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Making Waste Work

The Mkaing Waste Work project was initiated by the Bendigo Manufacturing Group (BMG) during 2007.  The BMG identified ‘detailed investigations into waste streams and value-adding opportunities' as the next key project to improve the ‘bottom line' for manufacturers.  The BMG is an active Advisory Group to the City of Greater Bendigo's Business Development Unit and comprises representatives from the various local manufacturing sectors.

Introduction

Waste management has become a higher priority for both industry and the community driven by environmental, financial and new policy considerations.  This project has been established to undertake investigations into the regional waste streams and subsequently explore and facilitate business opportunities that utilise commercial quantities of waste materials.  Benefits from this approach are expected to be in the form of additional employment, less waste to landfill, resource efficiency and improved bottom-line results for business.  The project will primarily focus on the City of Greater Bendigo; however, this will not preclude consideration of relevant industry waste streams from the immediate region.

Project Objectives  
  • To identify and ascertain key characteristics of local industrial, agricultural, residential and community waste streams.
  • To investigate cost, policy changes and other risks that impact on waste streams 
  • To assess and research these waste streams to identify potential business options that utilise commercial quantities of waste material
  • To investigate the potential business options to determine and establish a detailed outline of the three (3) highest ranked commercial business opportunities for further assessment
  • To undertake a detailed analysis of the relevant waste streams plus establish in-principle agreements with organisations producing these waste streams associated with the three (3) priority business opportunities
  • To facilitate ‘Expressions of Interest' or similar exercise for business opportunities utilising waste product(s) as part of a strategy to establish commercial solutions to reduce the volume of waste going to regional landfills and/or value add through utilising by-products.

The project will be undertaken in three (3) stages as follows:

Stage 1 involves the development of a profile of the key commercial and industrial waste streams.  This will be undertaken by analysing available data and surveying 200 local businesses to gather detailed waste stream information.  Waste stream information will be assessed and subsequently relevant and validated data will be aggregated. Using GIS to assist, all characteristics related to the relevant waste streams will be analysed, resulting in a report being produced on Stage 1 findings. 

Stage 2 will identify a comprehensive range of options relating to each waste stream, from which a range of potential synergies will be identified regards the re-use or value-adding opportunities related to these waste streams.  An assessment of the options will be undertaken to determine up to three priority business options to be pursued.  Agreements with waste generators to provide their waste streams for a defined use will also be negotiated as part of this project. 

Stage 3 will be an 'Expression of Interest' or similar exercise to highlight the business opportunities and seek to establish a number of commercial activities.

For further information please contact Derek Shotton, Business Sector Advisor on (03) 5434 6248 or email d.shotton@bendigo.vic.gov.au