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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2228 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Previous attempts in Australia to set waste reduction targets have not been as bold, but the announcement of this target has inspired other governments to consider the possibility of eliminating all waste.

Of course, having a target and achieving it are two different things. The Greens have been concerned for some time that the previous Liberal government was not putting the effort that it should have into achieving this target. This was confirmed by a report of the Commissioner for the Environment in late 1999, who found that there was a lack of integration across government in the implementation of actions to help achieve the target, and that there was a need for a stronger whole-of-government commitment to achieving the target. I hope the Labor government takes on board these concerns, in determining future directions for waste management and reduction.

The closer we come to achieving the target, the harder it will become, as we will then have to deal with the most intractable forms of waste. Organic waste, however, can be readily recycled through composting. Some 23 per cent of the waste going to landfill is from household collections. The bio-bin study notes that the composition of household garbage bins includes 52 per cent of food and kitchen wastes. Getting this waste out of the landfill will make a significant contribution to the no waste target, as well as creating a source of compost to put back into gardens.

The study found that there was a decrease from 52 per cent food waste in bins, to an average of 20 per cent. This may not have been as successful as we would have liked. However, we need to acknowledge that this was only a trial, so commitment from residents was variable. For example, 10 per cent of residents in the area did not participate in the trial. I would expect a much higher rate of recycling if the scheme was ongoing and there was more education of residents as to the benefits of the new scheme.

I know there were a few problems with the trial, but the point of having a trial is to identify the problems and work out ways of overcoming them. Odour from the organic waste bins is a problem for some people. There was also a complaint that the change to a two-weekly collection of the residual bin was too infrequent. From the waste recycler's perspective, there was a problem with an increasing level of contamination in the organic waste as the trial went on. That may have been due to the knowledge that the trial was concluding. Again, if the scheme were ongoing, then the level of contamination would probably stabilise.

I note also that the bio-bins contained only about 10 to 15 per cent of kitchen waste and that residents dumped significant amounts of garden waste in the bins-primarily grass clippings and prunings. This indicates to me that the government should also look at the household collection of garden waste. There are three drop-off points for garden waste around Canberra, but these rely on residents being able to get their waste there. To me it would seem more efficient to have a coordinated system of household green waste collection, as well as providing greater incentives for residents to recycle garden waste.

I think the trial has shown that it is feasible to take organic waste out of the waste stream and have it recycled. There are a few implementation issues to be overcome, but I believe these can be resolved, with government commitment. I understand this issue is being taken up as part of a consideration of new household collection contracts.

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