Shoalhaven council embarks on smart approach to recycling

New and easily deployed technology able to extract value-added materials from problematic waste streams is about to be trialled on the NSW South Coast.

Dubbed “micro-cycling
science”, the novel technology was developed by the University of NSW’s
Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre with support from
the Australian Research Council.

The technology is deployed via a decentralised delivery model, with custom-designed small modules able to transform e-waste and other streams into feedstock resources for manufacturers and other 3D printing users.

The modular
micro-factories can operate on a site as small as 50 square metres and be
located wherever waste may be stockpiled.

Because of
the lack of kerbside municipal waste collection and recycling services in
regional and remote Australia, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
maintains it is essential that the Commonwealth lead and coordinate a national
program of investment in advanced waste processing infrastructure and regional
waste hubs.

The SMaRT demonstration
plant in Nowra, costing about $1 million, will be able to produce about 450
tonnes of green ceramic products a year using materials such as mattresses and
glass.

Half of the establishment cost is coming via a Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) grant and a co-contribution from the NSW state government, with industry putting up the other $500,000.

A Shoalhaven
City Council spokesperson said the plant will be financially viable within two
years of operation.

SMaRT
Centre director Veena Sahajwalla says micro-factories are a viable alternative to
burning and burying waste items containing metal alloys and micromaterials that
can otherwise be transformed into value-added substances or products.   

“These micro-factories
can transform the manufacturing landscape, especially in remote locations where
typically the logistics of having waste transported or processed are
prohibitively expensive,” she said.