Green Industries SA news – Summer 2024
- GISA news
December 17, 2024
Welcome to our final issue of GISA news for 2024.
Since our last issue we’ve published the most recent Circular Economy Resource Recovery and Kerbside Performance reports, released a new Community Circular Hubs Guide and opened several grant programs, to name a few.
Adelaide also hosted the Australian Resource Recovery Conference in October. It was great to see so many of you there and the thought-provoking conversations on resource recovery and the circular economy.
In November, informed by a stakeholder roundtable in August, GISA held a trial community drop-off event for embedded battery products. A summary of the event is provided in the below article. Thank you to our host partners, and to all stakeholders who helped raise awareness of the event and the issues associated with the incorrect disposal of batteries and embedded battery products.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of meeting several stakeholders at their sites and viewing our state’s resource recovery activities in action. I am always impressed by both the scale and sophistication of the sector’s capabilities. I find viewing these activities in person the best way to understand and discuss the issues presenting the sector, and plan on undertaking more on-site meetings and visits in 2025.
Next year, I look forward to sharing information with you on the development of South Australia’s next statewide waste and circular economy strategy for 2025-2030, and when you can expect to see a consultation draft.
I wish you all a safe, happy, and circular (refer article below) festive period.
Josh Wheeler, Chief Executive
Grant funding now open for application
Green Industries SA currently has 3 grant programs open for application:
- Circular Infrastructure Grants
Circular Infrastructure Grants are available to South Australian businesses and local governments that recover, handle and process recyclable materials with the opportunity to invest in equipment, technology and processes to respond to the prevailing market conditions.
Applications close 5 pm, Friday 31 January 2025.
Learn more - Circular Business and Market Development Grants
The Circular Business and Market Development Grant program aims to assist businesses, local authorities, industry groups, not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises and research institutions to accelerate transition to a more circular economy.
Applications close 5 pm, Friday 31 January 2025.
Learn more - Lead-Educate-Assist-Promote (LEAP) Grants
LEAP Grants support industry sectors, business groups and supply chains to drive a more resource efficient, sustainable and circular economy for SA.
Applications close 5 pm, Friday 28 March 2025.
Learn more - Recently closed: Kerbside Food Waste Systems Grants and Council Modernisation Grants
Both the Kerbside Food Waste Systems and Council Modernisation grant programs closed on Friday 13 December, and applications are now being assessed.
Embedded battery drop-off event
To tackle the increasing risk of fires from embedded batteries placed incorrectly in bins, Green Industries SA and 4 partner sites, City of Campbelltown, City of West Torrens, Adelaide Hills Region Waste Management Authority and the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority ran a weekend-long event in November to collect embedded battery products from the community.
The event attracted considerable media and public attention to raise awareness on the issues associated with incorrect battery disposal in kerbside bins.
Almost 500 kgs of batteries and embedded battery products were dropped off at the trial event by more than 120 vehicles, with a high number of electric toothbrushes and stick vacuum cleaners observed by the collection teams.
The event provided good information on this collection method to inform and refine future approaches on batteries and embedded battery products.
South Australians were, and are, reminded to ensure no batteries are placed in kerbside bins. For drop-off locations for loose batteries, including those from power tools, visit the B-Cycle or Which Bin website.
South Australia’s Waste and Circular Economy Strategy 2025-2030
Development of South Australia’s next 5-year statewide strategy under the Green Industries SA Act 2004 has commenced.
The strategy will set ambitious goals and targets and identify priority actions that will help accelerate South Australia’s transition to a circular economy and help meet the state’s priorities for a sustainable economy and net zero emissions by 2050.
The strategy will reflect an expansion in focus from best-practice resource recovery and waste management to waste avoidance, resource efficiency and materials circularity strategies.
Through good product design, improving how efficiently we use materials, making informed decisions and changing our consumption patterns, we can reduce waste and pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regenerate nature.
The draft strategy will be released for public consultation in 2025.
National Environment Ministers Meeting, December 2024
Australia’s Environment Ministers met on December 10 in Melbourne to take critical steps towards Australia’s transition to a circular economy and a nature positive future.
Highlights include the Australian Government’s National Circular Economy Framework to accelerate Australia’s transition to a circular economy and a roadmap to harmonise kerbside bin collection systems, to a minimum set of items that can be collected and recycled across the country.
Environment Ministers also noted the need for urgent reforms to product stewardship arrangements for batteries to address the escalating risks of battery fires and create a safe, circular economy for batteries.
Ministers discussed the findings of a draft Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS), prepared by NSW and Victoria, examining options for these reforms.
Recognising the need to act quickly to reduce the risks of battery fires, Ministers discussed progression of aligned state-led reforms for mandatory battery product stewardship, with NSW intending to introduce legislation in 2025.
Reducing food waste this festive season
As we prepare for the festive season, it’s worth sparing a thought for the increase in waste at this time of year, particularly when it comes to food waste.
Here are our top tips for a more sustainable festive season:
- Plan ahead: Think about what dishes you’ll need to prepare, taking into consideration how many people you’re cooking for, and make a shopping list so you only buy what you need.
- Stocktake: Once you’ve got your shopping list sorted, do a quick stocktake of your pantry, fridge and freezer, and cross off any items you already have so you don’t double-up.
- Get the serving sizes right: Let people serve themselves, so they only take what they know they can eat. Any food leftover on your serving plates can be stored away for leftovers.
- Use up your leftovers: There’s almost always going to be leftovers after a festive meal. Download the Saveful app for recipe ideas that will help you use up those leftovers in creative and delicious ways.
- Recycle any food scraps: Place any food scraps, like veggie and fruit peels, eggshells, prawn shells and bones, and any uneaten leftovers, into your green organics bin so they can be turned into nutrient-rich compost that will go on to grow more food.
As we say farewell to 2024, with many of us spending some much-needed downtime with family and friends, the GISA Board acknowledges the great achievements of the agency this year: from the near-completion of the River Murray flood clean-up program, implementation of the latest round of single-use plastic bans, the Give a Sheet and embedded battery collection events, a new Which Bin education campaign, publication of various and diverse industry strategies and guides, a review and re-release of our funding programs, and the continuous support provided to SA councils and businesses to improve their sustainability and circularity.
As a Board, our focus in 2025 will be on consultation and engagement with stakeholders and partners to deliver the next state waste and circular economy strategy, which will drive SA’s circular economy transition over 2025 to 2030.
Wishing you all a safe and sustainable festive season
Nikki Govan, Presiding Member
