ALGA 2022 Motion: Yes to the Circular Economy and No to Incinerators

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Update 8 June 2022: 

Motions 61 and 61.1 on pages 175/6/7 of the business papers for the 28th National General Assembly (NGA) to be held 19 - 22 June 2022 

 Motion number 61 Randwick City Council NSW
This National General Assembly calls on the Australian Government to:
1. Establish a program to fund and support councils to transition their communities to a
zero-waste circular economy, in which there is no place for incinerators (including waste
to energy incinerators) or the incineration of medical waste; and
2. Remove incinerators from the Australian Renewable Energy Target and remove native
forest biomass as a renewable component of bioenergy/fuel and its eligibility for subsidy.
OBJECTIVE
This motion addresses the following key questions in the 2022 discussion paper:

1. Climate Change: How do we work together to ensure that there is local adaptation to
climate change and climate extremes? What partnerships are available to achieve climate
neutrality?
2. The Circular Economy: How could the Australian Government partner with local
government to advance the circular economy? What new programs could the Australian
Government partner with local government to progress these objectives?
KEY ARGUMENTS
Incinerators produce toxic emissions which reduce air quality, generate highly toxic ash
residues, and establish markets for non-renewable waste as fuel streams. Local
communities around Australia, including in the Sydney Basin, are opposing the construction
of Incinerators in their neighbourhoods.
Waste as fuel is non-renewable, and plants elsewhere in the world have struggled to source
a fuel stream, making this technology unreliable as an energy source. It contradicts
avoidance, reuse, recycling, and a circular economy.
Our local communities are keen to play their part in resource recovery, and federal funding
would assist councils to innovate through pilot projects, community programs and programs
in schools.
Councils collect public, domestic, and business waste as well as generating their own
operational and construction waste, and as such play a crucial role in the realising of a
circular economy. Councils need support to evaluate new policies and practices before
incorporating them into their own operations. Funding would also assist councils to create
processes and practices to increase recycling, and to procure and use recycled products in
council construction projects.

 
Motion number 61.1 Inner West Council NSW
This National General Assembly calls on the Australian Government to say Yes to the
Circular Economy and No to Incinerators.
OBJECTIVE
Partnerships are vital to the transition to a circular economy, and councils are uniquely
placed when it comes to recovery and reuse of what, until now, has been considered waste.
KEY ARGUMENTS
Waste incinerators degrade air quality, produce large quantities of greenhouse gases and
discharge toxic heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, e.g., dioxins, that do not
break down and build up in people, thereby harming their health as well as the
environment. Incinerators generate highly toxic ash that cannot be treated or recycled and
must be stored forever in a hazardous waste landfill.
Once established, the ever-increasing demand of incinerators for fuel kills off any
downstream reuse and recycling initiatives and establishes a market for otherwise
recyclable material as a fuel stream. This completely contradicts the principles of avoidance,
reuse and recycling and prevents the creation of a circular economy.
Our local communities are keen to play their part in resource recovery, and federal funding
would assist councils to innovate through pilot projects, community programs and programs
in schools.
Councils collect public, domestic, and business waste as well as generating their own
operational and construction waste, and as such play a crucial role in the realising of a
circular economy but need support to evaluate new policies and practices before rolling
them into their operation.
Examples include smart electric garbage trucks and bins for collection, micro factories for
local processing and streaming to improve resource recovery, aligning labelling with
collections, and informing consumers through projects at ouncil facilities and events, and
aligning labelling with drop-offs and collections.
Funding would also assist councils to innovate processes and practices to avoid, reduce and
increase recycling and the procurement and use of recycled products in community
construction projects as well as their own.

Source: https://www.conferenceco.com.au/ALGA_NGA/NGA22-BusinessPapers-WEB.pdf

Waste-to-energy facility ruled out for Wallerawang, NSW, but industry could proceed nearby Posted Wed 25 May 2022 at 10:26am  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-25/wallerawang-waste-to-energy-plans-scrapped-nsw/101094346

ALGA 2022 Motion: Yes to the Circular Economy and No to Incinerators (9/3/22, 15:59)

Thankyou to Chris Hansen, Lisa Saunders and Marina Antoniozzi for coming to speak to last night's council meeting on Item4 that Inner West Council send the Yes to the Circular Economy and No to Incinerators Motion to the Australian Local Govermemt Association Conference

The three 3 minute presentations provided compelling reasons why all levels of government should be moving toward the Circular Economy and not the Incineration of Waste. Watch recording at https://www.youtube.com/embed/LHCWzSioLDA?start=751

2022 National General Assembly Proposed Motion FROM INNER WEST COUNCIL

MOTION TITLE: Yes to the Circular Economy and No to Incinerators 

MOTION DETAILS: That ALGA advocate to the Australian government to:

  1. Establish a program to fund and support councils to transition their communities to a Zero Waste Circular Economy, in which there is no place for incinerators. Eligible pilot projects include:

    • Smarter electric garbage trucks and bins for specialised kerbside collection

    • Promoting the implementation of FOGO collection programs

    • Establishing micro factories for local processing and streaming of recovered materials

    • Consumer Awareness Programs through innovation at council parks, main streets, facilities and events

    • Inclusion of at least 50% recycled materials and products in procurement

    • Aligning labelling with drop offs and collections

    • Promoting Circular Economy in schools including a STEM prize

    • Enabling Councils to undertake Circular Economy pilots in partnership with universities

    • Establishing Circular Economy incubators with links to small business

  1. Remove incinerators from the Australian Renewable Energy Target (RET) and remove native forest biomass as a renewable component of bioenergy/fuel and its eligibility for subsidy.

NATIONAL OBJECTIVE

Partnerships are vital to the transition to a Circular Economy and Councils are uniquely placed when it comes to recovery and reuse of what until now has been considered as waste.

SUMMARY OF KEY ARGUMENTS

Waste incinerators degrade air quality, produce large quantities of greenhouse gases and discharge toxic heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, e.g. dioxins, that do not break down and build up in people, thereby harming their health as well as the environment. Incinerators generate highly toxic ash that cannot be treated or recycled and must be stored forever in a hazardous waste landfill.

Once established the ever-increasing demand of incinerators for fuel kills off any downstream reuse and recycling initiatives and establishes a market for otherwise recyclable material as a fuel stream. This completely contradicts the principles of avoidance, reuse and recycling and prevents the creation of a circular economy.

Our local communities are keen to play their part in resource recovery and federal funding would assist councils to innovate through pilot projects, community programs and programs in schools.

Since Councils collect public, domestic and business waste as well as generating their own operational and construction waste and as such play a crucial role in the realising of a Circular Economy but need support to evaluate new policies and practices before rolling them into their operation

Examples being smart electric garbage trucks and bins for collection, micro factories for local processing and streaming to improve resource recovery, aligning labelling with collections and informing consumers through projects at Council facilities and events and aligning labelling with drop offs and collections.

Funding would also assist councils to innovate processes and practices to avoid, reduce and increase recycling and the procurement and use of recycled products in community construction projects as well as their own.

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