Resource recovery facility

What is a resource recovery facility?

For the purpose of this project, a resource recovery facility is where alternative waste technology is applied to waste to convert it into a marketable resource such as compost and/or energy.

Alternative waste technology (AWT) is the generic term used for waste and resource recovery operations that are deemed to be 'alternative' to disposal of wastes at conventional (dry) landfills (Report of the Alternative Waste Technologies and Practices Inquiry, April 2000 - http://www.wrightstrategy.com/inquiry_reports.htm). This technology can include mechanical biological treatment, mechanical separation methods, thermal technologies and biological processes.

Increasingly, local and regional councils around Australia are looking to alternative waste technologies to treat the non-recycled portion of municipal (household) waste they collect, instead of continuing to send it to landfill.

In 2000, EMRC commenced research into the construction of a resource recovery facility for Perth's Eastern Region. The intention of this facility is to process the region's non-recycled municipal waste which currently goes to landfill – around 130,000 tonnes per annum. This facility is anticipated to have a life of 20 years.

For more information on EMRC's resource recovery facility, please click on the links below:

About EMRC's resource recovery facility
Why we need a resource recovery facility
Technology options
Site options
Current council decisions
Timeline

Image: possible resource recovery products