WASTE RECYCLING

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Environment and Conservation a question about waste recycling.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: As we heard earlier, the need to divert waste from landfill and maximise recycling opportunities is stated in South Australia's Strategic Plan. The establishment of Zero Waste South Australia was a key element in this strategy. Will the minister inform the council of the latest initiatives to achieve our recycling goals?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his most important and interesting question. I am pleased today to announce five major grants—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT:Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —totalling $1.1 million to support efforts to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. These grants, which will go to five different organisations, will help divert 100,000 tonnes of recyclable waste from landfill, including garden organics, glass and, importantly, electronic waste, such as computers. Recycling is one of the most practical and sensible environmental practices. Each time an item is recycled and returned to circulation it saves not only vast amounts of raw material but, equally, large amounts of energy through the more efficient re-manufacturing process, as well as enormous reductions in the amount of water used. So, these are important savings.

In support of these many benefits, the grants I am announcing today include: $300,000 for Integrated Waste Services to establish state-of-the-art recovery and sorting equipment for commercial and industrial waste currently destined for landfill, allowing it to divert 75,000 tonnes from landfill each year; and $205,500 will be provided to Visy Recycling to upgrade equipment used in its three metropolitan Adelaide material recovery facilities to separate glass from kerbside collected recyclables.

Incidentally, glass is by far the most common product processed by Visy facilities. I am pleased to say that the grant I have announced today will assist the recovery of 19,000 tonnes of glass waste from Visy's three sites every year. The Visy and integrated waste services projects include funding of $252,500 from the National Packaging Covenant, and I am pleased to say that Zero Waste SA is offering a total of $1.78 million over three years of the grant scheme. Under these grants, $300,000 will be provided to Peat Soils and will help purchase equipment to remove contamination such as metals and plastics from organic waste, improving sorting and production efficiencies. Contamination of green waste is a major problem, and highly contaminated composts or mulches cannot be sold as a result and they end up simply going to landfill.

This grant will be a major boost to the industry. SA Waste Management will receive $175,000 to improve resource recovery infrastructure at its transfer station by diverting a further 3,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year, which is a significant amount. The team at Anglicare will receive $137,000 to build a reuse and recycling facility on Main South Road at St Marys and reuse infrastructure at Elizabeth West. This outstanding community project will divert a minimum of 600 tonnes of e-waste from landfill for reuse and recycling and increase sales. I am proud that this government has been able to support this.