Victoria, Australia, headed for hi-tech waste management makeover
As part of the Brumby Government's 2008 Innovation Statement the state of Victoria in Australia will face a AUS $10 million overhaul of its waste management practices. This news follows the release of the draft Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Strategic Plan in May this year.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings has said: 'The Victorian Advanced Resource Recovery Initiative (VARRI) will explore the use of new waste recovery technology to process Melbourne's waste into clean energy and product such as compost. This will help ensure Melbourne meets its target of recovering 65 per cent of municipal waste by 2014. We want to cut the amount of organic waste going to landfill, cut greenhouse emissions from landfill methane and create new products for sale.
'Sending valuable resources, such as food and organic waste, to landfill is a lost opportunity for the environment and the economy. In landfill, wastes decompose and produce methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
'The first phase of VARRI will involve working with the Metropolitan Waste Management Group, local government and the waste industry to explore options for new technology to recover valuable resources and cut waste going to landfill.
'The VARRI process will look for the best technologies and the most effective way to introduce them. The business case will kick-start establishment of alternative waste facilities for metropolitan Melbourne and our aim is for construction of two facilities to start by 2010.'
Source: Waste Management World, http://www.waste-management-world.com/