Senate circular economy submission

We are pleased to share our response to the Australian Senate enquiry in relation to the effectiveness of the current waste, recycling and circular economy policy and legislative settings in Australia. Leveraging Xseed Solutions’ Hydrogen for the Long Haul strategy we provided eleven specific recommendations to:

• Reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by up to 12% through the 100% use of landfill waste as a valuable resource to accelerate the transition away from diesel fossil fuels. In so doing, being additive to and doubling the value to Australian communities from other recycling activities;

• Manufacture Grade A hydrogen locally, a key Industry 4.0 product, with a circular economy focus to keep landfill waste at its highest value use for the longest possible time - optimising CO2e eco-system reductions. Largely biogenic CO2 and IMBYROCK are manufactured using HPAG facilitating additional localised high value agricultural and industrial business across Australia; and

• Enable value chain Hydrogen to X manufacturing business and employment opportunities across Australia to provide affordable Grade A hydrogen across Australia’s potential hydrogen highway.

The Xseed Solutions’ strategy to enable an estimated $49+ billion per annum domestic Waste to Hydrogen to X circular economy provided eleven specific recommendations for consideration as follows:

1. Recognise Waste to Hydrogen pathways to double the value of recycled resources

2. Stimulate a broader Waste to Hydrogen to X sector

3. Streamline all government policies and approvals

4. Incentivise a Climate Positive local council funding program

5. Subsidise subzero carbon hydrogen domestic off take

6. Introduce a 50% regional and urban business vehicle investment allowance

7. Commence an agriculture decarbonisation immediate capital deduction

8. Require CER to finalise waste and hydrogen ACCU rules promptly

9. Modernise and harmonise the various Waste Hierarchy(ies)

10. Rethink Zero. to optimise household and live local benefits

11. Support methanol as an efficient energy carrier with flexible device solutions

A Waste to Hydrogen to X eco-system accelerates the path to both zero waste and net zero with higher carbon abatement outcomes for diverting waste from landfill. The bonuses being:

• 100% resource recycling - action now on Federal Waste Plan Targets 3, 4 and 6 with plans to environmentally address landfill waste management;

• Value enhancing - turning waste into a resource, lowering of the cost of waste management and ratepayers waste costs;

• Creates jobs – enabling a broader Waste to Hydrogen to X economy creating at least 14,000 new direct jobs in manufacturing and recycling (away from landfill management). More importantly value chain employment is created in the broader manufacturing, road transport, hydrogen, energy, and agricultural sectors both in urban centres and across regional Australia; and

• Action real zero outcomes - actioning now tangible progress of up to a 12% reduction in Australia's annual carbon emissions. The equivalent Australian carbon emissions savings from an export oriented green hydrogen market, does nothing to address landfill waste, is estimated at around 1%.

Xseed Solutions’ full Senate submission can be downloaded from here.