GreenCell chairman, Ian Wright, has recently called on the establishment of a new waste management research facility in Tasmania. This facility would work in a similar way to the CSIRO and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). The proposed facility will co-ordinate and collate research into ways to reduce waste and re-use products such as plastics.
“Australia is a leader in environmental research and Hobart in particular-that’s why I want to do it here”, he told Ryk Goddard on ABC Radio Hobart. He went on to say that Tasmanians were a lot more pro-active than mainland Australians with waste management.
Creating a central waste management research facility in Tasmania is one of the aims of the Waste management Association of Australia (WMAA). The WMAA works to lobby state and federal governments to create more uniform waste policies across the country.
Brad Marshman, managing director of Recovery (Tas) Pty Ltd and a member of Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA), said having more uniform waste policies and targets would help Australia reduce its landfill problem.
The August Trashed ‘Four Corners’ episode has intensified the discussions on current waste management programs. Mr Marshman said the program exposed gaps in the way local councils manage such programs. “Having a central research facility and co-ordinated waste management procedures would help prevent this”, he said.
With a Tasmanian state election coming up in March it will be interesting to see the stance that each of the major parties takes on the proposal for a new waste management research facility in Tasmania.
Recycal have enjoyed a very close working relationship with the Tasmanian government and have continued to invest in their two operations in Hobart and Launceston. Over $25 million has been invested in new plant, equipment and systems, to ensure efficient, effective and sustainable scrap metal recycling.
