Rethinking our relationship with landfill
Australia’s love affair with landfills is drawing to a close. Landfills are not only a source of greenhouse case emissions that can negatively impact environment and public health, the related impacts of reserving land for landfills and considerable costs of operation and management of these assets burdens the public purse.
The industry adages “the waste we generate today, will be generated in the same volumes and blends tomorrow”, and “waste follows the lowest cost path to disposal” challenge us to re-think our options.
Australia’s recycling industry is rapidly evolving, with great value being realised from segregation and recycling of e-waste, tyres, concrete, steel, paper, plastics and biomass manufacturing and “up-cycling” those materials to reduce and reuse. Invariably, segregation leaves a tail that needs to be managed. For regional communities, the cost of segregation and transport of waste to a recycling facility can be uneconomic.
Considering the entire waste stream as a resource, regional communities can benefit from up-cycling strategies that maximise the potential of waste, producing commercially viable products for local consumption, and/or for sale and export outside the region. Rethinking waste as a resource presents impressive potential to stimulate economic growth in communities and for communities to develop thriving, collateral industries for future generations.
Landfills Deadly Sins
Environmental Degradation: contributing to soil and water pollution and potential release of harmful chemicals and toxins into the environment.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: methane emissions decaying with time, continue for up to 100 years from the initial disposal date.
Resource Conservation: Landfills represent a missed opportunity for optimal utilisation of land and for maximised utilisation of the waste resource.
Space Constraints: Rapid urbanisation and population growth lead to increased waste generation and increased demand on limited land resources.
Health Concerns: Landfills located near communities, can expose residents, flora and fauna to harmful pollutants.
Circular Economics
A broad range of technologies exist for manufacturing, recycling, reuse and regeneration of high-value waste streams. Common methods of treatment of the tails includes co-processing, gasification, incineration, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, hydrolysis and landfill gas capture.
Boson Energy’s Hydrogen capable, Plasma Assisted Gasification (HPAG) technology delivers the next generation solution, scalably producing syngas for synthesis of commercial hydrogen, CO2 and derivatives for community populations as small as 30,000, up to large, urban communities.
This technology creates incredible potential for local communities to rethink their role in Australia’s economy and to participate in local, sustainable investment opportunities that secure their relevance to each region and that secure employment opportunities for future generations, within the community.
Xseed Solutions’ vision is to assist regional communities to maximise their circular economic potential through scaled, intelligent investment in infrastructure that not only sees the demise of Landfills, but supports the economic re-invigoration of local communities and regions.
Support us in our drive for sustainable communities and a healthier planet. For more inspiration, go to https://www.xseed.solutions.