centre offers free large, reusable recycling bags for residents which can be used for green waste or recyclable material. These materials are shredded and composted into garden mulch. Bags can be collected and returned to the Recycling Centre during opening hours. 
 
Green waste verge-side collection: Each year the City offers residents spring and autumn green waste verge-side collections. These collections enable the City to gather and provide a cleaner, better quality of raw product for mulching, avoiding the potential of contaminated or poor quality green waste being placed in a third bin.
 
The clean waste collected and mulched from these two initiatives is available to residents at no cost.
 
Further information about the City’s green waste recycling initiatives can be found on its website.  
 

Contact us

For more information, please contact the City or Make a Request online.
  • Phone 9474 0777