Covid-19 fails to disrupt LG kerbside waste/recycling collections

While Covid‑19 challenged the financial viability of many
local governments, none reduced waste services and only a very few adjusted
recycling collection schedules, the Australian Local Government Association has
reported.

Assessing
the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on kerbside waste collection and
recycling services, ALGA said that “while there was anecdotal
evidence of increased
kerbside waste disposal due to increased consumption of takeaway and home‑delivered
food, there was no
evidence of any disruptions to collection services”.

The appraisal was prepared for the National Waste Report 2020, commissioned by the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment DAWE and published late last year.

The report is the fifth in the series that began in 2010, and provides a summary of the status of waste in Australia in 2018-19, including data on waste generation, source streams, materials, and fates.

According to ALGA, implementing the updated National Waste
Policy through the action plan “offers an unprecedented opportunity to create a
circular economy.

“New infrastructure, such as paper processing and chemical
plastic recycling plants, will need to be sited appropriately and with
consideration for a web of new waste hubs in regional Australia and their
transport needs.

“Where waste is to be incorporated into new roads, federal
action will be required to harmonise standards. Education programs around
curtailing food waste should be harmonised nationally to ensure there is no
mixed messaging or duplication, and the hypothecation of waste levies
considered to ensure recycling is sufficiently resourced.

ALGA has warned, however, that the introduction of the national waste export ban represents a significant challenge.

To avoid stockpiling or increasing waste to landfills, ALGA
says new markets will have to be found for low‑value waste both in terms of
processing plants and products to incorporate recycled feedstock.

 Key areas of focus
will be:

• driving demand for recycled products through
  government procurement policies;
• supporting improved infrastructure capabilities
  at materials processing facilities; and
• encouraging residents to continue or improve
  good waste management practices.