Burnside subsidiary leads in recovery of recycling

Published on 12 July 2019

The City of Burnside's waste and resource management subsidiary, East Waste, will lead the way in the recovery and resurgence of recycling after last year’s China Sword shutdown on imports of recycling.

 It is the first long-term recycling contract in South Australia since China Sword triggered a recycling crisis throughout Australia and around the world.

East Waste, which collects more than 20 percent of Adelaide’s 120,000 tonnes of kerbside recycling, has struck a ground-breaking recycling contract with resource recovery processor Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA).

Under the contract, the recyclables that East Waste collects from homes and commercial premises will be processed at the lowest possible cost and with transparent public reporting on where recycling materials end up.

There also is an assurance that all East Waste recycling will be processed within Australia as a result of NAWMA’s commitment to next year achieve 100 percent onshore resource recovery processing.

This is a significant advance in the circular economy that minimises waste and makes the most of community resources.

East Waste is a subsidiary of the Cities of Burnside, Campbelltown, Mitcham, Norwood, Payneham & St Peters and Prospect, the Town of Walkerville and the Adelaide Hills Council.  NAWMA is a subsidiary of the Cities of Playford and Salisbury and the Town of Gawler.

The two subsidiaries have agreed to an unprecedented contractual concept in which the risks and the rewards are shared. If gate prices for recycling rise, the benefit is shared and, if prices are depressed, the impost is also shared.

The agreement also provides transparency on where recycling materials end up - a topic that is difficult for private companies as they will not divulge information for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

With NAWMA, there is no such constraint so the partner councils can confidently and openly report to their communities. This transparency provides reassurance to our community that their recycling efforts are honoured all the way up the chain.