Assessment of Resource Recovery Systems

The Assessment of Domestic Waste and Recycling Systems is the first cost-benefit analysis of the environmental and economic benefits of kerbside recycling systems in NSW.

The study was jointly funded by the NSW Government and industry under the National Packaging Covenant and the Publishers National Environment Bureau. It provides an up-to-date analysis of the estimated environmental costs and benefits of collection, transport, disposal and reprocessing for four recycling collection systems commonly used in NSW, as well as two less common systems.

The study also modelled the processing of residual waste (garbage) for each recycling scenario using two different Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) technologies:

• Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)
• Thermal Treatment technologies.

The findings of this study have been incorporated into the Preferred Resource Recovery Practices by Local Councils.

Assessment of Domestic Waste and Recycling Systems - Summary (2005148_gov_wasterecysys.pdf; 900kb)

Assessment of Domestic Waste and Recycling Systems - Full Report (SPD_gov_0403_wasterecysysrpt.pdf; 2.95MB)

The Assessment of Garden Organics Collection Systems provides an up-to-date analysis of options for dealing with garden organics, allowing Councils to easily assess the best system for their area. This study was undertaken as an adjunct to the previous assessment of domestic waste and recycling systems.

The study includes estimates of the environmental costs and benefits of collection, transport, processing and beneficial use/disposal for three common collection systems for metropolitan Councils with both high and low garden waste generation rates, as well as for rural/regional Councils.

The study also modeled the processing of residual waste (garbage) for each scenario using two different Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) technologies:

• Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)
• Thermal Treatment technologies.

The findings of this study have been incorporated into the Preferred Resource Recovery Practices by Local Councils.

Assessment of Garden Organics Collection Systems - Summary (2005138_gov_orgcollectsys.pdf; 1.2MB)

Assessment of Garden Organics Collection Systems - Full Report (2005137_gov_orgcollectsysrpt.pdf; 511kb)

The Assessment of (Domestic) Food Organics Management report is provided as an information resource to assist councils with their decision analysis process when considering local and regional waste management and resource recovery options.

The report is the third in a series of Triple Bottom Line (TBL) assessments commissioned by OEH on aspects of domestic waste management. The other two reports, as outlined above, are

• Assessment of Domestic Waste and Recycling Systems and

• Assessment of Garden Organics Collection Systems

It is recommended that this Assessment of (Domestic) Food Organics Management report be read in the context of the two previous reports and not considered in isolation.

The report has analysed a number of collection system scenarios and processing/disposal options for both Garden Organics and Food Organics and includes estimates of the costs and benefits of collection, transport, processing and beneficial re-use.

The organics collection systems analysed are:

• No garden organics collection;

• Fortnightly garden organics collection; and

• Weekly food and garden organics collection.

The report also considers the processing of organics as part of the residual waste stream (garbage) through Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) Technology.

The Assessment of (Domestic) Food Organics Management (2007153_tblassessment.pdf; 816)

Co-Collection of Domestic Food Waste and Garden Organics - the Australian Experience

The co-collection of domestic food waste and garden organics is conducted by a number of municipalities in Australia. In addition, many trials of this service have been conducted.

This report summarises and interprets the outcomes and lessons learned from initiatives conducted to date and is aimed at assisting those Councils considering the introduction of a trial or service. Summaries of trial reports, relevant research and interviews with council officers and processors are included as well as an international review.

The co-collection of domestic food waste and garden organics (200722_cocollectionorganics.pdf; 183kb)

More information

Contact: Sustainability Programs Division.

Note: This page includes materials published by the former Resource NSW. Enquiries regarding Resource NSW, its programs or publications should be directed to the Sustainability Programs Division.