1. Recycling:
Current and future trends
Grant Musgrove, Director, ACOR
E-mail: grantm@acor.org.au

2. About ACOR
• Formed in 1983
• A national peak representative body for the recycling and resource recovery
industry
• Our core business
o Lobbying governments for policies and regulations that support
organisations in the recycling and resource recovery industry
o Representing organisations in the supply and value chain of recycling and
resource recovery
• >85% of all recycling activity
• >30 million tonnes p.a.
• 40,000+ jobs and growing
grantm@acor.org.au

3. ACOR’S Mission
Advocacy and Representation
• Comment and provide feedback into ACOR policy and
submissions to Government at the State and National
levels
• Confidential advice on how to handle government issues
and dealing with Government at all levels
• ACOR organized industry related conferences, workshops
and seminars, as well as the annual CEO’s roundtable
• Assistance in accessing state and federal government
Ministers and senior bureaucrats
grantm@acor.org.au

4. Framing the Recycling Industry
• Green jobs
• Genuine sustainability
• Essential for circular economy
• Great vehicle for community engagement
• The world is running out of resources
• Price increases and volatility
grantm@acor.org.au

5. “Peak Resources” is past us!
grantm@acor.org.au

6. Volatility
grantm@acor.org.au

7. Inefficient systems in the
materials economy!
• Valuable finite secondary commodities
• Needs system put in place= govt
• Would govt’s tolerate a banking system that
lost half the money?
• Sending resources to landfills is the economic
equivalent of creating low grade mining ore
deposits
• Costing Local Govt’s $$$$$$$$......
grantm@acor.org.au

8. The “old” waste hierarchy in
recovery processes
• All resources are inherently limited
• Used by Government
• At Kerbside, new technologies for
avoidance are undermining the
recyclability of packaging and/or
packaging recovery
• Avoidance/cost minimisation should
not be at the expense of viable
recovery options
• This is linear, not circular, but a useful
intermediate /transitional framework
grantm@acor.org.au

9. Resource Recovery Value Chain
grantm@acor.org.au

10. Kerbside Regulatory trends
Notable trends
• Waste levies $35-$125 tonne (ex Qld)
• Plastic bag bans coming in
• 1-4 kerbside system bins
• CDL, cash for containers S.A and N.T
• CDL allows jurisdictions to accept or reject new
containers based on packaging material or design.
• Ban of land filling of packaging materials.
• Recovery/ recycling targets set
• Community expectations and engagement
grantm@acor.org.au

11. Resource recovery rate of solid waste,
Victoria 2000-2001 to 2009-2010
70% 62% 64% 66%
60% 61%
60% 54% 55%
Recovery Rate %
51%
46% 47%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
grantm@acor.org.au

12. Per Capita Disposal, Recycling and
Energy Recovery by State
2008-2009
Disposal Recycling Energy Recovery
3000
10 10
2500 30 10 30
Kg per capita
10 830
60
2000 10
10
70
1500 1,650 1,350
930
1,340 1,010
10
1000 150
1,830
1,610
1,160
500 940 870 890
650
580
0
ACT NSW SA Vic Qld WA Tas NT
grantm@acor.org.au

13. How can we help?
Some Q’s Local Governments often
ask ACOR
•Where is the critical information to play their role in resource recovery
and recycling?
•What regulatory changes are going to affect my local government?
•Where can we go to network with private sector providers of resource
recovery and recycling services outside of tender probity requirements
and the occasional conference?
•How should local governments allocate risk in tender documents?
•How do local governments make sure they are getting value for money
in delivering recycling services?
grantm@acor.org.au

14. ACOR is a resource for all-including
• Managing the issues which affect the whole sector.
• ACOR influences and manages the impact of the changing
State and Federal environment you operate in,
• ACOR ensures the decision makers hear your voice.
• We are a one-stop-shop of important news and resources
with regular member information and networking
opportunities across the country.
• We have one local govt member out of 40 members which
is odd!
grantm@acor.org.au

15. Follow Us
Our website http://www.acor.org.au
ACOR LinkedIn Public Group
Facebook
Twitter
E- newsletter
grantm@acor.org.au