Municipal Solid
Waste: Is it
Garbage or Gold?
VISHANTHINI KANASAN
Centre for Global Sustainable
Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia
THITICHAYA BOONSOM
Faculty of Environmental
Management, Prince of Songkla
University Thailand
______________________________
ProSPER.Net Leadership for Urban
Sustainable Development
Programme 2018
12-16 November 2018
Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology

2

By 2050, urban dwellers probably will account for 86 per cent of the population in developed countries
(UNPD, 2012a).
Solid-waste management is the single largest budget item for many cities
(World Bank, 2012; UN-HABITAT, 2010).
Why solid waste management is important?

Melbourne Waste Facts
2014-2015 Financial Year Residential
Waste: 23,000 tonnes, 8,0000 tonnes
collected for recycling and composting.
Food waste is one of major component of
general waste stream.
Recyclables such as packaging are yet to
be recycled effectively.
35 waste and recycling collection
companies with permit in central city
area.
Estimated 2% of total 7.2 million tonnes
of generated CO2-3 attributed to waste
sector in 2012-2013.
Councils current expenditure on waste
services - $10m per annum, with tipping
fees including landfill levy at $3.5m
Population 5,000,000 (2018)
• Density 500/km
2
(1,300/sq mi)
Area 9,992.5 km
2
(3,858.1 sq mi)
LGA(s) 31 Municipalities across Greater
Melbourne

SDG Target 11.6:
By 2030, reduce the adverse per
capita environmental impact of
cities, including by paying special
attention to air quality and
municipal and other waste
management.
Environment Protection Act
1970 (EPA):
EPA is committed to reducing the
amount of waste generated in
Victoria and uses the wastes
hierarchy in conjunction with the
other 10 environment protection
principles in the Act to achieve this
aim.
The National Waste Policy 2009
The City of Melbourne’s Activities
Local Law includes a number of
clauses that relate to waste
management.

Expectation VS Reality
Waste management hierarchy (UNEP, 2011) Source: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

City of Melbourne’s Waste Management Challenges
Source: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

•Continued installation of infrastructure, signage and accessible recycling collection
services with a new focus on improving recovery of hard waste and e-waste.
High-rise recycling program
•Continued provision of waste and recycling facilities in specific locations as part of a
precinct approach to waste management.
Compactors and recycling hubs in central city locations
•Expansion of the facility.
Degraves Street Recycling Facility
•Collaborating with Victorian Government and other local government municipalities
to find an alternative to landfill disposal
Advanced waste treatment.
•Continuation of programs that assist in improving recycling levels through education
and the provision of incentives.
Rewards for recycling
Initiatives
Source: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

/
Residential organics
Establishment of trial programs to test the viability of
food waste diversion in residential high rise
apartments and dwellings.
Commercial organics Increase support for food reuse programs..
Improved recovery of electronic
and hard waste
Implementation of measures to improve the
recovery of these materials from the residential
waste stream and divert them from landfill.
Partnerships for improved waste
management
Continue to establish joint waste management
projects with commercial businesses that provide
local amenity improvement. Investigate the
feasibility and possible operating models to support
the sectionalisation of the Central City into zones.
Improved cardboard recovery
Includes building more flexibility into current
contractual arrangements for the collection of
cardboard from the central city.
Initiatives
Source: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

Prevention
10
Melbourne Growth Projection
• Higher Density
• Increase in number of high rise building (both
residential and commercial)
Waste Projection
• Increase in Municipal waste
Focus
• Residential/Commercial higher rise property
owners
• Property Management/Joint Management Bodies

Recommendation:
People Oriented Approach
11
Setting Goals/Vision
Policy Revision & Adaptation by Government Agencies
Policy & Guide Lines Adopted by Local Government
Awareness Program by Engaging Stakeholders
Implementation of Policy in Phases
(providing grey period for holistic adoption of policy)
Policy Education Between Various Stakeholders
Multi Stakeholder Focus Group Discussion
Draft Policy (House/Common Rules & Guidelines
People Engagement)
Implementation of Segregation at Source

‘If you want to help the
environment, try to do just
two things. One, use less
of your car. Second,
separate your garbage.’
Jaime Lerner
12
THANK YOU
vishanthinikanasan@gmail.com
muigosouth@gmail.com