Program

8.00am

Morning
Tours/Workshops

Food Waste Workshop

On Site

8.30am - 12.30pm includes Morning Tea

Food waste recovery is set to be the next challenge in organic waste management. Food waste is generated by households, retailers and hospitality industry. This workshop aims to identify all relevant issues and challenges to successfully integrate food waste recovery into the recycling process to divert food waste from landfill.

The workshop is essential for all government and industry persons involved in retail, municipal and hospitality waste management, organic waste collection and waste processors and to have your say in how the food waste recovery challenge can be met. The workshop will involve expert speakers and facilitated discussion. Attendees can expect expert information, government policies, technology options and case studies, and a plenary discussion on the way forward on food waste recycling.

Pit Stop

Off Site

8.30am - 12.30pm includes Morning Tea

Check out the action pit-side at the site of WA’s newest, biggest, fast-tracked 2 million cubic-metre landfill - Mindarie Regional Council (MRC)/Tamala Park.

The MRC, on behalf of its seven councils with a population of 500,000 people, disposes its municipal waste at Tamala Park. Since the MRC commenced operations in 1991, more than 3 million tonnes of waste has been placed into landfill. Waste is being received at the rate of 350,000 tonnes per annum.

Current projects include:

• Evacuation for Stage 2, Phase 1, landfilling of the new Stage 2 Phase 1 section
  of Tamala Park.
  
• Generation of green electricity from the burning of the methane gas collected from Stage 1. The power station, operated by Landfill Gas and Power Pty Ltd in partnership with Council, started generating electricity in January 2004. Inspect the network of pipes that collect the gas and view the working generators in the soundproofed building.
  
• Revegetation work of the completed section of Stage 1.
  
• Building alterations and service enhancements at the transfer station, recycling centre and the administration centre.

Regional Council Workshop

Regional Councils - Many-headed beasts all looking in the same direction?

On Site

8.30am - 12.30pm includes Morning Tea

This provocative workshop will focus on key issues for Regional Councils and will include short presentations from a selection of Elected Members and officers on a range of topics identified as critical to the operation of their Council.

The MC will be Cr Doug Thompson, chair of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council and Municipal Waste Advisory Council.

Issues under consideration at the workshop will include:

• Regional cooperation between Local Governments in practice including issues on structural reform which has been firmly placed on the agenda by both political parties and numerous Councils.
  
• Strategic Plans and Business Plans - how do they work in different Regional Councils?
• Wearing two hats - a constant dilemma.

The workshop is designed specifically for Elected Members, CEOs and officers of existing Regional Councils as well as other groupings of Councils such as Voluntary Regional Organisations of Councils (VROCs).

Afternoon
Tours/Workshops

Closing the Loop

Off Site

8.30am - 5.30pm includes Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea

The construction and commissioning of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council's in-vessel composting plant has been generating compost from municipal solid waste for some twelve months or so. This tour will commence at the SMRC's Canning Vale operation where participants will follow the composting process from the receival of MSW to the finished stabilized compost.

From there the tour will visit a number of on-farm demonstration sites that have been using this compost to assess the results being achieved.

Woodman Point and Biowise Tour

Off Site

1.30pm - 5.30pm includes Afternoon Tea

The tour will feature visits to the Water Corporation’s Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant and to the Biowise Composting Facility, both a short bus ride to the south of Perth.

Biowise is a commercial composting plant processing green waste, biosolids and commercial organic waste into a quality compost that is certified by AS 4454. The plant has recently expanded capacity and features a number of innovations.

The Woodman Point WWTP is a modern plant that treats up to 120mL/d of sewage from the southern areas of the city and is the second largest facility in WA. It features many innovative, state-of-the-art process systems, including a recently commissioned grease and septage tanker receival facility (TRF). Recovered fat and grease from received greasetrap wastes are added to the WWTP egg-shaped primary digesters for methane generation.

‘Zero Waste in WA - living the vision!’
A Community Conversation

On Site

1.30pm - 5.00pm includes Afternoon Tea

The Waste Management Board is proud to sponsor the first in a series of Community Conversations: ‘Zero Waste in WA - imagining, realising and sustaining the vision’.

Using an innovative community engagement model, the forum will provide members of the Perth community with an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, dreams and aspirations for a waste-free Western Australia.

Conference delegates are invited to observe the proceedings and listen to the community’s voice.

11.00am - 12.00am

A Visionary Perspective for Change Cr W (Bill) Mitchell JP, President,WA Local Government Association

An International Perspective on Regional Cooperation Tom Galimberti, Principal, Global Environmental Management Systems Ltd, Canada British Columbia)

How do Strategic and Business Plans work in your region?

12.00am - 12.20pm

General discussion and Outcomes from the Workshop

12.20pm - 12.30pm