Mike Ritchie, Author at Inside Waste

How much should container deposit schemes be worth?

There is an active debate in the Australian recycling and packaging sectors about the design of our Container Deposit Schemes. The key issues include: 1. What should the rebate value be?
2. Should the schemes include wine and spirit bottles (glass) like QLD has just announced? Read More

Mike RitchieSeptember 9, 2024, 10:57 pmSeptember 10, 2024

Batteries, Clothing, Container deposit schemes, e-waste, Opinion, Packaging, Paint, Product Stewardship, Solar panels, Tyres

Which product stewardship schemes are most effective? Not many

The Evaluating Product Stewardship benefits and effectiveness – Summary Report, May 2023 (Institute for Sustainable Futures; ISF) fails to reveal many of the systemic problems suffered by Product Stewardship (PS) schemes in Australia.

Read More

Mike RitchieJune 24, 2024, 8:22 amJune 24, 2024

Landfills, Latest News, Levies

We should use the term “service fee” instead of “gate fee”

Most people in the waste/recycling/circular economy space, use the term “gate fee” to represent the fee charged at the front gate of a landfill, MRF, EfW, reprocessing facility, etc. Read More

Mike RitchieJune 3, 2024, 10:44 amJune 3, 2024

Landfills, Levies, Opinion

Why aren’t landfills listed as contaminated sites?

The NSW EPA defines contaminated sites as land, “Where a substance occurs at a concentration above the normal level. Exposure to some substances may affect the health of people, animals or plants and make land unsuitable for use.” Read More

Mike RitchieMay 9, 2024, 4:23 pmMay 10, 2024

Online Subscription, Opinion, Tasmania

Tasmania could achieve the National Waste Targets

The latest National Waste Data shows that Tasmania, on current trends, is about 300kt short of achieving the 80 per cent National Waste Target by 2030 (Fig 1). Basically, Tas needs to lift its current
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Mike RitchieApril 30, 2024, 9:01 amApril 30, 2024

Circular Economy, Darwin, Industry News, Northern Territory, Opinion

Northern Territory reducing waste to landfill

Over the last 15 years the Northern Territory (NT) has reduced its waste to landfill from 460kt/yr to 370 kt/yr (Fig 1.) So the trend is at least in the right direction. This is not true for most other states. Read More

Mike RitchieApril 19, 2024, 1:29 pmApril 19, 2024

Adelaide, Circular Economy, Opinion, South Australia

South Australia – the leader of the recycling pack

South Australia leads recycling rates in Australia. Table 1 shows a comparison of states based on the latest National Waste Action Plan report. Read More

Mike RitchieApril 9, 2024, 3:58 pmApril 10, 2024

ACT, Circular Economy, Commercial and industrial waste, Construction and Demolition waste, Latest News

ACT needs to move faster on waste reform

The ACT recycling rate is 50 per cent and therefore below the existing national average of 55 per cent. Without accelerated reform by the ACT Government, the Territory will also fail to achieve the National Waste Targets of 80 per cent resource recovery and a 50 per cent drop in organics to landfill. Read More

Mike RitchieMarch 7, 2024, 9:07 amMarch 20, 2024

Circular Economy, Latest News, Legislation, News, Packaging

Why the National Waste Action Plan targets won’t be met

On current trends we have no chance of achieving the National Waste Action Plan targets of 80 per cent diversion from landfill (Figure 1), 50 per cent recovery of organics and a 10 per cent reduction in per capita waste generation, all by 2030. Read More

Mike RitchieFebruary 27, 2024, 11:04 amFebruary 27, 2024

News, Online Subscription

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

Resource recovery and waste reform in Australia are incredibly slow and it need not be. We don’t have time for it to be. The waste/resource recovery sector plays a crucial part in reducing Australia’s
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Mike RitchieDecember 20, 2023, 3:36 pmJanuary 16, 2024